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[usool]

Hello Stephen

You appear to have been around a lot. I have a question, do you know of any institution anywhere in the kingdom where silent reading of English Lit.(as advocated by Prof Stephen D Krashen) is part of the curriculum?

Regards and best wishes

[Stephen Jones]

I dislike Krashen's theoretical laxity, so I don't know too much about his recommendations (which are often excellent in spite of the false rationale behind them).

There are universities where English Lit is covered, but as a back up for language learning it is unlikely to be used. The first problem is that there is bound to be something that will offend some puritan in the class; the second is that there is the strange belief here that students are best motivated to learn English by having technical material they wouldn't understand in their own language.

[shadowfax]

I suspect Mr Krashen's version of literary appreciation may resemble in subtelty an incline bench press with the entire works of Dickens, Trollope, Bunyan and Milton (hardback and large print, of course), followed by several protracted rounds of karate with Grendel and Beowulf. See the fellow's resume if you misbelieve me.
The concept of employing literature to master a second language is as old as foreign language learning itself. (In fact, I fear there is no other way to attain true command of a language; there is certainly none more pleasant, nor less laborious). This tenet does not require jargon-bloated tefl pseudo-technicians to propound.
En passant: I cannot imagine why the surname of a certain lengthy Victorian author, forename Charles, should have been censored in this my ingenuous confection. Pehaps an over-zealous ghost of one of those 'puritans' that Mr Jones so detests has entered in the machine.

[usool]

Hi Shadowfax

What for art thou, old chap? I haven't heard from you since you left our discussion some time ago on the relative merits of absolutsim and relatavism. I agree that there is no better way to learn any language than via literature. Many people dislike Krashen and I'm not so sure why. Despite the various claims I have found no evidence whatsoever to justify the claim that Krashen doesn't believe in teaching, in fact he has denied this on numerous occasions. Prof Krashen is a true gentleman. Some time ago I was engaged in some research and couldn't for the life of me find an article he had written. I emailed him to ask where I could get it and lo and behold he offered to post it to me in the UK. What a guy!

As for the intellectual foundation of his claims, the veracity of those have been shown in multifarious studies not only by him and but by scores of others.

Mr Shadowfax, do you really believe that there is a tenable, rational, plausible explanation for relative morality? I have found within it nothing but paradox. If one does not believe in God, how does one derive morality?

Regards and best wishes

[High Plains Drifter]

[Stephen Jones]

[Hector_Lector]

If one does not believe in God, how does one derive morality?

If one does not believe in morality, how does one derive God?

[grahamb]

It's easy, Hector. Jiminy Cricket sits on my shoulder and keeps me on the straight and narrow.
I remember seeing him for the first time in the Playhouse when I was a wee lad (or a wee vratch, according to my mam).

[The Barbarian]

grahamb has been in Saudi far too long -

Also, is Stephen Jones 'the' Stephen Jones from the JIC Jubail?