“Where Are Your Keys?” (WAYK) is a comprehensive system of community language revitalization.

It’s also a game – and a philosophy for teaching and learning, guided by results.

The WAYK system specializes in training “teacher-trainers”, so that the ability to teach and learn effectively spreads virally from teachers to students. It does this through a fun, contagious, high-energy game focused on encouraging fluent conversation.

In this video, you can see WAYK applied to the Western Abenaki language:

…you can see a recent WAYK language revitalization weekend workshop:

…and WAYK applied over skype between a Squamish WAYK language instructor, and a Chinook Nation WAYK instructor.

WAYK works with large groups…

…with all levels of speech proficiency…

…with young children…

…with elders…

…and can take place anywhere…

By playing WAYK, and mastering the WAYK mentoring language, players can apply these learning and teaching accelerators to their own communities, and other non-language skill-domains. WAYK players have reported applying the techniques to such diverse skills as software development, permaculture, and bicycle repair.

The WAYK system does this through core language games that train players to become “fluency hunters”. WAYK was originally developed for the high-stakes mission of revitalizing endangered language, dying languages with very few (often elderly) speakers left. “Fluency Hunting” is learning a language (or skill) as fast as possible, becoming as fluent as possible, by engaging in conversations.

“Fluency hunters”, by playing the core games of “Where Are Your Keys?”, learn a mentoring “pattern language” of several hundred techniques. Each technique accelerates the learning and teaching process.

Thus each player of WAYK learns to both teach, and fluently express, the target language or skill.

The WAYK mentoring language is comprised of many general principles that apply to any learning environment, along with specifically tooled techniques for the context of language acquisition.

Contact us at info@whereareyourkeys.org, to explore bringing WAYK to where you live.