Language learners

Message edited 7/13/2018 1:42:58 PM.

Language learners

The best language class I took in college was from the woman who had come here from Latin America and barely spoke English, so I would say immersion.

Re: Language learners

For me personally, I want to understand what I am being taught so I'd want to be taught in the langauge I understand.
It won't do me any good if you are speaking and I can't understand you at all at first.

Re: Language learners

I think in the beginning, explaining the rules in the native tongue is helpful.
I would probably say everything in both for her. First say it in English, then repeat in German. That will help her build up her vocabulary and grammar.

As she advances, switch to English only.

Re: Language learners

Full immersion works great when visiting the country that speaks that language. It’s also great teaching this way but based on my experience, the student would have to at least have the basis covered before teaching him/her using only -in ur case- English. Full immersion can be discouraging at the very beginning for students.

Re: Language learners

when i was about 12, a friend of the family was doing this very thing. she had just come to the US and wanted to help her husband bring in extra $$. she was teaching kids in her home.

she tried the full immersion with us and it failed miserably. we had no idea what she was talking about or trying to teach us. eventually, i learned my numbers from 1-10 and that's all i retained.

i would say full immersion at the very, very beginning might be too much. once she starts to understand some basics, then give her more and more english.

good luck on your new business adventure!

Re: Language learners

Language learners

I have a newly adopted daughter from China so she is a total new language learner. We are doing full immersion and it is working wonderfully. No Chinese at all. Visual aides help. For just conversational learning though I think that half/half would be best. The student is not getting a true immersion because they are not speaking English in their home. Teach in German and English but I would only allow them to answer you in English.

Re: Language learners

Message edited 6/20/2018 11:47:08 AM.

Re: Language learners

I’m asking more for adults. Children work well with full immersion.

Language learners

That's right. children under the age of 4 have the ability to compartmentalize 4 languages at once. Children always learn a language more quickly.
I was a foreign language teacher to adults and children, and there's a difference. Adults are processing a language as they know theirs. For example, in German the root words dominate with added prefixes (think of the words for onramp, highway, overpass, offramp)
English is quite different, and there aren't as many set rules, per se. That makes it so difficult for the regimented adult to accept.
In my experience, the best way for them to learn a language is to learn it as they learned their native tongue as a baby. Key words, then including those key words in phrases. Cognates in German help, like "auto". They see a picture of an auto, then are given the phrase, the auto is red. Then, they can quickly move on to other adjectives about the auto to learn vocabulary. In an English language learning class for middle schoolers, we sometimes supplemented lessons with Rosetta Stone, and I found it to be very good. It didn't drone on and on about memorizing vocabulary, and it did what I explained above.
Maybe you can download a sample and build your lessons from there?

Language learners

So my DH just started a foreign language class 2x a week after work. It's for complete beginners and it's total immersion. He loves the format.

Re: Language learners

Language learners

We don't have real rules in English... they're all broken/exceptions lol
That's why I am outraged when people yell, "speak English"

Re: Language learners