Crutches and calculators
On a noted foreign language teachers’ list, a recent discussion asked about the use of “crutches” by students. Interestingly, I think that CI teachers are much less opposed to crutches, simply because we do not have to fear that the use of a...The CI teacher as basketball coach
Someone recently asked on another board why CI doesn’t use guessing. Most folks were brought up to understand that the ability to guess an unknown word is crucial for a foreign language learner. Isn’t CI shortchanging learners by always telling them what...Question from Out There: How can I help my students conquer accents that are strange to them?
Accent is a systematic substitution of sounds for other sounds that you would normally expect (“normal” here depending on where you’re from and what you learned, etc. etc., the usual disclaimers…) This is really closely related to Giles and his...Question from Out There: Is written Chinese easier if you’re fluent first?
I would say it’s easier to learn to read if you are reasonably fluent. Writing involves two “strands” or competencies, if you will. I call them “mechanical literacy” and “compositional literacy”. “Mechanical...Want more?
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