1- ) Languages are learned mainly through imitation
Imitation is
an individual learning strategy and important process of learning; however, it
is not universal characteristic of language learners to learn language. The
children imitate certain words or structures while they are learning the
language. Some learners do not internalizae a great list of imitated and
memorized sentences. Some students learn more easily than the others when they
imitate the teacher; but, there is a possibility of forgetting these things if
they do not use them continuously in meaningful interaction in their social
lives. Imitation can be useful and suitable for advanced learners who are
determined to improve their pronunciation, intonation and careful listening
skills. Also, imitation can be implemented in the lessons in which
audio-lingual approaches are used.
2- ) Parents usually correct young children when they
make grammatical errors
Most parents
tend to correct their children’s speech and this kind of correction depends on
children’s age and partly parents’ social, linguistic and educational
backgrounds. The age of the children can affect the type of the correction; for
example, the parents’ of young children rarely comment on grammatical errors.
They neglect the form. However, the children are getting older; the parents
correct the non-standard speech of their children. Parents usually focus on
meaning rather than form, which is not suitable for the development of
children’s speech. It is not necessary to correct children to learn the basic
structure. They can acquire the adult form of the language without explicit
feedback. To me, parents should correct their errors or mistakes if necessary;
because, second language learners may develop fossilized words/forms without
any corrective feedback or guidance.
3- ) Highly intelligent people are good language
learners
In my
opinion, there is not any important connection between the ability to learn a
language and being the highly intelligent people. People with high IQ may not
be good language learners because language learning is not only evaluated with
one’s knowledge about grammar rules or items of language believed to be tested
quantitatively. In fact, language learning gives emphasis on the oral
communication skills of the learner which cannot be measured in a test of IQ.
If people are interested in learning something like foreign language and its
items, they can be successful as a good language learner. As far as I see and
experience, these people who are successful in language learning are the social
and entertaining people that is not a characteristic which cannot be measured
in IQ test.
4- ) The best predictor of success in second language
acquisition is motivation
Motivation
has been one of the most controversial issues for a long time. Motivation is
necessary, but there are also many other factors. Changes that come with age
and individual differences affect the motivation. Teachers should know the
students’ different levels and s/he tries to motivate them. Apart from
motivation; age, interests, cultural backgrounds are important issues which
affect language success. I think that motivation increases success; but success
also increases motivation. Although the teachers have no influence over
learners’ intrinsic motivation for learning a second language, they try to
create a supportive environment in which the students engage in activities,
have self-confidence and interact with each other freely in the classroom.
Teachers should pay attention to these differences to influence learners’
motivation.
5- ) The earlier a second language is introduced in
school programs, the greater the likelihood of success in learning
If the aim
is native-like performance in the second language, it is reasonable to begin
exposure as early as possible. However, if the aim is native-like proficiency,
early start for second language learning has disadvantages; because, if the
students start to learn the second language in the early ages, they may not develop
their first language skills. Yet, it is known that the starting earlier may
lead to more native-like acquisition especially for pronunciation, but the
children who start later can catch up quickly. Children from minority language
backgrounds can develop their success with programs both at home and at school.
In other words, the success of the students who develop their language skills
depends on the objectives of the program and the amount of time they spent.
6- ) Most of the mistakes that second language learners
make are due to interference from their first language
In a
classroom setting, it is observed that many errors of the students are
available and there are many causes of them; but, the most important and
well-known one is “L1 interference to the L2”. Learners with different L1s make
the same errors when learning a particular L2. Especially, Egyptian students
make such kind of mistakes while learning a particular the second language. If
the teachers provide the students for the basic differences between the target
language and the mother tongue, the students develop their language skills and
they try to think about those differences.
7- ) The best way to learn new vocabulary is through
reading
The teachers
and the students give importance to the reading skills. While learning new
vocabulary structures, reading is the most well-known strategy. The teachers
claim that the more books you read, the more vocabulary you develop and they
want the students to reading in the target language or in the mother tongue.
Second language learners benefit from opportunities to read material which s
interesting and important to them. In my opinion, the students develop their
own skills while learning vocabulary because some of the students learn new
items by hearing or reading the books step by step. There are different kinds
of levels for each book and they should start reading from the easiest to the
hardest one.
8- ) It is essential for learners to be able to
pronounce all the individual sounds in the second language
Producing
all the individual sounds needs a great deal of exposure to the language. If
the students have a chance to hear the words and the correct sounds outside the
classroom, they can easily develop their pronunciation skills. The first
language effect on the second language appears in the pronunciation of the
target language sounds. As an example, in Egypt, while the students can produce
some sounds easily, they cannot articulate some. When they pronounce “p, b, th”
sounds, they may face with some problems because of their first language
influence. I think if they communicate with an interlocutor in a clear and
understandable way, there are not any important problems for them.
9- ) Once learners know roughly 1.000 words and the
basic structure of a second language, they can easily participate in
conversations with native speakers
Most
conversational language involves a relatively limited number of words and
sentence types. If the learners have an understanding of some of the pragmatic
features of the new language, they will find it easier to understand and
negotiate. The students should also know the cultural these differences can
lead to communication breakdown even when the structures are correct.
10- ) Teachers should present grammar rules one at a
time, and learners should practice examples of each one before going on to
another
Language
development is a process of integrating new language forms and patterns into an
existing interlanguage, readjusting and restructuring until all the pieces fit.
Teachers use course books in the lesson and we see the contents at the
beginning of these books. There are some units and each unit, there are some
subsequent units. After the students learn the first unit, they practice it
through the subsequent units and exercises and they move on the next chapter.
The teachers should use some other techniques such as visual and audio aids and
the students should use what they have learned throughout each lesson due to
the fact that the language features learned in the first unit may be forgotten
long before the last.
11- ) Teachers should teach simple language simple
language structures before complex ones
There is a
natural order in acquiring a language and no mater how language is presented;
certain structures are acquired before others. The teachers should start from
the most well-known structures to make the students be aware of the language.
Also, they should move on step by step not making the students afraid of the
target language. They should provide comprehensible input which is meaningful
for the learners, but also contains some new words and structures. I think I
will pay attention to these points.
12- ) Learners’ errors should be corrected as soon as
they are made in order to prevent the formation of bad habits
Errors are
natural indicator of language learning process and sometimes making errors
means that students try to learn the language. In my opinion, if the students
make error, the teachers should correct it indirectly. Immediate and excessive
feedbacks may give a negative effect on the students. As teachers, we have to
consider that correction may only be useful when the learner is ready for it. I
do not use too many error corrections because it has a negative effect on the
students’ motivation, but certainly, I reformulate the sentence to make
students listen to correct English rather than listen to incorrect ones.
13- ) Teachers should use materials that expose
students only to language structures they have already been taught
Learners can
grasp the general meaning of many forms they have not learned completely.
Students need to be challenged; otherwise, they lose motivation. Students can
prepare some real or authentic materials outside the classroom with the help of
the teachers. Students are supposed to deal with real language, not just
artificial classroom language. If the teachers want the students to learn a new
structure they have not mastered, they can use “narrow-focus” materials which
isolate the new form in a context where other things are seemed easily.
14- ) When learners are allowed to interact freely (for
example, in group or pair activities), they copy each other’s mistakes
Group and
pair work activities are very useful for the learners to make them encourage
and promote second language development. If the activities are well-designed
and used in combination with individual work and teacher-centered activities,
it will contribute to language teaching and learning like speaking abilities of
the students. Group and pair work activities can give students more chances to
produce meaningful language. When I am a teacher, I will use group and pair
work activities in almost each lesson; because, the students can give useful
feedback to each other and they learn better than the individual work.
15- ) Students learn what they are taught
While the
students can only learn the language they are exposed to, they do not learn
everything they are taught. Sometimes, they learn a lot of language items that
they are not taught. Although there are some teaching methods which give
learners the opportunity to learn only a restricted number of words and some
sentences types, these teaching methods should be suitable for the learners’
age, interests, needs, experiences and learning styles. If the language taught
is appropriate for the students’ levels, learning and teaching process can be
successful. We should note that in a typical lesson, students learn lots of
things than we have expected from them.
16- ) Teachers should respond to the students’ errors
by correctly rephrasing what they have said rather than by explicitly pointing
out the error
This type of
correction is called “recasts” in English Language Teaching. It is preferred in
all kinds of teaching methods. The teachers correct the students’ errors politely
and indirectly. When the teacher understands the child’s error, s/he gives an
expression to the student as “I think I understand what you are saying and I
will help you how you can say better”. The students should not be afraid of
making mistakes and they should trust the teachers even if they make mistakes.
Surely, I will benefit from it in the future.
17- ) Students can learn both language and academic
content (for example science and history) simultaneously in classes where the
subject matter is taught in their second language
Content
Based Instruction has more advantages for the language learners. For instance,
it motivates the students when the material is used for language teaching and
it creates an immediate and genuine need to learn the language. However, the
ability to understand the content and to use in a classroom interaction does
not mean that students can develop themselves in the areas of accuracy on the
language features. If the students take help and guidance from their teachers,
they will improve themselves in these areas as well. Also, if the students want
to achieve a high degree in language learning, they will be successful in
learning both the language and the academic content at the same time.
Language learning is affected by many factors. A better
understanding of them will allow teachers and learners to make the most of the
time they spend together in the processes of teaching and learning a second
language.
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