Why is it important to use the Target Language (TL) in the language classroom?
Many language teachers, especially those who are just beginning their career, express anxieties about using the target language in the classroom. Often, teachers find it difficult to strike a balance between using local language (or language used at home) and the TL in the classroom. Although using the TL can cause some stress, it is very important to do so for the process of language learning. Firstly, the use of the TL in the classroom greatly increases the students’ exposure to the target language. This is very important, especially in foreign language classrooms where the TL is not heard outside of the classroom context. The goal is to make the context as close to a second language context (where the TL would be heard outside of the classroom) as possible in order to give students maximum exposure to the language. Secondly, by using the TL in the classroom, students are receiving more comprehensible input (Krashen) thus leading to more complex language structures. By using the TL,
