Learning Techniques
26Aug
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 […]
Read more Developing Listening Skills01Aug
Reading a grammar book is like reading a manual
Reading a grammar book is like reading a manual. Grammar explanations are very hard to understand and absorb until we have enough experience with the language. As a person commented on a video I did a few years ago called “Krashen and Grammar“: “This is consistent with James Paul Gee’s statement that textbooks are “manuals”, […]
Read more Reading a grammar book is like reading a manual18Jul
The power of listening
Two evenings ago I had dinner with a Brazilian couple and we spoke Portuguese. Last night I had dinner with a Chinese person and we spoke Mandarin. I just finished a Skype conversation in Czech with a person in Prague, who is a member of a political party there. In all cases I was able […]
Read more The power of listening22May
Tired of Learning German in Germany
German can be difficult according to Kristi Fuoco, in this article in our local Vancouver Sun newspaper. Kristi is living in Germany, studying German and is baffled by German grammar, especially the cases, and thwarted in her attempts to speak German since most Germans are so good in English. At the same time she is […]
Read more Tired of Learning German in Germany14May
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 […]
Read more Traditional Language Instruction: Why it Doesn’t Work24Apr
Grammar rules, how best to learn them
I like the grazing approach, nibble on a bit of grammar rules, then read and listen, and then go back to a bit of grammar. Work with examples, in the grammar book and then from real meaningful context, and above all avoid drills and exercises. Here is a video on the subject.
Read more Grammar rules, how best to learn them19Sep
Time to stop avoiding grammar rules!
The evidence is now in: the explicit teaching of grammar rules leads to better learning. At least that is what this article from The Guardian in England claims. Unfortunately the article does not offer any proof that the evidence is in, but rather...
Read more Time to stop avoiding grammar rules!07Sep
Listening, reading and literacy. Kindle and Audible.com launch new product.
Kindle and Audible.com have lanched a new product that combines listening and reading and they call it immersion reading. Yes listening enhances reading, especially for struggling readers, or for language learners. That has been at the core of the...
Read more Listening, reading and literacy. Kindle and Audible.com launch new product.31Jul
Passive vocabulary is more important than active vocabulary.
Just to be a bit of contrarian, I believe that passive vocabulary is more important than active vocabulary. Passive vocabulary is the focus of most of my active language learning. If I have a large vocabulary, the rest will come. For me, it is mor...
Read more Passive vocabulary is more important than active vocabulary.28Jul
When to move on to the next lesson.
This is a perennial question at LingQ and elsewhere. Here is my take on it. The first rule of language learning is to do what you like to do. This way you are more likely to continue, and put in enough time. Having said that, I strongly recommend ...
Read more When to move on to the next lesson.