In developing a theory of SLA, one must first define some key concepts. In Chapter 1 of our textbook (which I did not include in your Course Reader) the author defines the concepts of language, learning, and teaching:
“Language is systematic. Language is a set of arbitrary symbols. Those symbols are primarily vocal, but may also be visual. The symbols have conventionalized meanings to which they refer.
Language is used for communication. Language operates in a speech community or culture.
Language is essentially human, although possibly not limited to humans. Language is acquired by all people in much the same way; language and language learning both have universal characteristics” (Brown, pg. 5)
“Learning is acquisition or ‘getting’. Learning is retention of information or skill. Retention implies storage systems, memory, cognitive organization. Learning involves active, conscious focus on and acting upon events outside or inside the organism. Learning is relatively permanent but subject to forgetting. Learning involves some form of practice, perhaps reinforced practice. Learning is a change of behavior” (Brown, pg. 7)
“Teaching is guiding and facilitating learning, enabling the learner to learn, setting the conditions for learning” (Brown, pg. 7).
The author also advises on "a set of domains of consideration in a theory of SLA". These are useful, and they cover the main ideas of Chapters 1-9. It would be a good idea to review these.
In developing a theory of SLA, we start with hypotheses, claims, and generalizations. Then, we do research and study these claims to see what we find. There are two sets of claims found on pgs. 274-275 that are worth noting. The second set consists of "popular ideas" (pg. 275). What do you think of them?
The difficulty in developing a theory of SLA is that every learner is different. What works for one learner doesn't always work for another. So, how can we say 'this is the best path to SLA'? Long has suggested some criteria worth looking at as you think of developing your own theory of SLA. You can find these suggestions on pg. 277.
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1. Languages are learned mainly through imitation
ReplyDeleteImitation is definitely one of the techniques that characterize learning a language at a very young age. Children can imitate not only simple words like ‘water’ but difficult and complex structures like ‘I’ve been looking for you’ as well. However, soon they begin to feel the need to express their own original meanings that cannot be covered by imitation. Therefore, they move to a cognitive phase. Adults, on the other hand, are not very comfortable with imitation, firstly, because they think it is too childish, and secondly, because they need explanations and analysis of most new information.
2. Parents usually correct young children when they make errors.
In my opinion, if they do so, they make a mistake. I will give you an example from my own experience. My daughter began speaking at a very early age and her version of the words was sometimes incomprehensible. I chose 3 most frequent scrambled words she used and decided to apply 3 different techniques:
- I did not correct her, but I frequently used the word with emphasized correct pronunciation
- I used the word as she did
- I corrected her every time she uttered the word incorrectly
The first word she started to pronounce and use correctly was the one I did not correct.
3. People with high IQs are good language learners.
This is a very superficial claim. Sometimes the high IQ can help a person understand quicker how certain things function. However, without motivation, proper support, exploration, persistence and dedication, and a lot of work, the high IQ itself cannot learn a language for you. I think that instead of ‘high IQ’ it will be more appropriate to use the parameter ‘a lot of general knowledge’. This claim is based on the assumption that the more general knowledge one possesses the more referent points he has to compare new things to, memorize them and retrieve them from the memory when necessary.
4. The earlier the second language is introduced in school programs, the greater the likelihood of success in learning.
According to the SLA theories we have studied and the experience I have had with teaching both adults and children, this claim makes a perfect sense. With an organized instruction, well trained teachers, authentic appropriate materials and teaching/learning techniques foreign language learners can master the target language to a native-like proficiency.
5. Most of the mistakes that second language learners make are due to interference from their first language.
Basically, this claim is true because learners, especially in the early stages of second language learning, not having enough information and patterns to lean on, take as a rapper the only tool they have at their disposal, their L1. In the later stages, when they acquire a certain amount of knowledge they make another type of mistakes mostly based on L2 overgeneralization.
6. Learners’ errors should be corrected as soon as they are made in order to prevent the formation of bad habits.
Wrong! Errors are a natural phase in every learning process. If we correct errors as they occur we will discourage learners. They will not feel free to improvise and experiment with the language, which are essential to gaining fluency. What should teachers do if an error remains present for a longer period? They should give learners different exercises; expose them to more authentic examples; and include a variety of techniques in order to prevent its fossilization. Very often a SL speaker is not even aware of an error and a simple making him/her notice it could lead to self-correction.
After reading the “popular ideas” stated in the course book, I have came to the following conclusion about each one of them:
ReplyDelete1. Languages are learned mainly through imitation
- I agree with this statement to some extent. I think that in the beginning of learning a second language learners imitate their teachers or whatever they hear in the second language. This is especially true for young children, who unlike adults are free and careless and do not have boundaries in their heads as adults do. Adults, on the other hand prefer learning the language having the rules ad definitions provided.
2. Parents usually correct young children when they make errors.
- This is, in my opinion, the wrong way to help children learn the language. As we have discussed in the classroom, errors are normal and natural part of learning a second language. Language is primarily learned to help the speakers get their basic message across, and by correcting them we are only influencing the process of learning in a negative way.
3. People with high IQs are good language learners.
- I don’t think that the level of IQ and language learning are very closely connected. Language learning, in my opinion, depends on which part of the brain is better developed and what the person has interest in. However, the IQ could help the learners, along with the motivation, effort and hard work to learn a certain language.
4. The earlier a second language is introduced in school programs, the greater the likelihood of success in learning.
- I do agree with this statement. There is no guarantee that every child will learn the language if it is introduced earlier in their school programs, but the likelihood that they succeed in learning it is better. Children acquire language (pronunciation, chunks …) better than adults, thus they have a better chance of learning the language. However, language learning depends on many other factors such as: motivation, hard work, dedication and interest.
5. Most of the mistakes that second language learners make are due to interference from their first language.
- Many of the mistakes language learners make are caused by the interference of their native language especially when they have not mastered certain forms and structures in the second language. This is especially true for adults who have already mastered and developed their first language and in my opinion it could happen somewhere between the beginning and the intermediate level of the learners’ proficiency.
6. Learners’ errors should be corrected as soon as they are made in order to prevent the formation of bad habits.
- I certainly do not agree with this statement because by correcting learners’ errors as soon as they are made we stop the learners from using the language for its main purpose, i.e. for communication. By focusing on accuracy we neglect the fluency of our students, which is more important if the learners’ purpose of learning the language is to be understood. It has also negative effect on the motivation and self-esteem of the students and it can only lead to their discouragement and disappointment.
1.Languages are learned mainly through imitation.
ReplyDeleteI’m not sure as to how much imitation is crucial for language acquisition. However, I feel that it is particularly efficient in developing a native-like pronunciation. While in US, I often found myself in situations in which I imitated the way my conversation partner pronounced words. While conversing with my Spanish friend I would unconsciously pronounce certain words the way she pronounced them; whereas, while talking to a native speaker (American) I would unconsciously switch to a more native-like pronunciation (at least the best I could/can do). After noticing this intricacy, which I had been doing unconsciously, I spent a great amount of time consciously paying attention to the way Americans (in Virginia) pronounced words. Furthermore, imitating their pronunciation helped me alter my pronunciation, even though to a slight degree (I wasn’t there long enough). Nevertheless, I would say that imitation is very prominent when it comes to children who learn by imitating phrases used by their favorite cartoon characters, funny commercials, and so on.
2.Parents usually correct young children when they make errors.
I think that correcting errors in FLA and SLA is very different. FLA errors will eventually be eliminated and the child will become fluent and accurate with or without parents’ attempts for correction.
3.People with high IQs are good language learners.
I do not believe that a high general IQ is very much connected to language learning. I think that the “knack” for learning languages is separate and only one part of a person’s IQ. There are many types of intelligences, and being a great architect with highly developed spatial intelligence will not necessarily make you a great orator or a musician. Thus, the fact that a person is fluent in three or more languages does not make him a genius, nor is a bad language learner unintelligent.
4.The earlier a second language is introduced in school programs, the greater the likelihood of success in learning.
ReplyDeleteIntroducing a second language earlier in the educational curriculum…actually exposing the child to a second language at an early age can have tremendous effects. I strongly believe that children should be exposed to the foreign language as early as possible. It is a period of their life when they have only a few preoccupations: discovering things around them, learning the language, having fun, eating, sleeping and that’s about it, I think. There are many examples of children at the age of 3-5 who can speak two or more languages simultaneously, so to spend that period of the child’s life without exposing it to another language would be sad.
5.Most of the mistakes that second language learners make are due to interference from their first language.
This is generally true. It is obvious when you are reading an essay written in English by a native Macedonian, whose English level is lower-intermediate, that half of the phrases are literally translated from Macedonian. This is particularly true at the lower levels of proficiency, but they may be true for proficient speakers as well, if the errors have been fossilized.
6.Learners’ errors should be corrected as soon as they are made in order to prevent the formation of bad habits.
Teachers should be careful when correcting learners. I do not completely support the claim that errors should not be corrected. If errors are not corrected than how will the learners know that they are making mistakes? When learners are conscious about the fact that they are making mistakes they try to improve, to fill in their knowledge gaps, and this is another stage in the learning process. On the other hand, correction can be a double-edged sword. Too much of it can have negative results- the learners become shy, they do not wish to participate, the development of fluency is at question, and so on. Whatever the case, I feel it is up to the context- the teacher, the learners, the learning environment- to tell you just how much of error correction is enough and how much of it is too much; but I definitely think that no correction at all is as bad as too much of it.
1.Languages are learned mainly through imitations.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the language is learned through imitations. Imitations play an important role in the improvement of the child’s language. However, this does not mean that those who often imitate learn the language quickly than those who don’t imitate. The fact is that children do not imitate all the words they hear, but just some of them; especially small kids imitate the words that they are in the process of learning to talk.
2.Parents usually correct young children when they make errors.
It is better if parents do not correct children when they do grammatical errors, because children cannot learn the language form when their parents correct the errors. Thus, parents should correct their children’s talking, such as when they use incorrect words or statements.
3.People with high IQs are good language learners.
I think that learners who are good on IQ tests are also good on learning the language. They would be able to learn the language through interaction, so they are good in communication skills. However, this does not mean that those who have low IQs cannot learn languages.
4.The earlier a second learner is introduced in school programs, the greater the likelihood of success in learning.
It is true that children acquire the language fast and they learn it better if they are introduced earlier in school programs. If the learners start later in school programs, then they might have some difficulties to learn the language. I think that the earlier children start to learn the foreign language, the better their success is.
5.Most of the mistakes that second language learners make are due to the interference from their first language.
I believe that the learners’ first language influences on their second language. Usually the learners transfer the patterns from their first language into their second language. For example, in English language adjectives come before noun, whereas in Albanian language they come after the noun. Therefore, young Albanian learners who learn the English language transfer the patterns from their first language and this kind of errors are difficult for them to correct, especially if they are in contact with learners who make the same errors.
6.Learner’s errors should be corrected as soon as they are made in order to prevent the formation of bad habits.
I think that the learner’s errors cannot be corrected as soon as they are made, because it prevents them communicate freely. This does not mean that the learner’s errors should not be corrected at all, but when to correct them and how. Moreover, if their errors are not corrected then they will think that what they say is right and again they will make the same errors unconsciously.
1. Languages are learned mainly through imitation
ReplyDeleteIt is obvious that children learn the language by imitation. This usually happens in cases when children imitate their parents when they try to learn words, expressions and sentences for the first time. This happens until the stage when the children realize that things cannot be learned only through imitation. When they come to this stage, they start to think about things they say by not focusing only on imitating words or sentences. When they come to this stage, they believe that imitation seems to be a very simple way to learn things, and it cannot always teach you what you really want to say or express.
2. Parents usually correct young children when they make errors.
Correcting young children when they make errors makes the children be more dependent on people who correct them. It would be more useful if we let the children self- correct when they become more conscious about their own errors. Correcting all the time does not mean that the child will remember all those things and use them appropriately when talking. It is better if we let the child be aware of his own mistakes and correct them by listening to other people. In this way he will be more conscious and apply better the corrected things in his own way of talking.
3. People with high IQs are good language learners
Having high IQ helps people in many aspects. It usually gives to people the possibility to know how to act in different situations, how to solve a problem or to find a quicker solution. Even though these issues may be very important for a person, again it does not mean that these people may be good in learning a language. Learning a language requires not only intelligence but also a hard work, desire and love for that language.
4. The earlier a second language is introduced in school programs, the greater the likelihood of success in learning.
Introducing a second language at an early stage gives to children the possibility to better learn a language. This is a claim supported by many people because of the great interest of children learning a second language. When children are introduced with a second language, they get very interested for learning something completely new for them. Children’s interest about learning a language depends greatly on the teacher. If the teacher makes the lesson funny, enjoyable and interesting, this raises the children’s interest to learn a language. Earlier these things are done better.
5. Most of the mistakes that second language learners make are due to interference from their first language.
I agree with this statement. It is generally true that people make mistakes when learning e second language by focusing mainly on their native language. When people produce things in second language they try to translate things word by word in their native language. This may cause the major mistakes because the structure of the sentences is not always the same in all the languages.
6. Learners’ errors should be corrected as soon as they are made in order to prevent the formation of bad habits.
Learning a second language is always followed by making errors. This is a normal thing for every learner. People do not learn a language without making errors, but it is the duty of the teacher to correct these errors in a smoother way so the learners do not get offended or shy in continuing with the language learning. The teacher should correct the learners’ errors, but it will depend on the situation on how these errors will b interpreted to the learner. It would be better if the teacher keeps evidence on the students’ errors and have them be aware at the end of the class or just have them talk personally and emphasize the difficulties they are facing. All this will depend on the learner his relationship with the teacher.
1. Languages are learned mainly through imitation.
ReplyDeleteI think that imitation is very important in learning a language. I agree with this statement. Children learn mostly through imitation. Children listen carefully to their parents, and other people with whom they are talking, and then they try to use the same words and expressions. Moreover, I think that students also learn the pronunciation of the word in the second language mostly through imitation. In listening activities, the teacher asks the students to listen carefully, and to pay attention on the pronunciation of the words. Then, the teacher asks the students to repeat the same words. In this way, they imitate the pronunciation of the new words. Therefore, I think that the pronunciation of the words in second language is learnt through imitation.
2. Parents usually correct young children when they make errors.
I think that parent should not correct young children when they make error. As everybody knows, when children starts to speak they make errors, they are not able to pronouns words correctly, but this normal. Sometimes, parents pronounce words as their children do. I think that this is wrong because this makes children think that they pronounce the words correctly. So, parents should pronounce the words correctly because in this way they help their children be aware of the correct pronunciation of the words. Children often find difficulties to pronounce the words correctly; even though, they know the correct pronunciation. So, we do not have to correct children immediately, but we just should use the correct pronunciation while we are speaking.
3. People with high IQs are good language learners.
I think that high IQ helps the learner to learn a second language, but I do not think that IQ is the key factor for learning a second language. There are so many factors that help people to learn a second language. One of these factors is the desire to learn that language. Moreover, people need to be motivated and also to try hard to lean the second language. If people do not like the second language or they are not motivated in learning it, even if, they have high IQ, they will not be good at learning the second language.
4. The earlier a second language is introduced in school programs, the greater the likelihood of success in learning.
ReplyDeleteBeing successful in learning a second language depends on many factors; age is one of these factors. I think that there are some two main reasons why children can be more successful than adults in learning a second language. First, children have more free time because they have no obligations; on the other hand, adults have a lot of obligations. Secondly, children enjoy games, songs, pictures, which sometimes do not seem very interesting for adults.
5. Most of the mistakes that second language learners make are due to interference from their first language.
At the early stage of learning, people know only few words in the second language, and in order to use these words, they use the structure of their native language. In this way they, convey the message across. Often, when people speak or write in the second language, they think in their own language, organize their thoughts and then translate them in the second language. But the languages are not the same; the structure of the sentences is not the same in all languages. Therefore, the students make mistakes. This mistake happens because of the L1 interference.
6. Learners’ errors should be corrected as soon as they are made in order to prevent the formation of bad habits
The teacher should be very careful how to correct the students. I think that if a student repeats the same mistake again and again, the teacher should correct the students because it can become habit. It is difficult to correct habits. So the teacher should correct the students’ errors only if the student makes the same error. Otherwise, the errors can be considered as normal because all the people can make errors when they use the second language and especially if they are beginners or elementary learners. Errors should not be corrected immediately because if you correct the students every time they make errors, they will be more focused on not making errors, rather then getting the message across. This has bad effect in the fluency. Students will not become fluent because they will be focused on accuracy rather then fluency. Moreover, correcting the students errors immediately, have also bad effect in motivation. If you correct the students every time they make errors, they will become bored and they will not speak any more in class. This happens especially with shy students.
1. Languages are learned mainly through imitation
ReplyDeleteI think that imitation plays important role in learning a language. Imitation is more evident in childhood. Children’s capacity doesn’t receive rules or orders in learning a language. They capture the thing unconsciously and produce or express them through imitation. They cannot think about the proper way in expressing things and the best and easiest way for them is to imitate people around them. So, they need a model. Imitation is not so evident in adulthood, but we cannot say that adults don’t imitate at all. Adults have built their egos or have created the barriers to protect that ego, and I think that this makes them more isolated towards imitation.
2. Parents usually correct young children when they make errors.
I think that parents shouldn’t correct their children all the time and for every mistake that they make. My nephew is three years and he cannot pronounce some words correctly. When I pronounce the words in the right way and say to him to repeat after me he does the same mistakes, even thought we try to repeat the same word ten times. e.g. he cannot pronounce z, but instead of z he says xh, instead of zebra he says xhebra. So, I think that children cannot gain so much from correction, but as their language develops they become able to correct their own mistakes.
3. People with high IQs are good language learners
I disagree with this statement and I don’t think that people with high IQs are good language learners. I agree with my friends’ opinions that in language learning are others important factors such as motivation, hard working and so on. So, we cannot define that people with high IQs are good language learners, some of them can be, but some not.
4. The earlier a second language is introduced in school programs, the greater the likelihood of success in learning.
In my opinion this statement is true. I think that the earlier introduction of second language leads to better learning and success. Children possess great abilities that are very important in learning a second language. So, if they start to learn the second language earlier, they will have the chance to utilize these abilities.
5. Most of the mistakes that second language learners make are due to interference from their first language.
This is true. I think that mistakes often come because learners are based in their first or native language. Learners confuse the patterns and often they use their first language patterns instead of second language patterns.
6. Learners’ errors should be corrected as soon as they are made in order to prevent the formation of bad habits.
Errors are part of language learning. This means that mistakes shouldn’t be corrected as soon as they are made. Learners need to improvise; their language couldn’t be without mistakes. We shouldn’t correct them in every mistake, but we should let the mistakes to be part of their language, so to be fossilized or long term mistakes.
1 Languages are learned mainly through imitation
ReplyDeleteI think that imitation has a great influence in second language learning. It is invisible, which means that all second language learners imitate without being aware that we really do it. A learner can imitate the accent, pronunciation and the way of expressions. For example: after I came back from England I was the only student who spoke British English. The others used to speak American English, the language our professor was speaking. This is how learners imitate while they are learning a language.
2 Parents usually correct young children when they make errors
Parents should do it to their children, but they should not get depressed because they are young learners and they do dot easily accept their corrections. For example: “she don’t like me” if the parents make them repeat word by word: “she doesn’t like me” they will do it, but when they say it as a whole sentence they will again repeat the mistake “she don’t like me”. Parents should be patient with their children. By the time they will correct their own mistakes.
3 People with high IQs are good language learners
I completely do not agree with this claim. Language learning does not depend on IQ. There exists the right and the left brain hemisphere. A good language learner means that that learner is better in logical analytical thoughts. These functions are parts of the left brain hemisphere. This does not mean that the learner’s IQ is high but that leaner has developed left brain hemisphere more than the right brain. Again a learner may have a high IQ but he is a better artist than a second language learner. IQ has no central role on learning a language.
4 The earlier a second language is introduced in school programs, the greater the likelihood of success in learning
It is true that the earlier a second language is introduced they become more successful. Actually in recent years in primary school children have the possibilities to learn English Language from the first grade. It is obvious that my third grade students can read and learn much better than students of the fourth grade who actually are the first level of English Language. They are such motivated that there is a disadvantage. They are more focused on English Language than on the other subjects who are very important too. Also this leads them toward assimilation. If we go on in this way, Albanian and Macedonian nation in the future will loose their own language using too much English words and expressions.
5 Most of the mistakes that second language learners make are due to interference from their first language
All second language learners have been passed through that period of first language interference which of course it should be reduced by the time. It is some times positive but not always. There are periods when a learner can find English Language that does not fit with their first language. But on the other hand there is overgeneralization that again confuses the learners.
6 Learner’s errors should be corrected as soon as they are made in order to prevent the information of bad habits
Learner’s errors should not always be corrected. They are Second language learners. They of course are not perfect. During first steps their aim is to know as much as possible words and use them for a fluent communication. If the teacher uses to correct their mistakes they will loose their confidence of their fluency and further prosperities. Then, when they arrive to use the language to understand the meaning of the sentences they will be able to learn about grammatical structure. On the other hand when the teacher does not correct them when they make any mistake they may repeat that mistake thinking that” I was right, the teacher did not correct me”.
1. Languages are learned mainly through imitation.
ReplyDeleteI agree with this statement because usually this happens with very young children, when they start to acquire a new language. They try to learn the words through imitation; by imitating their parents, their brothers or sisters and also their teachers. Example: a child my repeat his/her mum’s words such as: mother, she is my mother, I love my mother etc.
2. Parents usually correct young children when they make errors.
I think that making errors is natural, because everyone who learns foreign languages makes mistakes, but still they can produce sentences, and if we correct them very often they will get disappointed and loose their interests in learning that language.
3. People with high IQs are good language learners.
I don’t think that people with high IQs are good language learners, because learning a language depends on your own desires and your own motivation. You may not have a high IQ but still you may learn a foreign language perfectly, because that’s the language that you are interested in.
4. The earlier a second language is introduced in school programs, the greater the likelihood of success in learning.
I agree with this statement, that the earlier a language is introduced in school programs the greater the likelihood of success in learning. I think so based on my own experience; students from the first second and third grade succeed much more than students of the seventh and sixth grade. First, young students are not afraid to say what they want to say, they speak even when they make mistakes, whereas teenagers and adults always want to be sure whether the things that they are about to say are correct.
5. Most of the mistakes that second language learners make are due to interference from their first language.
There are a lot of learners that make mistakes while speaking in a target language as a result of the interference of their native language. This happens with beginner or elementary level students, students who haven’t learn the rules of the target language yet. Example: Albanian students may say: She is a girl beautiful. In stead of saying: She is a beautiful girl. This happens because of the Albanian grammar rules: “N + Adj” whereas the English language has another grammar rules “Adj + N”.
6. Learners’ errors should be corrected as soon as they are made in order to prevent the formation of bad habits.
As I said before, we should let our students improvise no matter if they make mistakes, because if we correct them whenever they make mistakes that may affect them and they may give up and loose the interests.
Hi,everyone!
ReplyDeleteI am glad to do an online discussion with you!I missed you!
I read this chapter and I found very interesting things such as the popular ideas.
1.Languages are learned mainly through imitation
I agree with this statement.Why?The reason is that if learners break the 'ice' of shyness and express their ideas or language knowledge,they have done a 'big' job.I see my 1st-4th grade pupils in a primary school who like to imitate me,actually the English language I speak in class.For example,if I
say:" Pupils,this is a door"!They automatically want to say it although I may not ask from that to repeat it.Of course,this is a kind of a habit and motivation because I have used it in my classes,repetition,expression of the language,and learning.So,definitely languages will be and 'must' be learned by imitating native speakers,actors from the movie,English teachers,reading the book loudly and singing songs in English.
2.Parents usually correct young children when they make errors.
This is true.They really do it.I think that it depends on the situation and the value of knowledge.I mean,some words or expressions really need an early correction because those mistakes can become fossilisized and stay for a long-term.However,children are children and they make mistakes,anyway.Si,we should not correct them too much because we cna confuse them and let them improvise themselves and feel free to express the language,the words they know.Dear parents,let your children improvise!
3.People with high IQ's are good language learners.
This is a fact because learning and speaking a foreign language doesn't mean only that.Also,it means having a knowledge about that culture,the traditions and so forth.So,you are a high IQ learner.But,it depends on the learners learning,whether he/she continues working hard and uses his/her talent.It doesn't mean only having the capacity to learn,but using it as well.
4.The earlier the second language is introduced in school programs,the greater the likelihood of successe in learning.
I agree with this statement.I have written about this idea in the short essay assignment.I like this because it is true.
I teach the 1st class pupils(6-7 years old),and see that they can learn a lot of thing,remember them and...simply having a motivation for the English language.I give them the needed knowledge by using games,songs,different methods in order the class to be more interesting and funny for them.Their minds are fresh and can pick up things very easy,even easier than adults.
Children don't have 'stresses' as adults do.
They are clear as crystal and can learn a lot of things in the same time.They like to be dynamic and amazing.I had this experience with my pupils who are very sweet and have a motivation to learn the numbers until 20 or more in the English,more than the acquired for their age(1-10;1st class pupils).You will feel amazed about that!
5.Most of the mistakes that second language learners make are due to interference from their first language.
Yes,this is true.I think that learners should not think fistly in theit L1,then translate it in their mind and express or write it in L2.There are a lot of things to do in that case.It may be so boring and
difficult for someone.I remember when I was in a high school.My friends who didn't have a good knowledge about the English language,used to ask me for help.They wrote a topic in our native language (L1) and expected from to translate it in English.I used to help them that way,but I knew that they should not write that way.I told them that they should write whatever they know although they may make mistakes,and the correct the words together.But that's the way things gone for someone.These learners don't have a good knowledge about English even today.
6.Learner's errors should be corrected as soon as they are made in order to prevent the formation of bad habits!
ReplyDeleteI agree partly with this statement.So,I agree and dissagree.I agree because learners should be prevented on time sometimes, in order not to make long-term mistakes.On the other hand,I dissagree because learners should feel free to express their knowledge and speak the language,so improvise.It is not even a respect for someone to interrupt in his/her speech only for correcting the mistakes.My advise is:"Let the words flow one after another and feel free to express your opinions because you are the King of your words and you may help to yourself by speaking and communicating,being friends with others"!
Thank you!
Best Regards,
Lindita Latifi from Kumanova
1.Languages are learned mainly through imitation.
ReplyDeleteTotally I agree with my colleagues that languages are learned mainly through imitation. I don’t want to be repetitive because much I wanted to say it has already been said before, but I just want to add that in languages – imitation is used to learn mainly the pronunciation and intonation. It is used when children are learning new words or structures. but not only children learn this way, a recent research as shown that older learners learning their second language also tend to follow this pattern. Later on, this knowledge could be applied creatively in non-imitated ways.
2 . Parents usually correct young children when they make errors.
Well, I don’t agree with Biljana when she says that “parents make mistakes when they correct young children when they make errors”. I think if parents don’t correct children’s mistakes then these errors certainly will be repeated. Children make both grammatical and meaning errors but parents should be concentrated more on correcting the meaning rather then the grammatical form.
3. People with high IQs are good language learners
Since I work with students of different backgrounds, coming from different parts of our country, and some outside it, more significant is the influence of the background they coming from. Even though in our conditions the background was tried to be ignored, we are coming to results that students coming from higher social and cultural levels and high IQs achieve better results, and it is much easier to motivate them. “They are able to develop knowledge of an L2 from the available input and use this knowledge in communication” (Ellis, R. 1992). Still we cannot generalize our opinions, having in mind that the factor “individual” remains to be the most important one.
4. The earlier the second language is introduced in school programs, the greater the likelihood of success in learning.
I agree and disagree with introducing a second language earlier in school programs. It is true that children acquire language better than adults, and “the earlier a second language is introduced in school programs the greater the likelihood of success in learning”. But we should keep in mind that according to the school programs, students at the age of 6 have more than 8 subjects, including Macedonian and English, and I think this is a tremendous burden for kids at this age which might inhibit their learning acquisition. I think a perfect age when introducing a second language would be 10-11.
5. Most of the mistakes that second language learners make are due to interference from their first language.
I also agree with this statement. It is true that learners make mistakes when learning e second language by concentrating mainly on their first language. This is due to the transfer patterns from their first language.
6.Learner’s errors should be corrected as soon as they are made in order to prevent the information of bad habits
It’s obvious that making errors while learning a language is considered as normal. But the question raises: When do we have to correct our students when they make mistakes? Most of the teacher’s I’ve visited in class correct their students while communicating or reading a text book. And this “techniques” really demotivates students. I think we should find a gentle approach in correcting mistakes. The kind of correction which we should give to students should vary according to the specific characteristics of the students. E.g. children don’t need sophisticated metalinguistic explanation.
1. Languages are learned mainly through imitation
ReplyDeleteChildren especially learn languages through imitation mostly, in unconsciously way. They are able to “pick up” a certain word or expression and say it after a couple of hours and surprise the adults. They like imitating adults without the insecurity because most of times they do not care what others might say about them.
2. Parents usually correct their children when they make errors
Unfortunately parents correct their children, and some of them can exaggerate. They should encourage children to talk, and not make them lose their self-confidence. As we said, children like to imitate, so it is the best way if parents pronounce words correctly, so children can learn and imitate without being corrected all the time.
3. People with high IQs are good language learners
Learners with higher IQs tend to do well, just like they do in other academic areas. But, still learners with varieties of intellectual abilities can be successful, too. We know a lot of cases, when pupils have not a high IQ but can acquire a language because of their interest.
4. The earlier a second language is introduced on schools programs, the greater is the likehood of success in learning.
I agree with Majlinda when she says that the earlier children start to learn the foreign language, the better their success is. But, I also think that the teacher plays the main role on raising the children’s interests. If the teacher makes the lesson funny, then it is for sure that he has his students’ attention.
5. Most of the mistakes that second language learners make are due to interference from their first language.
Everything that is learned for the first time in another language, it is immediately compared to the native language. This leads to a lot of grammar mistakes and wrong structure of sentences. Not all the rules in our own language are the same with a foreign language. So, I agree that most of mistakes are due to interference from the first language.
6. Learners’ errors should be corrected as soon as they are made in order to prevent the formation of bad habits.
I think that errors at the very beginning shouldn’t be corrected. This will lose students interest and confidence. Learners should be encouraged to improvise at the very beginning stages because it is normal to make errors and with time and practice the errors should be corrected in order not to be sent to the long term memory.
1.Languages are learned mainly through imitation.
ReplyDeleteI agree that imitation plays a great role in second language acquisition especially it does for children since children learn mostly by imitation. Therefore, when children are at the beginning stage of learning a language they usually learn words, even some basic utterances by imitation. Furthermore, after children gain some basic knowledge regarding language they might feel the need to express meaning or to communicate and obviously, they don’t have much tools or knowledge to accomplish that since learning by imitation didn’t offers that much. As an outcome, when they come to this stage they come across to another stage.
2. Parents usually correct young children when they make errors.
I must say that I do not agree with this statement, since as we have already discussed before, errors are inevitable part of the language learning process. In my opinion, instead of parents correcting young children when they are making mistakes, they should make them draw their attention towards the correct utterances or expressions by exposing them constantly to the correct utterances such as often mentioning the correct expressions so that children become aware that they are making mistakes and make themselves self-corrected.
3. People with high IQs are good language learners.
I agree that people with high IQs are good language learners, because logically these people have capacity and abilities in advance that will lead them to successful language learning. On the other hand, it does not have to be, that is a person does not have to posses high IQ in order to be a successful language learner. Every human being is an intelligent person and each can learn language if it is motivated and guided properly. In addition, if a person has a will to learn a language and puts an effort the success of learning a language is granted.
4. The earlier the second language is introduced in school programs, the greater the likelihood of success in learning.
I agree with this statement. In my opinion, the chances for children to learn the language are much bigger only if it is introduced earlier in their school programs because of several reasons. First children are very curious to learn new things, thereby that makes them be highly motivated for participating and learn new things and, thereby it leads to successful language learning. Finally, children learn things subconsciously since they have no boundaries in their head like the adults have that is to think of the language but rather they are careless and in that way they acquire the language subconsciously.
5. Most of the mistakes that second language learners make are due to interference from their first language.
I agree with this statement until certain extent. Therefore, I think that language learners make mistakes mostly due to interference from their first language in the beginning stage of learning a second language. Therefore, learners when they are at the beginning stage of learning a language normally they learn the basic things in the language and they are not enough familiar with the second language system. Farther, it might happen, learners to feel the need to express meanings that is to get the message across and they just have not enough knowledge for doing it, and thereby they recall on their fist language that is they transform structures, patterns from their first language into the second language.
6. Learners’ errors should be corrected as soon as they are made in order to prevent the formation of bad habits.
I think that errors should be corrected but not so much often because correcting errors too often might discourage the learners and thereby it might happen learners not to participate and have a will to learn anything. In addition, I think that teacher should correct the errors that are of significance importance about the language, and those errors that are not of that much importance about language should not correct them very often.
1.Languages are learned mainly through imitations.
ReplyDeleteWell, I may say that it is partly true, or even not so important. On this question I would agree and support Majlinda’s idea that it is not crucial, not everyone imitates while learning, and it does not mean that if someone imitates he is a better learner than the one who does not imitate. Imitation is a process which might be helpful for some of the learners, depending on their learning style. The influence that it has on the learning process might be positive, but if there is no imitation, it does not affect the process so much.
2.Parents usually correct young children when they make errors.
According to me, this is again partly true. Parents do correct the children when they are doing mistakes, but on this question I agree with Natasha, it is not the same correcting L1 and L2 mistakes. Also, the time is the answer of L1 acquisition, so that children will improve their mistakes when they start speak fluently, whether when they are learning L2 the parents correction would be minimal, so the possible positive effects are with minimum chances on this case.
3. People with high IQs are good language learners.
This is really not true, according to me and according to the theories for the IQ influence on the second language acquisition. There are seven types of intelligence according to Gardner, and each intelligence has its own influence to the person. There are people with high IQ, but not good language learners, and at the same time there are very good language learners who have low IQ. The IQ is very subjective way of evaluating the influence of second language acquisition.
4. The earlier the second language is introduced in school programs, the greater the likelihood of success in learning.
It is a fact that small children learn faster and remember faster, so I completely agree that if they start to learn the new language earlier they will acquire it faster and more successfully. Even though there are some examples that show us that adults can also acquire the language successfully if they are motivated enough, the fact that if they start learning it earlier they will learn it faster is proved many times.
5. Most of the mistakes that second language learners make are due to interference from their first language.
This is true for most of the cases. Usually the learners translate directly and they are trying to express their thoughts by constructing the sentence on the same grammar structure of their first language.
6. Learners’ errors should be corrected as soon as they are made in order to prevent the formation of bad habits.
I would say, it should have a balance while correcting. The teacher should be really careful with error correction. It should be done appropriately with the situation, because not every error should be corrected immediately. There is a great possibility to discourage the learner’s communication if we correct the error immediately. If the error is very frequent then the correction should be done immediately or as soon as possible.
1. What are some ways that you can praise correctness?
ReplyDeleteI think that praising is one of the most influential tools a teacher or tutor can use. It encourages students to develop good study habits, utilize productive thinking and reasoning skills, and learn course content. I noticed that some of my colleagues use only a few phrases or statements and think that this is going to solve the problem. But I think that “there should be something more than meets the eye”. e.g. when a child paints a picture, it isn’t enough just by praising “beautiful picture” or “well done”. Instead, try to offer a more detailed description of the child’s work, “ Look at that red paint on your picture, I love it”. This specific comment says that we took time to notice something.
2. Fossilaziation / Have you experienced this?
We should keep in mind that most fossilized errors are not causing a communication problem. So, if an error causes misunderstanding ,it should be corrected sooner or later because the listener can’t understand what the speaker is saying. Have I experienced fossilization? Absolutely. We mentioned that “Learning the wrong thing from a non native teacher or a text book causes fossilization. When I started learning English at the age of 10, my first English teacher was a Macedonian, so instead of saying “thanks”, she repeatedly pronounced it wrongly “tanks”. Then, translating directly word by word from native language. e.g. I often used “have” instead of “there is” and this became fossilized.
3. how can you try to prevent fossilization in your students?
Well, I think that the learner may need to be repeatedly reminded of the error until they stop making it..but if they are aware of it and are motivated and prepared to make an effort to stop it, then next time they say it they might be able to correct themselves. But we should be careful not to correct every single error they make because we don’t want to lose sight of the value of positive reinforcement of clear, free communication.
1.Languages are learned mainly through imitation.
ReplyDeleteYes, it is true,the imitation is the mother of language learning. Through the process of imitation the children can comprehend and produce the words.
2. Parents usually correct young children when they make errors.
This is a natural process of learning, because through ageing the children learn to speak, even they make mistakes or errors their parents must correct the children whenever they make errors, because if it goes for a long time it than could be very difficult to repair.
3. People with high IQs are good language learners.
I have no answer here because The IQ can have better qualities at sciences ,which does not have to make a good scientist language speaker.
4. The earlier the second language is introduced in school programs, the greater the likelihood of success in learning.
I have learned the second language form the third year of the primary school, and it was of great help because i achieved a high level of knowledge in a particular language .
So by introducing the second language would be better to introduce in preschool education because it create a bilingual or multilingual speaker.
5. Most of the mistakes that second language learners make are due to interference from their first language.
The language intereference it happens whenever a learner learns a second language. firstly when a student starts learning a language he uses his/her native as a help in their thoughts that will enable the speaker to get a better picture of the expressions or the word.
6. Learners’ errors should be corrected as soon as they are made in order to prevent the formation of bad habits.
This is a true statement from my point of view, because the earlier we start to make correction the better the language will be attained.