The language experience approach

The language experience approach

The language experience approach is often used among second language learners to foster their skills in reading and writing. The method is basically used to assess the student’s understanding of the materials offered to them during the previous lesson. Their understanding is usually measured by their ability to remember and vocalize the content that had earlier been presented to them. The group session is preferred as opposed to the use of a single learner to ensure that the significance of background understanding is reinstated. The learners are taught the language using objects that are readily available in their setting, a critical approach to develop their vocabulary.

The presentation by Michelle Driggs Kindergarten on the language experience approach is, in my opinion, an effective way of making sure that children understand the respective language and the associated vocabulary. The presenters have primarily divided the experience into two sessions. On the first day, the learners are introduced to the learning material and thoroughly taught about it. The teacher uses a pictorial presentation to make learning more accessible. In addition to pictures, there is the use of repetition to ensure that the learners internalize the concepts. I believe that the use of the two techniques is a critical approach to steer learning in any environment.

On the second day, the teacher does not introduce new words to the learners but keeps reintroducing the content presented on the previous day. The learners are instructed to name the objects one at a time after the instructor, after which all of them have to repeat the same words. While this session might be taken as a teaching moment, I view it as a time for assessment and evaluation as well as reinforcement learning. The repetitive nature of the session and the encouragement offered to the learners make it reinforcement learning.

References

LEA Approach (2020). Retrieved from https://youtu.be/28JVhicjz34