What is Comprehensible Input?
As language teachers, we strive to create immersive and engaging environments that facilitate effective language acquisition. One powerful approach that has gained significant recognition is providing comprehensible input to our students. Comprehensible input refers to language input that is understandable to learners, even if they don't understand every word or structure. In this blog post, we will explore the concept of comprehensible input and share a variety of activities to help you implement it in your world language classroom effectively.
Understanding Comprehensible Input: Comprehensible input is rooted in the language acquisition theory of Stephen Krashen, who highlighted its crucial role in language learning. According to Krashen, learners acquire language when they receive input slightly beyond their current level of proficiency, which pushes them to make connections and develop linguistic skills. The key principle is that language input must be both meaningful and understandable for learners to successfully acquire the language.
Activities for Implementing Comprehensible Input:
Storytelling: Storytelling is an engaging way to provide comprehensible input. Choose a compelling story, read the story aloud, using gestures, visuals, and simple vocabulary to aid comprehension. Pause at regular intervals to check for understanding and encourage students to ask questions or make predictions. This activity helps develop listening skills while providing rich language input.
TPR (Total Physical Response): Total Physical Response is an interactive approach that connects language input with physical actions. Assign simple commands in the target language, such as "Stand up," "Sit down," or "Touch your nose." Demonstrate the commands while speaking, and have students follow along. Gradually introduce more complex commands as their proficiency improves. TPR allows students to understand language through actions, making it highly effective for novice learners.
Picture-based Activities: Visual stimuli are excellent tools for providing comprehensible input. Use pictures or images related to a specific topic and engage students in discussions or storytelling based on the visuals. Encourage them to describe what they see, ask and answer questions, and make connections between the images and their prior knowledge. This activity fosters vocabulary development and encourages students to use the target language actively.
Movietalk: Select short movie or video clips that will engage your students! Before watching, introduce vocabulary and peak their interests. During the viewing, pause, describe what is happening, and ask questions! Afterward, engage students in discussions, debates, or other post-reading activities. This activity enhances listening comprehension, vocabulary acquisition, and critical thinking skills.
Conclusion: Incorporating comprehensible input strategies into your language classroom can significantly enhance the learning experience for your students. By providing meaningful and understandable language input, you create an environment that promotes natural language acquisition. Remember, the goal is to provide input that challenges learners just enough to foster growth while ensuring understanding.
Happy teaching, and may your students thrive in their language-learning journey!
