Vilfredo Pareto was an interesting man. Born in Paris 1848 of an exiled Italian family. Pareto became a philosopher, economist, sociologist, engineer and, most importantly for us, a small time gardener.
It was Pareto’s peas that made him famous and today will help you learn a second language.
Pareto observed that, very interestingly, only 20% of the pea plants were in fact responsible for 80% percent of the peas produced in his garden. Or, if you prefer to see it the other way around, 80% of his plants were producing a mere 20% of his peas. That was very very strange.
Pareto was very intrigued by his findings. Particularly when he realized that this strange phenomenon was not exclusive to peas. His own country was some kind of massive pea plant garden where 20% of the Italian population held 80% of the wealth. And, yes, the vast majority of the population was in control of only 20% of the money and assets.
But what if this was just the beginning of it?
Actually… it was.
Most people call it the 80/20 rule. I like to call it the Pea rule. First because it all started with Pareto’s peas. But also because even though I hated peas growing up I couldn't make them disappear from my plate. They were a rule a could not fight. Same thing applies to the 80/20. It does not matter what you think about it. It is very powerful and very real. It affects your everyday life and work. No matter if you are aware of it or not. Just like gravity keeps you attached to the floor even if you don’t think about gravity that often.
Tomorrow, when you go to work, 20% of your time, actions and decisions will result in 80% of your actual output. Then you will spend the remaining 80% of the time responding to non essential emails, attending non essential meetings, waiting for some client to call you back, discussing the Kardashians with coworkers or liking a post on Facebook.
But: What does this have to do with your learning a second language?
The answer is…
A lot
80/20 will have a big impact in your learning and ability to speak a second language in more than one way. Don’t fight it. Be aware of it. Stay tuned and I will teach you how to use this principle to your advantage. Use it correctly and you will see big results. 80/20 will appear here and there throughout your training with me. Today we will study just one of the aspects in which the 80/20 rule might be hurting or empowering your learning. This one affects me as a teacher. And if I am not careful it could get me fired.
FIRE YOUR CHATTY FRIENDLY TEACHER
Is your teacher a very nice friendly person who is chatting all the time? Good! Fire him!
What I am about to tell you is very very important and one of the main setbacks for your success that I have seen over and over throughout my career. So please listen up.
In a good lesson the teacher speaks 20% of the words. You speak 80% of the time.
There is a tiny exception to the rule with beginner levels that I will cover later in the training. But the rule is the rule and you should be well aware of it.
One day we will discuss at length how to figure out if your teacher is doing a good or a bad job. But a good rule of thumb is that you (and your fellow students if you are not alone) should have the opportunity to talk and talk and talk and your teacher should say very little. The average learner enjoys very few chances to speak the target language outside of the classroom. Yes. That student should be seeking every possibility to speak the target language beyond the classroom and we will address that one day. But that doesn’t mean a teacher should sabotage the chances of the learner to speak and practice.
There is a made up story I found in a couple of business books of a guy who has a breakdown and is forced to tow his car to the workshop. The mechanic takes a good look at the engine, grabs a screwdriver, turns a screw and the car goes back to life like a charm.
How much?
$500 sir.
Are you out of your mind? For a 60 second job?
Sir, you are not paying me for tightening a screw. You’re paying me because I knew what screw to turn...
And that’s what you should be paying for. Your teacher should be a highly experienced, highly motivated professional that does very little but knows exactly what screw to turn. Think of him like the director of the orchestra: setting the lines, generating focus and the necessary micro corrections. Make no mistake. His work is vital. He is generating 80% of the output. However you are playing the instrument. You are the music.
It’s not easy to create this kind of lesson. It’s not easy to prepare a lesson plan where the student is forced to speak 80% of the time, has a chance to shine and no chance to use his native language. That is why so many teachers take the easy path and talk and talk to no end.
Next time you take a lesson with your teacher be very aware of how much time she talks and how much time you talk. You should be speaking about 80% of the time. Your teacher should use her 20% to keep you focused, to guide you, to give you great examples and to direct you towards whatever goal you guys are trying to achieve that day. If you don’t feel she is following the 80/20 rule have a friendly conversation about it. If nothing changes in the next lessons… fire her butt.
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