PONTIFICIA UNIVERSIDAD CATÓLICA DEL ECUADOR SEDE IBARRAESCUELA DE LENGUAS YLINGUÍSTICA

MAESTRÍA EN LINGÜÍSTICA A PLICADA A LA ENSEÑANZA BILINGÜE ESPAÑOL-INGLÉS

PSYCHOLINGUISTICS

TOPIC: IMPLICIT LEARNING

RESEARCH PLAN STRUCTURE1. Name of the Project2. Problem identified3. Justification(Background)4. General Objective5. Specific Objectives6. Main impacts7. Methodology8. Chronogram of activities9. Resources10. Sources of information11. Annexes

Berry and Dienes said (1993) “learning is implicit when we acquire new information without intending to do so”. It contains no formal instruction.

1. Name of the Project a) What is the best name for the research to be developed?

Question: How to help students to improve their learning of English using implicit learning?

Answer: Total immersion as a tool to help students to improve their learning of English

2. Problem identified

After 8 levels at the University and at least 6 years of high school our students are not able to get the B2 standard.

b). what teaching process can be improved through psycholinguistic key concepts?

1. Exposure

2. Application

3. Feedback

4. Correction

b) What teaching methods contradict psycholinguistic key concepts?1. Grammar-translation method (lesson is conducted in English and Spanish)2. Teacher-centered method ( students are passive)

c) What mother tongue features are transferred to the foreign language?

1. Phonology

2. Order of the elements of a sentence

3. False cognates

d) What foreign language structures can´t be correctly used?

Those whose use is different in the target language: gender, number, pronouns, prepositions, articles,

verb tenses, question formation, negation.

e) How is learning impaired by learner´s language disorders?

f) How is learning impaired by learner´s age?

Younger is better . People learn languages easily when they are young because of the social context and

the brain plasticity. “” The younger the learner’s , the better he acquires the language without self-

consciousness at an early stage”

g) How is learning affected by learner´s gender?

Women

Tend to be more auditory; Self-motivated;

Conforming; Authority-oriented; Are able to sit at a conventional desk with chair with minimal movement; and Tend to need a more quiet environment

Men

Tend to be more visual, tactual and kinaesthetic Need more mobility Prefer a more informal environment Typically are more nonconforming Are peer-motivated

b. Justification (Background): Why has this happened?

Reasons.

1. Sometimes, lessons are not conducted in English, the input is not optimal enough

2. There is a lack of audiovisual aids

3. Teachers are afraid of using technology

4. There are large classes

5. The curriculum is focussed on grammar not on functions and it is not developed

according to the students needs.

6. Some authorities are not supportive enough

7. Some teachers depend on the textbooks

8. Some textbooks do not present authentic English

9. Time is not enough to help students to master the kind of questions of the international

exams

10. The number of hours per day is excessive

11. There are no agreements with Universities abroad to have exchange programs

4. General Objective: What must be done in a general sense?To improve students learning of English through implicit learning in an English environment

5. Specific Objectives: what must be done in a particular/specific sense?1. To make students aware of the benefits of staying in an English environment to improve their learning

2. To encourage students to practice English with native speakers

3. To develop listening and speaking skills in an English environment

6. Main impacts: How will this project benefit some specific institution/method/outcome?Institution

The level of English will be better and the institution will get prestige in Quito

Method

The whole methodology will help students to improve through a combination of explicit learning and

implicit learning.

Outcome

We will get the expected outcome according to the international standards (B2)

7. Methodology: How will it be done/achieved/fulfilled?Students will be encouraged to visit the Rhiannon Community first one day after that during one month

like volunteers.

People in charge of the Community and teachers will get a consensus about the activities to be carried

out in the community. ( implicit and explicit learning)

Teachers will present a project to promote a total immersion of the students in an English environment

during a month (vacations)

Teachers will check how much students have learned in terms of : pronunciation, syntax, vocabulary,

semantics, pragmatics , cultural issues.

8. Chronogram of activities: what activities will be performed? Howlong will it take?

ACTIVITY 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

1.Conversations about the benefits of

staying in an English environment,

Malchinguí and Rhiannon Community

x x

2. Conversations between teachers of

English of ESPE and Ms. Helen Bicknel,

the leader of Rhiannon Community

x

3.Design and presentation of the

project

x

4. Authorization by the authorities x

5. First visit to the community (1 day) x

6.Second visit to the community (1

month at least)

x x x x

7.Feedback and evaluation of the

experience

8. Students will take the FCE x

9. Analysis and comparison of the

results

x

10 Presentation of a report to the

authorities

x

9. Resources: What will be required to do it?ACTIVITY

(NUMBER)RESOURCE

1 Speeches to motivate students, internet2 Transportation to visit Malchinguí3 Meetings, internet, paper4 Document5 Transportation, food6 Transportation, food, accommodation7 Meeting with students

8 Exams9 Meeting and results of the exams

10 Paper, computer

10. Sources of informationMalchinguí http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malchingui

Rhiannon Community http://directory.ic.org/21978/Rhiannon_Community

Implicit learning

1.IMPLICIT LEARNING IN SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION

John N. Williams

2. Implicit Learning and Second Language AcquisitionRozália Eszter IvádyImpLab Association, Budapest &Budapest Technical University,Cognitive Science Phd Program1111, Budapest, Stoczek utca 2.ivady@cogsci.bme.huhttp://www.implab.org

11. Annexes1. Letter to the authorities of ESPE

2. Project

3. Exams

4. Final report

Prepared by Gladys Ortiz and Rocío Ortega A.