How is language aquired?
Sent to The Japan News, June 29, 2014I appreciate Helene Uchida's mentioning my work ("Teaching 'kid-friendly' grammar", June 29) but her description is not quite accurate: Language acquisition, we have concluded, does not require "meaningful interaction." It requires comprehension of messages, called "comprehensible input." This means that we acquire languages when
Missing from the debate: Pleasure reading in English
Sent to the South Chine Morning Post, June 28, 2014.I have participated in the Great Native Speaker Teacher debate in the South China Morning Post (letters by Vaughen Rapatahana, June 11, Michael Shaw, June 17, my letter, June 23, Regina Ip, June 27). Missing from all of these letters, including mine, is any mention of the biggest factor in helping students develop to high levels of English profic
Stephen Krashen Blog 6-28-14
SKrashen:School libraries and school librarians can help close the achievement gap.Submitted to the Chicago Sun-Tunes, June 27.Strengthening school libraries is an easy and inexpensive way to improve school performance ("CPS board warned of drought of librarians," June 26.)There is enormous evidence that self-selected pleasure reading is the source of much of our literacy development: Th