ACTFL Position Paper on Target Language

ACTFL Position Paper – Target Language

http://www.actfl.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=4368#targetlang

Use of the Target Language in the Classroom (May 2010)

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:

1.    provide comprehensible input that is directed toward communicative goals;

2.    make meaning clear through body language, gestures, and visual support;

3.    conduct comprehension checks to ensure understanding;

4.    negotiate meaning with students and encourage negotiation among students;

5.    elicit talk that increases in fluency, accuracy, and complexity over time;

6.    encourage self-expression and spontaneous use of language;

7.    teach students strategies for requesting clarification and assistance when faced with comprehension difficulties; and

8.    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.