In this unit, we went over of the differences
between the first language acquisition and the second language or additional languages learning and checked that in what ways they are different and in what ways they may be similar. Here you can listen to my thoughts on L1 versus L2 acquisition.
The other part of this unit was to read Lightbown & Spada (2013) chapter 7: Popular Ideas About Language Learning Revised. After revisiting the popular ideas about language learning in Lightbown & Spada (2013, p. 202), my opinion changed about 2 points. The first point is point 14 (When learners are allowed to interact freely, they copy each other's mistakes). I used to think that if teachers give students time to have a conversation with each other without being monitored, it would help them to improve their speaking and learning, but according to this article, students should be given well designed teacher centered activities to improve their learning process. Activities should designed in the way that students would be able to understand the meaning and be able to find the correct patterns in the second language. The second point is point 5 (The earlier a second language is introduced in school programs, the greater the likelihood of success in learning). Through this point I found that being exposed to the second language for a couple of hours a day will not be effective. Although children would learn a new language faster than adults, it would be frustrating for them to learn a new language when school does not have a realistic estimated program for the second language. I realized that that if the L2 exposure takes place daily for several hours, it can be very effective. It depends on the intensity of the program, homework components and a lot of speaking practice.
Lightbown, M. & Spada, N. (2013). How languages are learned (4th ed.). Oxford: OUP.
Comments
Post a Comment