www.TheOldSchoolhouse.com
All language study, if —and only if—it
is;positive,;can;be;of;benefit.;Your;student
will learn some of, or about, the language
no matter which method and curriculum
you choose. All approaches, however, do
not;lead;to;proficiency;in;the;language;or
the;ability;to;speak;it.;Did;you;take;a;for-
eign language in high school? If so, how
proficient;are;you;in;that;language;now?
First, what is your purpose in investing your money and time in language
learning? Do you want your student to
learn about the language, to recognize
and understand some of the language, or
all;of;the;above,;as;well;as;learn;to;speak?
Your purpose should drive your choice of
method.
So many people have said to me in
frustration, “I bought such-and-such
curriculum, but my child won’t say a
word.” That’s because the curriculum
isn’t;teaching;your;child;to;speak;the;lan-guage! It may be teaching your child to
recognize;and;repeat;vocabulary,;but;that
isn’t;speaking.;It;is;unjust;to;expect;a;cur-riculum;to;teach;what;it;doesn’t;offer.
Immersion
So popular in name! True immersion
method is just what it says: immersion
in;the;language;and;figuring;out;what
is being said. True immersion does not
translate into English, but the student
hears;native;speakers;(a;good;thing),;and
learns;to;recognize;the;target;language
(the one he is studying). However, it is a
disadvantage that although your child is
learning;to;recognize;the;language;and
understand some of it, he is not learning
to;speak;and;use;it.;Repetition;of;phrases
is;not;equivalent;to;speaking;and;com-
municating. Since there is no translation,
students can also confuse what is being
targeted and consequently do not learn
why different words are used.
Immersion methods seem similar to
those used with most music appreciation
classes. The student learns things about
the;music;and;learns;to;recognize;com-posers, styles, tempos, etc., but he is not
learning to play.
Grammar/Traditional
If;you;took;a;foreign;language;course
in high school, this is probably the way
you learned. Typically, you use a textbook with vocabulary lists, dialogues
to;memorize,;grammar;points;to;learn,
verbs to conjugate, and exercises to
fill out in order to practice the grammar point being focused on. This is
the method I have used for more than
twenty years.
This;leads;to;proficiency;in;about;5%
of students who are taught this way;
the rest learn about the language, but
the;course;of;study;doesn’t;lead;to;pro-ficiency.;If;you;don’t;work;outside;the
boundaries of the book or computer
program;to;make;the;learning;applied
and active, it can be, well, stultifying,
absolutely killing the joy of learning
and;making;language;study;a;Thing;to
Be;Dreaded.
“SALE”—important to know in any language!
All;approaches;.;.;.;do;not;lead;to;proficiency;in;the
language;or;the;ability;to;speak.
Include the fun of culture!
