Food for Thought

About Language Learning & Acquisition

~Some basic convictions which affects the designs of all my courses~

1. Language use is essentially a habit. The more you practice, the easier it is to apply it.
   
2. The forming of habit requires regular training and discipline. (Therefore it is best that students should get daily exposure and exercises—in everything that is part of the language: sounds, tone, spelling, grammar, style, etc. Who will do the disciplining? You, the learner, not the teacher, will be the discipliner.) (Success, like language, is a habit, too. The more you experience success, the more you are likely to succeed.)
   
3. Bad old habits can be covered by good new habits. (Therefore, the effort at correction and improvement is meaningful.)
   
4. Methodic instruction is useful in the early stage of language learning. (This is most clearly the "learning" part.) Beyond a certain point, structured instruction should be replaced by self-motivated efforts. Some advising will always be helpful. To become proficient in all aspects of language use, one needs both the process of learning and the process of acquiring. How one acquires a language is still largely a mystery. But it is generally agreed that “comprehensible input” is important for the eventual “comprehensible output”. (Therefore, abundant listening, reading and watching are essential before you can write and speak properly.)
   
5. The world of learning has been changed fundamentally by the wide use of internet. Vast amount of information is out there for anyone who wants it to access freely. Whatever amount knowledge any teacher can offer in a classroom pales in comparison with what one can find on the internet. A teacher’s role as an information giver must surrender to that of a learning coordinator. Learning how to evaluate the quality of information and how to organize to produce effective documents are more important than ever.
   
6. To survive and to succeed in this new world, one must become familiar with the new tools.
   
7. In this third phrase of “globalization”, the major players have become individual persons (in contrast to states and/or large companies of the previous centuries). Teachers should help students to prepare themselves for this newly leveled playground and cultivate and develop all needed abilities. (Which are: …. Can you name some of these essential abilities?)
   
8. MOTIVATION is the determining factor in this new race. 大前研一：「懶於學習的人將没有生存的空間。」And, remember, your attitude determines your altitude. (態度決定高度)
   
9. Knowing it is different from doing it. Knowledge alone simply isn’t enough to make a difference. Action does.
   
10. Education, by means of knowledge and action, enables one to enjoy the fun and the beauty in everything that one engages in. If you are not enjoying it, you are not doing it right.
    
11. Discipline is a crucial part of success of any kind. Students are required to come to all classes on time. If you have legitimate reasons to ask for leave, follow the University rules. (土風舞比賽 is not a legitimate reason.)