A language can be like a Tsunami. Intimidating, massive and overwhelming. It is endless and knowing where to start is a challenge. Some people are put off within ten minutes of trying. The sheer scale of the task puts them off. What if there was a way for even absolute beginners to learn how to make thousands of proper sentences in a foreign language within seconds?
When you're good but not that good at languages When Italians talk fast it can leave us learners behind There's a horrible mid-point in language learning when you're pretty good but not actually totally proficient. I have reached that point - and it's very frustrating and, as you will see, potentially embarrassing. When you're a beginner - native speakers can see that you're trying to speak the language and help you out. When you're fluent - well of course all is fine anyway. When you're halfway you are in lingo limbo. I speak pretty [...]
This underused technique can power your language learning At the weekend my 12 year old daughter took part in her first duathlon - swimming followed by a run. She is not a regular athlete (belonging to a club) but wanted to give it a try. On the way to the event she was telling me how she wasn't going to try that hard - just have fun and see how she does. Sasha and her friend running I watched her swim and then walked over to an adjacent field to be able to welcome her across the [...]
"Our academy based its teaching on the communicative approach and for this, the KLOO game is an amazing tool. Students build sentences easily and gain in confidence rapidly. Highly recommended!"
In this minor medical drama in Italy, I had to explain my relationship with my daughter and what she was suffering from. The doctor would then ask me questions to ask Sasha - she would reply and I translated back. Having a second language felt extremely valuable.
Getting students to WANT to learn languages. A change of approach changes attitudes. Teaching some students a language can be a challenge For MFL teachers the aim is to get their students to learn a second language. Hook or by crook. It is natural then for teachers to want to explain why learning a language is so important. The problem is that, although learning a language bestows huge benefits on the learner, some students seem impervious to persuasion and are, well, just not interested - and no amount of persuasion will move them. Many teachers [...]
Language is just like any other endeavour – if you have the wrong tools you won’t achieve your objectives. You cannot play tennis with a golf club. You cannot effectively learn a foreign language with the wrong equipment either.
We learn a language a lot faster and more easily if we use Discovery Learning - a syatem of learning that replicates the way we learned our first language. In doing so we play to the strengths of human brains which are hot-wired to receive information this way.
children with proficiency in a second language can expect to earn more, have more career options, be more creative and even enjoy mental health benefits?
learning a language bestows on the learner so many benefits - mental, social and even career - that it just makes a lot of sense whatever your age.
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