Learning partnership
Language competence increases as responsibility for learning is transferred progressively from teacher to learner.
Teacher's role
To facilitate the development of language learning skills, teachers need to:
- consistently build the self-confidence of students in language learning by focusing on the successful production of language, not on failure
- understand how second languages are learned
- set clear, achievable goals with their students for learning the language
- create an effective learning environment in the classroom
- use Chinese for classroom management whenever possible
- encourage interaction and communication between students, as well as between students and teachers
- learn more about the students' perspectives, preferences, and needs through continuous monitoring of their progress
- encourage students to make conscious decisions about their learning
- consistently challenge students to improve the quality of their performance, and provide them with helpful feedback
- recognise that language acquisition is a continuous but uneven process involving the interaction of all four strands (listening, speaking, reading, writing), and that students progress at different rates
- progressively nurture independent, self-motivated language learning.
Student's role
As learners of a second language, students need to:
- become aware of, and progressively build on, the language learning skills they have already
- understand what they are trying to achieve in language learning
- discover and develop language learning skills which are useful beyond the classroom
- learn to use appropriate reference materials, such as glossaries, bilingual dictionaries, and atlases
- be committed to cumulative and consistent language learning
- be positive, active, and willing learners of the language and culture
- develop 'guessing' skills to help them negotiate meaning
- develop the habit of searching for meaning and asking for clarification
- feel that they can experiment and take risks with the language as part of their language development
- be able to learn from mistakes, understanding that this is a natural part of the language learning process
- monitor their own progress towards their language learning goals.