Accelerators *

It's easier when...

Roadblocks

It's harder when...

The purpose of using language - reading, writing, speaking and listening
- is real and natural
The reasons given or situations created for using language are artificial
The focus is on communication The focus is on the form, not on the function (communication)
Talk is about interesting topics Talk is dull and uninteresting
Mistakes are part of learning Mistakes are bad, and it's more important to get it right than to get a message communicated
Language is also used - or studied - within a context (not as isolated letters, words, or sentences) Language is studied out of context
Language activities have a purpose for the learner The particular use of the language studied or activity used is irrelevant for the learner
Enough time is provided Learners are pressured to complete work
The first language is valued. The first language is not valued.

* Barbara Law and Mary Eckes , The More- Than-Just- Surviving Handbook: ESL for Every Classroom Teacher. (Winnipeg, Manitoba: Portage & Main Press, 2000) p. 56. Copyright © 2000 by Barbara Law and Mark Eckes. Used by permission of Portage & Main Press.