tips for foreign language teachers by ken cushing cardigan mountain school
TRANSCRIPT
BY KEN CUSHING CARDIGAN MOUNTAIN SCHOOL
Tips for Foreign Language Teachers
Tips for Foreign Language Teachers
A graduate of the University of Oregon, Ken Cushing currently serves as the World Languages Department Chair at Cardigan Mountain School in New Hampshire. At Cardigan Mountain School, Kenneth Cushing oversees the instruction of three foreign languages and capitalizes on extensive experience as a Spanish instructor. When giving advice to foreign language teachers, he recommends that they readily integrate conversation into class on a regular basis, even with beginning students. Speaking experiences give students the practical knowledge needed to achieve fluency.
Tips for Foreign Language Teachers
During conversations, teachers should not immediately correct mistakes unless especially egregious. Corrections simply interrupt flow and discourage confidence. Instead, instructors can offer feedback after the conversation and have students repeat the correct phrasing.
Tips for Foreign Language Teachers
Teachers should never tone down their language abilities, even in front of beginners. In introductory courses, some instructors downplay their accent or use only the simplest grammatical structures. When students have exposure to the language as it is spoken today, they gain a more solid foundation for the language. Ultimately, they become better speakers through this exposure.