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What Is Comprehensible Input?

A critical concept for second-language development for students with and without learning difficulties is comprehensible input -- students being able to understand the essence of what is being said or presented to them.
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What Is Comprehensible Input?

A critical concept for second-language development for studentswith and without learning difficulties is comprehensible input.Comprehensible input means that students should be able tounderstand the essence of what is being said or presented to them.This does not mean, however, that teachers must use only wordsstudents understand. In fact, instruction can be incomprehensibleeven when students know all of the words. Students learn a new language best when they receive input that is just a bit more difficult than they can easily understand. In other words, students may understand most, but not all, words the teacher is using.

Making teacher talk comprehensible to students goes beyond the choice of vocabulary and involves presentation of background and context, explanation and rewording of unclear content, and the use of effective techniques such as graphic organizers. By using context or visual cues, or by asking for clarification, students enhance their knowledge of English.When input is comprehensible, students understand most aspectsof what is required for learning, and the learning experience pushes them to greater understanding.

One way teachers can ensure that material is sufficientlycomprehensible is to provide relevant background knowledge andcontent. Teachers should try to explain ideas or concepts severaltimes using slight variations in terminology and examples.



During instructional dialogs, the focus should be primarily onaccuracy of content, not rigid requirements associated with correct language use. Spending time defining, discussing, and clarifying vocabulary words unlikely to be familiar to the studentsprior to reading a passage has demonstrated consistently positiveeffects on reading fluency, accuracy, and comprehension for students with learning, speech, and language disabilities.


Students need to be given more opportunities in the classroom to use oral language and to engage in cognitively challenging tasks. Cooperative learning and peer tutoring strategies have the potential to effectively and rapidly increase English-language development, particularly when working with highly decontextualized and cognitively challenged language concepts.

For older students, expressing ideas orally can be risky insome classrooms. The use of dialog journals, even computer journals, with feedback from the teacher, can become a more comfortable vehicle for English language development.

In conclusion, it is important to realize that comprehensible input isas much an ideal as it is an achievable reality. In teachingEnglish-language learners with learning difficulties, we canattempt to reach this ideal level of support and challenge, but inthe context of complex and fast-paced classroom interactions, itmay rarely be achieved as much as we would like. Nonetheless,this is a critical principle as you develop an instructional programfor each English-language learner.

Excerpted from Teaching English-Language Learners with Learning Difficulties

Provided in partnership with The Council for Exceptional Children.