language maintenance over the summer?

[Alina Makin]

I agree that summer language maintenance should be based on fun and 
*interactive* activities.  My elementary and intermediate students this year 
had a riot corresponding with Russians at a basic level through 
http://www.vkontakte.ru website.  Beyond reading and writing activities at 
the personal correspondence level, they also got hooked up with some of their 
regular e-pals through skype and got a chance to talk, which was extremely 
popular.  Obviously, you need to warn them about possible abuse of internet 
communication but this generation of learners seems to have got it down very 
well by now.  They all report how much fun and language learning they got 
through it, so I am kind of inclined to suggest it as one of several possible 
summer activities.  Obviously, there is no singular answer to this question and 
one should suggest a variety of activities appropriate to every learning style 
and type of learner, or a mix of them.

Alina Makin
University of Michigan

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Use your web browser to search the archives, control your subscription
  options, and more.  Visit and bookmark the SEELANGS Web Interface at:
                    http://seelangs.home.comcast.net/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------