Interactive listening and speaking activities could help non-native speakers brush up their language proficiency, teachers and students were told. The 15th International Language in Education Conference, held at Chinese University, focused on curriculums and assessments adopted by colleges around the world.
Joyce Hutchings, senior language instructor and administrator at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, said most students who used English as a second language could benefit more by taking part in interactive listening and speaking activities.
She was introducing a system of evaluating students' performance in these areas which helps improve their overall language ability. Ms Hutchings said there was an increasing need to give attention to the two particular areas in the workplace and in academic settings.
The English language curriculum at her university mainly focused on reading, writing, communication, information technology, listening and speaking skills.
She said conventional training in listening comprehension and oral presentation was not enough to enrich students' learning experience.
'These two areas might be the most problematical to capture during the task,' Ms Hutchings said.
