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During my teaching career, I often did visualization activities with students, and also encouraged positive self-talk.
But, until I saw this infographic on LinkedIn, I had never thought of explicitly suggesting that students try to “think in English”:
I asked ChatGPT about research supporting this strategy for language acquisition, and it came up with a fair amount. Here’s what it wrote, and I’ve linked the research.
Research on second-language inner speech suggests that learners benefit from developing the ability to use English as a language for thought, not just for communication. Studies indicate that silent mental rehearsal, self-talk, and internal processing in English help learners internalize language and move beyond constant translation from their first language.