MSI Press Blog

      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 ...

  Chapter One What is an ISP? An Individualized Study Plan (ISP) is a tool to use in planning your lifelong language-learning endeavors. I emphasize “lifelong” here because the achievement of native-like proficiency is, indeed, an effort that takes many years, and if one wants to retain near-native proficiency, once achieved, one needs to continue one’s study for as long as that language is important in the career or personal interests of the individual. For many learners, the ISP is one of the most important tools at their disposal to achieve their high-proficiency goals.  ISPs can take many forms. There is no particular format that is required. There is no particular place that they should be kept. The form and format of the ISP is every bit as individualized as the plan itself. Some folks like to keep a date book. Others prefer a checklist. Yet others like to use diaries. It all depends on the individual learner and his/her learning styles and personality types.  Altho...