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Promoting autonomous language learning
Translation is just one of many ways of conveying meaning. It has a place in the Māori language classroom, especially for clarifying meaning quickly when other methods are impractical. Routine use of translation at the expense of deductive strategies, however, tends to encourage dependence on English. It is preferable to promote the development and use of strategies such as guessing from context, making links to prior knowledge, using visual cues, looking at word parts, and recalling past experiences with the language item in question. By the time they reach Year 7, learners have had a great deal of experience in using these strategies, particularly in their reading. Inferring meaning in another language is an extension of these skills.