The Anatomy of a Great Language Learning Experience

This happy learner has discovered a great language learning experience. Everything about this image identifies with a learning opportunity that builds enthusiasm, passion, and confidence when learning a new language with the cultural counterparts of that language. Let’s check it out.  Let’s dissect the anatomy of this happy boy here.

1. The Big Red Book: A love for reading in the new language that infuses nonfiction literature of current events of Spanish speaking countries as well as classic novels and poetry. The development of reading skills and vocabulary is built upon reading.
2. Music Notes:  The sounds of a new language being explored through certified instructors, native speakers, and music from a new language.  Learning to be a good listener and identifying familiar vocabulary as well as learning how to develop an understanding of unfamiliar vocabulary builds language acquisition.
3. Stars: The feedback received from an instructor through the development of writing skills in the new language.  Learners increase their proficiency level by engaging in writing activities that support their learning pace and acquisition level to reduce frustration.  Supportive and prompt feedback from instructor guides the learner so they may learn from their mistakes and develop into a clear communicator.
4. Spirals: The engagement of each speaking activity should intrigue a learner and drive their motivation.  This represents the thinking of how the learner will use the language in their present and their future.  Being able to know the why of learning a language in order to apply the how, realistically and in authentic settings, sets a learner up for success.  By being intrinsically motivated, they will want to pursue more language and it will drive their learning.

These four pieces of this picture represent the necessary reading, writing, listening, and speaking activities in order to create a great language learning experience.  What you clearly see though, is the smile on the student’s face.  This smile embodies the experience his instructor has provided him with a variety of authentic learning experiences to develop comfort and confidence in learning a new language.