saskia dukek diana sudbrink mette wilkens 14.11.2008 explaining second language learning

Saskia Dukek Diana SudbrinkMette Wilkens

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Explaining Second Explaining Second Language LearningLanguage Learning


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Table of ContentsTable of Contents

1. Behaviourism

2. The Innatist Perspective

3. Cognitive Perspectives1. Information processing

2. Connectionism

3. The competition model

4. Discussion


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BehaviourismBehaviourism

• Explains learning in terms of– Stimulus– Response– Reinforcement


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• Idea of behaviourism– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyMQE5fe

zEs


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• Development– Skinner suggested that the same process

happens in language learning– Strong influence between 1940s and 1970s– Influence on Audiolingual teaching materials– Classroom activities focused on mimicry and

memorization


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• Learning the 2nd language– Skinner‘s idea related to language learning– Using stimulus- response-reinforcement

model– In language learning a behaviourist slant is

evident


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Critique of behaviourismCritique of behaviourism

• By the 1970s behaviourism was seen as an inadequate explanation for 2nd language learning


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QuestionQuestion

• Which classroom activities were used in language classroom on the background of behaviourism?– Mimicry– Memorization– Dialogues and sentence patterns learned by

heart


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The Innatist PerspectiveThe Innatist Perspective

• Universal Grammar

• An explanaition for 2nd language learning?

• Different views


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• UG must be available in FIRST and SECOND language acquisition

• Either same nature and availability of UG

• OR nature of UG alters by acquisition of others languages



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• Role of instruction and feedback for 2nd language learners

• Language acquisition based on natural language availability



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Krashen’s “monitor model”Krashen’s “monitor model”

• Model of 2nd language acquisition

• Stephen Krashen (theory from 1982)

• Influenced by Chomsky’s theory and based on five hypotheses


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1. Acquisition-Learning Hypothesis

• Acquisition no conscious attention to language

• Learning conscious attention to language



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2. Monitor hypothesis

• Acquired system is responsible for spontaneous language use

• Learned system acts as a monitor



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3. Natural order hypothesis

• Language features easily to state are not necessarily the first to be acquired

• Similar to children acquiring 1st language

• Example: Third person singular –s



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4. Input hypothesis

Necessary for acquisition:

• Language is comprehensible

• The level of that language is just a step beyond your level

• “i+1”



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5. Affective filter hypothesis

• Explains why there are people not acquiring language successfully

• Metaphorical barrier (feelings, motives, needs, attitudes)



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The Input Hypothesis ModelThe Input Hypothesis Modelof L2 learning and producionof L2 learning and producion


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• Krashen’s theories have led to new approaches of language teaching

• However, there has been a lot of critique on the “monitor model”

What do you criticize on this model?



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Cognitive/ Developmental Cognitive/ Developmental PerspectivePerspective

= ?


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Information ProcessingInformation ProcessingN. SegalowitzN. Segalowitz

• knowledge is built up and can be retrieved automatically

• at first learners have to concentrate on aspects of language

• later information processing becomes increasingly automatic


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Information ProcessingInformation ProcessingR. DeKeyserR. DeKeyser

• Language learning as “skill learning”• declarative knowledge becomes procedural

knowledge• declarative knowledge may disrupt a fluent

speaker later on or may even be forgotten• restructuring (may result in backsliding)


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Transfer Appropriate ProcessingTransfer Appropriate Processing

• Retrieval of information works best, if it is asked for in similar situations as it was learned in


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ConnectionismConnectionism

• importance to the environment • only the ability to learn is innate • emphasis on frequency• knowledge is built up through exposure• development of connections

– chunks


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= ?

learning does not work like a computer:

– connections and generalizations are drawn and may even cause errors (overgeneralization)


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The Competition ModelThe Competition Model

• Hypothesis:Language acquisition occurs with the necessity

of learners‘ focussed attention or the need for any innate brain module that is specifically for language

• Proposed as an explanation for 1st and 2nd language acquisition


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The Competition ModelThe Competition Model

• 2nd language acquisition requires that learners learn the relative importance of the different cues appropriate in the language they are learning

• What are cues and how do we use them?– Cues of animacy– Relationship between words in a sentence


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How to use cues..How to use cues..

‘‘ Box push boy“


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How to use cuesHow to use cues

• 1st language learning– Cues of animacy of the nouns and knowledge

about how things work– Word order patterns get stronger than

animacy cues– Later on attention to grammatical markers


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How to use cues…How to use cues…

• 2nd language learners– Il giocattolo guarda il bambino– May have difficulty to understand and

interpret the sentence, because they don‘t know such a weak word order

– Italians focuses on the animacy of the two nouns and draw their conclusion


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QuestionQuestion

• What is the difference between 2 or 3 year old English speaking children and children by the age of four?– 2/3 years old: use cues on animacy of the

nouns and their knowledge of the way things work

– 4 years old: get an idea about an s-v-o interpretation to strings of words. Word order patterns are stronger than animacy cues


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DiscussionDiscussion

saskia dukek diana sudbrink mette wilkens 14.11.2008 explaining second language learning

Documents

language learning slide

language classroom

language example

memorization slide

heart slide

evident slide

zes slide

discussion slide