The importance of integrating the four skills in an English class

“Real success in English teaching and learning is when the learners can actually communicate in English inside and outside the classroom” (Davies & Pearse, 2000: 99). (2)

Having in mind this thought, it would be important to integrate the four skills into a classroom in order to increase or develop the communicative competence in learners. This communicative competence includes language skills such as listening, speaking, reading and writing which, in consequence, help us to interact with others in any society we live. Therefore, this is the main reason for teaching the four skills, especially grammar, inside the classroom so that Ss can cope with the real world.
In that context, the main objective of communicative language teaching is to develop students’ communicative competence which includes both knowledge about the language (linguistic competence) and knowledge about how to use the language appropriately (communicative competence) in different communicative situations.
In that same order of ideas, while listening and reading are considered as receptive skills that help students get information as the input of language; speaking and writing are both regarded as productive skills that make language output possible and require sufficient language input as their basis. Hence, the ability to communicate involves knowledge of the four skills. As a result, this is the second reason for which the four skills need to be integrated.
Actually, there are many situations in which we use more than one language skills to communicate in our everyday life. (e.g. an activity that serves to involve Ss with the use of the four skills is the following role play: going to the doctor – speaking to him, listen to his comments about how sick we are, show written prescription when going to the drugstore - since generally we do not ask for medication, just show the prescription to the pharmacist -, read the instructions when taking pills). Thus, integrating the four skills in a classroom is focused on realistic language and can therefore guide to the students’ all-round development of communicative competence in English. What becomes the third reason.
Besides, the integrating the four skills may help a teacher to make his lessons more active and dynamic, involving the student in a great variety of activities and interactions. Such combination of activities involving different skills enhances the focus on realistic communication, which makes the students be more motivated and more engaged enthusiastically in classroom activities.
Even, for the teacher, it also allows creating a relaxed atmosphere in his/her class that students’ all-round abilities are well improved. Hence, it is the fourth reason for integrating the four abilities.
Likewise, this integrative approach satisfies students’ different learning styles in that the outgoing people may speak a lot, the shy people prefer to listen or read, and the analytically or visually oriented learners like to see how words are written and sentences constructed. Hence, integrating skills helps the students to learn English willingly and comfortably. Therefore, this becomes the fifth reason for integrating them together.
In my personal appreciation, I know, I can understand and I already use this approach which allows teachers to track students' progress in multiple skills at the same time. However, I consider that the integration of the four skills demands a lot of time of planning when designing a lesson plan and takes a lot of efforts and even more time when trying to find or design suitable materials in spite of the fact it has visible results both teachers and his students.
Besides being honest, if conjugate the limited time, the large class size and poor classrooms conditions we have when teaching, really they can be negative factors which can affect the integrative teaching. In spite of the fact the integration of the four skills does make possible a successful communication.
But I conclude it is through teaching experience when we really get a perfect balance of the integrating of the four abilities.

SOURCES:
(2) Davies, P. & Pearse, E. (2002) “Success in English Teaching” Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press.
Online Resources: Digests (2001) Integrated Skills. Retrieved 16th September, 2009 from:
http://www.cal.org/resources/Digest/0105oxford.html
Monografías.com (1998) Integrated Skills. Retrieved 16th September, 2009 from:
http://www.monografias.com/trabajos17/integrated-skills/integrated-skills.shtml#two
ESL PartyLand.com (2009) Teaching Integrated Skills Retrieved 16th September, 2009 from:
http://www.eslpartyland.com/teachers/nov/skills.htm