Many degrees at UT require students to take a foreign language. In the College of Liberal Arts for instance, students have to meet an “intermediate” level of proficiency.
However, despite the upwards of 18 class hours some programs require, many students come out of their language courses with a lack of communication skills. They know how to conjugate verbs and replicate sentence structures but not how to communicate — arguably the most important part.
Grammar-based curriculum is an outdated way of teaching and does not help students become proficient in the language. Instead of focusing so heavily on grammar, foreign language departments need to center their curriculum on teaching students how to communicate.
According to an article in The Washington Post, multiple studies prove that studying grammar and vocabulary intensively is of “limited value.” Instead of drilling grammar, conjugation and vocabulary through traditional methods, evidence shows that students naturally learn those skills through participating in communicative exercises.
This is known as the Comprehension Hypothesis –– the idea that students acquire a language best when they understand what is being said or read to them. Studies show that students who learn this way can not only communicate better, but they perform better on grammar-focused tasks.
Students learn languages best when communicating and understanding is at the forefront of the curriculum.
Nancy Guilloteau, senior lecturer and director of the French Language Program, believes that one of the reasons languages are taught so heavily around grammar is because that is how it has often been taught in the past.
“Historically, learning a language was about learning grammar, not about communication,” Guilloteau said.
However, she agrees that this is not necessarily the way languages should be taught.
“It's more important that (instructors) are teaching for proficiency so that students can communicate their basic needs,” Guilloteau said.
Foreign language programs at UT are independent from one another, so certain programs are more successful than others at teaching their students communication skills.
Some foreign language departments differ on the role they believe grammar should play in the curriculum.
“Grammar is a tool that helps speakers carry out certain communicative functions, so it is part of the curriculum,” Melissa Murphy, senior lecturer and director of the Spanish Language Program, said in an email.
I am not arguing for the complete removal of teaching grammar in language courses. However, when teaching grammar is interfering with the ability for students to use such skills in conversation, its focus needs to be reduced.
Jesse Martinez, a government sophomore who is taking Spanish, agrees that there is a lack of focus on communication.
“It's a bit backwards, because our tests have speaking portions on them, but we focus so much on grammar and rules,” Martinez said.
Students should be able to speak and understand the language they are learning because that is the primary way they will use it in the future. Rarely will they ever need to use advanced grammar, since it is not necessary in everyday situations.
Departments and professors alike put a lot of work into teaching students languages. However, they need to be open to reevaluating what the best way is to teach a language based on research and student feedback.
All foreign language curriculum should primarily focus on communication skills such as speaking, listening and conversing. That way, students can truly reach the level of proficiency that is being asked of them.
After all, what good is learning a language if you don’t know how to use it?
Cardone is a government and social work sophomore from San Antonio, Texas.
