I just got an offer of tutoring a kid in Latin. It’s for pay and the kid lives just down the street so I’m sure (Continue Reading)
Pat’s Polemics
On-going brilliance
Imitation is the best form of acquisition
03/12/2023 Pat Barrett Add CommentHave you ever noticed that when people are horsing around imitating an accent: Italain, Swedish, Japanese, Russian, Spanish, Chinese – you’re heard it many times (Continue Reading)
Know your preferred learning channel
02/19/2023 Pat Barrett Add CommentI read a lot. When I want to learn a language, I read it. That works OK for me normally, but with Korean I am (Continue Reading)
Perfect example of the complexity of French grammar
02/15/2023 Pat Barrett Add CommentExamining French grammar in light of my teaching my granddaughter French, I learned just how much the expression ‘one Xs’ dominates the verb paradigm. “on (Continue Reading)
Nyah II VR E 34 Oct. 16 2018 lesson 54
12/10/2022 Pat Barrett Add CommentMoi, j’ai un mot nouveau. Les sciences en francais on dit l’informatique (computer science). Moi j’ai appris ce mot d’un ami. (here I guessed totally (Continue Reading)
NyahII Oct 12, 2018 VR 33
11/16/2022 Pat Barrett Add CommentQu’est-ce que vous etudiez a l’ecole? What? Study? (I write in marker) It’s not even the same color! Ce n’est pas le meme couleur? No. (Continue Reading)
Nyah II Oct. 2, 2018
10/19/2022 Pat Barrett Add CommentChez Nyah, so without the vocabulary posters. NOTE: usually the French is me speaking and the English is Nyah’s response.The stories are complicated, Nyah says.L’animal (Continue Reading)
NyahII sept 28, lesson 48 E25
10/16/2022 Pat Barrett Add CommentNyah asked: are we continuing the story which shows she understood ‘groupe’word building chanteur, voleur, voyageur, she wanted to know how I remembered claviercomment s’appelle (Continue Reading)
Why Do Certain Things?
05/23/2021 Pat Barrett Add CommentOver several decades on foreign language teacher listservs, a debate could be found over whether teaching the language should focus just on the language, not (Continue Reading)
One Student’s Reaction to Acquisition
12/30/2020 Pat Barrett Add CommentMy student in Spanish introduced me (via Zoom) to her former student, an impressive young man majoring in linguistics. Talking about our lessons, she mention (Continue Reading)
More evidence of the efficacy of repetition in input
12/06/2020 Pat Barrett Add CommentAn article on child acquisition of the ergative forms in Basque finds that Basque children receiving bilingual input, i.e. two different languages being used in (Continue Reading)
Mistakes in teaching French
12/02/2020 Pat Barrett Add CommentI noted in Lesson #51 I wrote il n’a pas des amies when it should be d’amies. I am pretty sure I did not realize (Continue Reading)
Nyah’s lesson #1 June 25, 2018
11/29/2020 Pat Barrett Add CommentI am writing this up 8 months after the event and will reference subsequent developments. We went over the principles, incl. signs, comprehension checks via (Continue Reading)
Signs of acquisition
11/19/2020 Pat Barrett Add CommentTracking one student has its advantages. When you are working with a group of students, it’s hard to notice what each one is acquiring. My (Continue Reading)
Fossilization as supreme
11/17/2020 Pat Barrett 1 CommentIn FL teaching theory, fossilization became a major issue. The theory went that incorrect forms, once learned, could not be unlearned. That appears to foreshadow (Continue Reading)
How Grammar Instruction Works
11/14/2020 Pat Barrett Add CommentRecently I’ve seen some posts on teaching the subjunctive. Most often the requests are for fun ways. That made be wonder what role fun plays (Continue Reading)
Judith lesson # Aug. 25, 2020
08/25/2020 Pat Barrett Add CommentContinuing narrative but with lots of new vocabulary. Some good grammar points. Tiene la seguranza medica = she has medical insurance. Tiene una cita para (Continue Reading)
A New Stab At TPRS
07/29/2020 Pat Barrett Add CommentAfter almost eight weeks of lessons in Spanish via Zoom, a foundation has been laid. Soon I will get back to transcribing my granddaughter’s French (Continue Reading)
Nyah’s Lesson Jan. 27, 2020 #
05/31/2020 Pat Barrett Add CommentLong hiatus and we agreed on regular 5 day a week schedule.The purpose today was for her to notice how much she knows and think (Continue Reading)
Nyah’s Lesson Dec. 11 #
05/23/2020 Pat Barrett Add CommentVous allez ecrire des notes. Why do I have to take notes?* She picked a gender neutral name for a character who was the object (Continue Reading)
Nyah’s Lesson Dec. 9, 2020 #
05/20/2020 Pat Barrett Add CommentI wrote the following on the flip chartNyah et sa mere ont voyage en FranceA Paris elles n’y ont trouve que de pizza et hamburger (Continue Reading)
Nyah’s Lesson Dec. 28, 2019 #
05/16/2020 Pat Barrett Add CommentI took my cat to the vet?Hier? ?Pas aujourd’hui, hier.Oh, yeah.**Is this the new one or the old one (story)C’est completement nouveau.Oh.*You don’t want to (Continue Reading)
Nyah’s Lesson Nov. 23, 2019 #
05/16/2020 Pat Barrett Add CommentNyah’s BirthdayShe said something in French and I missed recording it! Here is the story again: Deux personnes marchaient dans la foret. Sur le sentier (Continue Reading)