90% Target Language, Comprehensible Input, or Immersion?? The biggest trends in French and Spanish language classrooms right now are 90% target language and comprehensible input.  While I agree that these are big improvements on learning methods from the past, personally, I am a strong proponent of teaching 100% in the target language and here’s why . . . 1. With a limited amount of time each week with your students, why spend any of it speaking English? We learn our native languages through 100% immersion.  Our parents don’t avoid the past tense because we haven’t learned it yet.  They don’t skip using certain words because we don’t know what they mean.  They speak to us, explain what they’re saying with other words or model what they want us to do.  Since we don’t have that 24 hour a day experience, you need to make the most of your 1-5 hours.  For more on this subject, check out:  “How Native Speakers Learn Differently Than Language Students“. 2. Students need the deciphering and circumlocution skills that they learn in an immersion experience to thrive in real-life situations.    It’s actually good for your students to not understand what you’re saying because when … Continue reading Why I Urge You to Teach 100% in the Target Language This Year