MSI Press Blog

  Most of us know the classic fable of the tortoise and the hare: the quick and confident hare bursts ahead, only to tire out, while the slow but steady tortoise trudges forward and eventually wins the race. What if I told you this same dynamic plays out in language learning? According to research by Leaver (1986) with diplomat students at the Foreign Service Institute, learners tended to follow one of these two paths based on their learning styles, as measured by the Torrance Test of Hemisphericity (left-brain learners and right-brain learners). The left-brain learners, referred to by Leaver as tortoises, started slowly, and plodded along with multiple short-term plateaus. These were the same types of learners who tested as ectenic on the later-developed, more sophisticated E&L Cognitive Styles Construct tool. The right-brain learners, referred to as hares, skipped merrily off, without plateauing, until reaching the pre-professional level, and then they reached a very long pla...

  Among language learners and would-be language learners, there has always been great interest in how do diplomats learn language since they are often held up as the premier language learners (and users). Well we know that. Among MSI Press authors are individuals who have taught diplomats and who have led language-learning programs for diplomats. Want "recipes" and hacks that teachers of diplomats use that anyone learning a language can benefit from? Well, check out these books. By Dr. Thomas Garza   Practices That Work: Bringing Learners to Professional Proficiency in World Languages By Betty Lou Leaver Achieving Native-Like Second Language Proficiency Individualized Study Plans for Very Advanced Students of Foreign Languages The Invisible Foreign Language Classroom (with Laura Dabbs) Think Yourself into Becoming a Language Learning Super Star By Boris Shekhtman Communicative Focus How to Improve Your Foreign Language Immediately Working with Advanced Foreign Language Stude...

  The second edition of this unique book is coming soon. Watch for it! (Available on pre-order at  MSI Press webstore .) Book description: Diagnostic Assessment provides teachers of foreign-language students working at high levels of language proficiency with tools and techniques for determining gaps in students' knowledge and skills and with suggestions for tasks that can help students. The book is written by an experienced teacher, diagnostic assessor, proficiency tester, and tester trainer. The suggestions are based on work with literally hundreds of students in government language programs. For more posts about Bella and her book, click  HERE . Are you an author concerned about a load of phishing and scams that come your way and might be legitimate offers? Or conversely, do you want to make sure a legitimate offer is actually legitimate and good? Join the free  MSI Press discussion group  on January 11, 2025 as we examine how to tell the difference and explo...

      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 ...