You’ve probably heard:

You need to learn to “think” in English!

You won’t speak the language fluently until you start “thinking” in English.

Stop “thinking” in Portuguese and start “thinking” in English.

 

The question of whether students need to learn to think in English is a topic that has been widely discussed in the field of second language acquisition. It is predicated on the idea that languages are compartmentalized differently in the brain, with one part dedicated to the first language (L1) and another dedicated to the second language (L2). However, research suggests that this may not be the case.

Kerr (2019) suggests that what most learners need to achieve is a level of proficiency where they can process English without always mentally translating from their L1. This means that instead of trying to force learners to think in English, the focus should be on increasing their exposure to and proficiency in the language.

Perhaps, instead of insisting on the whole you-should-think-in-English argument, we should try and encourage students to expose themselves to English as often as possible and to practice it as much as they can.

 

So, what is your take on this?

 

• • Kerr, P. (2019) The use of L1 in English language teaching. Part of the Cambridge Papers in ELT series.

• • Macaro, E. (2005) Code Switching in the L2 classroom: A communication and learning strategy.

• • Spivey, M. V. & Hirsch, J. (2003). Shared and separate systems in bilingual language processing: Converging evidence from eye tracking and brain imaging. Brain and Language