Foreign language teaching can be quite a challenge without the right tools to facilitate the learning process. That does not only steepen the learning curve for the learners but also extends the learning time. Both of these, separate or combined, make learning a foreign language costlier than it typically should be.
Therefore, besides learning institutions sourcing for the most competent foreign language teachers, they should invest more in teacher training. Doing so will help tutors hone the teaching skills to help students understand a foreign language in the least possible time.
But, teacher training alone is hardly a lasting solution.
Yes, sure. The teachers should also have the right motivation, focusing on foreign language mastery. They should also be willing to invest all the much-needed time to know how best they can utilize comprehensive input in facilitating learning the foreign languages they teach. That includes identifying the tools and pedagogies that are the most appropriate for use in teaching a particular language.
Also, whether you are teaching Spanish, French, Mandarin, or German, using well-graded books for teachers will guide you in creating an appropriate teaching schedule to use. You want the learners to acquire the foreign language more naturally than by learning it consciously. And, that could require you to employ non-conventional teaching techniques such as
Diversifying the inputs
All languages assume various forms in the lives of its users. You, therefore, will require using living teaching methods to capitalize on the foreign language you are teaching to make it as practical as possible for your learners. One of the most appropriate ways to achieve that is by using different teaching inputs that will encourage students sharing comprehensible input even from one another.
Encourage storytelling
Stories have the potential of expanding imaginations in a way that conventional teaching methods don’t. And, in foreign language teaching, storytelling can provide learners with a deeper contextual understanding of the language. However, it is advisable that when using stories, you pick the ones that the learner can relate to culturally, linguistically, and socially.
But why use comprehensible input?
The primary aim of applying comprehensive input in teaching foreign languages is to get learners to use natural rather than conventional learning methods to understand the language. That, however, will require the teacher to identify the particular level of every learner to determine which higher leaning level to introduce to them, next.
Generalizing a class’s performance will not yield the expected results here. Teachers should understand that students, even in the same class, have varying degrees of learning abilities. They, therefore, should narrow down their attention to each learner to help determine which combinations of comprehensible input will best even out the learning experience in a class.
Language fluency and proficiency are indeed primary indicators of a well-learned language. But, especially for foreign languages, knowing how and when to use it irrespective of the level that the learner interacts with is the most accurate mark of language mastery.
You agree that teaching learners until they attain such mastery calls for much more than using conventional methods. You will require professional training, besides using graded readers, be they French, Mandarin, or Spanish books, for teachers. Investing in such training is your best bet here.
