Marina Koutsis
Before I started teaching I often wondered about the benefits of using the L1 in an L2 classroom. As a speaker of 5 languages, I was curious about how language learning could be made easier by doing so. I was eager to try this in my classes, but I remained aware that maintaining a balance between L1-use and practising the target language is necessary, otherwise there can be no progress. When I studied Italian at McGill, the professor would often use French and Spanish to explain Italian grammar and concepts that were similar across these languages. This idea fits with plurilingualism, a theory which promotes comparison between languages as well as the use of and the sharing of culture in foreign language courses.
When I started teaching, I applied the same methods where students were encouraged to use the target language without being forbidden from using the L1. However, my perspective was questioned when I taught a 6-week ESL course to immigrant students. Though they were all beginners, some were stronger than others as they already had a knowledge of English. As I was a fervent believer of plurilingualism, I made it clear from the start that any language was welcomed in this class and that I was looking forward to learning more about my students’ cultures. The majority of the class consisted of South American students who would mainly interact in Spanish with each other. It was a good tactic at first as the weaker students could ask the stronger students for assistance in their Spanish L1. Just as the International Teacher Training Organization suggests in an ESL classroom, one should “use English when possible and L1 when necessary” (https://www.tefl-online.com/tefl-jobs/online-tefl-articles/l1-in-the-classroom/). As stated in the article, finding the right balance is essential, and one must resist the temptation of translating rather than learning the language.
However, it wasn’t long before I noticed how heavily some students relied on their L1 and how little they practised during class discussions. In group activities, certain students would only speak Spanish whilst filling in their activity sheets. Though they had the right answer on paper, they would have trouble reading out what they had written, and their pronunciation barely improved. At the end of the course, students had to pass both an oral and a written exam. Speaking is one of the hardest parts of learning a language, as there is much more quick thinking involved as opposed to reading or writing. The students that had relied too much on their L1 did well on the written test, but for the oral exam, I noticed how little their speaking skills had improved since the first day of class.
This experience did not waver my opinion on the benefits of plurilingualism and will not make me forbid L1s in the future. It will, however, make me more mindful of the implications and perhaps even share this story with my future students to remind them of the importance of practising their target language orally.
Has anyone experienced this when teaching a second language? What were your solutions?
International Teacher Training Organization. (n.d.). Using L1 in the TEFL classroom. ITTO. https://www.tefl-online.com/tefl-jobs/online-tefl-articles/l1-in-the-classroom/
Hi Marina,
I have experienced the same situation like you. When I try to use Chinese grammar concepts to teach Chinese students English (My intention is to let them grasp English grammar quickly), I found they tend to rely too much on Chinese, their L1 language. I think we should remind students of the role L1 plays in their second language learning. L1 is like a stick, which means people can use it to help their walking but one day they must drop it so as to walk by themselves. When students have already grasped the grammar of English, I will encourage them to speak English more and not mix English grammar with Chinese concepts anymore.
Jundong Ma
Bonjour, Marina!
Your strong advocacy for plurilingual pedagogy really fuels my desire to take EDSL 628: Plurilingual & Translingual Research & Pedagogy in Second Language Education next term. I cannot wait to have my first formal learning/training on the topic 😊.
As a former Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) instructor, I taught lower-level classes like: Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 2 and 3. I found it to be a very enriching learning experience for ESL learners to use their L1, as it aids comprehension. Learners have always “Aha” moments as they discover the meaning of an English word, for instance, in their L1. Students belonging to a certain race help one another. They brainstorm and find out the equivalent from English to their language- they are quite communal in their learning. I allow them to do codeswitching in small group discussions; however, in public presentation, they are obliged to use English. Generally, I am not amenable to the English only policy in lower classes.
Merci,
Albert
Hi Marina. I have been to two teaching trainings, CELTA (English) and the DITALS (Italian). The elicitation charge for both trainings was strenuous since we could never, ever, never use the students’ L1 in class. From my professional experience teaching those languages, the language market in private language courses follow that as a marketing tool and God Forbid having a teacher who speaks the L1 in class. The solution is to conform to that reality and be prepared for the task, which is not simple and requires solid foreign language didactics knowledge. Thanks for your post Marina. Carlos
Hi Marina! As a good majority of learners are multilingual or plurilingual, there are indeed many benefits to using a plurilingual approach in the second language classroom. However, as you mentioned, some students tend to rely too much on their L1. This won’t negatively impact their writing skills, but won’t improve their speaking skills either. Perhaps, a plurilingual approach would be easier to manage with older, adult students. Or perhaps, you could set more ground rules for the students about when and how to use the plurilingual approach. What do you think? Great post! -Victoria
Bonjour Marina!
As an ESL teacher and McGill TESL graduate, I can agree with you that using the L1 in the language classroom can be an incredibly useful tool for many learners. However, the reality is that it is not accepted as a benefit. The use of L1 in the classroom can often be perceived as cheating, or not giving learners enough opportunities to learn the TL. I remember during my internships I would often use key words of French to ensure my students understood what I was explaining in English. When my supervisor would visit, she used to scold me for doing so.
This frustrated me so much because the reality is that languages aren’t separate entities. They work together and we can develop identities and ways of speaking in each language that we know! For example, one of my friends taught me the Armenian word ‘քրքջալ’ or ‘ha-la-boo-ja’ It does not exist in English. However, it describes the feeling of a squiggly line just a chaotic human feeling. Thus, how I feel about forcing learners to keep languages separate!
Alison