Whole-Brain Paths to Language Learning: An English Instruction Model

The fact that scores on international tests such as TOFEL and TOEIC in recent years have revealed that college students in Taiwan lag behind their counterparts in the rest of the world in English proficiency suggests that there exist immediate needs for the students to improve their English skills in order to attain a better level of proficiency. The current trend moving toward globalization also demands that college students be capable of international communication. English is now the main medium employed on the internet and in worldwide communication. This being the case, having strong communicative competence in English prepares college students for global advancement in specialized knowledge and information technology. This study addresses the issues of how college English instruction can be designed to correspond with students' sociological as well as academic needs for becoming successful English learners. The proposed Whole-Brain Pathways Model (WBP) aims to promote college students' English proficiency with emphasis being placed on the importance of equipping learners with essential skills for receiving comprehensible input, thereby rendering productive output possible.