A webinar on Fundamentals of Second Language Acquisition
On Monday, May 11th, Ms. Roz Jamal, one of our English instructors, organized a one-hour webinar where Professor Stephen Krashen shared his invaluable experiences in the field of learning a second language. This event was -internationally- highly viewed as people from local and international universities attended the webinar.
Professor Krashen extensively discussed the developments and the research results of the last 45 years, research that has revolutionized language teaching, making both teaching and acquiring a foreign language far easier, more effective, and more pleasant than previous methods. He presented the evidence from several countries that show that we do not acquire language by studying grammar rules or memorizing vocabulary or practicing speaking or writing or by getting our errors corrected. Rather, we acquire language in only one way: When we understand what we hear and what we read. The most effective way of providing the input needed for language acquisition is through listening to interesting stories that teachers help students understand and reading comprehensible, interesting books.
Professor Krashen is the most widely cited scholar in the world in the field of second language acquisition. Many of his publications are available for free download at sdkrashen.com. He is also the1976 Incline Bench Press champion of Venice Beach California.
