English Audio Request

First, I though we should have a look at a popular language theorist (especially popular on the internet), Steven Krashen. When someone uses the term “comprehensible input”, they are probably referring to him.

His theories are based on how we naturally acquire language. In class, we will deviate from his approach1 but we can still use it as a general guide. When applied to teaching, I would add the following observations:

1) Input. We will always try to find interesting input. Interesting for you . We will always have more input than output . (INPUT >> OUTPUT). However, input is time consuming. We will sometimes only read parts of an article during class and emphasize discussion instead (physical interaction helps in acquiring vocabulary). I will record the full article for you to listen to after class.

2) Grammar should not be taught. However, if the student is interested or confused, the teacher should satisfy this interest by explaining it well. In general, a student will become interested in grammar only after they have learned to use it to some extent. For example, when they notice a pattern and want to know if the pattern is indeed a “rule”.

3) Repetition is the key to long-term memory. However, a student should only repeat something they have first understood , in other words, repetition is a passive way towards remembering something but not acquiring or learning something. The easiest way to repeat material is to use Flashcard software such as Anki to schedule your reviews for you. This is much more efficient than using a vocabulary notebook

4) Translation often causes confusion and should not be emphasized. English first, Portuguese second (or never!). When we learn something new, if we don’t understand it in the first 5 minutes, it can be very discouraging. Therefore, we sometimes use translation to overcome this discouragement. The key is that after you have learned what something means, you should try to ignore the translation.