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Mirai Language Systems – Basic Principles of Language Learning & Instruction
Principle No. 3: Language instruction and learning should be balanced and goal-oriented.
At Mirai Language Systems, we believe that the instructors and learners of a language should strive towards a common goal – that of achieving functional competency in the target language. By that we mean that a person can operate in the target language in a variety of situations when in the foreign country. The learner should be able to understand and communicate in the foreign language in everyday (non-specialized) situations. This is broadly what we mean by “functionally competent”.
Too often, learners focus on just one or two aspects of the foreign language, to the detriment of the other aspects. For instance, some learners may like reading in the foreign language, and mainly develop their reading skills, but will not be competent at speaking or understanding what people are saying. However, to achieve functional competency in a language, the learner should achieve a certain proficiency at all of the four basic skills: speaking, understanding, reading, and writing.
Therefore, Mirai Language Systems sets itself the guiding principle of providing the learner with a balanced introduction to the foreign language. Learners will gradually gain competence in all four basic skills, with the clear goal of reaching a level of functional competence so that they can enjoy communicating in the foreign language, and have the ability to comfortably live in the foreign country.
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