Visual Techniques: A Proposal to Avoid L1 Overuse in the Classroom: The Case of 11th Graders at IMTAGSC

The work is entitled “Visual Techniques:  A Proposal to Avoid L1 Overuse in the Classroom. The case of 11th graders at Cabassango IMTAGSC (Instituto Médio Técnico de Administração Gestão e Serviços do Cabassango) ”. This work aimed at proposing useful visual techniques to avoid L1 overuse in the classroom to teachers of 11th grade IMTAGSC. The aim of this work is not to propose techniques of how to eradicate L1 use in the classroom but rather to avoid its overuse. Two research questions were formulated to guide the present research: What are the main reasons behind L1 overuse? How can visual techniques avoid L1 overuse in the classroom? The research has shown that constant translation, paucity of vocabulary, and lack of comprehensible input are the key factors behind L1 overuse. The findings of this research show that visual techniques are a reliable tool to help teachers avoid L1 overuse in the classroom. They offer a good alternative to help teachers promote a target language classroom. They offer a two-fold solution: teachers do not use students' L1 to present the lessons and students get enough comprehensible input to use in the classroom or out of the classroom in a more objective way.