Language Acquisition: Forms, Meaning, and Social Learning
Focus on Forms
Units: Grammar rules/phonemes. Selection: Descriptive grammar & general consensus. Sequencing: Various notions of difficulty, frequency, or usefulness. Taught: One at a time/in pairs. Learned: Must accumulate them until the whole structure of the language has been built. Input: Artificial & simplified texts. Learner’s Role: Synthesize units for use in communication. Focus on forms: Inductively/deductively. Method: Presentation, practice, production.
BUT it’s been questioned by robust findings in SLA:
- Learners don’t learn new rules on the go.
- They cross developmental sequences usually affected by L1-L2 relationships.
- Morphosyntactic development requires prolonged periods of form-function mapping.
- Development isn’t unidirectional.
- Accompanied by synthetic methods.
Why so Popular?
- Gives teachers a sense of professionalism.
- Easily organized into units.
- Clear learning goals.
- Precise evaluation system.
- Promoted by publishing companies.
Arguments in favor: Acquisition of explicit knowledge can lead to L2 learning. Explicit instruction helps learners monitor their productions. Grammar is challenging.
Focus on Meaning
Units: Subject matter. Selection: Determined by subject-matter specialists. Sequencing: Determined by subject matter. Taught: Usually in one-way. Learned: In a natural way, implicit. Input: Realistic. Learner’s Role: Unconsciously analyze the regularities of the language. No focus on form at all: Implicit learning. Method: Presentation of subject matter.
BUT ignores maturational constraints in acquisition. Immersion programs say that comprehension was high, but production did not develop to native-like levels. Some contrasts between L1 & L2 can’t be learned with positive evidence alone. Learn more slowly.
Focus on Form
Units: Pedagogical tasks. Selection: Need analysis. Sequencing: Their cognitive complexity. Taught: Learner-centered classes. Learned: Unconsciously & paying attention to form. Input: Realistic. Learner’s Role: Analyze regularities of the language. Incidental focus on form: Arises incidentally in meaning-driven activities. Method: Pre-task, task, post-task.
Arguments in Favor: More coherent with what is known about SLA – student focuses on what is ready to learn.
PROBLEMS: Who decides the needs of students? What target language features should be focused on? Unclear what exactly leads learners to acquire the language; evidence is needed.
CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning)
Step 1: Students focus on a subject matter and learn about it in the target language. Goals, procedures, etc., are discussed.
Step 2: Pre-activities to check learners’ background, activate schemata, raise expectations, and facilitate negotiation.
Step 3: Readings. Work in small groups. Are assigned tasks related to subject matter. They gather information.
Step 4: Share results.
Step 5: Post-reading + follow-up tasks to ensure comprehension.
OUTCOME: In some cases, oral report or presentation.
Social Aspects of Second Language Acquisition
1) Children learn L1 by meaning-making collaborative activity with other members of the community.
2) Language develops as a meaning-making tool.
3) The symbolic system in the L1 prepares the 2nd language learner for the creation of more meaning-making tools in the L2 through collaborative activity.
ISSUES:
Self-regulation: When faced with a task, L2 learners try to gain control over it. There’s regulatory speech and private speech, also called languaging when produced in the L1.
Activity theory: The same task can be tackled differently by different learners. Depends on the interpretation, engagement, and cultural background.
Teacher mediation: Learners move from other-regulated performance to self-regulated performance.