davidf, in another thread I posted a link to research done on the benefits of learning another language. It improves critical thinking and problem solving skills, so like the maths many students learn and never use again it improves thinking skills.

Not only that, it certainly improves skills in one's own native language.

But..., it is as some have pointed out, vitally important how the other language is taught.

English is my second language, I've been educated in another language. I was taught English as a foreign language. My children have all been educated here in Australia and with all of them I've been insistent that they learn another language.

All I can say is that foreign language teaching in Australia is utterly woeful. After 3-4 years of foreign language learning most kids here cannot read a basic book or magazine in the language. What a lot of effort for little gain, what a waste of time.

My youngest daughter is presently doing her high school through French immersion. She is taught French rigorously by French speakers. She loves it, because she can actually, after one year, understand quite a lot of French.

She also recently tested at 99 percentile (nationwide) in English, all her classmates perform at a higher level in English and science. This after only one year.

The globe is full of foreigners who speak from basic to excellent English. We wouldn't be able to do that if we were taught English the way English speakers here are taught another language. Think about that.

LOTE is important for various reasons. All eloquently argued by various contributors. It should be compulsory for a minimum of 4 years for all students. But it needs to be taught with the same rigour as is maths, science or indeed English. Though how the latter is increasingly taught is a whole other debate.

People -

I don't want to derail this thread too much so I am starting another in the General space. I am sincerely interested in HOW you this language is most efficaciously taught.

I offered an opinion about incentive but, given that, what technologies or tools do you consider work well? One poster used the term rigorous - what did she have in mind? Drilling vocab. grammar? Insistence in full immersion in the language during class time (i.e. not even using native language for explanations)? As a language teacher I would like some feed back.