Fostering Learners’ Language Proficiency in Oral Class: A Lesson Plan for Integrated Instruction of English Listening and Speaking Skills

Abstract

This paper aims to foster language learners’ English proficiency by means of integrated instruction of listening and speaking skills in English oral class. It develops a comprehensive lesson plan from the selected textbook, which is applied to first-year English-major students in a northern university in China. The findings of the study are that students’ language accuracy and metacognitive awareness would be significantly improved through perception practice in the listening process. In addition, sufficient input previous to listening exercises enables students to produce spoken output more effectively and efficiently. An integrated lesson plan, emphasizing both English listening and speaking skills, helps language learners in improving language fluency and complexities, and eventually in enhancing their pragmatic competence to develop into strategic listeners and competent speakers in the target language.