Some elements of language
respond better to practice than others. The audiolingual method made the
mistake of considering all elements of language in need of habit formation.
After a shift by some theorists away from all drills, the field is moving
back toward selective practice. Folse (2004) points out the benefits that
multiple exposure brings to vocabulary learning. Rather than just
workbook-style drills, learners can use a variety of ways to attain multiple
exposure, including gap-filling exercises (Vandergrift, 1999). The “focus on
form” movement (Schmidt, 1995; Doughty & Williams, 1998) points to
context-based corrections in grammar and usage rather than practice for its
own sake. Although deductive learners (as mentioned above) are especially
likely to respond well to practice, decontextualized practice does not create
fluency.