Putting ALG in the Classroom - Chapter 3 of Learning Languages Like Children

Chapter 3 of

LEARNING LANGUAGES LIKE CHILDREN

By Dr. J. Marvin Brown

PUTTING ALG IN THE CLASSROOM

We look at children who have moved to a new country, and we see them ‘listen, giggle, and stare'.

Then we watch adults who have married into a jungle village that speaks a different language. And we see them just ‘tag along' (the men on the hunt, the women in the gardens and kitchens) and ‘sitting around the fire' (for nighttime story telling). Both types are using the child's secret; ears open, mouths shut, and no deadlines. And both become near-native within two years. Then we look into language classrooms around the world, and we see just the opposite; ears practically closed (the students are relying on their eyes instead), mouths open, and constant deadlines. And hardly any of these students ever become near-native. But now that we know that the adult brain can use the child's secret, we're ready for the next question; can we adapt this secret to the needs of modern students? And we see two possibilities. Either ‘bottle it' for classroom use (taking our cue from ‘sitting around the fire') or get out of the classroom and ‘tag along'. Just how can we go about ‘bottling it'?

The secret seems to lie in the channel that the input uses. In the nurseries and the African villages, the ‘let' channel is always open, and happenings pour in to become memories (from which the brain later makes language). Also there is unlimited patience. But when you put adults in a classroom and set a date for successful completion, the ‘try' channel automatically switches on. Words pour in (instead of happenings), and become facts (instead of memories). And all this takes place in the conscious thinking brain (instead of the subconscious language brain). So the essential precondition is to keep the ‘try‘ channel closed. Two things are needed. First, the happenings must be so interesting (fun, exciting, suspenseful, etc. ), that the students forget that a new language is being used. And second, the students understanding must be high enough to keep them tuned in - and this means 60-80% from the very first day! It takes a lot of work to train guides how to maintain adequate levels of both interest and understanding at the beginning level. But once they get there, it is a delight for both students and guides.