LANGUAGE RESEARCH IN SERVICE TO THE NATION Rapid Rise Tailored Treatment (R2T2): Fast Tracking the “Fast Tracks” Presented by: Richard D. Brecht CASL Executive Director 1

LANGUAGE RESEARCH IN SERVICE TO THE NATION Paradigm shift in language training 2 TreatmentAssessmentDiagnosis SelectionTracking 2

LANGUAGE RESEARCH IN SERVICE TO THE NATION Language BHAG: Big, Hairy, Audacious Goal Doubling the effectiveness of language programs: Double proficiency output Halve the time Halve the attrition 3

LANGUAGE RESEARCH IN SERVICE TO THE NATION Fast tracks Immersions Cross/conversion training 4

LANGUAGE RESEARCH IN SERVICE TO THE NATION Immersions: the “Magic Bullet” … if there ever was one “Procedural” vs. declarative “Episodic” vs. “semantic” memory “Implicit” learning Lexical Grammatical (e.g., Russian aspect) Pragmatics 5

LANGUAGE RESEARCH IN SERVICE TO THE NATION Richer concept of immersions Authentic In-country Heritage communities Constructed (iso-immersions) Domestic living On-the-job “Virtual” 6

LANGUAGE RESEARCH IN SERVICE TO THE NATION “Immersion” vs. “Submersion Targeted learning experience “Controlled” building block of language learning career Three components: Preparation Immersion Debrief Assessable 7

LANGUAGE RESEARCH IN SERVICE TO THE NATION Characteristics of environments 8 Immersion environmentClassroom environment RichUncontrolled, authentic input and interaction One teacher and texts controlling input and iso-immersions RealExperiential learningControlled or simulated life tasks RelativeIndividual differences determine outcomes Instruction is aimed to the majority

LANGUAGE RESEARCH IN SERVICE TO THE NATION Requires enhanced cognitive/executive control mechanisms Selective attention Inhibition Working memory (e.g., rehearsal) Metacognition (e.g., monitoring) Task initiation, interruption, switching Individual goal setting 9

LANGUAGE RESEARCH IN SERVICE TO THE NATION “Executive function” for immersion training Rich: Ability to deal with cognitive load, ambiguity, short-term memory demands, etc. Real: Metacognitive abilities (task switching, inhibition) to deal with language and “living” tasks Relative: Individual goal setting, affective and motivational variables 10

LANGUAGE RESEARCH IN SERVICE TO THE NATION Cross/Conversion Training Learners establish links between L3 languages and previously learned languages Learners with high proficiency of similar languages transfer more linguistic knowledge to the L3 For production, high level of proficiency in L2 required Bilinguals know how to learn a language 11

LANGUAGE RESEARCH IN SERVICE TO THE NATION Cognitive aspects of L3 learning General cognitive advantages of bilingualism Perception and recognition of new information always takes place in reference to previously acquired knowledge Focus and inhibition critical Metacognitive awareness Learner autonomy 12

LANGUAGE RESEARCH IN SERVICE TO THE NATION Aptitude-by-Interaction (ATI): Add value to fast track environments Three components: Assess aptitude and devise cognitive profiles Improve cognitive profiles (executive control/working memory training) Base learning and teaching on cognitive profiles 13

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LANGUAGE RESEARCH IN SERVICE TO THE NATION Learning and teaching based on cognitive profiles 16 Adapt learner to learning environments (life-long learning management) Adapt learning environments to learner’s cognitive abilities (classroom and curricular designs)

LANGUAGE RESEARCH IN SERVICE TO THE NATION Examples of pedagogical adaptations to cognitive profiles (from proven correlations in research literature) Audio-visual, analytic, functional instruction Structural and situational instructional methods Oral error correction and non-correction Meta-linguistic feedback Deductive, inductive, structured input Traditional classroom-based conversation vs. “chat-room” Recasts vs. meta-linguistic comments Study abroad and at-home classroom (e.g., phonological working memory) Lexicon type-token relationship 17

LANGUAGE RESEARCH IN SERVICE TO THE NATION Questions? 18