| My purpose in this series (which I failed to | | | | when learners have well developed |
| make clear, apparently, from the beginning) | | | | comprehension skills;e. such an approach |
| has been to do two things. One is to show the | | | | reflects how children learn their first |
| progression of second language acquisition | | | | language. - Other Second Language Teaching: |
| instruction in its historical development | | | | |
| through 350-word articles. The second is see | | | | The sense I get is that all of the methods, |
| who is still using these methods, if any are | | | | within classroom settings, are destined to |
| using them at all. The point I've wanted to | | | | fail. You didn't learn your native tongue and |
| make regarding the Translation Method of | | | | obtain the high degree of spoken fluency you |
| Second Language learning is that though in | | | | had when Mom packed you off to first grade in |
| its strictest sense it may not be used today | | | | the context of desks, chalkboards, and forty |
| to teach second language acquisition, I | | | | other individuals. And, spoken fluency is |
| believe a version of it still is being used, | | | | what the average American learner is after. |
| only now, there is a conversation component | | | | In a classroom, it seems second language |
| added to the translating of written text. | | | | acquisition will always be reduced to an |
| | | | academic endeavor. Grammar rules and |
| Students majoring in a modern foreign | | | | vocabulary words have to be memorized and a |
| language can easily come out of an | | | | conversation class may be thrown in to |
| undergraduate or even graduate program and | | | | justify not calling it a Translation Method |
| still have exceedingly poor speaking skills | | | | approach. I could be wrong. |
| in the target language. They can read, write, | | | | |
| and exegete written text but have poor | | | | I believe some of the methods I've covered, |
| accents and little to no speaking | | | | and will cover, can work well in an |
| proficiency. Some are lucky enough to study | | | | individual or very small group context. A |
| abroad but not all do so for a host of | | | | husband and wife preparing to live in Mexico |
| reasons. If those who study abroad aren't | | | | could very well employ a home study course |
| very disciplined and hang out with other | | | | using, for example, The Natural Method, and |
| English speakers between classes, they miss | | | | make great progress before coming to Mexico. |
| out on the much-needed exposure to the target | | | | They could also hire a tutor who would just |
| language. | | | | chat or follow some sort of curriculum that |
| | | | employs one of the methods of second language |
| Also, I have not attempted to present these | | | | acquisition that works better one-on-one or |
| methods as they occurred chronologically in | | | | one-on-two. |
| their historical context. The purpose is to | | | | |
| show the fact that a host of mythologies | | | | My wife and I have achieved greater progress |
| existed (exist). Some fell by the wayside | | | | using some of the methods that are no longer |
| while others remain in various combinations | | | | applicable within a classroom setting. We've |
| or versions. | | | | used commercially available products designed |
| | | | around The Natural Method, The Silent Method, |
| The overall point of my series is that these | | | | and The Direct Method. We've more or less |
| methods were created in an attempt to engage | | | | stayed out of the classroom. We will join the |
| learners in classrooms. The reason for the | | | | classroom one day. However, for right now, we |
| failure of many of the methods is that they | | | | seem to be doing well. |
| simply could not work within the context of | | | | |
| public school classrooms with forty or more | | | | That we can go to a monolingual Mexican |
| students. I believe the quest is far from | | | | doctor, discuss our medical issues and |
| over to find an effective way to teach | | | | understand his or her instructions seems to |
| students a foreign language in a group | | | | be a litmus test for us right now. We can do |
| context. | | | | this and do so with few problems. |
| | | | |
| The Comprehension Approach, utilizing a host | | | | We can hold an adult conversation with |
| of methods, is probably the best way to | | | | monolingual Mexicans and discuss the news, |
| induce second language acquisition within a | | | | weather, and sports with few problems. |
| classroom setting. This would use the | | | | |
| following:a. before learners are taught | | | | One day, we will be at the point of composing |
| speaking, there should be a period of | | | | and reading more complex Spanish literature. |
| training in listening comprehension;b. | | | | |
| comprehension should be taught by teaching | | | | But, we are crawling before we start walking |
| learners to understand meaning in the target | | | | or running linguistically. |
| language;c. the learners' level of | | | | |
| comprehension should always exceed their | | | | We've sought to put the horse before the |
| ability to produce language;d. productive | | | | cart. So far, it's working. |
| language skills will emerge more naturally | | | | |