Communicative Competence

Competent language communication for an adult would include sufficient receptive understanding and expressive ability to listen, speak, read and write meaningfully in different situations. For example, if an adult is purchasing groceries s/he would need to understand the cashier’s questions and respond with comprehensible sentences; perhaps using strategic competence tactics such as rewording phrases. Work and leisure environments would include discourse on a wide range of topics and challenge the language learner to employ and integrate knowledge of the different language competencies (grammar, discourse, sociolinguistic and strategic). S/he would become aware of the cultural meaning attached to words and other language elements (such as tone of voice); and have coping strategies to compensate for areas of language deficit in order to adequately communicate his/her needs and wants in a variety of situations.
An adult who has accomplished this level of language development would be competent communicator. The level of competence will gradually increase in all modalities (listening, speaking, reading and writing) as s/he gains more structural knowledge and experiences an increasingly number of opportunities to use the language.

I am a part-time mature student at the University of Winnipeg and a full time elementary teacher in Manitoba. This blog is one requirement for an on-line English as a Second Language theory course. 

The topic of discussion is adults’ preferred ways to learn new skills and knowledge. Learning for me is almost always goal-oriented and for practical purposes; whether it be work related or for leisure.

Specific learning styles vary slightly depending on the task at hand. Most learning for my profession is either through education courses or accessing information from professional publications and on-line subscriptions. When learning new teaching techniques and methods, I prefer to read articles that link the theory with examples of application in a classroom or watch a demonstration of the new strategy being used in a lesson. Retention and transference of new methods and techniques is enhanced through dialogue with colleagues and when they are put into action in a classroom. Success of the new strategy, or lack of, provides feedback and determines if and what needs to be changed. Motivating factors for work-related learning are most often interest, job advancement and/or the need to learn new skills in order to adapt to job changes.

I began learning to play the piano as an adult. Once again I was very goal-oriented and wanted this to be a self-directed endeavour. Most of the early learning began from watching an instructor demonstrate the skill and then I proceeded to practice. The sounds of the music played provide both positive and negative reinforcement. Gradually, I began to take those skills and apply them to other pieces of music and soon I could learn new songs by myself. The better the music sounded the more motivated I became to continue playing and learning new selections.

As an adult, I enjoy learning both for professional and personal growth. However, as we all know, time becomes a huge barrier against pursuing desired learning opportunities when they are competing with a full-time job.