Teaching realistically in an EFL setting would force us to rely on leaners' explicit knowledge and in turn explicit instruction. On the other hand, long hours of teaching explicitly may not lead to a construct as second or third language proficiency. What is your suggestion or experience in this regard?
I genuinely believe that balance is a key element in every aspect of life, and education isn’t an exception. This is why hybrid methods are gaining ground in language teaching. Personally, I use both explicit and implicit methods, but I decide how, when and how much to use each of them depending on my students’ level and needs.
Thank you for that question, Abdolmajid! In fact, it is even one that can change an entire education system, especially the common understanding of many language teachers that everything has to be explained without being asked for. However: if you teach the English language like this, the explicatory process would take over 400 years, says famous linguist Mike Long. And he is right: if you just look at the vocabulary and grammar, the amount of language material is far too big to be conveyed through traditional explicatory lessons. Then, in order to process the language learned, there is time-consuming practice ahead to finally store what you have learned in the long-term memory.
This is where the powerful instrument of implicit learning (though "acquiring" might be a more proper term) appears, the results of which, however, can only be tested to a limited extent. In my opinion, the secret touches two fields:
1) I definitely agree with Letizia D`Andrea, balance between explicit and implicit procedures is the key - but that requires high professional teaching skills. This must be taken into account within any teacher training.
2) Implicit task formats for the classroom AND the world outside school must be developed, where language can be literally grabbed en passant, without knowing, in meaningful contexts, including social media, open teaching scenarios aimed at performance, at practical language usage. They can only be tested through observation and assessment.
We addressed this topic, please see copies here on Researchgate:
Boettger/Koeltzsch: Neural_foundations_of_creativity_in_foreign_language_acquisition
Feel free to download and consider.
And, last but not least, a short answer to your question: No, language cannot be taught EFFICIENTLY in an EFL setting, the process can only be initiated.
Very best, Heiner Boettger
To answer your question, Abdolmajid Nazari , yes it certainly can. I and many other speakers of English as a foreign language have learnt English in an EFL setting. I currently teach English in a very similar setting. In fact, I learnt English as if it were a dead language without any direct contact with native speakers. I and my teachers before me rely on an ecletic mode of teaching, employing whatever we think of use to our students. However, learning a language regardless of setting is a twofold process that involves a teacher who takes into consideration the learners’ needs and the educational environment. One the other hand, there should be a learner willing to make effort and respond positively to your instructions whether explicit or implicit.
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