Agregador: The Language Gym
Nº de artículos: 10
Blog en inglés de Gianfranco Conti, un experto en lingüística aplicada y adquisición de segundas lenguas, dirigido a profesores de lenguas. En él ofrece análisis y reflexiones basadas en la investigación sobre cómo se adquieren y enseñan los idiomas. Aborda metodologías, creencias docentes, evaluación y práctica en el aula, conectando teoría y experiencia para mejorar la enseñanza de lenguas.
Introduction In my experience, one of the most persistent myths in language education is that vocabulary growth comes from introducing lots of new words quickly. Research, however, tells a very different story. Vocabulary learning is slow, cumulative, and constrained by cognitive limits, especially... Leer más
Introduction If I have learnt one thing throughout 28 years of teaching, is that there is no such thing as “teaching SEN pupils” in the abstract. SEN profiles are so diverse, messy, and contradictory! However, research from cognitive psychology, SLA, and special education converges on a clear set... Leer más
Intoduction The first lessons after a holiday are far more consequential than they appear on paper, because although they look like “normal lessons” on the timetable, pedagogically they are anything but! In my experience, what we do in January very often determines whether the rest of the term... Leer más
Before anything else, a quick clarification. This is Part 1, and its purpose is diagnosis rather than prescription. Part 2 will focus explicitly on classroom implications — what all this actually means for lesson design, routines and daily practice. Without that second step, this would simply be... Leer más
Introduction Vocabulary teaching is at the heart of every language classroom, yet most schools still teach words as items to memorise rather than meanings carried through communication. In 2023, Stuart Webb published a rigorous meta-analysis that, in my opinion, deserves every language teacher’s... Leer más
Introduction: Confessions of a very Imperfect Head of Department Before I go any further, let me say this very very clearly: I have made several of the mistakes I am going to write about. Not in theory, not in a textbook sense, but in my very own department, with my own colleagues, with real... Leer más
Introduction If we are honest, most teachers still treat listening as an assessment tool rather than a teachable skill. We press “play,” provide a set of questions, and call it “practice.” Then—when the real paper comes—students freeze, panic, and guess. We insist that we “taught them the... Leer más
Introduction In 28 years of teaching Modern Foreign Languages, I’ve noticed something both astonishing and depressingly predictable: misbehaviour does not explode randomly; it clusters in certain hotspots where the cognitive, social, emotional and organisational load of our subject crashes headlong... Leer más
Introduction One of the most under-discussed sources of disruption in MFL (Modern Foreign Languages) classrooms is not the listening exercise, not the dialogue drill, not even the grammar explanations (which, if I’m honest, can test even the saintliest patience!). It’s the transition — those... Leer más
27th November – Face-to-face course at the James Hornsby School, Basildon (Essex) MFL Conference: a deep dive into Dr Conti’s Extensive Processing Instruction. Enroll here: https://www.networkforlearning.org.uk/courses/2025-12-26/epi-conference-1-jul-2023 1st December – Online: Implementing EPI at... Leer más