Dynamic Approach

The Dynamic Approach
This approach is essential for proficiency in a foreign language.  It involves all of the disciplines (reading, writing, speaking and listening) with the use of varied sources. (For example, Listening/ TV, conversations from the internet and live in meet-up groups, audio programs in the car and videos.)

Reading– Simple dialogues which can be found in many audio programs.  Childrens’ books , Berlitz for Children, Foreign newspapers.  Guides and manuals that can be found in different languages at many tourist areas and other establishments.  Example/ I was hiking in Mt. Ranier and found a 4 page explanation of the area in Italian, Spanish and German.

Speaking–  Meet-up groups.   These can be found by searching for Meet-up groups in your area.  You can also form these on your own. (Don’t be afraid to take a back seat at first and listen quite a bit and interject something when you can), Private class with professional, Good conversational class, conversation partners (find someone who wants to learn your native language and help each other out).  Look at a University in your area to see if they have a conversation program where international students want to learn english and talk with you in your target language. I utilized this program at the University of North Texas to learn Spanish.

Listening– In my opinion this is the  most important discipline because developing the ear is one of the hardest aspects of acquiring a foreign language.  Also,  it takes the longest and needs to be nurtured on a regular basis.   This is where students stumble because they do not give this discipline adequate attention and furthermore, unfortunately many teachers do not have the students listen enough to the target language.

Writing- I use writing for two reasons: To assess my recollection of the language by writing journals and also to help me remember important data that comes up in my private language class.  I recommend that you get a private teacher that is a native speaker,  who will only speak to you in the target language.  When an important phrase comes up in class that you would use often, then write it down in your notebook.  The action of writing it down can help you remember it and also it will be accessable for future reference.  In addition, I would write my daily routines and have my teacher read them to make corrections.  If you travel, make a journal  of things you did each day in the past tense and have your teacher correct it if you are enrolled in classes abroad.