Stephen Krashen comments

Posted in: What’s wrong with English education in Japan? Pull up a chair See in context

Those interested in “What’s wrong with English education?” (October 7) might want to look at the research and progress made in language acquisition over the last four decades, studies published in respectable professional journals and scientific books. 

There is now overwhelming evidence that we acquire

language in a very simple way: by understanding what we hear and what we read. The ability to speak English fluently and accurately does not come from practicing speaking English, studying grammar and memorizing vocabulary lists, but by listening to truly interesting stories and reading truly interesting books. Methods that emphasize listening to stories and reading have produced excellent results, and amount of pleasure reading done in English is a very good predictor of scores on English tests,

This makes teaching and acquiring language more pleasant for both teachers and students, and provides a path for continuing improvement for the rest of students’ lives.  

We hope those responsible for English language development will consider the professional research.

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