The Linguist - language learning should be fun

An interesting site for Chinese learners

I tumbled onto an interesting site for learning Chinese, nciku. I think their dictionary and stroke order features for characters are useful. I do not know about the rest of the site but will join.

There are so many resources for language learning on the web now, it is amazing.

Marketing and the impulse buyer.

Someone told me today that at LingQ we are missing out on 95% of the market, the impulse buyer. 95% of people who buy Rosetta Stone or Pimsleur never use them, or use them a little and do not continue. They buy them in a store on an impulse. The product then sits at home on a shelf, hardly used.

The impulse joiner of LingQ either never does anything, or does a little and quits. Only the serious learner stays with the system, and only a small portion of those ever become paying members. We are aiming at a small segment of  small segment.

I agreed with him, and of course we would also love to get revenue from the impulse buyer but, 1) We do not have a package that can be sold in stores 2) We cannot afford to build a brand, that costs a lot of marketing money. 3) We rely on gradually improving the product, with the help of users, free and paying, and if we are successful in doing this, the word will spread 4) We think there are enough serious learners in the world to support what we are doing. 

We hope that some of the changes we are now introducing will make it easier for people to use and enjoy LingQ. We have a few more steps yet to take to improve some of our functions and the way members interact. We believe we will reach a tipping point. We think we have not yet scratched the surface. Very few people know of LingQ.

Socio-linguistics, critical thinking etc. one more comment.

I also had this to say, at that listserv.

I like to explore the language and culture myself, and ask about things that interest me. I have had the experience of teachers telling me about things they think are important in their culture, like some summer festival, or other aspect of the culture. Usually these things are of no interest to me at all.

I do not place much stock in socio-linguistics, which I consider just another distraction from the task of helping learners acquire a language.

Among the most popular items in our library at LIngQ are Dr. Laura's radio programs. I do not  necessarily share her views on things. I once got a complaint form one of our gay learners so I assume she is rather conservative. The point is that it is not for me to change the social or political views of our learners.

If I have a learner from Saudi Arabia who does not think women should drive, or that we should not vote for legislators because laws come from Allah, I am not going to try to persuade him to apply critical thinking to his religious beliefs. I may discuss the point but only to force him to use the language to defend his views. I would not tell him what I really think of his religious views. I would certainly not bother him with my views about lobbyists in Washington.

I would not, Bonnie, tell French language students that the French are rude, (as this teacher said that she did in a French class) or similar personal views. I would focus on helping them find things of interest to read and listen to about the country and region they were planning to visit.

Janet, the attitude of the learner toward the language, and the proximity of the learner's language to the language being studied, are more important than distinctions between EFL and ESL. I find appalling the degree to which people on this listserve, and other language teachers I have come across, are focused on matters that have little to do with language learning. I hang around this listserve to try to stimulate a little critical thinking, in the hope that some people might challenge the prevailing orthodoxy.

Number 1 language learning blog on the web..us!

This blog has been recognized as the number one language learning blog on the web. We are also considered the number two language blog on the web by the folks at Lexiophiles and Bab.la.  You may have noticed the new banners on my blog site. Go and visit these good folks. They are spreading the word about language learning on the web.

I thank all those who voted for me. I am humble enough to realize that there are many excellent language related blogs, some of which I listed on on earlier post and some of which are listed on my blog roll.

Yet I cannot say that I am not happy and proud. I am glad for the whole community of bloggers who talk about their own enthusiasm for language and their own ways of learning and getting into different languages. We are a community, and so are all of you who follow us.

Thank you!

Language learning, critical thinking and the role of the teacher.

The debate at my language teachers' listserv continues. I think I have stirred the pot a little and challenged them to apply a little critical thinking to their own cherished beliefs. I will post a few of the comments and then my response in italics below.

Your last statement, Is no one here just interested in improving the learners' language skills?, begs the question of what “improving …language skills” means.  Surely it is not just memorization of vocabulary lists, and passing multiple-choice grammar tests.  To me, it includes using language effectively in real-life situations, and many of these call for critical thinking skills.  I have students who can’t quite decide how to transition after ESL classes.  Showing them how to find the proper information, make comparisons, weigh factors, and come to possible decisions all involve critical thinking.  Just the task of coming up with good relevant questions is a task of critical thinking which requires not just knowledge of grammar and vocabulary, but also a self-reflection of what needs to be known and an analysis of what has already been read and heard.........

Hello Steve and all,

 

All you mention below is true, except for what can and cannot be taught, although much that is taught is not learned (or what is learned is something other than what is taught).

 

Educators’ core efforts in the domain of real-life teaching and learning lies in the facilitation of the attainment of targeted life outcomes that are ultimately dictated by learner goals (of which they often become (more) aware in the course of instruction).   You would be doing a great disservice to SL learners by implementing an FL curriculum, and perhaps to a lesser degree, vice versa. 

 

Critical thinking is not a value system, although it is very much conducted according to “cultural” norms; nor is critical thinking something that is “imposed” but rather developed:  a skill and level of cognitive activity that can help empower learners to function independently in life – skills and abilities that correlate much more with immigrants’ needs than with those of travelers to a foreign country for a couple of weeks.

 

Your case appears so very general, almost philosophical, as to elude operational definition and practical pedagogic application. Further, as repeatedly mentioned, your notion of what constitutes language is limited to its purely linguistic features. 

 

If these comments continue to meet with your disagreement, I, for one, would be greatly interested in how you would conduct SL instruction in a classroom of newcomer immigrants, especially ones with little or no schooling.

To learn a language does not mean passing multiple choice tests nor studying vocab lists. I do not think I have suggested that anywhere. It means learning to communicate in a language.This requires a broad based acquisition of the words, phrases and patterns of a language. This is best done, in my view, by listening to and reading content of interest, natural and, if possible authentic, not learner language (although this is not always achievable), and at a level that the learner finds just a little bit difficult.

I do not believe you can teach what to say at work, nor at the doctor's office etc. There are no shortcuts. If the learner can achieve a certain degree of confidence in the language, he/she will quickly learn how to deal with those specific scenarios.

In learning the language, and interacting in the language, it is not possible not to learn about the culture. The greater the degree of interaction, the more one learns.

So Michael, I would begin teaching newcomer immigrants by letting them listen to stories, simple stories. Perhaps these would be stories of other immigrants, written by the immigrants, and corrected by a native speaker teacher, and then recorded by the native speaker teacher. I would help them read these texts and learn the words and phrases. As soon as they feel confident enough to ask
for other kinds of content, I would try to accommodate them.

I would ask them to listen on their MP3 players as much as they can, and to try to reduce their exposure to their native language , so that the brain has a chance to develop an ability to handle English. I would tell them that their own attitude and commitment is the most important factor in their success in learning English.

Errors

Download podcast: Enjoying errors

It started with a question about whether I confuse similar languages, which I, of course, do from time to time.I decided to do a video where I answered the question and went on to talk about errors.

The gist is that the brain can only deal with the massive amount of information and experience that it receives by sacrificing accuracy. It looks for similarities, metaphors, patterns.

I am my brain. I prefer to cover more things, more languages, more content, and sacrifice accuracy. I would rather listen and read more in the language, than try to nail down my errors. I also made a few errors in the video.

The Internet as a true university.

The Internet can be a true university, unlike the privileged, yet inefficient  institutions we now have. To follow up on the comments from my previous post, here are few more thoughts on how it would work.

Remember that I proposed that a portion, perhaps half of what governments spend on universities (2% or more of GDP) should go to students in the form of a humanities provident fund. Let's say each person gets $50,000 to spend over their lifetime. It can only spent on approved learning resources. (Yes Rosetta Stone would qualify, as would LingQ.)

Private universities would continue to exist and the good ones would prosper. They would compete for this money in the hands of consumers. They would also have fund raising activities in order to support various activities and to provide scholarships to some students. They would market their services via the internet, and provide services via the Internet, or at least the individual professors affiliated with these centres would.

But their would be a host of other educational entrepreneurs, potential Socrates and Aristotles reaching out to learners in the same way. They could run clinics, individually or together with other practitioners. They can serve the online market and the walk-in market. 

There would be websites where it will be easy to find the best tutors and resources for different disciplines and in different languages. If an Indian mathematician is the best teacher of some math discipline, the internet will find that out.

The testing agencies will choose different ways of testing and the market will decide which ones have credibility.

For language and related culture, history etc. LingQ could be an example of a learning centre and a learning bazaar where a range of courses and subject matters in different languages are offered. We may spawn bricks and mortar locations, or our tutors or teachers, may also have such centres or clinics and offer courses on LingQ as part of their activity. LingQ can do its own testing, using the learners accumulated portfolio of learning activity from wherever, as part of their assessment.

Invariably, however, third party tests will have more credibility. In other words, how much credibility does a university degree in French or Russian from the University of British Columbia have, or for an international student , a degree in English from the university of Shanghai or Tokyo? You will still need TOEIC or TOEFL or the equivalent.

Just some thoughts.

A humanities learning providence fund.

How about a new approach to Arts learning. We know that the majority of university students in North America study Arts and Humanities. According to this article the US spends $25,000 a year per post-secondary student, compared to $ 10,000 per K-12 student. See excerpt below.

At the combined elementary and secondary level in 2005, the United States spent $9,769 per student, which was 38 percent higher than the OECD average of $7,065. At the postsecondary level, U.S. expenditures per student were $24,370, more than twice as high as the OECD average of $11,821.

I assume that in Canada the costs are less, probably between $15,000 and $20,000. Assuming an average of 5 years at a post-secondary institution, this would amount to $75,000 to $100,000 per student.

Now what if, say in Canada, on graduating from high school, every person got a humanities educational provident fund of $50,000, which they could use to purchase educational services, books, online courses, coaching, courses at different centres of learning or whatever, over their lifetime.

And what if t his money could also be used for in depth testing for the purpose of obtaining degrees, certificates, diplomas and the like.

This money would earn interest and could be used at any time in the life of the citizen, but only for well defined educational expenditures.

Let the Liberal Arts universities compete with iTunes U and LingQ.

Those professions of general utility to society, doctors, engineers, electricians, nurses, various technicians, etc. etc. would be fully subsidized by the government. However, adults would be encouraged to take responsibility for their own cultural and literary education.

Overcrowded universities

In an article in today's Globe and Mail it is reported that the crisis is causing universities to cut staff. Lecture halls of 200 students,  and multiple choice exams are becoming the norm.

Most students study Arts. I have seen their language programs. When will we change our system so that people can be tested on their knowledge and skill wherever and however they learn. Take away the privileges of the universities!

Pronouncing Th. Throughly thrifty Theodore

Here is a little sound file for the "th" sound. This sound is not so unique. It exists in Spanish, Galician, Arabic, and Greek to name just a few languages that I am aware of. Listen repeatedly to this jingle for a week or more and see if your control of "th" improves. After listening for a few days, you may try to imitate it, but not before you have listened a lot.

Remember to place the tip of the tongue between the teeth and try to pronounce "f". The key is the tongue between the upper and lower teeth.

Download Theo

Thoroughly thrifty Theo was a thoughtful soul. Theo thought about other people. He also thought deep thoughts. That is because Theo was a student of theology, a rather thin one at that.  He was always thinking. Most of all Theo thought about his money, because Theo was thrifty.

Whether he liked it or not,Theo needed a new coat. His coat was threadbare. There were holes in the elbows. Anything he put in the pockets just fell through the pocket and onto the ground. And the weather was bad. Therefore, something had to be done. He could not go to the theater with that coat. And that night Theo was supposed to go to the theater with his girl friend, the thoroughly scintillating Cynthia.

'Let me think this through" he thought. " I do not mind my threadbare coat, but what will Cynthia think if she sees me in a threadbare coat?"

Finally, thoroughly thrifty Theo thought the unthinkable, " I will have to spend the money", he decided without enthusiasm, and off he went to the clothing store.