Description
Drilling, as a language-learning activity, has fallen out of favor over the past few decades, but it is finding support in Skills Acquisition Theory (DeKeyser, 2007) literature and as falling within Butzkamm and Caldwell’s (2009) generative principle of language development.
When drilling was last in vogue, modern technologies and language learning tools had not been developed. Now, tools such as spreadsheets and simple text-to-speech generators such as that within the Quizlet application can be combined to produce almost limitless pattern practice opportunities that can be carried out by an individual using tools they already carry with them.
This presentation will show how a spreadsheet was developed which could produce double-sided Quizlet flashcards for drilling Japanese grammar conjugations. The cards were enormously effective in helping the presenter untangle the complexities of Japanese grammar, and the spreadsheet functions and applicability within the Quizlet app can be copied by other teachers or learners who want to practice or assign drilling practice in Japanese, English, or (presumably) any language.
