How can you learn a second language? That is one of the main questions that a language teacher should ask himself; in our case, we can ask about, how to learn English language? This question involved our pedagogical practice, based on the conceptions and theories that we use to teach the second language. In that way, we can use and applicate different methods that might be successful for our students.
According to the readings proposed for the course and the conceptual maps that we did in class, answer the following questions: What is the teacher role in their students SLA process? Which theory do you consider would be the most efficient to acquire a second language nowadays?
Remember, for this exercise is necessary to upload your conceptual maps to show the evidence of our collaborative class work.
-Andrés Correa, David Morales, Natalia Arcila, Johan Henao.
Conceptual map by Jackeline Loaiza, Julián Zapata, Felipe Pabón and Alejandra Ospina
ResponderEliminarhttps://goo.gl/photos/cMhxjBUYPTdJkZLc7
Have a good one!
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ResponderEliminarHi, David's team.
ResponderEliminarFirst, in terms of writing, I think the word "apply" is better than "applicate".
About questions, "How should a teacher proceed? The majority of SLA researchers now support the idea that some kind of focus on form is useful for some forms, for some students, at some point in the learning process (DeKeyser, 1995; N. Ellis, 1993; R. Ellis, 1993; VanPatten & Cadierno, 1993).
Also, there is little certainty regarding what forms students should be made to focus on and how and when. There is, however, some useful research which can help inform a teacher's decisions.
Various explanations have been offered as to why certain forms may be acquired. Most of them tend to fall in the following categories:
- Salience in the input Ð that is, if learners notice certain forms or constructions, for whatever reason, for example frequency or unusualness, they are more likely to acquire them;
- Communicative function or meaningfulness in the output -- even if learners notice a form, or it is pointed out through instruction, if they have no communicative need for the form, acquisition may be delayed;
- Inherent difficulty of rules -- learners tend to acquire "easier" rules early and may never acquire "hard" rules. The definition of what is "easy", however, varies (Doughty & Williams, 1998)."
Mind Map about How Languages are Learned. By Stephanie Arroyave Gil, Carolina Murillo, Camila Torres y Lorena Ospina.
ResponderEliminarhttps://goo.gl/photos/tRNtdFvMoEp4ATuF9
https://photos.google.com/search/_tra_/photo/AF1QipOFAHkzn34gUMSJxQqLCFtpvp7yThZmKTkV_MTn
ResponderEliminarAccording to Khameis (2007) “Teachers should choose activities that enhance students learning, and avoid ones that are a waste of teachers’ and students’ time” (p.113). For that reason, The teachers play an important role in their students SLA process, due to in the implementation of adequate strategies that engage students to to make better this communicative Competences in a second language.Also, The teacher have to take into account the methods, approches and activities that enhances the learning,in thiscase, about how to acquire English as second languague.
ResponderEliminarIn consonance with that, Patsy Lightbown and Nina Spada( 1993) state that:
to some of the language acquisition research that may help them not only to evaluate existing textbooks and materials but also to adapt them in ways that are more consistent with our understanding of how languages are learned. (p.15)
That is, the appropriate second language acquisition in the students embraces a deep research that implies the construction of meaning and knowledge.As a consequence, a teacher who is a good expert in the topic and knows its theorical approches of acquisition L1 and L2 ( second language) can promote a better performance and assimilation of language structure in his pupils.
Then, I consider that the natural approche and suggestopedia method would be the most efficient theories to acquire a second language.Becuase of, the importance of this theorical approches in the learning of our mother tongue. According to Georgi Lozanov, the father' of suggestopedia, "long- term memory is semi-conscious that teacher must sidetrack people with other things in order to allow them to receive information in indirect way." If the teacher want to obtein effective learning in their students, they will make students feel very relaxed at first becuase the learning is suggestive in nature, not direct.In other words, learning takes place through a combination of different types of right and left brain funtions.
In addition to what was previously mentioned, it is important to introduce and recover the THEORETICAL APPROACHES TO L1 ACQUISITION: 1) Behaviorism: Say what I say ; 2) Innatism: It’s all in your mind, and 3) Interactionist/Developmental perspectives: Learning from inside and out.
Bibliography: Lightbown, Patsy. Spada, Nina. “How languages are learned” 1993.
Khameis, M. (2007). Using Creative Strategies to Promote Students’ Speaking Skills.
Richards, J. C., & Rodgers, T. S. (2014). Approaches and methods in language teaching. Cambridge university press.
According to one of your questions, a teacher should lead his/her students to get their communicative goal. Teachers can provide tools to their students for them to learn how to use the language in their real lives, so the idea is that teachers focus their practices on meaningful activities that help students to improve their communication skills and interaction in their second language, and those activities should include videos, images, writings, dialogues, and so on.
ResponderEliminarTeachers have to use the target language in a 90% percent of the class, because students need to get used to the language and learn how to use it appropriately and according to the context.
The teaching methods allows teachers create an appropriate class that fosters an interest the students according to them abilities. To prepare a class, teachers must keep in mind techniques and specific activities to best plan and develop the class. Using technology to gain knowledge and the teacher’s role is manage time to make the most of class. It is possible include using technology in the classroom to allow students to find out about current information, cultural aspects among others. Technology also provides many resources to learn and teach different topics to create significant learning in students. Teaching a language with the assistance of technology helps to develop competences and skills in students.
ResponderEliminarI think that the correct mix of methods and approaches to learn a second language nowadays is that teachers to explore, be creative and original because this is the meaning of teaching.” Passive technician” is boring and teachers must be in a constant pedagogical reflection of the daily practice. Teachers never stop learning.
“From the beginning of a class taught according to the natural approach, emphasis is on representing comprehensible input in the target language. Teacher talk focuses on objects in the classroom and on the content of pictures, as with the direct method. To minimize stress, learners are not required to say anything until they feel ready, but they are expected to respond to teacher commands and questions in other ways. Richards & Rodgers 2001. p.185 Chapter 15.
Hello everyone :)
ResponderEliminarWell, I think that your questions are very great questions, because they make me do a reflection about our role in society and also, help me to introduce another question to this discussion that is: Are teachers necessary for the adquisition of a second language ?
Furthermore, according to the article we read “How languages are learned” and with regard to the view expressed by Sthepanie Arroyave; Theoretical approaches to L1 acquisition: 1) Behaviorism: Say what I say ; 2) Innatism: It’s all in your mind, and 3) Interactionist/Developmental perspectives: Learning from inside and out; could be important aspects to adquire not only the native language but also the second one. However, the most significant feature for my point of view is interaction, not only with people but also with the enviroment because that interaction as Piaget and Vigotsky aimed, is a substancial help to language development. Nevertheless, I can’t give you a complete answer, because thinking in all the amount of investigations that pedagogues, scientists, psychologysts among others have made about language acquisition, I can tell you that there are many good theories that are used nowadays and that are working correctly. As an example, I can give you some of them : cognitive, connectivism , sociocultural theories, etc.
Hi, dear fellows!
ResponderEliminarI consider that we will be always guides, guides in the learning process of a student, we are the light that the student follows to achieve language proficiency, and communicative abilities. And, about the second question... Well, as we know there are no perfect methods: each teacher should create his or her own method according to the needs of the students, obviously based on the previous readings of the existing literature regarding to methods and approaches for teaching English. But, I consider that a good method would be one that join language and cognitive development to make learning easier.
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ResponderEliminarAccording to the proposal, I want to get focused on the role of teachers in the classroom because sometimes people have the idea that learning English is through attending to a classroom to pay attention to all teacher say about structure, grammar, pronunciation, vocabulary, etc. But, I think that the better way to second language acquisition it is involving to learners in reals communicative situations (Krashen communicative approach). On this way, the role of teachers in the classroom should focus on aiming to use different approaches or methods to promote these communicative situations in classroom meanwhile it is used all communicative competences. What do I want to say? I want to say that any teacher has to be capacitated to use different methods to involve in communicative situations to his students. For instance, a teacher could be follower of the communicative approach, but it do not means that he cannot use an input method only because it is focused on listening; or that he thinks that using a grammar method it is traditional and not useful for his students, as if writing a letter or text were not reals communicative situations
ResponderEliminarI think that true language acquisition it is through communicative approach, but only when it is articulated to all the other methods and approaches.
Good evening to everyone.
ResponderEliminarIn relation to the following SLA Discussion proposed by our partners, I will present my point of view on that regard.
As a current service teacher and bachelor’s degree student, since I started teaching to foreigners and then to teens and children at Language Center, I have created some awareness to do with the real intentions of learning a targeted language (In my case, Spanish or English). We seldom think about the people inner intentions; we think that everyone in our classes is learning because it is “cool to learn”. Sometimes, it is not just a mere learning of the language, but to learn for a main goal that perhaps it has not been showed up to our eyes.
As teachers we have to go beyond and even “in depth” on those inner intentions of learning. For instance, our students are learning the language because their parents command them to do it (in the case of teens and children); or perhaps, they are learning in order to get a job, so the language is a requirement; or, in order to do research, so English is a need for publishing. These could be “inner intentions” for getting the language and, sadly, teachers as we are not noticing them. Most of the time, we think that people is learning because it is “cool” to do it or because it is an “easy-going” language (in case of English).
The role of teachers, therefore, should be as the “acknowledgers” of those inner intentions of learning and, throughout them, to teach the target the language so as learning becomes on useful, helpful and meaningful for learners. How? By exposing students to real-life situations; by make them to read spotted literature; by contrast-based learning (using the L1 structure as a basis for the L2 learning); by listening to music, cooking, speaking, drawing, painting, and forth. Nowadays, we can find countless of materials from countless websites that ca be adapted (not just adopted) for students’ needs on learning.
Good afternoon dear fellows
ResponderEliminarFirst of all, I want to recognize how important questions are in the teaching/learning process as they allow every one of us to foster several points of view around one single topic. These two questions you release for the conversation are quite good but also common since teachers specially but also other education authorities like to set forth one resolution to develop Second Language Acquisition classes in an ideal way forgetting about the different roles a teacher needs to assume in order to take into account each student in classroom. Thus, they just ignore that a teacher should not adopt the Atlas complex. On the contrary, a teacher should lead the whole class through a communication environment.
Regarding an efficient theory for a SLA class, I consider there are good ones such as the Cognitivist one, Constructivism and so on, but those ones are barely enough to carry out educative sessions where many topics converge.
Now, I would like to share you all the link of our Concept Map (Daniela Orozco, Sebastián Ramírez and Duván Acosta). Have a nice week!
https://www.goconqr.com/es-ES/p/7556219 (I suggest Google Chrome).
Greetings, dear colleagues.
ResponderEliminarMy point, regarding your questions, is that we, as EFL teachers, must emphasize on all the comprising aspects of our students’ SLA process, such as contents, achievements and competences, but always taking into account their capabilities, learning styles, strengths and personal interests in the first place and, then, guiding them to realize and to face whatever issues they have to overcome and whatever goals they have to accomplish. Besides, we must promote respect and responsive communication as the basis of any teaching and learning interaction. For that reason, I consider that each SLA course must be preceded by a diagnostic exam, in order for students to identify the scope of their prior knowledge according to what is expected from them, as well as for us to restructure certain aspects of those courses, based on the actual needs and demands of the class. Additionally, we need to keep a balance between formative and summative course assignments, implementing the first ones as a way to potentially improve students’ performance in the second ones and aiming both ones at raising their awareness with regards to their own progress, as well as for eliciting and applying meaningful learning in any academic or real-life situation they eventually go through.
Then, if I had to choose a theory for acquiring a second language nowadays, it would be conceiving that language and its acquisition as events beyond any academic setting, i.e. as culturally conditioned practices which rely on the way our world is embodied through everyday communication in that specific language we seek to acquire. As a result, I strongly believe in communicative approaches for SLA, mostly when they are aimed to develop speakers’ intercultural competence as a set of abilities to interact linguistically, socio-linguistically and pragmatically in a foreign culture with a foreign language, understanding its particular perspectives in terms of common referents and assertive attitude towards diversity.
Finally, here are some questions to keep up with the mood of academic discussion, in the sense of Hall (2011) and her conceptions about language, language learning and method:
- How can we, as teachers, guarantee there is actually support of every student in the so called collaborative learning?
- What type and amount of teachers’ intervention in grammar issues should learners receive?
- Does grammar deny or enhance other learning opportunities? How?
- How can we, as teachers, determine our students’ readiness to learn particular grammar features?
- Why does not Hall (2011) provide examples of class activities combining inductive and deductive approaches as she utters it should be?
- How can we assure that the exclusive L2 input by both us (teachers) and students actually improves the quality of their English proficiency? I mean, what amount of mispronounced words and incoherent speech in L2 should teachers allow before begging students to use their L1 again?
ResponderEliminarHello workmakes
According to the readings and the process that I have like student, I think that the role that have the teacher is primordial in the way to learn a SLA because they are the guides, the persons that accompany and ease the learning.On the other hand, all the theories exposed in the class had a similar ways to have a good efficient to acquire a second language; for example, Liddicoat & Sacarino (2013) said that it is neccesary to consider diverse conceptions of language and culture in relation to an intercultural orientation to language teaching and learning.