Fundamentos II

Task I
Epistemology and Methods (i)

Through this task you will work on the main ideas from the following texts:

Desinano N. & Sanjurjo L. (2016). La planificación de la enseñanza como decisión profesional

del docente. In Desinano N. & Sanjurjo L., La enseñanza de la lengua en la escuela media. ( pp
33-46). Santa Fe: HomoSapiens.

Forrester, M. (1997). Language Structure and the Significance of Recursion. In Forrester, M.

Psychology of Language I. (pp 18-36).London: Sage.

Madrid D. (1999). Modelos para investigar en el aula de lengua extranjera. In Salaberri Ramiro,
M. Lingüística aplicada a la enseñanza de lenguas extranjeras. Universidad de Almería.

Mitchell R. & Myles F. (2004). Linguistics and language learning: the Universal Grammar
Approach. In Mitchell R. & Myles F., Second language learning theories. (pp52-94). UK:
Hodder Arnold.

Vez, J.M. (2001). Aportaciones de la lingüística moderna. In Vez, JM Formación en didáctica de

las lenguas extranjeras. (pp 97-112). Santa Fe: HomoSapiens.

Saville-Troike M. (2006). The linguistics of Second Language Acquisition. In Saville-Troike M

,Introducing Second Language Acquisition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

All the scholars are concerned with language teaching. Desinano and Sanjurjo are concerned
with the teaching of Spanish and they question the different theories of language and learning
that the Spanish Curriculum Design for Secondary School contemplates. They develop a
critical view towards it. It is from this source, I have got , in my class notes, the approach
towards planning classes. Forrester is interested in the psychological development of
language; from this source I have reconceptualised some of Chomsky’s key concepts. The
source written by Madrid has helped me frame the theories of language, learning and teaching
within the different schools of thought. The applied linguists, Mitchel and Myles, both
interested in the teaching of English, have given me enough information on the pedagogical
implication of Chomsky’s theory of language acquisition. Vez, an applied linguist interested in
the teaching of English, has provided me with more information about Epistemology and the
teaching of English. Finally, Saville - Troike, an applied linguist, gives us the information about
the historical development of the different methods and approached towards the teaching of
English.

We need to delve into these sources for we have to work on the different methods and
approaches towards teaching English. The main aspects of the language that are being
exploited through the class notes are the linguistic and the cognitive ones. This is the reason
why I have worked on Chomsky’s findings and the pedagogical implications of some of his key
concepts. Moreover, departing from Chomsky’s theory, we will get to understand the cognitive
approach towards learning a language. These views are basically rational. Yet, they may be
applied from a pure innate perspective; an empirical-rational perspective ; or from a cultural-
rational perspective. These ideas are meant to be comprehended through the way in which
the different Methods and Approaches have been applied not only from a historical angle but
from a didactic angle as well.
This task is a pre-task since you will need to work on the comprehension of the different
arguments to build the task that follows. Then, you will work on the following items so that
you can unfold them orally during a scheduled Google Meet.

1- How would you define a Hermeneutic approach to teaching English?

2- Why is Epistemology so important when planning teaching?
3- How does the mechanistic approach to teaching compare to the procedural- approach
to teaching?
4- To which extent does Contrastive Analysis exemplify a rational- mechanistic view of
knowledge?
5- Why would planning through a hypothetical script be taken as an instance of
debunking a rational- mechanistic view towards teaching?
6- In your own words, explain the relationship between the reflexive approach and the
set of questions proposed to carry this approach out.