Having a romantic relationship with a person who only speaks the target language may be the best way to learn a language fast, but it is not the wisest. In fact it’s not even on this list. But learning how to do something in another language is.
At Hogwarts, students were treated like soon-to-be-adults, expected to fulfill obligations, meet deadlines, and pass difficult, detailed exit exams. Disruptions were almost non-existent, and students who just couldn’t get it were not allowed to enter the upper level classes. It is insinuated that such students would end up as clerks, housemaids, servers, bus drivers, and service sector workers, etc. There is nothing wrong with this.
The result satisfies those who are concerned with maintaining standards of English fluency. English learners, who would otherwise be falling behind, benefit threefold. They integrate more effectively, they maintain educated fluency in their mother language, and they cultivate bilingualism as empowerment rather than a burden. Being a Spanish speaker becomes a valuable asset rather than obstacle to success.
It may come as no surprise that he most popular games on the market are also the most engaging for players, with complicated level structures, multi-players and challenging but attainable goals. A typical gamer can sustain several hours of uninterrupted play without losing interest; quite a different claim from that made by recent studies. It is only once the player turns the game off and interacts with the outside world that the lack of attention kicks in.
School is riddled with misnomers and obsolete terminologies. Relics of the days we are glad we no longer have to live. But as our world moves on, some words have stood the test of time. They bind us to power structures that lay at the very foundations of how we use knowledge and education. But the smell lingers, a smell that is so old we have gotten used to it. Here is another installment of words up for review:
The unilingual approach is ideal when students need as much exposure and immersion as possible in a short time. But immigrant students have far more immersion than they can handle. They are looking for a familiar voice in the crowd and for a helping hand in their transition. They live in two language communities at once. If they are to live a dual life, they need to be bilingual.
Why bog your ESL class down with grammar lessons? Its hard enough for students to muster the courage to learn a new language. Don’t mess it up. With the right learning cycle, they’ll learn the rules once they have learned to speak the language.
