In October, I had the chance to attend a very inspiring talk by Stephen Krashen at Busan University of Foreign Studies. Krashen is an authority in the field of second language acquisition.
He gave us a quick overview of his theory, with the five main hypotheses: Acquisition-Learning, Monitor, Natural Order, Input, and Affective Filter.
He repeated that to really acquire a language, comprehensible (and interesting) input is essential. He also mentioned that for beginners, good approaches include TPR, TPRS, and the Natural Approach. Finally, he talked about the importance of reading – for pure pleasure – especially once someone is past the beginner level.
It was a good reaffirmation of my teaching style! And I love that, in the right conditions, language acquisition is basically effortless for the learner…
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