Recently, I posed a question about the
best language learning strategies on Facebook. I also posted it on
Twitter, but I guess I haven't figured the twitter system out yet, because no one
responded!
As you can guess, the responses
generally centered around interaction with native speakers or target
language native speaker materials (like television or music).
Naturally so—people who have learned a foreign language agree that
native speaker interaction is practically irreplaceable. In fact,
studies have shown that learning a native language in a context-rich
environment (i.e., English as a Second Language) instead of a
context-poor environment (i.e., English as a Foreign Language) can
shorten the time it takes to become proficient by years.
I will be one of the first ones to jump
on the “practice-with-a-native-speaker suggestion” bandwagon;
however, I think that we focus on native speaker interaction at the
expense of developing other language learning strategies that can
make those interactions more salient and that can help even when
native speakers or materials are not available.
A prime example is time spent in the
classroom. When people suggest interaction with a native speaker as a
language learning strategy, they are primarily referring to some sort
of effort at independent learning. Few EFL teachers have the ability
to pair their students with native speakers during classroom
instruction time. Even if they did, it would be difficult to
incorporate that activity with the other language instruction needed
to keep all students at a semi-uniform level of learning.
This is where the value of
incorporating language learning strategy training in teaching comes
in. By arranging lesson plans and learning environments that
introduce strategies and help students practice them, a teacher can
prepare students for more successful independent learning.
In order to help myself (and anyone
else) understand these strategies better, I will be doing a series of
blog entries covering the main language learning strategies,
discussing the research, and providing tips for incorporating them in
the classroom.
