Language Acquisition

As language educators, we know that reading in the target language is crucial for language development (both in the L1 and L2). We also know that we have choices about what we choose to read in the classroom. This includes, level-appropriate readers, authentic texts, graphic novels, etc. With these choices also comes the discussion about…

Pat Brown and I recently had our article “Exploring Before Explaining in World Languages” published in Edutopia – George Lucas Educational Foundation. https://www.edutopia.org/article/using-patterns-teach-world-languages Our article introduces the concept of “explore-before-explain” teaching in world language classrooms, aiming to redefine the roles of teachers and students, enhance student agency, and address the complex standards set by the…

We will wrap up our series on “SLA-Speak” by looking at “Comprehensible Input”. Note: This is the fifth and (possibly) final post in the series. What is “Comprehensible Input”? Comprehensible Input (CI) is a concept in language learning that refers to language input. The language input received by the language learner is just challenging enough…

Continuing our series on “SLA-Speak”, we’ll now look at the “Affective Filter”. Note: This is the fourth post in the series. What is the “Affective filter”? The Affective Filter is a concept in language learning. It is like a mental gate that can either open or close while you’re learning a language. In other words,…

Continuing our series on “SLA-Speak”, we’ll now look at “Fluency” vs. “Accuracy”. Note: This is the third post in the series. Fluency and accuracy are two important aspects of language proficiency. Let’s take a look at the difference between them: Fluency: Accuracy: Key Differences: Briefly stated, both fluency and accuracy are essential for effective communication…

Continuing our series on “SLA-Speak”, we’ll now look at “Acquisition vs. Learning”. Note: This is the second post in the series. Acquisition and Learning are two distinct processes involved in Second Language Acquisition (SLA), as proposed by linguist Stephen Krashen. Let’s take a closer look at the differences between these two terms: Acquisition: Learning: Key…

As a language educator, I find myself talking to others about SLA (Second Language Acquisition). I also find that I use terms, definitions, and acronyms that are unfamiliar to the other person, or perhaps the other person has a different idea what the term means. So, I thought it would be a good time to…

Dr. Pat Brown and I continue to collaborate on ideas to how to improve education and student learning. I always enjoy working with Pat, because we bring together overlaps from the science and world language classrooms. We always look at how we can use students’ ideas about language, science, discourse, and communication to develop conceptual…

Since I was young, I was always fascinated by people that could fluently speak multiple languages. I constantly asked myself, “How can they do that?” Then I thought, “That person must be super smart! I wish I were that smart.” As I grew, I continued to find myself interested in languages. I was always interested…

I recently came across a couple of articles that deal with language and the brain. I found them quite interesting and thought I would share. They deal with how our L1 (first language / mother tongue) influences our brain, its formation, and how we process different languages. Scientist are using the information to better help…

As, I have written before, one of the aspects of education that I truly enjoy is collaboration. I enjoy meaningful and effective collaboration, because we deepen our knowledge and understanding of our field, and we also bring new ideas to the forefront and create new paths to explore. With that said, I wanted to further…

One of the aspects of education that I truly enjoy is collaboration. Through meaningful and effective collaboration, we have the chance to grow not only in our profession, but also as a person. We further and deepen our knowledge and understanding of our field, and we broaden our (personal) perspectives and thinking. When meaningful collaboration…