How can we even measure and control what is a magical process of unfoldment? Do we measure the unfolding process of a flower? The flower is given sun and water and soil (input) and it grows into something that is beautiful, reflecting the natural and imperceptible speed of the growth processes found in nature. Language acquisition is so natural!
How can we honor this natural process in our own classrooms? In my opinion it is best to start with an image and expand the language, putting no limits on what words we use. We thus learn to in trust in the infinite possible combinations of words to bring life to our classes. We do not reduce language into pieces, with goals to “teach something”. It is our need to control the growth of language that has gotten us into this muddled up situation, with so many people fighting to be right.
Each thing a human being says can be so beautiful, like a flower if it is not controlled by someone in the classroom. In our classrooms we and our students can experience the joy of creating flowers from words. It is given to all of us. All we need for our students to acquire is to provide them with sun and water and soil input. Our students can “learn” in math class. They can’t “learn” in our classes.
It is because math can be studied consciously with measurable results. But a language cannot be studied consciously with measurable results. It doesn’t happen that way, because it all occurs in hidden realms. That’s what the research says, at least. All we can hope to do is provide the sun and water and soil input. We try to mess with a naturally occurring process, pulling on and thus distorting the seeds with our wish to teach our students something, instead of just providing the input. We maim.
Then we try to measure what cannot be measured any more than the growth of a flower or a fetus can be measured. Maybe we think that doing that would help. But it doesn’t help? Flowers and babies and language acquisition just happens and whether we measure it or not won’t affect it in any way. It is the way of life. Language acquisition is FAR MORE than what we think it is, far more complex, far beyond what the analytical mind can conceive, control and measure.
The process is tied to something infinite. Therefore, it involves trust and a certain vulnerability about what will be said next. The following articles expand on this idea:
https://benslavic.com/blog/lart-de-la-conversation-and-tprs/
https://benslavic.com/blog/love-thy-neighbor/
https://benslavic.com/blog/listen-to-their-hearts/
https://benslavic.com/blog/the-nature-of-conversation/