common assumption

Jump to first page 1 ELT Methodology 1 ELT Methodology 1 Lesson 1 Lesson 1 Common assumptions of language learning and teaching  I. Common assumptions of language learning  II. Common assumptions of language teaching 1. Languages are learnt mainly through imitation.  For: Imitation and memorization are used to learn pronunciation and intonation, new words or structures.  Against: + there is an infinite (vo han) number of sentences in English. + learners produce novel (moi,la)sentences throughout their life, many of which have never been heard but based on their understanding of how the language works. Learners selectively imitate certain words or structures. 2. Parents usually correct young children when they make grammatical errors. - Based on children’s age + Pre-schoolers: parents correct lapses (sai sot) in politeness or word choice + School-age children: parents correct non-standard speech “Me and Fred are going outside now.” - Based on parents’ sociolinguistic backgrounds “That’s the boy who I gave my books to.” “That’s the boy to whom I gave my books.”  Parents tend to focus on meaning rather than form. 3. People with high IQs are good language learners.  In classrooms where the emphasis is on learning ABOUT the language (i.e., grammar rules and vocabulary items), people with high IQs tend to succeed.  In classrooms where the emphasis is on interactive language use (oral communication), people of a wide variety of intellectual abilities can be successful with acquisition. 4. The most important factor in second language acquisition is motivation.  Motivation is important, but equally important is the difference in learning aptitudes (kha nang tu nhien, nang khieu) and how instruction interacts with individual learner styles and preferences for learning.  There is a cause and effect relationship between motivation and success.  Teachers are responsible for motivating students in classroom so that they can experience success. 5. The earlier a second language is introduced in school programs, the greater the likelihood of success in learning.  Depends on the objectives of the school program in the social context of the school + For native-like performance: the earlier, the better. Be aware of subtractive bilingualism (song ngu) (minority-language backgrounds) A strong L1 is very important to overall confidence and long-term academic achievement. + For basic communication: children at the age of 10  School programs should based on realistic estimates of how long it takes to learn a second language. 6. Most of the mistakes which second language learners make are due to interference from their first language.  L1 transfer is a source of errors.  Overgeneralization of the target language rules is more often a cause of errors.  Aspects which are different from L1 will not necessarily be acquired later or with more difficulty than those which are similar. 7. Teachers should present grammatical rules one at a time, and learners should practise examples of each one before going to another.  Language learning is NOT linear (duong thang) in its development. I went to the town. (memorizing) I goed to the town. (regular past tense) I went to the town. (exception)  As learners are incorporating new information about the language into their own system of rules about the language, they may temporarily forget something they knew and then recover it at a later date.  Teachers must allow students to compare and contrast different aspects of the language in order to learn. 8. Teachers should teach simple language structures before complex ones.  Certain language structures will be learned before others reg ardless of presentation.  However, modified speech by native speakers, with the exclusion of complex forms, does assist students' learning.  Some simple linguistic forms can never be used if teachers do not introduce them to the learners. [...]... 5 Learners need access to correction and form-focused instruction Lightbown, P.M., & Spada, N (1999) How languages are learned (Revised Ed.) Oxford: Oxford University Press I Common assumptions of language learning II Common assumptions of language teaching 1 Students learn best through spoken, not written language  For: - Article 1 of the International Phonetics Association in the 1880s was 'Foreign... (Scrivenor, 1994); - The task-based learning approach ‘assumes that tasks are directed at oral skills, particularly speaking’ (Ellis, 2003, p 6) 1 Students learn best through spoken, not written language For: + common sense : Children speak their first language long before they write it; + linguistics: Aristotle: 'Sounds produced by the voice are symbols of affections of the soul, and writing is a symbol of vocal . Methodology 1 ELT Methodology 1 Lesson 1 Lesson 1 Common assumptions of language learning and teaching  I. Common assumptions of language learning  II. Common assumptions of language teaching 1. Languages. languages are learned (Revised Ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.  I. Common assumptions of language learning  II. Common assumptions of language teaching 1. Students learn best through spoken,. speaking’ (Ellis, 2003, p. 6) 1. Students learn best through spoken, not written language.  For: + common sense : Children speak their first language long before they write it; + linguistics: Aristotle: