Daily Excerpt: Individualized Study Plans for Very Advanced Students of Foreign Languages

   



excerpt from Individualized Study Plans for Very Advanced Students of Foreign Languages by Betty Lou Leaver


Chapter Two
The Need for an ISP at High Levels of Foreign Language Proficiency

Achieving near-native competence generally does not come by serendipity, coincidence, accident, or “a fluke,” although occasionally (rarely) such things do happen. I know of several people who have said that high level proficiency just happened to them—but even so, it was only after many, many years of study and use of the foreign language in professional situations.

Most high-level language users have reported spending much time in direct instruction, study abroad, and self-study (Leaver, 2003a). The average length of time taken by native-like speakers of nearly any foreign language, based on recent research, is 17 years (Leaver and Atwell, 2002).

Some learners have been able to achieve this level, however, in much shorter periods of time. Most of these learners had a plan for their language learning activities and went out about improving their language skills methodically. Sometimes it was just a sketchy plan that they held in the back of their minds; more often, it was more distinctly expressed. In some cases, it was written down on paper and followed, with occasional modifications. It is the latter kind of plan that is recommended in this bok. There are a number of benefits to drawing up and implementing such a plan. A well designed ISP can serve you in a number of ways, including as a

  • ·          compass for direction-finding;
  • ·          criterion decision-making;
  • ·          repository for resources;
  • ·          syllabus for independent learning;
  • ·          · agreement for specific kinds of classroom instruction;
  • ·          · measurement of progress; and
  • ·          · mechanism for self-understanding.

You may find even more benefits as you develop and begin to use your own ISP. Here we will discuss these seven advantages in particular.


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