Using the Target Foreign Language 90% or More of Classroom Time

In this article in The Language Educator, New Jersey French teacher Douglass Crouse suggests ways that teachers can reach the goal of students using the target language 90 percent or more of each class:

• Start the year by explaining why staying in the target language is so important to fluency and proficiency in the language.
• Praise students individually and collectively when they make the effort.
• When students address you in English, give a quizzical look and say you don’t understand.
• Plan lessons to eliminate idle time that allows students to chat in English.
• Use activities like inside-outside circles to allow students to practice common expressions and structures in rapid sequence. This also allows the teacher to listen for places where communication is breaking down.
• Change seating plans often so students can pair up with different classmates.
• Design activities that allow students to use the language to get information they’re missing.
• Let students know they may be asked to report their information to the class at any moment.
• Post commonly-used phrases around the classroom so students can use them when they’re stuck.
• Try a reward system in which students can earn points for maintaining the target language.
• Encourage students to come up with silly stories as part of a survey.

“Going for 90% Plus: How to Stay in the Target Language” by Douglass Crouse in The Language Educator, October 2012 (Vol. 7, #5, p. 22-27), http://www.actfl.org 

From the Marshall Memo #457