To become successful in learning a language you need to do more than the basics. The basics of learning grammar, pronunciation, grammar and so only results in failure for most people. Successful language learners understand that learning a language is like learning a skill. If you use the right method, you CAN learn what you want. Understanding how a car works will not help you to become a good driver. Becoming more attentive to what you are doing (and its results) and your environment are a key. If learners ( and their teachers) just understood that and knew what had to happen for them to become more attentive, the success rates would markedly increase. Watch this presentation, which was recently delivered online to a group of EAL teachers at the 2nd ELTeaM International Conference in Indonesia

1. There Are More To The
Basics Than Meets the
Eye!
Andrew Weiler

2. What are the basics?
 Grammar
 Pronunciation
 Spelling
 Vocabulary
 Reading Comprehension
 Conversation Practice

3. Results?
 Very poor rates of success in learning 2nd language
 Nearly 100% success rate in learning first language
First
Language
Second
Languag
e

4. Why are rates in
SLA so poor?
 Infants are better learners (adults are poorer)
 Our brains are not so good, infants fresh and new
 We have more problems, infants have none
 Etc

5. BUT!
 How about people who learn a second language,
and even more languages with relative ease, to high
levels?

6. Why?
 Are they somehow uniquely talented, whilst the rest
are not?
 Or is there something else at work?

7. Strategies are a key!
 Consider cooking nasi goreng.
 The ones who make it well, use the right ingredients
and a good method!!
 Learning another language is the exactly the same

8. Ingredient problems
 Learning with the intellect,
understanding rules,
memorising content may
work for some subjects but
not for language, which
fundamentally is a skill
 We need to use awareness
to drive our learning
 Learning to ride a bicycle
 Learning to drive a car

9. Strategy problems
 Skill requires that we
develop one aspect of a skill
and build on that. Skill
means being able to do.
 Does not mean remember –
does mean to do, in a
“creative setting”
 As skills develop we can
introduce others...
 Confidence building side by
side

10. Learning Skills
 For too long, language
has been taught as
knowledge
 This presentation will
examine what we know
about skill learning and
how that can be used to
improve the teaching
and learning process.

11. Facets of skill development – a)
 Learners have a need
 What This has to be their
need. ( You can take a
horse to water but…)
 Learners want to do
something and they can’t
 To give something,
to put something,
to move something ,
to describe something,
etc
 Includes sounding native
like, etc

12. Facets of skill development – b)
 Learners look to learn what
they need
 Their mind changes, they open
it up and look…
 This is something THEY do.
Learners use trial and error to
teach them
 They try, fall over, get up, fall
over, get up – by doing that
they can work out what they
need to change to so they will
not fall over
 The teacher has a role
here…providing structured
situations where they learn
what is needed..not at random.

13. Facets of skill development – c)
 Learner decides if they are
getting better
 No one needs to tell you that
you have succeeded, when
you are riding a bike...you
know it!!
 You see that you have
succeeded, and from there
your confidence grows
 With improving skills and
confidence, learner feels
reinvigorated

14. Some More Basics!
 EVERYONE has the ability to learn languages
successfully
 Understand that language is a skill
 Skills grow best if the learner is in charge
 Provide structured learning experiences that enable
learners to grow their skills (bit like building blocks)
 Provide key boundaries, so learners know if they
are getting closer or not.
 Issue is not good or bad, but reached or not reached

15. Andrew Weiler
– contact details
Website/Blog: http://StrategiesInLanguageLearning.com
Email: andrew@strategiesinlanguagelearning.com
Linked In: http://lnkd.in/wvWzSp
Twitter: @Andrew_Weiler
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/LearnLanguageCoach
Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/Language.Coach.Andrew.Weiler
Book: http://LanguageLearningUnlocked.com
Email me your name and email address (school/personal) if you wish to be
informed about or involved in trialling of spelling APP development that
conforms to the ideas I have been talking about.