Rethinking Output, part 3 - Retrieval Practice as Part of the Output Process

The following is part of a series on Rethinking Output. It is based on my summer of listening to podcasts. 

As part of this series, let me restate some non-negotiables regarding output according to second language acquisition research:

1. Output in and of itself does not lead to language acquisition. "Practicing the language" does not produce language acquisition. Oral grammar drills, singing mnemonic songs, and memorized scripts/scenarios do not cause the brain to acquire language.
2. Only input leads to language acquisition, as continued understandable input is what causes the brain to create/refine its mental representation of language.

In part 1 of this series on Rethinking Output, I focused on Florencia Henshaw's definition of output, "Expressing meaning retrieving from one's (language) system." Part 2 centered on why one's system and mental representation of language cannot be built with grammar charts and rules, per Bill Van Patten. This blog post will focus on the mental language retrieval practice to facilitate the output process. For this, I look to Liam Printer's The Motivated Classroom podcast. 

Printer has a podcast episode dedicated to the topic of retrieval practice. In the episode notes for that particular episode, Printer writes:

'Retrieval practice' is a study technique where mental effort is used to recall information. It focuses on bringing information to mind which enhances and boosts learning. Deliberately recalling information forces us to pull our knowledge “out” and examine what we know. 

This very much aligns with what Henshaw discussed as a guest on Claudia Elliott's Growing with Proficiency podcast:

It's so important to talk about the fact that [students] need to be retrieving from their system...One is because we need them to build a system in the first place...And the other one is that if they don't, then output is not serving the purpose of honing the skill of retrieving from the system, which is the function of output. So input helps to build a system. Output helps with the skill of accessing the system...And so to hone the skill of accessing something, you need to be accessing that something.

In his episode on retrieval practice, Printer gives examples of 11 very easy activities where the goal is to activate the retrieval process of vocabulary in students' brains. In some ways, I guess these activities could qualify as a form of output per Henshaw's definition, since students are retrieving this vocabulary from their brains (as opposed to you the teacher supplying it). However, these activities are incredibly sheltered and guided. Big picture, these activities also are a form of input for students. For those of you who have to deal with formal lesson plans, these activities are great "background knowledge activators"!

I invite you to listen to Printer's episode where he details the retrieval process and these 11 activities in just 27 minutes! I have already done a few of these with my Latin 4 students as a way to recall past vocabulary from previous years and had a lot of fun with them - I will write about them in future blog posts. 

Upcoming blog post: Output as Motivation in the CI/ADI Classroom