Antonio Graceffo emphasizes teaching communication strategies when teaching foreign language. This is hugely important because I believe that educators should teach students how to learn and educate themselves, in addition to teaching them the facts they need to complete their exams. He begins describing this process at 3:33 in the video. He tells his ESL students that there are over a million words in English and explains that there will be many times that they do not know the word for what they want to describe, but they can use other words to describe what they are trying to say. This tenet of teaching the learner how to learn is a huge part of my philosophy, but I am curious to know how it applies to teaching foreign language.
I also like the way he brings himself to their level by speaking Chinese to show that he is human and also makes mistakes. This way, he brings himself down to the level of a learning facilitator, making the students more comfortable making mistakes and helping them practice and perfect the second language.
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