TASK 1B.

UNDERSTANDING LANGUAGE
COVER PAGE
First and Second Language Acquisition and Learning

TASK 2

DEFINING CONCEPTS

By: Claudia Yaneth Lopez Agredo

ID: 1084257393

Group:

Tutor:

UNAD

As a student of a Bachelor's degree in English as a foreign

language it is necessary to address the issues concerning
teaching, learning and language.
Therefore, in this presentation, a general outline will be
given by means of a mind map on the topics mentioned
above; as well as the main aspects of constructivism as a
school of thought and the philosophy of Vygotsky.
Finally, a case study is presented in which any of these
theories are applied.
Constructivism, is an interesting theory that arises in the 80's and 90’s, when trying to understand
how human learning occurs.

Under this approach it is understood that knowledge is a construct that comes from contact with
the outside. And for that reason it is a counterproposal against conductivism.

In this school of thought the learners are active constructors of knowledge

The most prominent thinkers of this theory are:

Vygotsky, Khun, Greeno with the Social or Realistic approach.

And on the other hand they are: Piaget, Bruner, Ausubel with the cognitive or radical approach

Constructivism as a pedagogical model points out that knowledge is not a copy of the context, but
a construction of the learner's own knowledge in its relationship with the environment, which
starts from a first recognition of knowledge. The fundamental thing in this model is not the
acquisition of new knowledge, but what can be done with this new knowledge, its applicability,
contrast with reality.

Vygotsky's concept of the zone of proximal development (ZPD) is based on the fact that
development is defined by what a child can do independently or with the guidance or support of
an adult or someone with more knowledge.

For this reason the role of the Professor is of guidance, instruction and support.
CONSTRUCTIVISM AND VYGOTSKY'S PHILOSOPHY
Focus: The environment is the main thing for learning. The learner must be
enculturated within the community to which he belongs to appropriate the
knowledge.
Social or Realistic Constructivism
Social and Radical Constructivism
Radical or Cognitive Constructivism
The learning process occurs in an intrapersonal way but with interaction with
the environment.
The learner is oriented in learning and is a discoverer.
Vygotsky's Philosophy
Vigotsky's
Philosophy
The role of Language:
Any language is the summation of the development of the history of language.
The acquisition of language is basic for the higher mental thinking.
The human mind is shaped by language.
The role of Consciousness:
Cons is an individual's general perceptual orientation: äbility to perceive
meaningfully.
Mastery of language and consciousness produce: intellectualization.
The development of consciousness is from the social to the individual.
Fundamental principles
The laws of nature are the laws of history.
The mastery of a language supports higher mental functions.
Historical- Dialectical- Monism: functional relational between the social and the
individual. Representation of the universes only with the human mind.
Relationship: word meaning and language
Concept of the zone of proximal development (ZPD): development is defined by
what a child can do independently or with the guidance or support of an adult.

The many aspects of constructivism by Phillips (1995)

Good, bad and ugly side of Constructivism
(Phillips, 1995)
Good aspects:
Recognition to the social nature of learning
Bad side:
Epistemological relativism (individual and social relativism): no absolut truth.
Ugly side:
"Quasi-religious or ideological aspect"

1B. UNDERSTANDING LANGUAGE:

CASE OF STUDY
JUSTIFICATION CASE OF STUDY
The case study is about a problem that occurs in the classrooms at the
beginning of the school season when in the same classroom there are different
levels of English among the children.
The objective is to balance the best possible the children at a level of English
more even to be able to do the teaching in a more successful way.
As a student of English and a future teacher, I consider that this is a major
problem that teachers must deal with when confronted with their teaching-
learning objectives in a classroom and that they achieve to level the students
before entering fully into the content of the course. This course would be much
more beneficial for the general objective because it reduces the demotivating or
frustration that occurs in the classroom before the different levels of knowledge
and proficiency.

Context of the case

5th grade elementary school student population. Middle class school
Previous differences in the level of knowledge and proficiency in English.
Students are frustrated and insecure because of their shortcomings in the
learning process
Students do not have the support of their family or social environment to
coexist with the English language or to solve their doubts.
Constructivist strategies to apply:
General strategies
1. Conduct evaluations at the beginning of the course to establish the English
level of the class. This is part of defining the prior knowledge that students have
which is a basic premise of constructivism.
2. Start with the easiest topics of the course and increase the difficulty as you
achieve greater equality in the English level of the course, all this to do step
learning.
3. Raising learning challenges for children to involve them in their learning
process so that they are the center of the process and the builders of it.
4.Focus teaching from the guide and instruction, allowing children to be
protagonists of their learning
Constructivist strategies to apply:
Particular strategies
Constructivism promotes learning strategies that help the child to connect
knowledge with their previous knowledge, to be the center of learning and
interact with their environment to achieve cognitive development, which is why
these activities are proposed for 1 month:
1. Carry out an initial evaluation to detect the level of the students.
2. Established the initial level, divide the class into groups. In each group, there
must be a student of good level as a minimum to serve as a mentor or guide.
3. Set the classroom with words and expressions in English.
4. Have a chart of progress and tasks in view of all.
5. The activities carried out will be reinforced from the four English skills:
listening, speaking, writing, reading.
6. Perform an initial activity to recognize the spaces and different environments
of the school. Make an inventory of the above in English, according to the
chosen groups and then present the results to the class.
7. Define weaknesses and guide children so that they can overcome them and
improve in the weak points.
8.According to the detected weaknesses, reinforce the 4 skills that require it.
Also support this task with the mentor students so that a better interaction in
the class can be developed.
9.Through a playful activity in groups the students explain some of the following
topics: colors, animals, personal presentation, family, school, activities, food,
numbers and alphabet or parts of the body.
10.Define weaknesses and guide children so that they can overcome them and
improve in the weak points.
11.According to the detected weaknesses, reinforce the 4 skills that require it.
Also support this task with the mentor students so that a better interaction in
the class can be developed.
12. Conclude this first stage, making a contest to spell words, writing, use of
the dictionary or singing to generate competition and challenge in the students.
The objective is to learn from mistakes and overcome weaknesses

CONCLUSION
Carry out activities that generate motivation, the commitment of the student
and support by the teacher in correcting weaknesses and trying to level the
knowledge of the students. This as a first strategy to continue the development
of the entire curriculum. All this purpose is so that the subject is not addressed
without prior recognition from the constructivist point of view and so the group
of students is properly prepared.
Brown, H. D. (2000). Principles of language learning and teaching. Chapter 1.
Retrieved from https://octovany.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/ok-teaching-by-
principles-h-douglas-brown.pdf
Doughty, C. J., & Long, M. H. (Eds.). (2008). The handbook of second language
acquisition (Vol. 27). John Wiley & Sons.313-337 Retrieved from
http://www.international.ucla.edu/media/files/handbook.pdf?
AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1
Guillen Ramirez, M. ( 10,12,2018). Unit 1 Language learning and teaching.
[Archivo de video]. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/10596/22628
Liu, C. H., & Matthews, R. (2005). Vygotsky's Philosophy: Constructivism and Its
Criticisms Examined. International education journal, 6(3), 386-399. Retrieved
from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ854992.pdf
 TASK
1A-DEFINING CONCEPTS
CONSTRUCTIVISM AS A SCHOOL OF THOUGHT.
Constructivism is a learning theory which is based and say that human can to
construct their own conception of reality and the world in which they live. Each
person on the world generates his own knowledge, mental models and his own
rules and with which give sense and meaning to our experiences and actions.
 EXPLANATION OF
VYGOTSKY´S PHILOSOPHY.
Vygotsky affirms, that the human life could not be possible that the man was to
avail just on the brain and hands, without the instruments what generate a
social product.

According with Vygotsky,

the intelligence is developed with the help of certain instruments or
psychological tools that the child finds in his environment, inclusive, the
language is considered like a key tool. These great tools increase the mental
abilities such as memory, attention, concentration, etc. Therefore, the practical
activities in which the child participate will be introduced in the mental
activities increasingly complex through the words, lack of this tools will directly
influence in the level of thinking the child can get.

ygotsky believed and said, social environment is crucial for learning process; he
thought that this is relevant for the integration of personal and social factors.
The social activity integration helps explain changes in the awareness and
builds a psychological theory that joint and unifies behavior and mind. The
social environment influences in cognition across their "instruments", namely,
their cultural objects (cars, machines) and its language and social institutions
(churches, schools). Cognitive change is the goal of using cultural tools in social
relationships.

A group of tenth grade students have difficulty expressing themselves in writing

in the development of the second language.
Case study
Vygotsky's position is an example of dialectical constructivism, because it
emphasizes and put his attention in the interaction between individuals and
their environment.

Applying vigotsky theories

1. When the teacher teaches in the classroom to learn, to think, to create in
representations and concepts learning through the a story´s writing, doing a
dramatization etc.
2.When in a class there are students from different places, and the teacher asks
to exchange information with others by written means
3. When the teacher uses the exchange of roles to generate knowledge.
4. When learners can do a writing, an essay or a mural
REFERENCES BIBLIOGRAPHIC
Liu, C. H., & Matthews, R. (2005). Vygotsky's Philosophy: Constructivism and Its
Criticisms Examined. International education journal, 6(3), 386-399. Retrieved
from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ854992.pdf
Brown, H. D. (2000). Principles of language learning and teaching. Chapter 1.
Retrieved from https://octovany.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/ok-teaching-by-
principles-h-douglas-brown.pdf
 Introduction
According to Vygotsky the constructivism is the way how students can interact
with the new knowledge, but he describes the tool the learner uses to reach
his/her desired information, in the case of the classroom the teacher is who
helps them to get goal. Let’s see a simple example of what I am talking about;
there is a balloon stuck on a branch of a tree and a boy is passing by and see it
then he/she wants it. The ground is the stage he/she master and know but not
the tree because is a new stage he/she has not experimented, and the balloon is
far from his/her reach, this is because of the tree is too high. Then an adult is
coming but instead of climb and get it for him/her. He decides to pick him/her up
so it can take it on his/her own. In this case the adult is the tool which the child
uses to get what he/she wants. For Vygotsky the knowledges are co-
constructed.
Case of Study
There are 7 students from a rural school in ninth grade that are bored and
discouraged of English, because they do not find the reason of learning it. And
they also find it useless. The reason they argue is that: In the countryside
English is no necessary there. So, they can not find the importance acquire it.
And the teacher is teaching them vocabulary not related to the farms, harvest,
plants and more thing of the countryside what they do and love.
The teacher has decided to stop what he is doing and look for a new strategy. in
this one he focuses on vocabulary related to field and he lets them to work in
groups. He decides to give them a speech about the importance of implement
new technologies and machinery that would make and help them and their
parents the work easier. And the necessity of known this tongue to operate
correctly the new machines.

Now the teacher asked them to investigate the vocabulary related the
countryside and students are motivated and they also are doing it in groups to
share each other their knowledges
Constructivism
The cognitive Constructivism
It is meanly focused in the personal or individual acquisition of the knowledges.
The social Constructivism
It is focused about the important role of the society and the culture plays on the
learners and how it helps them to mold the personality.