Second Language Acquisition Approaches

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Approaches to Second

Language Acquisition

Created by: Sarah Hatcher

Smyrna High School

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Approach 1: Behaviorism

 Psychologist B.F. Skinner is known for his work in behaviorism and operant

conditioning

 _{Skinner believed that major influence(s) on}

human behavior are learned from the learning environment (www.simplypsychology.org)

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Approach 1: Behaviorism

 _{When applied specifically to language}

learning, Skinner & behaviorists believed that language acquisition occurred from a set of automatic habits that developed as a result of imitation (Craig, n.d.)

 _{This view fell out of style when more research}

became available citing that structured rules of grammar and language were not imitated, but learned

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Approach 2: Innatism

 Innatism and language acquisition was made known from the work of Noam Chomsky in the 1950s and 1960s.

 _{This theory has the learner as an active}

participant in creating the language, not simply imitating it (Chomsky, 1965)

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Approach 2: Innatism

 _{Chomsky believes that the Language}

Acquisition Device, located in the brain, helps children produce and understand language

 _{This would mean that children do not simply}

imitate language, as Skinner thought

 _{Based on Innatism, Chomsky proposes that}

people have the ability to identify correctly formed sentences, regardless of meaning (Chomsky, 2008)

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Approach 3: Interactionism

 The Interactionist approach focuses on the social aspects of language learning and

learner interaction

 _{This approach focuses on the nature of}

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Approach 3: Interactionism

 Interactionists also found that

communication, making mistakes, and

error correction promoted second language acquisition (Lyster & Ranta, 1998)

 Interactions become a source of input and are essential to second language acquisition (Lantolf, 2000)

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Age: A critical factor in SLA

 Research suggests that natural language

acquisition can only take place between the ages of two and twelve years, known as the “critical period hypothesis” (CPH)

(Lenneburg, 1967).

 _{The brain begins to cement pathways and is}

lateralized around the time of puberty (VanSickle & Ferris, n.d.).

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Age: A critical factor in SLA

 Before puberty, language acquisition and processing takes place in both hemispheres.

 After puberty, brain experiences a loss of “plasticity” or ability to process language as easily (Lenneburg, 1967).

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Context & Contextual Factors in SLA

 SLA varies by individual student

 _{Factors include: age, first language}

knowledge, motivation, and gender

 _{3 contextual factors to consider in SLA}

(Walqui, 2000):

 _Language  Learner

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Contextual Factors: Language

and Learner

 Language: Student proficiency in L1,

knowledge of L2, and attitude

 _{Also includes similarities and differences}

between L1 and L2

 _{Learner: Goals set by teacher & learner,}

diversity in classroom setting, home environment/support

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Contextual Factors: Learning Process

 Learning Process: Learning style and

motivation of the student must be addressed

 _{Cultural influences and interactions with}

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Tips for Teachers

 _{Know your students!}

 Learning more about the contextual factors your

students bring to the classroom can help you plan lessons to meet the diverse needs of your students

 _{Plan engaging lessons!}

 Students are always more interested when they can

apply what they learn in the classroom to their lives—learn what they are interested in to help promote conversation in L2 with peers. This will

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Best Approach for My Students

 The best approach for my students to learn Spanish is the interactionist theory.

 _{High school students take Spanish with the ultimate goal}

of communication (written and oral)

 Interactionism focuses on social aspects of that language learning—these are

accomplished in class through partner speaking

activities, writing about themselves, presentations, and others

 _{Performing a variety of activities, typically with other students,} builds confidence and allows students to use the language to interact with others, as well as learn from their mistakes through error correction (Lyster & Ranta, 1998).

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My Favorite Approach

 _{Not only do I think it is the best approach for my students, but}

my favorite SLA approach is also interactionist

 As I mentioned in the previous slide, to me, the basis of

language is communication and most of this is going to occur socially, with others

 _{The cycle of error correction and subsequent learning promotes}

their second language acquisition.

 By communicating in class and receiving feedback from me, they are able to correct errors and learn from them.

 Through the variety of activities we do in class (partner

dialogues, class presentations, group presentations), students interact with each other and myself to learn more Spanish.

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Resources on SLA

 See the websites below for more tips and information about SLA:

 Wheaton College’s Institute for Cross Cultural Training site with SLA

resources: http://www.wheaton.edu/bgc/ICCT/slares/SLAresources.html

 University of Minnesota’s Center of Advanced Research on Language

Acquisition, Teacher Resources for Language Learning Strategies: http://www.carla.umn.edu/strategies/resources/index.html

 An article about SLA and its significance for learning and teaching http://www.llas.ac.uk/resources/gpg/421

 Excellent bibliographic site with links to various aspects of SLA: http://jillrobbins.com/gwu/257/sla_bib.html

 Another bibliographic site with links to various aspects of SLA: http://teacherweb.com/FL/StonemanDouglasHS/FloridaNBPTS-WLOE/links1.aspx

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References

Chomsky, N. (1965). Aspects of the theory of syntax. Cambridge: MIT Press.

Chomsky, N. (2008). Noam Chomsky talks about universal grammar. Retrieved May 24, 2011 from http://www.usingenglish.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-tb.cgi/19 .

Craig, D.V. (n.d.). Formal approaches to second language acquisition. Retrieved from

https://elearn.mtsu.edu/d2l/lms/content/viewer/main_frame.d2l?ou=1933713&tId=18292338

Lantolf, J. P. (Ed.) (2000). Sociocultural theory and second language learning. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.

Lenneberg, E.H. (1967) Biological foundations of language. New York: Wiley and sons.

Lyster, R. & Ranta, E. (1997). Corrective feedback and learner uptake: Negotiation of form in communicative classrooms. Studies in Second Language Acquisition 19, 37-61.

Skinner: Operant Conditioning. (n.d.) Retrieved May 24, 2011, from

http://www.apastyle.org/learn/faqs/web-page-no-author.aspx

VanSickle, J. & Ferris, S. (n.d.). Second language acquisition: The age factor. Retrieved May 24,

2011 from http://www.crosscultured.com/articles/agesla.pdf.

Walqui, A. (2000). Contextual factors in second language acquisition. Retrieved May 24, 2011