Recommended Reading: 2015 Notes on TPRS- Contributions, controversies, problems, and new frontiers
I don’t think that it is any secret that people in the CI community have been bad mouthing Tina and me for our non-targeted stance. But we have decided to go forth down the road of non-targeted instruction anyway.
The main reason for that decision is expressed in the following post, but a very important part of our decision is that we find that non-targeted instruction simply works better for us, much better. For the umpteenth time, we are not trying to say that it is better for everybody. But Steve Krashen has, for a few years now, been calmly and quietly turning out writing that advocates again some core TRPRS teachings, e.g. 100% transparency, i.e. making sure that we clarify each and every little word in our utterances, and relentlessly circling lists of words and target structures.
Steve likes to tell people that they should write, and not consider the audience till the piece is done. Well, in this case, the audience is just now showing up. I told Tina the other day that Portland would be like Rivendell, where the elves gathered. The audience for this work will gather in Portland, Oregon, in June.
Are we saying that non-targeted work is the ONLY way? There are in fact people who claim that we are saying that non-targeted instruction is better for everyone. But we very strongly feel that we are not here to judge other people’s process, but rather we are focused on driving our own bus, the CI Liftoff bus that is dedicated to helping others learn and implement CI instruction in their own classroom, if they want to.
Yes, the Cascadia Conference is about non-targeted. Yes, Beniko Mason and Dr. Krashen are supporting us and will be there. So will Mike Peto. And Anne Matava. And Annabelle Allen. Yes, we are working our butts off right now on this stuff. We are bringing in the best people we can find to make the instruction fresh and new. No, we are not trying to say that NT work is the “only way”. But it’s our way. I personally feel that with this work I have been let out of a can that I was in for over 15 years.
