Johan Vandewalle’s Approach to Foreign Language Learning

Abstract

Studying language can be considered one of the most complicated and ever-changing domains that is influenced by the interplay between theory, research, and practice. Dr. Johan Vandewalle is a rare breed in this dynamic field whose career and personal life as a linguist, teacher, and polyglot has contributed immensely to the contemporary attitudes on multilingual learning and teaching. His methodology places greater attention on immersion, cultural integration and communicative competence as key to successful language acquisition. Contrary to the grammar-based or memorization-based approach to teaching, Vandewalle promotes the one based on natural interaction, real world, and cross-linguistic awareness. The paper examines the theoretical background of Vandewalle, his adherence to Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) and Second Language Acquisition (SLA) studies and his practical approaches to instruction, such as task-based and learner-centered instructions. It also investigates how his multilingual background shapes his pedagogical model and makes a difference compared to approaches of Stephen Krashen and Robin Callan. Vandewalle offers a comprehensive approach by connecting linguistic theory and classroom practice to present a comprehensive framework of cultural sensitivity, linguistic competence, and learner autonomy. At the end of his study, it is concluded that his model is a visionary paradigm of language education- the model enabling the learners to be ready to communicate efficiently and meaningfully in a multilingual and multicultural world.