Fundamentos teóricos y pedagógicos del enfoque de las destrezas integradas en la ense？anza de lenguas extranjeras

in the last two decades, specialized literature on foreign language (fl) teaching methodology has emphasized a paradigm shift regarding the way the four language skills are taught. this implies a shift from a segregationist perspective on the skills (each taught unconnectedly and in a fixed sequence) towards a more integrationist one (two or more skills integrated in realistic and meaningful tasks). the latter has been labeled as the skills-integrated approach. however, in many fl classrooms segregationist practices still seem to be dominant. this article proposes a first step towards solving the above mentioned disparity between theory and practice by briefly, yet systematically, describing the origins and main underlying bases of the approach. the author ends with a proposal on how this issue might be fur ther addressed through field research.