An ideal language class

It is important that our students acquire Tamil as best as they can. One way we can make this possible is to make the class enjoyable and effective. What can we do to make the language class enjoyable and effective?

Can we try the following to make the Tamil class enjoyable?
 

• Involve the students in activities that develops curiosity.
   
  
• Involve the students in activities that are fun, personalized, and relevant.
  
  Stories, real life activities, something novel, something they care are some examples.

Can we try the following to make the Tamil class effective?

• Make the language input compelling, and comprehensible without translation.
  
  

And absolutely avoid

• Avoid memorization activities (such as spelling and dictations), rote learning (such as translations), and language drills (such as worksheets and grammar exercises).

Before starting an activity in the class, check if the activity is (1) fun (2) comprehensible (3) personalized (4) relevant (5) develops intrinsic motivation. Avoid all the activities that does not meet these requirements.

A great teacher is one who functions as transformation agent rather than a knowledge transferring agent.

A language is designed for enjoying by using it; not meant for studying in school with the goal of scoring high marks in tests.

The language programs in the schools are not designed to give the language the way it is supposed to be.

"It is not instruction" said Ralph Waldo Emerson, "but provocation that I can most accept from another soul" - from Beyond Methods by Dr. B. Kumaravadivelu.