{"id":3095,"date":"2015-02-18T08:37:28","date_gmt":"2015-02-18T13:37:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/language-news\/?p=3095"},"modified":"2020-10-02T14:05:36","modified_gmt":"2020-10-02T18:05:36","slug":"transforming-the-economics-of-language-learning-part-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/language-news\/2015\/02\/18\/transforming-the-economics-of-language-learning-part-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Transforming the Economics of Language Learning (Part 3)"},"content":{"rendered":"

In Part 2<\/a> we discussed how technology can transform the economics of language learning, but only if it’s the\u00a0right<\/em> technology. Now, let’s\u00a0look at implementing the right technology in the right way.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ve seen those clickbait web ads for \u201cOne Silly Trick…\u201d to lose weight, relieve pain or whatever. There\u2019s not usually much value after the click. But for teaching and learning languages, there is a shift in approach\u2014almost simple enough to be a \u201ctrick\u201d\u2014that can radically change how quickly and reliably students learn.<\/p>\n

We call it DABL<\/a>, \u201cDeclaratively Accelerated Blended Learning.\u201d<\/strong> Obviously we\u2019re not good at catchy names, but if you\u2019re a teacher, you\u2019ve probably come across the term \u201cflipped classroom,\u201d and DABL is something of a flipped language classroom. \u201cFlipped\u201d means doing homework in class and classwork at home.<\/p>\n

Unflipped: teacher gives classroom lecture on how to do long division, followed by students doing long division problems at home. Flipped: students watch video on how to do long division at home, and then do problems the next day in class where everyone can see and help each other.<\/p>\n

\"DABL\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Flipped makes sense because the fixed one-way presentation is absorbed when alone, while the variable anything-can-happen work takes place where others can interact to correct a misunderstanding or celebrate something nicely done.<\/p>\n

In language acquisition, the biggest, fixed body of information that needs to be absorbed is lexicon. Thousands of words and phrases need to be mastered to learn another language. If you had the time, you could just notice and absorb words and phrases through immersion, but in professional language programs, that vocabulary and other useful language \u201cchunks\u201d need to be learned deliberately. The alternatives are just too slow and unreliable.<\/p>\n

A good teacher might say\u2014and it\u2019s not unreasonable\u2014we\u2019re going to do new things in language together, notice what comes up, and then for homework, you\u2018ll spend time to master the words and phrases we encounter. That works.<\/p>\n

But here\u2019s what works better:<\/strong><\/p>\n