2.1 Learning vs. acquisition
When it comes to the debate about the advantages and disadvantages of learning languages in a classroom, SLA researchers also put emphasis on the distinction between the terms ‘learning’ and ‘acquiring’. Stephen Krashen (1982), a prominent linguist in the field of SLA, considers these two terms to be connected to two different ways an individual can reach proficiency in a foreign language. He sees learning as a process which includes rules and conscious attention to form, and acquisition as a process similar to the way children learn their first language, which means that they do not consciously pay attention to language form (p. 17).
Learners, therefore, according to Krashen (1982), know grammar rules, are aware
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It should mostly be used to satisfy the learner’s communicative needs (p. 22). In order to make classrooms a place that gives students more opportunities for learning a language they can use for communication and not just for learning its rules, Krashen (1982) suggests that teachers should give their students enough of comprehensible input (p. 22). This term refers to the use of language that students can understand and that can help them advance one step further.
Lightbown and Pinemann (1993) agree that comprehensible input “is an essential part of the learning environment”, but add that sometimes it is not sufficient on its own because learners require “focused instruction to further their language acquisition” (p. 718). Other researchers acknowledge the need for comprehensible input in language classrooms, but criticize Krashen’s idea that comprehensible input on its own is enough for students to make some kind of progress, while also adding that the term ‘comprehensible’ is problematic on its own, since sometimes it is extremely difficult to determine what one means by using that term (Lightbown and Spada, 2006; Brown, 2000). Long (1996, as cited in Brown, 2000) states that comprehensible input is the result of “modified interaction, [defined as] various modifications that native speakers and other interlocutors create in order
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Melvin and Stout (1987) claim that authentic materials give learners ample opportunities to practice skills they might need in real-life situations, while simultaneously learning something new about different cultures. Furthermore, Nunan and Gilmore (1999 and 2007, respectively, as cited in Bahrani and Shu Sim, 2012) consider authentic materials vital for the language teaching process because they not only motivate students “by bringing the content and the subject matter to life” but also by enabling them to make necessary connections between the classroom setting and the real world (p.
Comprehensible input is the theory that English learning students will understand best when they are given appropriate input. There are four ways to make input comprehensible; first is to Speak appropriately. Teachers need to enunciate and use words that English learners can understand. Second is to clearly explain tasks.
Although I have always liked to use authentic materials in class, I had never had the opportunity to make a survey and find out if there were real benefits in the ESL classroom. This research was aimed to find out how learners accept authentic materials and the benefits obtained in their learning process. The results of the investigation
Comprehensible input is slightly beyond that of the current level of competence of the language learner. So, if the language learner’s current level of competence in the new language is i, then i+1 is the next immediate step along the development continuum. Therefore, if the goal is to assist the language learner progress in their task, it is essential to provide the student/learner with comprehensible input [i +1] (Cortes, K., 2010).
students expect it and it is likely to be beneficial for their language development” (276).
Language acquisition is very interesting topic, recently become part of our life and it helps the communication between people not only enables us to understand others. Also it has aids in developing relationships, as we know this language is crucial part of everyday life.
On planet earth, there are a lot of smart animals and primates, however, none of them can talk to each other in the way that human beings do. The biggest distinction between humans and animals, is language (The Children of the Code Project, 2012). Language is a shared symbolic system, it is a means to expressing ideas and concepts, it is inquisitive, and it is also the link between the past and the future (Woolfolk & Margetts, 2013, p. 97). Language consists of groups and combinations of words and is the prime means of communication between humans (Fellowes & Oakley, 2014, p. 17). Many linguists question whether language is a naturally inherited process, or whether it emerges and develops through instruction. Others however, like Noam Chomsky, an American linguist and cognitive scientist, believe that with more than 4000 languages existing today, some are too complex to the learned through formal instruction and that children possess an inborn “language acquisition device” (O'Donnell et al., 2016, p. 127). Chomsky believed that language is made of words, nouns, verbs and subsequently, the rules on how those are moved around for example syntax and grammar (O'Donnell et al., 2016, p. 127); this is also known as a cognitive phenomenon (Gee & Hayes, 2011, p. 6). During his / her career, a teacher will have in the classroom a vast variety of students with diverse linguistic backgrounds, and it is imperative that educators use language as the social bridge that connects his /
A behaviorist view treats language learning as environmentally determined, controlled from outside by what learners are exposed to and the reinforcement they receive. In contrast, mentalist theories emphasize the importance of the learner’s ‘black box’ in their memory. They maintain that learners’ brains are especially equipped to learn language and all that is needed is minimal exposure to input in order to trigger acquisition (Ellis, 1997). On the whole, input is absolutely necessary and there is no theory or approach to SLA that does not recognize the importance of input and making sure that it is comprehensible. In Schwartz’s view (1993), the input feeds or nurtures an innate system to aid its growth. But input alone cannot facilitate second language learning. It will not function to the full in SLA until it gets involved in interaction. Input processing is just as important because it aims to offer an explanation as to how L2 learners process input, how they make form-meaning connections and how they map syntactic structures onto the utterance.
When learning a L2, the learner is engaged in the acquisition of sounds, words, structures, and discourse through conscious attention to these units, but s/he may also acquire them subconsciously (Van Polen, 2013a). Alternatively, and especially in the classroom setting, the conscious, deliberate type of learning usually prevails. Drawing upon this distinction in L2 acquisition, two views have been formed. First, incidental learning that is most often defined as “picking up” words and structures when a L2 learner engages in a communication task such as listening or reading, and when s/he focuses on the meaning of the language. Secondly, intentional learning, referred to as “the deliberate committing to memory of thousands of words (their meaning, sound, and spelling) and dozens of grammar rules” (Hulstijn, 2003, p.349). The terms have received various interpretations from researchers (Ellis, 1994b; Huckin & Coady, 1999; Gass, 1999), which are also sometimes identical with the two more general terms of implicit and explicit learning indicating the degree of involvement of consciousness (or awareness) in the act of learning. Although all
This video analysis is useful for a language educator because it gives us a chance to see second language acquisition concepts being applied in the classroom. This video analysis would be helpful in order to reflect on the teacher 's lesson. We could think about how well or poorly their SLA concepts were used to teach the class. In this Video analysis paper, we will begin by discussing the process it took us to do our analysis. We will describe the steps we took from note taking watching the video again. Then my group members and I will discuss some of the second language acquisition terms that we found most in the video. The subgroups we decided on were comprehensible input strategies and questions. Referring to our notes we took we will describe in detail how the teacher these strategies in the classroom. Then we will reflect upon what we learned after doing this activity and how it will help us during our fieldwork.
Normally a child acquires the grammar of the ambient language they are first introduced with perfectly, making L1 acquisition a success in most cases. SLA on the other hand varies with its success rate. To attain ‘native-like’ levels of competence in a second language is almost impossible over a certain age. By SLA one means the acquisition of a second
1.0 Task 1: Pros and Cons of Using Authentic Materials to Teach Language Skills in an
Therefore the lesson may focus on a variety of linguistic forms to teach how to carry out a function. The culture is daily life of the native speakers. Non verbal behavior the body language has a significant role in teaching culture since it may change from culture to culture. Meaning is central to learning the language. It should be conveyed through visual aids realia model sentences and context. The students first language is very rarely used since the medium of instruction is in the target language. The students need as much exposure to the target language as they can get in order to become successful learners of that language. This is supported by considerable evidence both the quantity and quality of target language input are crucial factors in foreign second language learning.( Richards, Jack. 2002) Communicative language teaching can be said to have several benefits and strong aspects for language teaching and learning. For one thing it established real life social situations where the students have the chance to interact in the target language practicing the meaning function relationship therefore the students can learn to speak the target language fluently expressing their own thoughts and ideas more easily
Verbal language is how the human race communicates. Without it, nations would be severed from the worldly ties it needs to survive. A hundred years ago language loss wasn’t a concern, but now, it threatens the world. There is a great urgency for plurilingual people amongst the military, political, business, and international world, particularly in the U.S. If efforts are not taken to increase foreign language capabilities amongst the people of America, the future of cross-cultural communication will be grim. Foreign language understanding is crucial in society, and so a greater effort should be taken to educate the students of America for the benefit of globalization.
A fundamental concept behind language learning is through the understanding of Long’s Interaction hypothesis, which proposes that second language learning is aided by interactional processes because of the role of interaction in connecting “input, internal learner capacities, particularly selective attention, and output in productive ways” (Mackey, 2006). Feedback and interaction help result in modified output which is also helpful in language learning. Different varieties of interactions in SL/FL classroom settings are facilitated through form-focused instruction (Mackey, 2006). The feedback received from focusing on form is in response to learner errors during meaning focused communication (Mackey, 2006). Recasts and negotiation are used as forms when learners have comprehension or production errors. By narrowing the focus of language learning to certain problem areas, language learners will be prompted to pay more attention to linguistic forms (Mackey, 2006).
Krashen used the natural approach to explain the process of second language acquisition. Krashen’s model basically consists of two parts. In the first part, the language acquisition device the comprehensible input triggered and this starts children’s language development. This process is affected by the anxiety factor, which he called affective filter. In the second part, the acquired language combined with the intentional learning result in the language output. In this process, the intentional learning monitors students’ output. Specifically speaking, his model proposes that a low affective filter or a low anxiety is good for children’s acquisition. He further believes that the learned knowledge hinders our acquisition and needs to be avoided (Brown, 2014). This argument indicates that teachers had better avoid such monitoring as correcting students’ responses since it hinders students’ acquisition. Also, Krashen argues that it is good for children to acquire the language subconsciously. Besides, he asserts that children follow a natural order to acquire the rules of the language.