comments from Acquisition Classroom Members:Kudos to Eric Herman for his efforts in bring language acquisition research out of the ivory tower. I read each and every memo and find them to be well done and spot on. Keep it up, Eric!
- Bill VanPatten, SLA researcher & educator, CA I cannot say enough about Eric Herman's memo and Forum. I have learned so much from him. I just love the fact that he does all the research and summarizes it for the teachers in an easy to read digest. I have included some of his research findings in my presentations, when talking to other teachers and/or when talking to parents. Thank you, Eric, you are truly amazing and will be the next Krashen or BVP! - Sabrina Sebban-Janczak, presenter and language educator, CO I highly recommend subscribing to the Acquisition Memo. Seriously, anyone would benefit from Eric’s memos! It’s like having someone do your homework for you - except with no consequences or repercussions. Trying to teach language without knowing the fundamentals of SLA is like trying to perform surgery without knowing the human anatomy. Understanding SLA is the first step toward learning how to effectively teach for acquisition, and Eric Herman's SLA forum is the first and most efficient step toward learning the fundamentals of SLA. - Carol Gaab, Fluency Matters founder & president, AZ Eric Herman's Acquisition Classroom Memo is like the NPR of SLA, bringing the most balanced view I've seen yet, complete with fact-checking the latest research (as well as following up on the oldest), and providing a host of names far beyond the field's most recognizable personae. The Memo fills in the gaps of what should've been part of my teacher training in grad school! - Lance Piantaggini, Latin teacher & author, MA Eric Herman is the one of the great promises of the current generation of graduate students in SLA. His extensive teaching background in K-16 contexts, his background knowledge, his scholarship agenda, and his dedication to classroom teachers are just a few of the areas where his impact not only will be felt, but ARE BEING FELT (emphasis mine). I can honestly say that he is far ahead of me in his understanding of the basic issues of the science in SLA than I am after 25 years in the profession, and he knows how to distill the importance of that work so we can all understand it. Pay attention to Eric’s fine work in combining theory with practice and watch any uncertainties about whether you can bring students to learn language dry up and blow away. - Mark Knowles, retired language and technology director at UC Boulder, CO |
Anonymous survey results from the summer of 2018: |
The instructions for the following 4 items were to check all that apply. . .