Disqus - Latest Comments for bridge2English

Re: Speech Technology Has a Place in Ed Tech and English Language Learning

bridge2English — Thu, 29 Sep 2022 12:31:30 -0000

Speech-enabled language learning technology has been used for decades, and the results are unsatisfactory. Here is the fact: "Less than one percent of American adults today are proficient in a foreign language that they studied in a U.S. classroom."

Recent research from the Harvard Business Review says the problem isn't in how feedback gets delivered. The problem is the nature of feedback itself. "Focusing people on their shortcomings don't enable learning," the researchers found, "it impairs it."

Automated speech scoring technology can provide a numerical score for learners' responses and be used as corrective feedback. However, it is a wrong approach since this score will inevitably create stress. Besides,
our brain does not have the functionality of forgetting errors and remembering corrected versions. Errors were produced subconsciously, and they could not be improved consciously. You need to implement subconscious training to develop a new skill of speaking automatically and correctly.

Re: New Pedagogy Of Subconscious Training In English Skills

bridge2English — Thu, 01 Jul 2021 10:27:30 -0000

Steve,

We belong to the opposite camps and have different opinions about the status quo in learning ESL by adults.

You believe that everything is OK and need only some cosmetic changes which you call 'add-ons.' For example, you offer to pay more attention to pronunciation lessons.

I believe that the traditional teaching methods are obsolete and have an extremely high failure rate; therefore, we need to substitute them with the subconscious training in which all skills are trained simultaneously. According to these https://lbtechnology.net/testimonials, subconscious training demonstrated unprecedented success.

My mentioning about the high failure rate in learning ESL by adults made you mildly angry. Try to find the answer to this question, and you would be surprised at the truth that is thoroughly hidden from teachers.

You write that a learner needs to reach a point where language is automatic. I state that learners rarely get to this point because conventional methods have appalling forgetting curves and cannot eliminate the 'tyranny of the mother tongue.' Besides, they cannot stop cross-translation, and adults continue thinking in the native language when trying to speak in English. It explains why so many adults are struggling with the acquisition of English skills, and most of them fail.

To keep your cynical brain in gear, you need to exercise it by answering all questions that come your way. For example, if you read that simultaneous reading, listening, and repeating presents the brain with a challenging workload and automatically stops cross-translation into the native language – you should simulate the process in your brain and decide if this statement is true or false.

Another example is when you read the statement that in subconscious training, all students are speaking concurrently in a classroom using earphones and mobile apps with prerecorded lessons. It would be best if you evaluated how innovative it is. You should simulate the process in your brain and decide that each student speaks n times more than in your classroom, where n is the number of students.

Instead of making those decisions, your cynical brain is looking for firm research evidence of the benefits of subconscious training. I am unconvinced that research can provide you with reliable results because linguistic research is often misleading (as shown in this article "Why Linguistic Research May Turn Misleading?" - https://bit.ly/3hmzBKx.

My latest article (https://bit.ly/3w3tJuP) gives an example of an extensive research and efficiency study that did not save Rosetta Stone from ultimate failure.

In evaluating the challenging points of my articles, you would be better off using mind modeling in your brain than expecting that somebody will do critical and reliable research for you.

Re: Dr. Katie Nielson of Voxy EnGen: “Measure the right things”

bridge2English — Fri, 30 Apr 2021 20:56:15 -0000

Katharine,

Let us look at your statement from a different angle:
“One of the best things that Ed Tech can do is make it easy to measure and track what happens while people are learning, and we should be analyzing that data to improve learning experiences.”

It makes no sense to measure and analyze conventional learning experiences when they demonstrate a 95% failure rate. We need to reinvent this process and introduce a new learning experience with a 95% success rate.

Conventional methods of learning ESL are associated with appalling forgetting curve, cross-translation problem, and inability to think in English.

Subconscious training in English skills resolves these problems and allows the brain to find and record language patterns that learners perform on autopilot. Subconscious training also facilitates connection with the long-term memory and forms the English speech center in the brain.

Re: New Pedagogy Of Subconscious Training In English Skills

bridge2English — Wed, 24 Feb 2021 19:29:12 -0000

Sophia,

Language Bridge Technology is a small company and we have chosen to create our application for Android devices because globally they represent 74.45% of smartphones. The next version of this application would be created as a platform-independent web application that will work both on Android and iOS devices.

Re: New Pedagogy Of Subconscious Training In English Skills

bridge2English — Sun, 07 Feb 2021 13:12:44 -0000

Ying,
Your summary is an excellent proof of Mental Modeling, the forgotten powerful skill that allows us mentally to determine what will work and what will not. Your summary is brief; I would suggest an expanded version.

1. Subconscious training should be implemented in a student-centered class when they are practicing English concurrently using a mobile app.

2. Performing simultaneously reading, listening, and speaking ensures stress-free subconscious training.

3. Mental Modeling provides you with better proof of a new concept than so-called efficacy studies that are mostly misleading.

Re: Becoming A Learning Myth Debunker

bridge2English — Tue, 01 Sep 2020 17:05:42 -0000

Clark,
There are plenty of learning myths, especially in learning foreign languages that is why it has such a high failure rate. I would appreciate your feedback on the following myth: to learn English successfully you need to talk to native speakers. How to debunk this myth?

It seems that linguistic research has no impact on the myth. Renowned linguist Stephen Krashen in his book (2003) “Explorations in Language Acquisition” wrote that talking (output) is not practicing. Krashen stresses that speaking in the target language does not result in language acquisition.

Re: How To Create The Best Methodology For Learning EFL

bridge2English — Sat, 04 Jul 2020 19:42:24 -0000

Hi,

Who can explain me why among 800+ readers of this article nobody participated in the discussion about a technical specification for the best method of teaching EFL?

The demand for the best methodology is very high but we need to determine the requirements before the best methodology could be created or selected among competitors.

Re: How To Create The Best Methodology For Learning EFL

bridge2English — Tue, 23 Jun 2020 19:52:28 -0000

@Charbel

Thank you for opening the discussion on how to create the best methodology for learning EFL.

I strongly disagree to bundle together EFL learning and all human learning. Please, watch this shortened version of the article as a PowerPoint presentation: https://www.youtube.com/wat... and notice each statement that contradicts the knowledge you received in a college. For example, why do you learn EFL consciously? Because our cognitive capacity consists of super-fast System 1 and slow System 2 that allocates attention to mental activity, we can’t apply the same specification to learning EFL (that is a skill!) and learning all other subjects (which are based on memorization of information!).

I applaud your efforts, especially doing a master of education. However, you should be critical to your suggestions which are based on current linguistic research. For example, constant feedback loops are counterproductive in subconscious training since it requires conscious processing of a feedback.

In the system that I described in my article, the application should be included in the training system. The application incorporates a module for self-testing of active vocabulary and providing indirect feedback on fluency level and grammar accuracy.

Your other suggestions of intrinsic motivation, formative assessments, customized topics, and collaboration options taken from linguistic research of conscious learning language as information, and therefore are not applicable in case of subconscious training that is offered as a foundation for the new best method of learning EFL.

Re: Why Adults Struggle To Learn A Second Language

bridge2English — Mon, 16 Mar 2020 21:07:42 -0000

Hello Raul,
Thank you for reading all the comments. It would be better if you would read the article again trying to sort out where the apples are compared with oranges and give us examples? Otherwise your statement looks unsubstantiated and misleading, like your statement that Krashen proposed Critical Period Hypothesis. It was popularized by Eric Lenneberg in 1967, and Krashen published the first article on critical period in 1975.

Re: Why Adults Struggle To Learn A Second Language

bridge2English — Thu, 12 Mar 2020 17:08:46 -0000

Hello Raul,

I created this method for those adults who tried different methods of learning English and failed. Such adults will read this article and realize that everything what I describe in it is opposite to what they were doing according to the traditional methods of learning English.

Teachers who would like to test the proposed system of learning English should be aware that the described above method complies with the theory of subconscious acquisition proposed by renowned linguist Stephen Krashen.

To determine if it is a panacea or placebo you should test it and see the results. If you have learned English for 3+ years and still can’t communicate freely, why not to try the new method that uses subconscious, the fastest system of your mind?

Re: Teach Your Students to Remember English

bridge2English — Thu, 12 Mar 2020 10:29:56 -0000

Jonty,
You write: “When taught properly, your students will be able to memorize what they need to reach fluency in English.”

You have described how to break down steps for efficient memorization of information. It would work perfectly for preparing to a medical exam or attorney bar exam. However, I doubt that it the most efficient way of reaching fluency in English. Language is not information to be memorized; it is a skill to be subconsciously trained.

According to the prominent linguist Stephen Krashen there are two independent systems of second language performance: 'the acquired system' and 'the learned system'. The 'acquired system' or 'acquisition' is the product of a subconscious process very similar to the process children undergo when they acquire their first language. It requires meaningful interaction in the target language - natural communication - in which speakers are concentrated not in the form of their utterances, but in the communicative act. The result of language acquisition, acquired competence, is also subconscious.

The 'learned system' or 'learning' is the product of formal instruction and it comprises a conscious process which results in conscious knowledge 'about' the language, for example knowledge of grammar rules. According to Krashen, talking (output) is not practicing; speaking in the target language does not result in language acquisition!

A deductive approach in a teacher-centered setting produces 'learning', while an inductive approach in a student-centered setting leads to 'acquisition'. According to Krashen 'learning' is less important than 'acquisition'.

I think that your students would reach fluency in English much faster if they would substitute traditional conscious learning and memorization with acquisition or subconscious training in English skills. In subconscious training there is no need for special steps to memorization because subconscious mind is virtually perfect.

Re: What Is Adaptive Learning And How Does It Benefit Training?

bridge2English — Wed, 22 Jan 2020 17:48:18 -0000

John,

It is a great article on adaptive eLearning written with the assumption that eLearning may cover any subject or skill. If we will question this assumption and consider that there are two types of eLearning, then your recommendations should be modified.

eLearning could be classified into two categories: (a) conscious learning of information and (b) subconscious training of a skill. eLearning any subject in school or college is an example of (a) category. Subconscious Training of a second language is an example of (b) category of eLearning.

The conscious learning and subconscious training have different mechanisms because they represent two systems of our mind: System Two (slow) and System One (fast). The adaptive eLearning for category (a) would be completely different than for category (b). Therefore, the recommendations on adaptive eLearning should start with the determination of the need for conscious learning or subconscious training of skill, and then delve into specific details of how to achieve the personalized or adaptive eLearning for a determined category.

Re: Artificial Intelligence: Is It The Best Tool For Learning English?

bridge2English — Tue, 21 Jan 2020 11:25:37 -0000

David,
It would be not only less painful but seven times more effective to use AI-driven tools for learning English.

Training is performed subconsciously when the practice is organized in such a way that the brain is looking after language patterns and performs them without conscious control. Training is possible only when a teacher does coaching instead of teaching. All learners in the class are working simultaneously on the acquisition of patterns using their smartphones and specially designed apps for self-training.

AI-driven adaptive learning based on Subconscious Training of English skills is much more powerful than mobile application because it tailors the application to the needs and skills of each learner.

I agree with Judy Thompson who suggested that coaching for 30 hours is sufficient for English learners to digest the new approach, and then practice on their own.

Conscious learning (memorization of information) should be considered as an example of what we should never do!

Re: Artificial Intelligence: Is It The Best Tool For Learning English?

bridge2English — Sat, 04 Jan 2020 18:27:42 -0000

Many readers requested additional information on System One and System Two.

All known methods of learning English belong to conscious learning and suffer from appalling forgetting curve and innate habit of cross-translating into the native language. To explain why an adult can’t learn fast a foreign language by conscious learning, I need to remind you about two systems of the mind, introduced by Nobel Prize winner Daniel Kahneman. We think slow and fast because the mind has two different systems.

System One operates automatically and quickly, with little or no effort and no sense of voluntary control. System Two allocates attention to the effortful mental activity and therefore is slow. For example, conscious learning belongs to System Two, whereas expression of our feelings and thoughts, i.e. speech, belongs to System One.

If you learn a foreign language with the objective of communicating in it, you need to develop it as System One. Training is the best alternative for adults since it belongs to System One. Driving a car, playing a musical instrument, martial arts skills or speaking in English– all of these skills are best trained as System One. During the training of all these skills, the brain finds and records the patterns that it can perform without conscious effort and with minimal attention, i.e. effortlessly.

I want to stress that children use System One in the acquisition of their first or second language whereas adults use System Two. So, to stop struggling with the acquisition of a second language you should stop using conscious learning and start using the subconscious training of English skills that belongs to the System One of the mind. Subconscious Training is stress-free, has no forgetting curve, and allows wiring directly the existing in every human being database of symbols to English words describing them.

Re: [Interview] Indians Read, Write & Do Exams In English, But They Don’t Speak Well – Meet The Man Who Is Trying To Change That

bridge2English — Sat, 14 Sep 2019 17:32:12 -0000

Hello Arshan,

The article starts with the statement that how students learn, and teachers teach have changed dramatically with the arrival of technology. Then you never mention what kind of new teaching technology is used in Enguru. The only mentioning about technology: “Most of our courses are focused around helping to speak.”

In principle, mobile guru application can do much more than a certified English teacher. For example:

1. It helps acquiring language patterns and intuitive grammar subconsciously while the learner is re-experiencing comprehensible situations exclusively in English. This application helps learners to start thinking in English, mandatory condition for acquisition fluency in English.

2. Support in the native language ensures a stress-free environment and comprehensible input. Translation of all lessons and drills is organized in a way that eliminates cross-translation: contextual translation appears for a limited time while learners hear and repeat multiple times the English pronunciation of the collocation in authentic context.

3. Addition of new lessons according to the learners’ interests or vocational needs is built-in the application, making it open-ended and suitable for corporate training of English skills. The mobile application lets learners add material of their own choice to each pre-recorded lesson by copying and pasting text and using the high-quality voice robot to perform the simultaneous repetition of the new material.

Does Enguru incorporate those innovative features?

Re: Total Immersion Or Comprehensible Input: Who's The Winner? - Part 2

bridge2English — Wed, 11 Sep 2019 11:32:13 -0000

Do Language Bridge materials yet include natural/ non-scripted Audio Input?

The answer is: yes, the Language Bridge Android application has an option to create and record non-scripted audio input.

Each lesson on the Android app for learning English has three types of texts:
1. Lesson and drills recorded in Special English by a native speaker.
2. Text added by the learner or a teacher makes the application interactive and suitable for vocational training.
3. Inspirational poem recorded by a native speaker.

The Android application lets learners add lessons of their own selection by copying any text from the Internet and using the high-quality text-to-speech program for simultaneous repetition of the lesson added by a learner or a teacher. The text could be added from any source or input manually thus making the application interactive and suitable for vocational training.

Without emotional engagement, no learning occurs. To speak fluent English the learner may work with the new lessons the same way as the prerecorded lessons: speaking simultaneously with the text-to-speech program while reading the text. The learner may put the cursor at any place in the text and start listening from that point as many times as needed to develop the skill of automatic speech.

Re: Total Immersion Or Comprehensible Input: Who's The Winner? - Part 2

bridge2English — Fri, 30 Aug 2019 19:18:08 -0000

Michael,
Thank you for opening the discussion.
You mention that repetition works very well in your classes. You should be more specific: I am using simultaneous repetition that drastically differs from regular repetition. Repetition belongs to conscious learning; simultaneous repetition is a mandatory condition for subconscious training when all three actions – reading, listening and speaking – stop cross-translation in the head and allow thinking in English from the very start of training.

Your “automatic learning” is a great leap forward from the traditional methods of teaching; however, the method of Subconscious Training English skills is quite different. It includes seven innovative processes described in the article, which could not be a part of “automatic learning.” In the first part of this article I quote Stephen Krashen who postulated that learning can never become acquisition.

To implement Subconscious Training you should stop teaching and become a trainer or a coach who guides your learners in their self-training in the classroom using mobile applications. For example, you can download this application https://play.google.com/sto....

Regarding your note about contextual translation you should be aware that the concept of multiple discoveries (also known as simultaneous invention) is the hypothesis that most scientific discoveries and inventions are made independently and more or less simultaneously by multiple scientists and inventors. However, my contextual translation is quite different from yours: it is used exclusively within a mobile application when contextual translation is shown to the learner only for 10 seconds to create a visual image while s/he continues working on English word pronunciation.

You write you need more exercises. If you will implement the mobile application, it includes eleven drills which are recommended for all lessons. Besides, the application allows learners to create new lessons and speak concurrently what is not possible in “automatic learning.” The training drills are described here: https://lbtechnology.net/tr...

Re: Why Adults Struggle To Learn A Second Language

bridge2English — Wed, 26 Jun 2019 00:25:14 -0000

Hello Leah Forbes Guzman,

Generation in my understanding is determined by belief system and not by the biological age. As a part of successful university level ESOL program, your experience is limited to the elite group of students who have affluent parents capable to pay for extracurricular activities and send their children to study in ESOL program.

Compare it to this fact: "Only 5 percent of the state's MLL or ELL students are proficient in English in New York state assessment tests" according to the report described here: https://www.nbcnews.com/new...

To continue discussion I would ask you to provide an answer to a simple question: "What is the failure rate of adults learning EFL in the world?"

I am also interested to know how many articles did you publish on the topic of adults learning EFL?

Do you understand that 1.5 billions learners of English in the world couldn't be taught by ESOL programs? They need a completely new method of subconscious Training English skills brought to them as mobile application for self-training that could be tremendously augmented by teachers familiar with the learning habits of Digital Learners.

Re: Why Adults Struggle To Learn A Second Language

bridge2English — Tue, 25 Jun 2019 15:25:21 -0000

Hello Leah Forbes Guzman,

To continue discussion I would ask you to provide an answer to a simple question: "What is the failure rate of adults learning EFL in the world?"

I am also interested to know how many articles did you publish on the topic of adults learning EFL?

Re: Why Adults Struggle To Learn A Second Language

bridge2English — Tue, 25 Jun 2019 14:43:57 -0000

Hello Leah Forbes Guzman,

To continue discussion I would ask you to provide an answer to a simple question: "What is the failure rate of adults learning EFL in the world?"

I am also interested to know how many articles did you publish on the topic of adults learning EFL?

Re: Why Adults Struggle To Learn A Second Language

bridge2English — Fri, 21 Jun 2019 14:15:14 -0000

Hello Leah Forbes Guzman,

You are right that I am nonnative speaker, the only one in the world that has three patents on a new method of learning a foreign language. You and I represent different generations, that is why I don’t recommend you reading my articles. They contain concepts that are innovative and unknown to traditionally trained teacher, therefore you would not find citations from the linguistic literature. Such concepts as simultaneous repetition, elimination of cross-translation habit, self-testing active vocabulary, priming implicit memory, Digital Learners, Generation Z, etc. are unknown to you and create a feeling of tortured sentences in you.

You accuse me of trying to sell my learning scheme. You are wrong: I am not selling but giving away all my patents and eBook and Android applications to any company that will decide to implement the new method in the language market. Visit my LinkedIn page and you will find information about my offer of giving away my Intellectual Property. If you are a teacher looking for a new method of teaching English and decide to use my method, you can do it freely. Moreover, I offer free technical support and retraining in your transition from traditional teacher to an English trainer or a coach helping learners in their self-training English skills using mobile application on their smartphones.

Think about this fact: 25% of Chinese people learn English and only 1% of Chinese people can communicate in English. Why? Because the traditional methods of teaching English are obsolete and should be replaced by a new method of subconscious Training.

Re: Why Adults Struggle To Learn A Second Language

bridge2English — Fri, 21 Jun 2019 02:34:01 -0000

Hi Laurie,

Partially your question was answered in my reply to Chris. The disruptive invention for learning English described in the article is a process by which a product takes root initially as a mobile application at the bottom of a market and then relentlessly moves up the market, eventually displacing established competitors. Our patented method belongs to disruptive invention. There are 1.5 billion learners of English in the world; it is unrealistic to talk about immersion as the best tool for this number of learners. They need a new pedagogy and new technology (disruptive innovation!) implemented in their smartphones which almost everybody has today. The mobile application will eventually displace established competitors since its innovative features most fully satisfy the learning habits of Generation Z.

Three types of texts are used in every lesson:

1. Pre-recorded lessons on various topics and drills.
2. Lessons added by a learner or a teacher.
3. Inspirational poem recorded by a native speaker.

The mobile application has a built-in tool for self-testing Active vocabulary and Google Translate tool for creating support in the native language of the learner. For learning or teaching other languages you will need to learn the new methodology by visiting my website www.lbtechnology.net and transfer this approach to other languages.

Re: Why Adults Struggle To Learn A Second Language

bridge2English — Fri, 21 Jun 2019 02:15:04 -0000

Hi Chris,
When an adult performs reading, listening and speaking simultaneously his/her innate habit of cross-translation the incoming information into the native language is automatically turned off. I made this discovery accidentally while working as a simultaneous interpreter. Cross-translation is the main barrier in language training and no other method could stop it. By performing three actions simultaneously the learner easily acquires the habit of thinking in English and speaking automatically.

Subconscious Training English skills is accomplished by introducing mobile application that you could download from Google Play store: https://play.google.com/sto...

The mobile application allows all students to speak English 80% of class time irrespective of the number of students in the class. They are using earphones and speak concurrently while working on lessons and drills. The mobile application allows learners or teachers to create their own lessons by copying and pasting (or manually entering) text using the high quality, natural-sounding text-to-speech program to perform simultaneous repetition of the new material. For instance, this feature could be used to assign or post homework, or to help job-seekers prepare for interviews or create professional presentations.

Training drills are explained here: https://lbtechnology.net/tr...

Re: People who changed British history

bridge2English — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 09:48:38 -0000

If I were to design my own method I would “ignore generations of research that show that second language learning is typically effortful, prolonged, idiosyncratic, and only occasionally successful.”

To make it permanently successful the language learning should be effortless, fast, and personalized. Those are the characteristics opposite to those shown by generations of research.

To make it effortless the method should allow self-training with and without teachers using mobile application.

To make it fast we should substitute conscious learning and memorization with subconscious training the language skills that allows to overcome the barriers created by our conscious mind, such as cross-translation and innate habit of thinking in the native language. Subconscious Training is defined as an activity in which all three language skills – reading, listening, and speaking – are learned simultaneously. Learning all three skills concurrently automatically eliminates cross-translation, which is the main problem in acquiring fluency in English.

To make subconscious training personalized the mobile application should incorporate the option of creating your own lessons and use of learner’s preferential senses.

Re: To Collocate or not to Collocate?

bridge2English — Sat, 16 Mar 2019 21:23:12 -0000

Hello, Kiki

Your article is a remarkable story about teacher’s passion and devotion. I decided to add this comment to enrich your experience with one additional tool that will allow your students to speak fluent English faster. Let me elaborate on your phrase: “I have found that most students tend to translate from L1 to L2. Sometimes it helps but wherever possible I try to persuade my students to avoid doing this.”

I agree with you that 95% of students translate from L1 to L2; however, it is not possible to persuade them to avoid doing this. It is the innate habit that could not be stopped consciously. Your idea about collocations is great but it is a typical example of conscious learning and therefore could not stop cross-translation.

Instead of conscious learning, try with your students the method of subconscious training English skills that is defined as an activity in which all three language skills – reading, listening, and speaking – are learned simultaneously. Learning all three skills concurrently automatically eliminates cross-translation, which is the main problem in acquiring fluency in English.