LANGUAGE RESEARCH IN SERVICE TO THE NATION

Rapid Rise Tailored Treatment (R2T2):

Fast Tracking the “Fast Tracks” 

Presented by:Richard D. BrechtCASL Executive Director

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LANGUAGE RESEARCH IN SERVICE TO THE NATION

Paradigm shift in language training

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LANGUAGE RESEARCH IN SERVICE TO THE NATION

Language BHAG: Big, Hairy, Audacious Goal

Doubling the effectiveness of language programs:• Double proficiency output• Halve the time• Halve the attrition

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LANGUAGE RESEARCH IN SERVICE TO THE NATION

Fast tracks

• Immersions• Cross/conversion training

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LANGUAGE RESEARCH IN SERVICE TO THE NATION

Immersions: the “Magic Bullet” … if there ever was one

• “Procedural” vs. declarative• “Episodic” vs. “semantic” memory• “Implicit” learning

• Lexical• Grammatical (e.g., Russian aspect)• Pragmatics

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LANGUAGE RESEARCH IN SERVICE TO THE NATION

Richer concept of immersions

• Authentic • In-country• Heritage communities

• Constructed (iso-immersions)• Domestic living• On-the-job• “Virtual”

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LANGUAGE RESEARCH IN SERVICE TO THE NATION

“Immersion” vs. “Submersion

• Targeted learning experience• “Controlled” building block of language learning

career• Three components:

• Preparation• Immersion• Debrief

• Assessable

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LANGUAGE RESEARCH IN SERVICE TO THE NATION

Characteristics of environments

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Immersion environment Classroom environment

Rich Uncontrolled, authentic input and interaction

One teacher and texts controlling input and iso-immersions

Real Experiential learning Controlled or simulated life tasks

Relative Individual differences determine outcomes

Instruction is aimed to the majority

LANGUAGE RESEARCH IN SERVICE TO THE NATION

Requires enhanced cognitive/executive control mechanisms

• Selective attention• Inhibition• Working memory (e.g., rehearsal)• Metacognition (e.g., monitoring)• Task initiation, interruption, switching• Individual goal setting

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LANGUAGE RESEARCH IN SERVICE TO THE NATION

“Executive function” for immersion training

Rich: Ability to deal with cognitive load, ambiguity, short-term memory demands, etc. Real:Metacognitive abilities (task switching, inhibition) to deal with language and “living” tasks

Relative:Individual goal setting, affective and motivational variables

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LANGUAGE RESEARCH IN SERVICE TO THE NATION

Cross/Conversion Training

• Learners establish links between L3 languages and previously learned languages

• Learners with high proficiency of similar languages transfer more linguistic knowledge to the L3

• For production, high level of proficiency in L2 required

• Bilinguals know how to learn a language

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LANGUAGE RESEARCH IN SERVICE TO THE NATION

Cognitive aspects of L3 learning

• General cognitive advantages of bilingualism• Perception and recognition of new information

always takes place in reference to previously acquired knowledge

• Focus and inhibition critical• Metacognitive awareness• Learner autonomy

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LANGUAGE RESEARCH IN SERVICE TO THE NATION

Aptitude-by-Interaction (ATI): Add value to fast track environments

Three components:• Assess aptitude and devise cognitive profiles• Improve cognitive profiles (executive

control/working memory training)• Base learning and teaching on cognitive profiles

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LANGUAGE RESEARCH IN SERVICE TO THE NATION

Learning and teaching based on cognitive profiles

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• Adapt learner to learning environments (life-long learning management)

• Adapt learning environments to learner’s cognitive abilities (classroom and curricular designs)

LANGUAGE RESEARCH IN SERVICE TO THE NATION

Examples of pedagogical adaptations to cognitive profiles (from proven correlations in research literature)

• Audio-visual, analytic, functional instruction• Structural and situational instructional methods• Oral error correction and non-correction• Meta-linguistic feedback• Deductive, inductive, structured input• Traditional classroom-based conversation vs. “chat-room”• Recasts vs. meta-linguistic comments• Study abroad and at-home classroom (e.g., phonological

working memory)• Lexicon type-token relationship

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LANGUAGE RESEARCH IN SERVICE TO THE NATION

Questions?

rbrecht@casl.umd.edu

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