In How People Learn, John Dewey is quoted as saying "Schools should be less about preparation for life and more like life itself." I was thrilled to hear this because I have been toying with ways to make the Foreign Language classroom more life-like. It all goes back to the idea of motivation. Let's face it, it is hard to be motivated to learn Spanish while attending an English-speaking school with all English-speaking classmates. The actual need to learn, which is among the greatest motivators, is non-existant. In turn, students are likely to put less time and effort into their studies, which negatively affects language acquisition. If real-life situations could be simulated, however, learners have more reason to study. By allowing students to struggle through language barrier situations, the need for understanding the language instead of memorizing it would shine through.
Perhaps most importantly, transfer would be at an all-time high. Why? Because the activities in the classroom would reflect the activities of real life. By taking into account the Spanish words and grammar that students are likely to use in their life, activities can be planned to help them experience and practice Spanish in those situations. Backwards planning, in short, would make the lessons more applicable and useful. Language textbooks are often filled with information that is interesting - kind of - but not useful. (For example, how many people really need to know that the Quetzal is the form of currency in Guatemala?) By putting students in situations where they can use their knowledge, the are more likely to retain their knowledge because they will understand the importance of it.
Connecting learning to life does something that is needed in education. It connects our individual past, present and future.
