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F.I.T.T. - Frequency, Intensity, Time, and Type.Many fitness professionals rely on the FITT Principle to help guide them when formulating exercise regimes for their clients. Fortunately for EFL/ESL teachers this principle is also highly amenable to second language teaching.
In this mini-lecture, I will discuss a few of the issues relating to frequency of study, intensity of study, time-on-task, and type of study. In giving this talk, I hope to give new teachers (or teachers who are looking for a new framework) a basic overview of some of the most important variables that contribute to second language development. Please watch the mini-lecture at the bottom of the page. |
Frequency: The impact of frequency is very important. (Almost) Every element of language learning is affected by frequency. In short, in most cases the more often a student encounters a word, a phrase, or a grammar structure etc., the better chance they have of acquiring the ability to understand and use it. This stands true for (almost) everything from grammar to prosody. Check out my lecture on Frequency and Time to learn more.
Intensity: In the gym, ‘intensity’ refers to the difficulty of an exercise or routine (or, more specifically, the weight of the weight). In the language classroom, ‘intensity’ refers to the level, or complexity, of the language being presented. It is often suggested that this level (intensity) should challenge, but not overwhelm, the student. It is believed that the 'intensity' should be at a level that allows the student to use their current knowledge to develop further knowledge. To put it another way, the intensity of the language should be at a level slightly higher than the student’s current level. Although this does not mean that really easy input or even slightly more challenging input does not have a place (check out my other lectures to see how intensity can be manipulated for various purposes) - as both can be beneficial, depending on the expected learning outcomes.
Time: Do not believe the hype – there are no shortcuts to learning a second language. It is really simple, the more time your students invest in learning a second language, the better their results will be. The main thing to remember is that if you want to encourage your students to put in the time required, then you are going to need to have fun activities, engaging topics, and effective teaching methods to help expedite the learning process. Oh, and you are also going to need a host of ideas to help you manage any time constraints that you or your students may face.
Type: What are you teaching? Speaking? Listening? Reading? Writing? Or maybe you are teaching intonation, study techniques, grammar, idioms, slang, etc. Whatever it is, try to have a focus – and remember to try to incorporate all four macro-skills (reading, writing, speaking, and listening) into each lesson. This approach should facilitate more well-rounded language development.
Intensity: In the gym, ‘intensity’ refers to the difficulty of an exercise or routine (or, more specifically, the weight of the weight). In the language classroom, ‘intensity’ refers to the level, or complexity, of the language being presented. It is often suggested that this level (intensity) should challenge, but not overwhelm, the student. It is believed that the 'intensity' should be at a level that allows the student to use their current knowledge to develop further knowledge. To put it another way, the intensity of the language should be at a level slightly higher than the student’s current level. Although this does not mean that really easy input or even slightly more challenging input does not have a place (check out my other lectures to see how intensity can be manipulated for various purposes) - as both can be beneficial, depending on the expected learning outcomes.
Time: Do not believe the hype – there are no shortcuts to learning a second language. It is really simple, the more time your students invest in learning a second language, the better their results will be. The main thing to remember is that if you want to encourage your students to put in the time required, then you are going to need to have fun activities, engaging topics, and effective teaching methods to help expedite the learning process. Oh, and you are also going to need a host of ideas to help you manage any time constraints that you or your students may face.
Type: What are you teaching? Speaking? Listening? Reading? Writing? Or maybe you are teaching intonation, study techniques, grammar, idioms, slang, etc. Whatever it is, try to have a focus – and remember to try to incorporate all four macro-skills (reading, writing, speaking, and listening) into each lesson. This approach should facilitate more well-rounded language development.
Note: The 'recency effect' is also an important factor that needs to be considered in SLA. But "What is the recency effect" I hear you ask. Really? OK, I'll tell you. It is really rather simple - seriously. The 'recency effect' refers to the idea that items (e.g. words or grammar points) presented most recently will be easier to recall. It is the teacher's role to figure out if the language has truly been learned and internalised by the students, or if language production is just an example of the recency effect in action. Check out the lecture on Frequency & Time for more information.