Chapter 4- Liane

Maria's illustration of comprehensible input drove the point home. It was much easier to follow her instruction when she used a lot of models and a lot of body language. It also made me want to talk during the lesson. I was lost at some points and I really wanted to turn to someone else to find out if they were understanding. I wanted someone else to explain it to me. Perhaps that is what goes on when audiences chat during presentations??
Eighty-five percent of us are visual learners so it stands to reason that visual aids and models can increase comprehension. Since most of us are not auditory learners, the 10th feature of SIOP should be heeded no matter what language we speak. Slowing our speech, especially with enunciation and complexity, will increase the understanding of most people. I love the tip to use gestures, body language, pictures, realia, and objects to accompany speech. This takes more time to prepare and requires more initial investment of energy. However, if that gives a net gain in less repetitions, we can save time and energy in the end.