UNIT 4: Instruction and the Acquisition of English as an L2.

Proposals for FLT

1. Get it right from the beginning.
2. Just listen… and read.
3. Let’s talk.
4. Get two for one.
5. Teach what is teachable.
6. Get it right in the end.

2 structure-based approaches:
1) Grammar-translation method.
2) Audiolingual method/ Audiolingualims.

Grammar-translation method
Purpose of language teaching
- to make Ls be able to read literary texts in the FL
- Origin: teaching of classical languages (Greek or Latin)

Content
1) Grammar rules (deductive teaching) PP- practice of the rule , but not production.
2) Vocabulary
- Lists of words with their translations in the L1
- Aim: to learn them by heart (no contextualization)

Research findings
- Useful for the study of grammar and vocabulary
- Problems: Ls unable to use the FL for communication outside the classroom

Audiolingual method
- Reaction to the GTM
- GTM: Learning about the FL (Development of DK, No interaction)
- ALM: to lead Ls to actually speak the FL.

Purpose of language teaching: to make Ls become fluent speakers (learn to use the FL
automatically, without stopping to think)

Content:
1. Grammar. (inductive teaching)
2. Pronunciation (native-like)
3. Vocabulary (contextualized)
Activities
- Drills and memorisation of dialogues.
Linguistic theory:
- Structuralism (Language as a closed system based on small elements combined to
create bigger patterns)

Psychological theory:
- Behaviourism
- Scheme: Stimulus-Response-Reinforcement (positive or negative)
- Language learning based on imitation and habit formation. Ls imitate what they
hear and they create ‘habits’
- Errors: important to prevent Ls from making errors. Errors lead to the formation of
‘bad habits’.
- An error, then immediately corrected by the teacher.

‘Get it right from the beginning’ (focus on accuracy)

Research findings
- Motivation. stifled by an insistence on correctness in the earliest stages of L2
learning.
- Emphasis on accuracy (inhibited and reluctant to speak)
- Language: not learned by the gradual accumulation of one grammatical feature after
another.
Problem
- Failure to produce fluency

2. Just listen… and read.

- Language acquisition takes place when Ls are exposed to comprehensible input.
- Through listening and/or reading (receptive skills)
- Proposal related to Krashen (1985) and his input hypothesis
- i+1 (TL is acquired when Ls receive input containing forms and structures just
beyond their current level of competence in the TL)

- Controversial proposal:
Ls do not need to produce language to learn it
Enough to hear/read and understand the TL

Research findings
- Comprehension-based approach: Ls can make considerable progress if they have
sustained exposure to language they understand (i.e. i+1)
- Comprehension of meaningful language (active listening and reading for meaning):
foundation language acquisition.

Problem
- Ls: difficulties in using the TL for communication
- Good way to begin learning or as a supplement to other kinds of learning for more
advanced Ls, but
- Comprehensible input is not enough.

The focus on both approaches (previously seen) is on form, accuracy.*

3. Let’s talk.
- Comprehensible input + conversation interaction.
- To enable Ls to communicate in the FL- to achieve communicative competence.
(grammatical competence, lexical competence, discourse competence, pragmatic
competence, strategic competence)

Communicate approach
● Psychological theory:

- Humanistic psychology
- Affective domain (motivation, self-confidence)
- Learning styles and learning strategies
- Learner-centredness and learner autonomy (key in present education)

- Cognitivism
- Meaningful learning
 - Ls need to understand what they are doing and why (make a role people and you
explain the Ls the reason)
- Connect new ideas and knowledge with the ideas and knowledge they already have

● Linguistic theory

- Functionalism
- TL used for a communicative purpose
- TL is contextualised
- TL based on communicative functions (e.g. greeting, apologising, etc.)

- Techniques/activities
- Communicative activities (not only by used of speaking, we can have a
communicative activity with reading, listening and writing too) ;tasks; project work
- Real-life interaction:
1) Information gap and (ex, a pair, one can have information that the other have
not)
2) Negotiation of meaning

- Errors
- Tolerated (natural and positive part of language learning)
- Reflection of a L’s stage of interlanguage development (What learners are going to
process, produce and be acquired or not)
- Aim: fluency (not accuracy)

- Research findings
- Ls see the limitations of their interlanguage
- Benefits of interaction on L2 language learning over time

4. Get two for one

- Content subjects, or parts of these subjects, (e.g. history) taught through a FL
- Get two for one: subject matter content and TL
- CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning
- AICLE (Aprendizaje Integrado de Contenido y Lengua Extranjera)

- Research findings:
- Positive outcomes of CLIL
➢ FL competence
➢ L1 competence
➢ Subject-matter knowledge
➢ Cultural knowledge
➢ Motivation, self-esteem, and confidence.
- Controversy/debate (Bruton vs. Lorenzo, Casal and Moore)
 - Less positive results. Little difference between CLIL and non-CLIL Ls:
➢ Productive vocabulary
➢ Written and spoken production in content areas
➢ Morphosyntax
➢ Pronunciation

- Flaws in the existing research:

- Lack of homogeneity of the participants,
- Lack of a pre-testing phase prior to the implementation of CLIL
- Reduced size of the samples used

5. Teach what is teachable

- Pienemman’s Processability Theory
- Some aspects of the language develop according to ‘natural’ sequences of
development
- Other aspects (e.g. vocabulary) can be taught at any time.
- Ex. Developmental stages of English questions (in Lightbown and Spada, 2013)

Act. Transcripción.

S1. Mylene, Where you put your ‘kid of the week’ poster?
T where did you put your poster when you got it?
S2 in my room.

(two minutes later)

S3 Beatrice, where you put your ‘kid of the week’ poster?

T where did you put your poster
S4 my poster was on my wall and it fell down.

Learners- Stage 3 questions

Teacher- Stage 5 questions

- Pienemman (1988)
- 2 groups of Australian university Ls of German
- Stage 2 in their acquisition of German word order
- Taught rules associated with Stage 3 and 4 respectively
- Ls (instruction on Stage 3): moved easily from this stage to Stage 3
- Ls (instruction on Stage 4): continued to use Stage 2 rules or moved only into Stage 3
- Ls cannot be taught what they are not developmentally ready to learn

6. Get it right in the end

- Form-focused instruction (not everything has to be taught)
- Correction of Ls’ errors (occasionally)
- Meaning-focused instruction (Beginning: Ls engage in language use)
- Vocabulary, pronunciation, grammar, etc. will be acquired naturally with adequate
exposure to the TL (input+output)
- In line with the ‘teach what is teachable’ proposal

- Research findings
- Form-focused instruction + communicative practice
- Good knowledge of grammar rules + ability to use the rules in meaningful and
spontaneous language production
- Form-focused instruction: more effective with some language features than with
others.