TEACHING
METHOD
The natural way to learn a language
Many language courses ask students to repeat vocabulary and learn grammar rules, but this is a tedious and often ineffective way to learn a language, because it is not the natural way that our brains learn language.
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I teach language in the same way that children learn language – using a combination of story-telling and discussions about everyday topics, in a conversational style.
This teaching style prepares you for real-world isIZulu, and by hearing isiZulu words in many different contexts, you become used to the sounds and your brain begins to naturally acquire the language.
Language is not learnt, it is acquired...
Compelling Comprehensible Input
My teaching style is based on a highly effective language teaching method called Comprehensible Input, first proposed by linguist Stephen Krashen in the 1970s and ‘80s.
Though his research, Krashen found that learning a language is an unconscious process that happens when we are exposed to "language inputs".
Language inputs can be spoken or written, and they should be slightly higher than our current level. That is, we should be able to mostly understand the content (ideally 70% – 90%).
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When the language inputs are compelling (meaning we are very interested in what we are reading or listening to), we learn more quickly.
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This is why I teach only a limited amount of structured content (vocabulary and grammar rules), and I focus instead on story-telling and narration.
I use a variety of “language inputs’ like children’s storybooks, songs, current affairs, TV programs, and narrated video games for students to engage in.
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You should be enjoying yourself :)
Krashen also found that the more enjoyable the learning experience, the easier it is to learn the language.
Conversely, negative emotions like embarrassment or anxiety impede the progress.
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Learning a language shouldn't feel like hard work... that is why it's important to find engaging materials to read and listen to... it should be fun!