Interleaved learning, or learning without pressure

Interleaved learning is an approach to learning that departs from the traditional block or focused approach to learning. Interleaved learning and the research behind it, is based on the idea that if we should not focus on learning or mastering one skill or set of information, such as a limited group of words in a […]
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Developing Listening Skills

My grandchildren in Vancouver attend French immersion school. This means that their classes, most of them, are in French. French immersion is very popular amongst English-speaking parents, because it enables their children to go to a school where there are fewer special needs learners. On the positive side, students in French immersion develop good French […]
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Traditional Language Instruction: Why it Doesn’t Work

Do grammar instruction, corrections and role playing help us learn languages? I guess it does but only to a very limited degree. Here is an interesting excerpt from a discussion on a recent Internet forum. “To me, the research appears to indicate that explicit form focused instruction (EFFI) and corrective feedback (CF) as they are […]
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