Vivian Cook, "Going beyond the native speaker in language teaching"

This article makes it's points.

I think it's hard to determine what makes a language user native. The text says that native users acquire language from birth and thus learners would need to be reborn. This is true. A lot of brain power is expended while learning languages. It takes brain space to store language parts and unless you've grown up with them all your life, it'll probably be really hard to get all of the target language parts in your head, while simultaneously being able to use them to their full potential.

The idea of multicompetent language users is pretty nifty. These users grow up in a dual language society, acquiring two languages. Although, it may be noticeable to see the disadvantages of this, especially as the article states, in vocabulary, l2 words affect their twin l1s. My Latvian friend Sanda tells me about growing up with Latvian at home and Russian in school and how if Latvian was spoken in school, it was punishable. The article's example isn't as extreme but it shows the same issue.

I agree where the article says l2 learners should be treated as people in their own right, not as deficient native speakers. This is a resonating fact in all language learning and teaching. If you view your students as deficient, then they will be so. Students should be viewed as seekers of information and teachers should aid their quest. I do not agree with the measure of l2 learning being about their accent. Languages are full of accents. They keep languages interesting and changing.

The ways of shifting to a l2 user model are valid. Setting goals for your students that are both attainable and relevant to their world couldn't be a better idea. Using situations and roles that are authentic for learners will give them their own goals. Materials that use l2 language will help them in their acquisition. I like the idea of using situations that reflect students' lives in classrooms. This will allow students to present their ideas and also create conversations for resolution. Code switching is another interesting thought for classroom activities involving the native language of learners. Reciting in one language to a student and then in the other back will help create registers in the brain.

I have an issue with the letting students use their native language in the classroom for more than activities. In my experience, this doesn't help learning the target language. Students are more apt to speak in their native language if they feel the activities are too simple or hard.

The final sentence, before the conclusion, is a good sum up of using l2 users as examples: "Nevertheless, taking the description of the native speaker as the basis of language teaching is in a sense a temporary shortcut that avoids describing what l2 users are like and postpones the more satisfactory solution of tackling the descriptions of l2 users themselves."

This is a good message because, as stated above, it sets goals for students that are reasonable and attainable.

One last point, "If students are convinced of the benefits of learning an l2 and recognise their unique states as standing between two worlds and two cultures, more students may go on higher levels of l2 use; those who give up may feel more satisfied with the level of l2 use they achieve." All about being comfortable in your own skin, or in this case, your language.