The Science of Comprehensible Input
Why is it that many people take Spanish classes, sometimes for years, and yet completely “blank out” when they need to communicate in a fast-paced, in-the-moment Spanish language encounter? Evidence from brain research around language acquisition shows that the regions of the brain responsible for communication through language are completely unrelated to the regions of the brain used to memorize things like vocabulary lists and grammar rules. ¡Santo cielo! It turns out that in our traditional language classes, we have been storing language information in a region of the brain that we don’t even readily have access to when we actually talk with somebody!
Luckily, language acquisition science has come a long way (even if not yet widely reflected in your average classroom curriculum). In AveEspañol classes, Jillian uses a high-impact, low-stress, data-supported instructional approach called Comprehensible Input, built upon decades of research by academics like Dr. Stephen Krashen and Dr. Bill Van Patten. Comprehensible Input says that to acquire any language, the brain needs to repeatedly understand authentic messages in a compelling context.
What does CI look like in Jillian's classes?
An average child enters kindergarten having been exposed to over 52,000 hours of a first language. Adults learning a second language obviously don’t have that kind of time, so in AveEspañol, Jillian strategizes class time to aggressively target high-frequency “bang for your buck” language structures - the words and phrases that comprise the highest percentage of spoken and written Spanish. Research shows that a person needs to comprehend a language structure (in an authentic, engaging context, of course!) 50-500 times before the language region of the brain converts the structure into permanent, instantaneously and effortlessly accessible internalized language. Basically, you need a LOT of repetition in order to have the lightning-speed automaticity needed to understand and use Spanish in real-life conversation settings! No wonder toddlers who are acquiring their first language so often request the same book at bedtime 80 days in a row! We also know that the brain creates its strongest neural connections, especially with language, when learning happens in settings with emotional activation, high engagement, and meaningful relationships.
To these ends, classes with Jillian are funny, community-driven, and involve a lot of goofy and creative whole-class discussions and stories. And it’s all designed to make you repeatedly understand real messages containing a given target structure. For example, when working on the structure, "smells," the class might discuss a weird Swiss study comparing human body odor to cheese. Or we may collaboratively create a ridiculous story about James Bond diffusing a bomb to maximize repetitions of the structure, "about to." Because receptive language is the most important ingredient for developing expressive language (talking, writing), you will spend the majority of class listening and reading, while being given many gentle opportunities throughout to speak and write when you feel ready. Every class, our success criteria are the same:
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90% of class in Spanish
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100% comprehensible
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Ridiculously repetitive (but fun!)
Sources and Further Reading
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Professor of Education at University of Southern California. Stephen Krashen
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Language Acquisition vs. Language Learning by Bryce Hedstrum
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Common Ground: Second Language Acquisition Theory Goes to the Classroom by Florencia Henshaw, PhD
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While We're on the Topic by Dr. Bill Van Patten
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Input Processing Acquisition Memo #12 by Eric Herman