Keeping+in+the+target+language

** Use of the Target Language in the Classroom (May 2010) **
 * ACTFL Position Statement **

[|http://www.actfl.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=4368 - targetlang]

Research indicates that effective language instruction must provide significant levels of meaningful communication* and interactive feedback in the target language in order for students to develop language and cultural proficiency. The pivotal role of target-language interaction in language learning is emphasized in the K-16 //Standards for Foreign Language Learning in the 21st Century.// ACTFL therefore recommends that language educators and their students use the target language as exclusively as possible (90% plus) at all levels of instruction during instructional time and, when feasible, beyond the classroom. In classrooms that feature maximum target-language use, instructors use a variety of strategies to facilitate comprehension and support meaning making. For example, they:


 * provide comprehensible input that is directed toward communicative goals;
 * make meaning clear through body language, gestures, and visual support;
 * conduct comprehension checks to ensure understanding;
 * negotiate meaning with students and encourage negotiation among students;
 * elicit talk that increases in fluency, accuracy, and complexity over time;
 * encourage self-expression and spontaneous use of language;
 * teach students strategies for requesting clarification and assistance when faced with comprehension difficulties; and
 * offer feedback to assist and improve students’ ability to interact orally in the target language.

*Communication for a classical language refers to an emphasis on reading ability and for American Sign Language (ASL) to signed communicative ability.

Strategies and activities

 * 1) Keeping in the target language strategies-Helena Curtain:[[file:Target Language Activities HO Memphis City Schools August 3 2011.doc]]
 * 2) [|Keeping in the target language]
 * 3) [|Meaningful communication]