Effective strategies for teaching foreign languages

Abstract

Recent learning theories suggest that learning is an active process of meaning rather than acquiring knowledge. Following this line of thinking, instruction should be a process of supporting the process of construction and not merely transmitting knowledge(Duffy & Cunningham, 1995). This construction process requires learners to individually construct their own understanding by interaction in authentic situations. Because learners are central to this process they must have ownership not only of the learning process but of the problem itself. Therefore students should be given autonomy in setting up their personal learning objectives and take responsibility for their own learning.( MarMolinero & Wright, 1993). In this new paradigm, teachers are no longer transmitters of knowledge but are coaches, mentors, and managers of the learning environment to aid their students in constructing knowledge. Scaffolding, or supporting learners is a very demanding job. In addition to being subject experts, teachers must be experts in learning psychology as well. Although learners have ownership of the problem, teachers ensure that the problem is authentic and sufficiently challenging . In some ways, computers can help, but teachers must acquire a measure of technical expertise as well. In short, in this new learning environment we need a ‘super’ teacher acting primarily as a ‘’resource provider and mentor, with students as apprentices who gradually advance themselves… to gain an increasing measure of skill and independence over time’’(Pennington, 1996) Thus, this paper is an attempt to shed light on some proposed new tools for teaching foreign languages and their proper implementation in the classroo