Primer on Foreign Language Education
In a field where much of what is said is politically motivated hot air, Stephen Krashen is a welcome voice of common sense. Dr. Krashen, who holds a PhD in linguistics, has written many scholarly articles and books on all aspects of language learning, from teaching reading and basic literacy skills to second- and foreign-language learning.
"Foreign Language Education - The Easy Way follows in that proud tradition. Dr. Krashen gives a brief, but detailed, overview of theory before going into what a foreign- or second-language program should encompass. Finally, the author goes over issues in foreign language education, that is the conditions classroom teachers are likely to face in real life, such as a lack of opportunity to practice and communicate native speakers.
As in "The Natural Approach," which I recommend as a supplement to this short volume, Dr. Krashen urges teachers of students, elementary through adult, to provide as much exposure to the target language ("Comprehensible Input") as possible, definitely a commonsense and proven approach I plan to use with my elementary-school and adult ESL students in the future.
