The Paradox of Oral Skills at CEFR Level A1 and the Role of Digital Technologies

Abstract

At CEFR level A1 the socio-communicative tasks envisaged are predominantly related to the resort to oral skills. Theoretically speaking, new students even when unable to write and read in their language/s of origin and/or in the target language, could thus directly join an A1 group without risking to find themselves in an irredeemably disadvantaged situation when compared to their literate classmates. Yet in current teaching practices and materials, because of the way spoken activities are generally presented (i.e. mostly by means of dialogues, samples, and exercises in written form), they are likely to find serious difficulties in starting from an A1 group and normally end up in pre-A1 courses. The present contribution argues that digital technologies could represent a way out from this apparently unsolvable paradox.