Using L1

Using L1
Just this week I went to a seminar for English teachers. And what was I told about using L1? Never ever use it!
Fortunately, I can disagree with it now without feeling like I am doing something revolutionary. I have always believed that L1 is a great tool for clarifying the meaning. Explanations, visuals, etc. are great and I love and use them, but then just a second to translate and check that everybody knows what this new word is.
Recently, I have tried using a bit of “comparative linguistics” in my classroom. I am trying to draw my students’ attention to the differences and similarities in L1 and English grammar. And it is not only form, but also function that we are talking about. And just yesterday while dealing with the Passive Voice, I could at last see the student get what all the fuss is about and how her L1 deals with this function.
I always say that as it is an English class, everybody speaks English, but it doesn’t matter there is no place for L1. Though I would be reluctantly to engage in lengthy communication in L1, but bits and pieces here and there to help the student can make a significant difference.

Comments

  1. Claudie GNovember 26, 2017 at 4:44 AM

    Here's an interesting approach to plurilingualism.....iatefl.britishcouncil.org - Integrating plurilingual practices in ELT in a superdiverse world | IATEFL Online

    ReplyDelete
  2. Walton BurnsNovember 26, 2017 at 7:00 AM

    Yes, explaining the perfect tenses and being able to use the imparfait in French or the perfective in Russian to compare is incredibly useful. At the least if you can’t speak their L1 there are some wonderful books that explain grammar in other languages and how they don’t get from English. Michael Swann’s Learner’s English is great for that.

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