I am a speaker of French as a second language. I started learning French in the 7th grade. It wasn't until I went to college, Hope College in Holland Michigan, that I was introduced to drilling. The method they used at Hope was the Dartmouth Rassias method. Professor Rassias of Dartmouth College developed a very special style of drilling.
I was thrilled as a young 18 year old first year student of French! We had regular grammar classes that included drilling but also attended a live laboratory twice a week where we did more drilling. My French improved dramatically. I found that sometimes if I didn't really understand a new grammar rule or just couldn't remember the order of the words or how a new vocabulary item should be used, I could learn it or remember it simply by repeating it.
After I graduated, I continued to study French, and I continued to drill and repeat on my own. I understood the power of it. I achieved a command of the grammar that I did not think possible. Of course, I don't know all the grammar and different ways of saying things that a French person does, but the grammar I did know, I knew very well. I attribute this to drilling.
After I became a teacher of English, I used drills in my classroom. My students eyes would light up, and they would say, "Thank you!" It empowered them. They became less afraid to talk. One day, one of my students was studying for a test in my class. He approached me after class and said that he had tried to find what I do in class on-line but was unable to.
MD from Bangladesh is the student who gave me the idea to create drills on-line for students to practice speaking. I hope you like them as much as I did as a student. Please contact me and let me know what you think. I can always improve and make them better with your critiques!
