What is Comprehensible Input in the Spanish Classroom? (And Why You Need It).
What is comprehensible input? How can I use comprehensible input as a Spanish teacher?
Comprehensible input, or CI, is an important tool in the world language classroom. Comprehensible input is a message (ie: a text, a book, a video, a song, a podcast, an infographic, etc) that students are able to comprehend and understand.
Does this mean they understood what every single word and details mean? Maybe! But chances are, this is likely not the case. Providing comprehensible input is more about providing learners with meaningful and engaging content in the target language that they can understand.
Krashen’s Theory and The Input Hypothesis
Krashen's theory of second language acquisition, often referred to as the Input Hypothesis, proposes that language learners acquire language best when they are exposed to comprehensible input, which is language that is just slightly beyond their current level of proficiency(i+1). Language acquisition occurs naturally through exposure to meaningful language input, rather than through explicit instruction or correction, such as teaching grammar rules and vocabulary lists for students to memorize. Immersing students in the target language through content that is meaningful, compelling, and relevant is extremely important.
Why Comprehensible Input Matters
I (like many others) took Spanish for the very first time in middle school and continued taking classes through high school. What was I able to do after 5 years of learning a language?
I could state translations of vocabulary words.
I could state grammar rules.
I could conjugate verbs.
I could NOT speak simple sentences in Spanish.
I could NOT read a short text in Spanish.
I graduated high school deciding to major in Secondary Spanish Education and during my first Spanish class at the university level, I was SHOCKED that my professor was speaking only in SPANISH?!?!
I left class feeling defeated and worried I had picked the wrong path.
How could I have taken 5 years of Spanish and not be able to understand or produce it?!
This is an experience I, and many others have. Explicit instruction does not equip learners to communicate in the target language. On the contrary, implicit instruction, an instructional method where learners are immersed in the target language with comprehensible input, IS an effective method. Learners CAN understand. Learners CAN present language. Learners CAN exchange information.
How to Teach Using Comprehensible Input?
Are you ready to dip your toes into CI? If so, congratulations! This is the first step to allowing your students to explore language and culture in an immersive environment, YAY!
Here are some important strategies to keep in mind as you begin to provide comprehensible input to your learners. Try one of these out! There are 100s of ways to provide comprehensible input, and no one way is the best way. Different methods work for different students. What may work in your Spanish 2 class for period 3 may not work for period 4! If something doesn’t go how you hope for, that’s OKAY! Be kind to yourself and give it another go the next day. The key part is to not give up and find what works best for you and your students!
Make It Personal!: Include topics that are personal and relevant to students. Personalization increases engagement and motivation to learn! You can ask students what they did over the weekend, their preferences, what events are happening in school, and so on!
Get Students Moving with Total Physical Response (TPR): Use gestures, actions, and movement to convey meaning and reinforce vocabulary. When you introduce new target structures, teach an action to go with that target structure when possible! TPR promotes kinesthetic learning and enhances retention.
Use Cognates: Provide comprehensible input by using cognates as much as possible that are similar in students' native language and the target language. Cognates facilitate vocabulary acquisition and build confidence in language learners.
Use Visual Aids: Hang visual aids on your walls to promote language acquisition. Incorporate pictures, drawings, or gestures to help convey meaning. You can print these, draw them on your board, or even bring in props! Visual aids support understanding and engagement, especially for visual learners.
Scaffolded Input: Start with simple language and gradually increase complexity. Don’t feel the need to rush and increase complexity! Allow students to feel confident and empowered in what they understand. Scaffolded input ensures that students can understand and build upon their existing language knowledge.
Ask Check for Comprehension Questions A LOT: How do you know if students are understanding? By asking them! Ask them to display their understanding consistently throuhgout the lesson. This can be through a yes/no, multiple choice, short answer, drawing, acting it out, or even a response where students highlight the answer in a text.
To Sum it all Up:
Comprehensible Input (CI) is an important and fundamental aspect for world language teachers. By providing comprehensible input, students are immersed in rich, compelling, and meaningful language that they can communicate in. Comprehensible Input can be provided with ANY topic!
As a Spanish teacher, integrating CI into your teaching practice is not only beneficial but transformative.
