Innovation in Language Learning

The aim of this presentation is to provide an overview of the discussion around silence in language learning as it is presented in the literature and to initiate a conversation with the audience about the role of silence in their own teaching and learning contexts.

It might sound unusual to be talking about silence in foreign language learning and second language acquisition as so much modern language teaching practice is focused on getting learners to speak and interact in the foreign language. Indeed, a quick overview of some of the most commonly used text books for the teaching and learning of European languages will demonstrate a clear focus on language use. This trend testifies furthermore to the dominance of the Communicative Approach to language teaching and learning within both the Anglo-American tradition and beyond. In addition to practice, the literature in language learning and teaching also has a long standing tradition of analyzing language learning as classroom interaction [1], participation [2] [3] and language use [4].

However, there is an increasing body of literature which has introduced a discussion of silence in language learning [5] [6] [7]. Studies examine aspects such as personality traits, gender, risk aversion, willingness to participate, motivation, cultural and personal beliefs about learning and the teaching and learning context in general.