Formative Assessment

Shokirjonova Bibinurbegim

UI S2 MA TESOL, Webster University in Tashkent

TESL 5230: Theories of Foreign and Second Language Acquisition

Instructor: Avazbek Abbosov

April 16, 2024

 Revised Language Learner Profiles

The age of Maria and Laylo plays a significant role in their language learning experiences.

Teenagers is generally considered an optimal period for language acquisition due to brain

plasticity and cognitive development. Maria, at 17, benefits from her age by having a greater

capacity for language learning, allowing her to grasp grammar rules and engage in complex

communication more easily. On the other hand, Laylo, at 16, is also within this critical period

but faces challenges in language acquisition, possibly due to factors such as anxiety or lack of

exposure. However, both learners are still within an age range where they can make substantial

progress with the right support and opportunities for practice.Teenagers may be more self-

conscious about making mistakes or being judged by their peers, which can hinder their

willingness to practice speaking in a new language If they haven't been exposed to the target

language in their environment or through media, teenagers may have limited opportunities to

practice and immerse themselves in the language. Teenagers generally have strong cognitive

abilities, including memory and analytical skills, which can aid in language learning, especially

in areas like grammar and vocabulary acquisition.The late starters did better than the early

starters, As they were able to acquire as much second language knowledge as the earlier starters

within a very considerably shorter period of time and to progress faster than younger starters on

a variety of oral and written tasks ( Singleton, D., & Pfenninger, S. E., 2018) . Moreover

adolescents often have intrinsic motivation to learn languages, whether it's driven by academic

goals, interest in travel and culture, or future career aspirations. With technology and the

internet, teenagers have access to a wide range of language learning resources, including apps,

online courses, and interactive materials, making it easier to supplement formal language

education.If I compare these students with another group of learners of mine, mainly 8 years old

kids, they also have unique advantages and challenges in language learning. Young children

have a remarkable ability to absorb languages effortlessly, often through immersion and

interaction with caregivers and peers. And because they start learning at a younger age, children
often develop native-like pronunciation in their target language more easily than adults .

However because early exposure is associated with greater consistency and frequency of

personal contact, this results in more opportunities to use the L2 and greater confidence and

sense of self in the language. Which ultimately lead to more practice opportunities and increased

fluency in the language (Munoz,2019). Children learn best through play, so language learning

activities can be incorporated into games, songs, and storytelling, making it enjoyable and

engaging for them. While on the other hand ,children may have shorter attention spans compared

to teenagers and adults, requiring language learning activities to be short, interactive, and varied.

While children are less inhibited and self-conscious than older learners, they may not be aware

of grammar rules or language structures, relying more on mimicry and repetition. Children often

require scaffolding and support from adults or educators to guide their language learning and

provide context for new vocabulary and concepts.

Two aspects of language

First useful aspect I have chosen is Phonology /Phonetics. citation. Learning phonology is very

useful both for little and elder learners as from this aspect students will learn correct

pronunciation of the words and the way sounds are used in a language usage. As Pfenninger and

Singleton( 2017) examined the study about age in learning English and said that there is not a big

difference between the older and younger starters . The study was held in Switzerland between

eight and thirteen age group of learners. To tell the exact advantages of learning depended on

different age limit : for elder learners , in my situation they are 17-18 years old schoolchildren ,

for them it is important to learn this aspect because they must develop their listening and writing

skills. As these skills depend on phonological aspect firstly they must learn how to pronounce

words and must learn spelling. It will not be difficult for elder learners to learn

Phonetics/Phonology because they already know most words as they practice more than younger

learners but still they may have some difficulties with words which identical in pronunciation .

Moreover, for my younger learners it is beneficial to teach phonology as they will learn the
usage of the right sound and the way sounds are used at their early age and they will develop

their speaking skill at their early age. Without the practice , only in class teaching learning

phonology may be boring for younger learners bur if the teacher manages to teach Phonology or

Phonetics for young learners it will be beneficial in their accuracy. In contrast , to learn

phonology is easier for elder group of learner but for Xeba and Sasha it may create some

difficulties to achieve speech fluency and accuracy when learning phonology.

The second factor I have chosen is syntax . The aspect of syntax is very important for L2 learners

in any age because in this part of linguistics we learn the structures and sentence formation. In

this part we are going to teach students how words and phrases are arranged to form the correct

sentence in English language. Learning syntax may be easy for 17-18 years old students as they

already developed their listening and reading skill and got used to listen and read correct

sentences , so by the help of this chanсe they may use language correctly even if they don’t

know about syntax as Munoz (2006) stated that there is an advantage of older learners in

dimensions like syntax and morphosyntax which was interpreted as resulting from different

states of cognitive maturity of elder as well as younger learners. For young learners learning

sentence structure and use this knowledge can be difficult because structures might seem hard to

remember and they pause when they use learned structure but learning is still essential as long as

the destination is to achieve advanced level in L2. To achieve desired point in language learning

I as an English teacher should work more with my students to motivate them to learn more and

create convenience for them , to make lessons more interesting and work with handouts. As

Oprandy ( 1999 , as cited in Waller , 2017) mentioned that the teacher`s attitude towards their

job and who they are for learners affects how they view their students and their learner`s abilities

to learn.

Teaching Philosophy Statement

Since I am a teacher at local school at Termiz city for three years , I have experienced a lot and I

can say that I saw lots of different students so my teaching philosophy raised and improved a lot.

I am a creative teacher and I always try to create some new methods for teaching my students.

To my mind, the teacher should be creative and patient as they are psychologistsas every pupil

has their character and future plans. In my lessons I always insist on practicing one skill in

learning and performing in English language and it is self-confidence. Self-confidence is a greet

aspect in learning any kind of language because if one believe in himself , he achieves a great

deal of destinations. I have seen lots of confident students from my experience and they differ

from others. Moreover, I tried to learn thinking critically , working in peers , doing a group work

, brainstorming and so on by the activities that created by myself. Giving motivation and to wake

the interest in students is the task of teachers. As every learner have the different abilities in

learning English language my students have also their own style of learning and for them I

always want to be a motivator. I work with each of my learner , I try to give timely feedbacks

and check their homework. Every time when I work with their weakness I see the improvement

in their L2. To me , the responsibility they have towards my lessons is important aspect and I

demand this one. As it is a fact that , errors are the chances to develop ourselves , I always ask to

give their questions when we have something new. As everything must be planned in our lessons

I try to keep a balance between their personal life and our classes, I don’t ask to study hard, I ask

to study effectively during my lessons because as Hawkins and Norton(2009, as cited in Waller ,

2017) stated that both teachers and students performance depend on the practice and unconscious

power structures embedded in classes and it is essential to create an atmosphere of justice

among students by giving voice to voiceless and creating conveniences for the learners. As

stated above, the classroom work can solve lots of problems and show the exact results so about

the classroom environment as Bloome (2012, as cited in Waller ,2017) added that it is not only

the actors ( teachers and students ) job but also the props ( physical materials ) job to create a

conductive classroom environment. Moreover, it is ok when they don’t understand the theme in
this case I just keep working with them individually. In addition , it is important for teachers to

work individually with students as I always do because only an individual work can boost the

students potential and develop them. As Now, nothing will stay at the same rate and manner

that’s why my teaching philosophy is changing as I always try to develop myself as a teacher.

Reference

Muñoz, C. (2019). A new look at "age": Young and old L2 learners. In Schwieter, J. W., &

Benati, A. (Eds.). The Cambridge handbook of language learning (pp. 430-450).

Cambridge University Press.

Singleton, D., & Pfenninger, S. E. (2018b). L2 acquisition in childhood, adulthood and old age.

Journal of Second Language Studies (Print), 1(2), 254–276.

Waller, L., Wethers, K., & De Costa, P. I. (2017). A critical praxis: narrowing the gap between

identity, theory, and practice. TESOL Journal, 8(1), 4–27