Growing up, I always enjoyed the concept of being able to speak another language. I often fantasized about opportunities to connect with others from different cultures, writing stories outside my (honestly boring) native English and, of course, impressing my mom by achieving one of the many academic goals she set for me. When the opportunity to take a Spanish class finally presented itself, I eagerly enrolled in an introductory course to make my younger self proud.
I’m not going to say that taking Spanish was a mistake, because I did have some positive experiences in my classes. However, I’ve found that the way the American school system teaches foreign languages is not only ineffective, but utterly soul-crushing.
Starting with the elephant in the room, why is it that so many instructors lecture their students in a language they’re unfamiliar with? There are many studies that demonstrate how lecture-style teaching is often less effective than active learning (which the Cornell University Center For Teaching Innovation defines as a hands-on learning style that asks students to engage with their learning by thinking, discussing, investigating and creating). Why ruin the little effectiveness lecturing has by making it more confusing (and more tempting to give up and check my phone)?
While it’s important to hear a language to familiarize yourself with it, this strategy doesn’t work if my brain can’t process what’s being said. Aside from not having good knowledge of the vocabulary, I’ve found listening to others speak in foreign languages is insanely difficult when every word seems to move at sonic speeds.
In addition to the often incomprehensible fast-paced lectures, the textbooks are often not much help. Textbooks I’ve used in the past have often been less-than-engaging, often difficult to follow and hardly worth the price, especially in comparison to various free language-learning resources online.
This brings me to my third critique: helpful learning methods are never utilized in class. My high school Spanish teachers often told me that in order to get better at a language, the best thing to do was to engage with it in any way possible. Listening to music, watching shows, reading foreign newspapers, listening to podcasts and more. This was good advice, but the teachers didn’t implement their own suggestions as much as I would’ve liked.
Language classes should be a mix of different activities. This would not only help maintain students’ focus, but also help them discover what learning method works best for them. Like any subject, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to learning. Personally, I find it more helpful to review flashcards or test myself using Quizlet or similar websites. Other students may find conversation or reading to be better ways to learn. The point is, if we’re all stuck with the same approaches to learning foreign languages that don’t benefit the majority of the class, then maybe it’s time we try some new methods.
But how, exactly, do we create change? After all, restructuring a well-established component of the American school system doesn’t seem easy to do. But in the case of foreign language instruction, the solutions aren’t complicated or far-fetched. We should motivate students to learn a new language by bringing excitement and real-world engagement to the classroom, or even leave it sometimes. After all, the incentive for language courses is to connect with others. Why not take advantage of the diversity of LA and hone language skills with native speakers?
In addition, classroom-based foreign language instruction is more interesting when students are exposed to the language though art. For example, by listening to Spanish-speaking artists sing about heartbreak, partying and the joys of life, my high school classmate and I were able to gain a deeper understanding of each unit’s vocabulary (along with an appreciation for Spanish-language music, which I can confirm is amazing). I was also able to learn (some) of a language through Duolingo, which has an almost game-like style to its learning activities. Through arranging sentences, practicing pronunciation and reading silly stories, I was able to speak a good amount of French — until I forgot it after abandoning my lessons.
Overall, we’re not going to get very far if we keep prioritizing traditional teaching standards over what truly works best for students. Lectures and textbooks may be the typical way to teach, but when it comes to more challenging and unfamiliar subjects such as foreign languages, creativity is not only preferable, but it makes or breaks a student’s understanding of the topic in the long run.
Contact Kamaria Williams at kwilliams4@oxy.edu
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