Previously, Philip Kerr explored how to make the most of students’ L1 in language learning by using dictionaries. Here, he shares some ideas for classroom activities using L1.
Many learners, at some point in a lesson, will want to check the meaning of an English word in a dictionary, or find the English equivalent of something in their own language that they want to say or write. Depending on the moment of the lesson, there’s every reason to allow this, but it is also an opportunity to practise one of the most basic skills in using a bilingual dictionary. It’s called ‘cross-checking’: learners look up a word and find a translation, and then look up the translation to check if it translates back into the same word.
Here’s an example from a Spanish-English dictionary:
convenient = conveniente (in Spanish)
conveniente (in Spanish) = suitable / advisable
When there is a mismatch (as above), it should be clear that the two words (convenient and conveniente) are not direct equivalents. More exploration of meaning is needed!
Another extremely useful and increasingly popular tool is a free digital flashcard system such as Quizlet for studying vocabulary. Learners will benefit from classroom time being devoted to the preparation of flashcards (with one ‘side’ of the flashcard containing a translation of the English word or phrase into their own language). This can be done in multilingual classes, and lots of practical ideas can be found at my blog. Make sure you check out the comments after this blog post!
One of the oldest and most useful language classroom activities – reverse (or ‘back’) translation – also works well with multilingual groups. In this, learners translate something in English into their own language. Some time later (in a subsequent lesson, for example), they translate it back into English, before finally comparing their new translation with the original. In the second of these translations (back into English), learners should work in pairs or small groups. The fact that they are working from texts in different languages adds to the learning potential of the activity!
What kinds of texts can be worked on with the reverse translation technique? The possibilities are almost limitless, but there are three that I have used successfully. The first is a paragraph from a text that the learners have been working on: allow five to ten minutes at the end of a lesson for everyone to translate this into their own language. Collect in the papers and hand them out again in another lesson for the reverse translation work. The second is to use a model text (or parts of it) for a particular written genre: this is especially valuable for anyone preparing an exam with a written component. The third is a grammar exercise (such as a gap-fill).
Here, then, are just a few ideas for exploiting the learners’ own language in multilingual contexts. They are described more fully in my book ‘Translation and Own-Language Activities’. If you have never used them before, I hope you enjoy trying them out!