Name : Rafi Aryasutha

NIM : 20231700147015
Study Programme : Tadris Bahasa Inggris
Subject : TEFL
Lecturer : Sri Surya Dewi, [Link]., M.A

Paper
Introduction
Language is not just a system such as grammar and vocabulary. Language is a tool
for daily communication that enables humans to express their ideas, comprehend
information, and interaction. In English Language Teaching (ELT), mastering the four
crucial skills (Listening, Reading, Speaking, and Writing) is critical for building
communicative competence. These skills are categorized into two groups, namely
receptive skills (listening & reading) and productive skills (speaking & writing). Each
skills have their own role in language acquisition.
Jeremy Harmer, one of the most influential authors in ELT methodology. He provides
a comprehensive framework for understanding and teaching language skills through
his work such as How to Teach English (2001) and The Practice of English
Language Teaching (2005). His ESA (Engage, Study, and Activate) model has
become one of the most widely used instructional frameworks, allowing other
teachers to design their lesson that promote both motivation and meaningful
learning.
This paper explores the nature of language skills, pedagogical approaches for
teaching receptive and productive skills, challenges in the classroom, and the
integration of skills using Harmer’s ESA methodology.
Content
1. Understanding Language Skills
a. What are Language Skills
Language skills are the abilities that is required to understand and use
language effectively. Harmer divides them into two categories:
 Receptive Skills: Reading and listening, where learners process
language input.
 Productive Skills: Speaking and Writing, where learners generate
language output.
These skills are inherently interconnected. Harmer (2005, p. 200) argues
that language activities in real communication rarely involve isolated skills.
Instead, learners typically engage in integrated tasks such as reading text
before discussing it or listening to information before writing a summary.
Effective teaching recognizes the mutual reinforcement between skills.
2. The ESA Teaching Model
 a. Overview of ESA
Jeremy Harmaer’s ESA (Engage, Study, and Activate) model provides a
flexible structure lesson planning.
1. Engage
Teachers capture students’ interest, build curiosity, and activate
background knowledge. Engaging students emotionally increases
motivation, which Harmer emphasizes as a key factor influencing
language acquisition.
2. Study
Students focus on language forms, pronunciation, vocabulary, or
grammar. This phase supports accuracy and conscious understanding.
3. Activate
Learners use the language communicatively and freely. This phase
mirrors real world usage and promotes fluency.
b. Flexibility of ESA Sequences
Harmer highlights multiple ESA variations:
- Straight ESA: E  S  A
- Boomerang ESA: E  A  S  A
- Patchwork ESA: E  A  S  A  S  A
The flexibility allows teachers to adapt lessons according to difficulty level,
learner needs, and teaching goals.
3. Teaching Receptive Skills
Receptive skills enable learners to interpret input, and Harmer stresses that
successful learning requires both top-down and bottom-up processing.
a. What Are Receptive Skills?
Receptive skills involve understanding written or spoken language.
Students rely on:
- prior knowledge (schema),
- context clues,
- linguistic features such as grammar and vocabulary.
b. Role of Schema
According to Harmer (2005, p. 200-201) Schema refers to background
knowledge that helps learners interpret texts or audio. Harmer states that
activating schema improves comprehension because students can
anticipate content and make predictions.
c. Top-down & Bottom-up Processing
- Top-down processing; involves prediction and understanding based on
context and background knowledge.
- Bottom-up processing; involves decoding words, sounds, or
grammatical structures.
Harmer (2005, p. 201) explains that reading and listening involve interactions
between top-down processing (getting a general view) and bottom-up
processing (focusing on individual words and phrases).
d. Teaching Reading
 Why teach reading? Harmer identifies several reasons:
- It exposes students to high-quality language input.
- It develops vocabulary and grammatical awareness.
- It encourages independent learning strategies.
Harmer (2001, p. 69) identifies several reading skills including skimming
(getting the gist) and scanning (finding specific information), emphasizing
that students need to understand the difference between these
approaches. Key principles for Teaching Reading:
- Use interesting and level-appropriate materials.
- Set clear reading tasks.
- Encourage prediction and personal engagement.
- Combine reading with follow-up activities (discussion, writing,
summarizing).
e. Teaching Listening
Why teach Listening?
- Listening exposes learners to authentic spoken language.
- It improves pronunciation awareness and sound recognition.
- It builds real-world communication skills.
Harmer (2005, p. 203) notes that listening can be challenging because
unknown vocabulary acts like 'a dropped barrier' causing students to miss
subsequent parts of the speech. Key Principles:
- Pre-listening tasks (e.g., prediction, vocabulary activation)
- Clear listening purpose
- Multiple listening stages
- Engaging post-listening tasks
4. Teaching Productive Skills
a. What are Productive Skills?
Productive skills involve language output. Harmer emphasizes fluency,
accuracy, and expressive ability.
b. Teaching Writing
Reasons to Teach Writing according to Harmer (2001, p. 79):
- Reinforcement: Writing strengthens grammar and vocabulary learned
earlier.
- Language development: Promotes deeper processing.
- Learning style: Some learners acquire better through writing.
- Skill development: Essential for academic and professional
communication.
Types of Writing Tasks: Emails, Messages, Paragraphs, Essay, Report,
and etc. Since productive means output, so it is different from receptive
which means we as a teachers need to do some correction so the
students will improve. Correction has strategies such as; Direct correction,
Indirect correction, Peer feedback, and Code correction.
c. Teaching Speaking
 Reasons to Teach Speaking based on Harmer (2001, p. 87-88):
- Rehearsal: Practicing language, they will need in real life.
- Feedback: Teachers can provide constructive corrections.
- Engagement: Builds confidence and classroom interaction.
Types of Speaking Activities are various such as Roleplay, Discussion,
Debates, Interview, and etc. Correction in Speaking Activities is not that
simple. Harmer (2001, p. 94) warns against interrupting fluency
excessively. Teachers should correct at appropriate moments to maintain
confidence.
5. Common Challenges in Teaching Language Skills
a. Language difficulty: Materials may be too hard or too easy.
b. Inappropriate topics: Students may find topics irrelevant or boring.
c. Negative expectations: Learners might lack confidence or feel anxious.
d. Mixed-ability classrooms: Students have differing proficiency levels.
Solutions:
- Adapt difficulty level and scaffold tasks.
- Choose meaningful and relatable topics.
- Build positive learning atmosphere.
- Use group work and differentiated instruction.
6. Integrating Skills in ESA Lessons
Language skills naturally overlap. An effective ESA lesson may combine
multiple skills. Here’s an example of how to integrate ESA to our teaching:
- Engage: Show a picture or video and have students discuss what they
see (speaking).
- Study: Teach vocabulary and structures relevant to the topic.
- Activate:
o Read a text (reading)
o Summarize in writing (writing)
o Discuss conclusions (speaking)
o Listen to a follow-up audio (listening)

This approach mirrors real world communication and enhances learning

transfer.
Closing
Teaching language skills requires an understanding of how receptive and productive
abilities function in the context of communication. Jeremy Harmer’s framework
provides teachers with practical methodologies to engage learners, develop
accuracy, and promote fluency. His ESA model emphasizes motivation, structured
study, and communicative activation, allowing lessons to reflect authentic language
use. By integrating reading, listening, speaking, and writing in meaningful activities,
teachers can help learners not only understand English but also use it confidently in
real world situations.
References
Harmer, J. (2001). How to Teach English. Essex: Longman.
Jeremy, H. (2005). The Practice of English Language Teaching. London: Longman.