Principles of Language Learning

Language learning principles are generally sorted into three sub-groupings: Cognitive Principles, Affective Principals and Linguistic Principles. Principles are seen as theory derived from research, to which teachers need to match classroom practices. Here are some brief summaries of the principles that fall into each grouping:

Cognitive Principles

Automaticity: Subconcious processing of language with peripheral attention to language forms;

· Meaningful Learning: This can be contrasted to Rote Learning, and is thought to lead to better long term retention;

· Anticipation of Rewards: Learners are driven to act by the anticipation of rewards, tangible or intangible;

· Intrinsic Motivation: The most potent learning "rewards" are intrinsically motivated within the learner;

· Strategic Investment: The time and learning strategies learners invest into the language learning process.

· Affective Principles

· Language Ego: Learning a new language involves developing a new mode of thinking - a new language "ego";

· Self-Confidence: Success in learning something can be equated to the belief in learners that they can learn it;

· Risk-Taking: Taking risks and experimenting "beyond" what is certain creates better long-term retention;

· Language-Culture Connection: Learning a language also involves learning about cultural values and thinking.

· Linguistic Principles

· Native Language Effect: A learner's native language creates both facilitating and interfering effects on learning;

· Interlanguage: At least some of the learner's development in a new language can be seen as systematic;

· Communicative Competence: Fluency and use are just as important as accuracy and usage - instruction needs to be aimed at organizational, pragmatic and strategic competence as well as psychomotor skills Once a teacher has a solid understanding of the methodology and philosophy involved in various kinds of Language Teaching approaches, he/she can begin to design lesson plans orientated at facilitating this process in the classroom. While adaptability and spontaneity are essential personality traits in a teacher, without thoughtful lesson planning a teacher is basically teaching "at random" without a logical and pre-determined course to follow. Lessons conducted with poor (or no) effective planning will result in students struggling to conceptually understand the relevance and usefulness of the language they are learning. They may end up practicing language forms they do not instinctively understand, and without effective prompts to use it in a "productive" way, it is likely to go in one ear and out the other. Entrenched errors and a lack of "conceptual understanding" can develop easily as a result of this. The amount of planning and thought a teacher puts into his/her lessons really depends on how much they want the class to achieve. Using pre-selected textbooks helps to select and organize language items, but a textbook can be limited when it comes to facilitating:

· -> Recycling and Revision of Language

· -> Combining Language Item

· -> Combining Phonics/Pronunciation issues with Key Language

· -> Identifying and Rectifying areas of particular difficulty for YOUR students

· -> Identifying and Rectifying areas in need of Remedial work

· -> Realistic Engaging/Presentation and Production/Activation of Language

Lecture 5

Modern approaches to forming Intercultural communicative competence

Lingua-cultural approach to teaching Reading and Writing Proficiency

Plan

1. What is Reading Proficiency? What competences does it need? What strategies for developing reading do you know? Why is the choice of culturally appropriate materials for Reading Proficiency important?

2. Traditional and non traditional approaches to Teaching Writing and Written speech. What competences are involved in good Writing? Socio-cultural and lingua-cultural aspects in writing and Written speech

 

What is Reading Proficiency? What competences does it need? What strategies for developing reading do you know? Why is the choice of culturally appropriate materials for Reading Proficiency important

 

Reading proficiency as an integral part of speech competence demands linguistic competence, strategic competence, socio-cultural competence (cultural awareness) and discourse competence and integration with other skills

Linguistic competence Strategic competence

Reading Proficiency Integration with other

skills (listening, speaking

writing)

Socio-cultural Competence Discourse competence

(cultural awareness of realia, (looking for markers of coherence

cultural backgrounds) & cohesion in the written text for

the purpose of reading

comprehension

Traditional segregated skills approach when writing is divorced from speaking or listening in divorced from reading is not effective because it is non-communicative. Practice has proved that isolation of skills leads to a communicative deadlock. A person who can read adequately but cannot speak will have a serious problem in academic education, in communication. The courses labeled “Intermediate Reading” are doomed to failure for they do not use the potential of the subject, of the topics (themes) in different spheres of communication. In interacted-skill instruction, learners are exposed to authentic language and are involved in activities that are interesting and meaningful. Integrating skill has many advantages:

1. Learners have a chance to see the richness and complexity of the language used for communication;

2. The language becomes a real means of interaction between people;

3. Teachers are given the power and opportunity to develop students’ progress in different skills at the same time;

4. In integrated skill approach the language material is acquired in real context not as discrete language points;

5. Integrated skill instruction is highly motivating at all stages;

6. The significant role of back-ground knowledge is evident when skills are integrated in communication

Linguistic competence in regard to Reading involves using grammar, vocabulary and phonetic knowledge to help understand what is being read. In addition, linguistic competence includes knowledge of the alphabet and the punctuation of the language.

Strategic competence. In reading strategic competence refers to possessing useful strategies for compensating the missing knowledge (gaps in knowledge). These strategies include the use of clues available, power of guessing, background knowledge, and context (content).

Guessing is a very useful strategy and it can be taught and practiced in classroom: Good readers:

1. Read extensively;

2. Integrate information in the text with what they already know (see “schemata theory”);

3. Are motivated

4. Have a purpose for reading

5. Read in different situations where written language serves real functions (entertainment, information, direction)

Reading serves various purposes in different countries and cultures place different emphases on reading texts. For example, in the USA and in Europe there is a great emphasis on bedtime stories and children are brought up hearing stories and fairy-tales when they go to bed. This tradition however is absent in many Asian countries. According to “DEAR” programme in one of American Universities students were to Drop Everything and Read.