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  • Lisa Anderson

All about my project!

Hello everyone! Thanks for visiting my blog. I guess to start things off, I should explain a little about who I am and what I will be researching. Well, my name is Lisa and I am currently entering the last year of my Bachelors of Education after-degree. I already have a Bachelors of Arts in French and Spanish and spent several years teaching French and English in Spain. I am also a singer-songwriter, private music instructor, and animal lover...but I digress. I've been searching for a way to combine my passions for education, languages, and music for a long time, and it seems that I have finally found my outlet! This summer, I will be researching the use of music within the context of the language classroom.

I have always felt there was a strong connection between music and language, and it turns out there is a lot of research to back that up (do a quick Google search and you will see what I mean, or just check out some of the scholarly resources I’ve included at the end of this entry). What makes my project unique, however, is that I will be looking at how music is specifically used within the "Neurolinguistic Approach" ... *crickets*

the neuro-what-a-approach?!? Good question, let me give you the Cole's notes.

The “Neurolinguistic Approach” (also known as the NLA) is a language teaching method informed by cognitive neuroscience research (also known as brain science). The approach develops authentic oral communication skills before reading and writing skills, and encourages the use of full sentences at all times (Germain & Netten, 2012, p.98). The idea is that we should learn a second language similar to how we learned our first language, by listening and speaking first, reading second, and writing third, all the while internalizing the grammatical structures through repetitive input and output (complimented by some targeted grammar instruction when the time is right). It seems to make a lot of sense to me. I mean, we don’t get babies to conjugate verbs and read Shakespeare before they have a decent handle on speaking and listening, right?

But where does the music come in you ask? Well, think back, waaaay back to your early years. Or if you can’t really remember, think of (or again, Google) some educational children’s tv shows, movies, and theatre productions. You’ll find that a lot of them are chock full of music. This is no coincidence. Within the context of language alone, research has demonstrated that the study of music ameliorates pronunciation, aids in sound differentiation, (Milanov & Tervaniemi, 2011), improves intonation and speech rhythm (Forster, 2006), facilitates irregular word decoding (Moreno et al., 2009), and boosts vocabulary retention (Besson et al. 2007). Music also transmits colloquial expressions and cultural aspects, motivates students, and exploits their knowledge gained outside of school (Tsoulas, 2014). According to Schellenberg and Peretz, music also improves working memory which benefits all subject areas (2008). Nevertheless, little is known about how music is applied within the NLA. By examining its usages, I believe that educators could learn how to further enrich this approach and continue improving outcomes.

In a nutshell, we know that the NLA is an effective language teaching method (just ask the brain scientists). We also know that music can help with language learning. What I want to do is investigate how teachers are using both of these approaches together to create a ridiculously effective language learning environment and then, make some research informed suggestions on how, if possible, they can improve their methods even more.

Ok, I think that is enough for today. Thanks for reading and catch you next time!

Sources: Besson, M,. Boyer, M., Kolinsky, R., Moreno, S., Peretz, I. & Schon, D., (2007). Songs as an aid for language acquisition. Science Direct: Cognition, 106(2), 975-983

Forster, E. (2006). The value of songs and chants for young learners. Encuentro, 16(1), 63-68. Retrieved from http://www.encuentrojournal.org/

Germain & Netten. (2010). A new paradigm for the learning of a second or foreign language: the neurolinguistic approach. Neuroeducation, 1(1), 85-114. Retrieved from http://www.francaisintensif.ca

Milovanov, R., & Tervaniemi, M. (2011). The interplay between musical and linguistic aptitudes: A review. Frontiers in Psychology, 2, 321.

Moreno, S., Marques, C., Santos, A., Santos, M., Castro, S. L., and Besson, M. (2009). Musical training influences linguistic abilities in 8-year-old children: more evidence for brain plasticity. Cerebral. Cortex, 19(3), 712–723.

Schellenberg, E. G., and Peretz, I. (2008). Music, language, and cognition: unresolved issues. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 12(2), 45–46.

Tsoulas, G. (2014). Explainer: How are learning languages and music linked? [website article]. Retrieved from http://theconversation.com/explainer-how-are- learning-languages-and-music-linked-34325


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