FIRST AND SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION AND LEARNING
COLLABORATIVE WORK
CRUZ MARÍA PIEDRAHITA
ANGY PLATA ÁLVAREZ
MARITZA QUICENO
CORE CONCEPTS
Check the topics for Unit 1 and reflect about
the definition of language, learning and
teaching. Write your own definition of these concepts in about 50 words for
each concept. Consider stating what you can add or delete from the definitions
given in the study materials. Consider your experience as a language learner
and teacher to propose clear and easy to understand definitions.
DEFINITION OF LANGUAGE
STUDENT
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LANGUAGE
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CRUZ MARIA PIEDRAHITA |
Is the way that human beings communicate. As human beings we have
different ways to communicate. We
communicate when we talk by making sounds and also when we use our body
(signs). Language is generally specific to a particular group which means
that you must learn another language to communicate in a foreign country.
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ANGY CARELI PLATA ÁLVAREZ
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Is an ability of human beings for communication,
consist in vocal symbols that are produce by the organs of speech. Language is use for express or communicate
thoughts, feelings, concerns, ask questions, etc. Language change between
countries, culture, customs and race. Everyone has a home or first language
and is able to learn more.
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MARITZA QUICENO
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DEFINITION OF LEARNING
STUDENT
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LEARNING
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CRUZ MARIA PIEDRAHITA |
Depends on the training of the learner received in a course. What it
is really means is the learner is exposed for a certain period of time
focusing on an activity or task for getting knowledge. After the student
receives all the information, they will be able to demonstrate the acquired
abilities. In that way the learner will be capable of doing what they have
learned.
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ANGY CARELI PLATA ÁLVAREZ
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Is an action and ability that consist in adquiring a new knowledge. For
learning is also known modifying or reinforcing the existing knowledge.
Besides knowledge we can learn skills, values, principles, behaviors,
customs, rules, etc. This ability is not exclusive of human beings, is also
possessed by animals and also machines, but in humans most of the times
learning is a process intimate or related to want to. We learn for education,
personal development, personal purposes, training, etc and it may be
goal-oriented.
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MARITZA QUICENO
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It is a
term referring to the processes and actions that are used by Language
Learners to help them to learn or to use a language more effectively.
This was
first introduced in 1975 in literature for a better understanding of
strategies for teachers and students and to tell the teachers and students
how to teach and learn more effectively.
To learn a
new language is not easy and when a person starts learning a new language
many aspects have be taken into account:
The new
language
New culture
New way of
thinking
Feelings
and acting
Also the
have to commit and total involvement to learn successfully and to be able to
send and receive messages in a second language.
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DEFINITION OF TEACHING
STUDENT
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TEACHING
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CRUZ MARIA PIEDRAHITA |
Is the method of the students’ learning.
Teaching is the way teacher can communicate or expose a subject in the
classroom or others places giving learners tools to resolve problems and
understand the principal bases of the subject explained. The teaching processes
keep in mind learners’ characteristics, methodology and it is also to have the
ability to make the teaching material interesting and relevant for the students
in the lesson plan.
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ANGY CARELI PLATA ÁLVAREZ
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Is an action and ability that consist in teach which
results in accompany and guide someone in the learning process. It could be a
practice, occupation or profession. It is necessary to teach the teacher first
have strengthened the knowledge that is intended to convey, and that has a
number of strategies or dynamic to achieve it.
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MARITZA QUICENO
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Is the way of
guiding and facilitating the process of teaching to the learners.
The first
thing that a teacher should do is to see how to approach the student and which
right methods and technics to use in the classroom.
We need to
let the students discover new things in an inductively way.
We have some
classification of Language Learning Strategies:
-Metacognitive.
Which involve knowledge of the learning process.
-Cognitive:
intended to enhance comprehension.
-Social-affective:
Social interaction to assist in the comprehension. |
VYGOTSKY’S
THEORY EXERCISE
CRUZ MARÍA PIEDRAHITA
Social constructivism is a theory proposed by Lev Vygotsky [1896-1934]
(1962) where social interaction plays an essential part in the process of
cognitive improvement. The learning is built between our interactions with
teachers, and other experts. So through
planned activities by the teacher, students interact with others sharing their
experiences and creating a new perspective or knowledge. The most important is
to give them space to interact, and talk about what they know.
The school is
the place where the skills and abilities are appreciated; being the teacher who
leads this process in the institutions through his/her observation of the
learner’s environment. This theory marks a transcendental point in the
instruction, recognizing the connections that students make with others because
they can find interests in common and also because they share the living space,
the sociocultural context. So is the instructor who creates new spaces for
language learning through the observation of these situations to engage
students to learn a foreign language. An interesting way to encourage is
inviting students to use tech to create a website with topics that attract
them. Throughout this kind of activities the teacher can monitored the participations,
the writing process and also their learning.
These kinds of situations are considered in modern life as a new way to
build knowledge through activities of cooperative learning. So the role of the
teacher in the learning is to maintain the learners motivated.
There is
another interesting point that Vygotsky considered in his theory was to work
with physical disability children in the classroom as a way to incorporate
these kids to the community. It will be a challenge for teachers and for foreign
language teachers as well because they will work hard to help students to reach
the goal. It is clear that teacher will keep in mind for those kids he/she
might need a separate plan. So here is where the role of a foreign language
teacher will take advantage of this theory in the language through
communication with adults and peers. These kinds of activities will motivated
students to help each other, take control of their learning and explore and
discover through being actively engaged. In this approach the “action of learning itself is just as
important as what is learnt”. The role of the teacher is relevant in the
learning as a mediator between the knowledge and the student.
The zone of
proximal development (ZPD) it says learners learn best from other learners who
are just a little ahead of them. So the student can accomplish by doing the
task of autonomous way.
This
interesting theory mustn't be in the classroom. As teachers we can find others
places to make the class more interesting like: task-based learning and the
students could take advantage of it, for example: visiting a doctor, call for
an appointment subjects that student could face day by day. It is just
unbelievable how the students accomplish this task to make the learning process
really successful. The method “Look Do” could be interesting to work
with students learning styles.
1. The teacher shows the assignment to the learner
2. He/she repeats the showing it as necessary
3. The learner will copy what the teacher has
demonstrated them; they can accomplish the task on their own.
Language has
also a relevant part in the process of learning a second language and teachers
have to provide enough experiences to practice speaking, which is a principal
instrument of learning process of the learners and useful for expressing ideas.
So teachers should encourages students to think, improve their critical
thinking, resolve problems and share aids promoting cultural activities in the
lesson plan. As teachers we would see it in their reading, writing and
speaking. The social interaction and the tools that people use like, dialogue,
technology and writing help community to grow in their social environments
which is constructed with the other. We learn as a team and this competence is
seeing today as a requirement in any job.
·
Designating
one student as the expert on a subject and having them teach the class.
·
Allowing
students to work in groups or pairs and research arguable topics which they
must then present to the class.
MARITZA QUICENO
CONSTRUCTIVISM
“A multidisciplinary approach”.
I am agreeing with Piaget and Vygotsky about the
integration of Linguistic, Psychological and Sociological Paradigms.
But more with the Sociological one, because for
students nowadays it is easier to learn by practicing with a lively environment
and applying what they learn in their daily activities, real live instead than
in a classroom environment.
If students have interactions and cooperative work by
doing pair work, preparing dialogs and investigating to present a presentation
to their classmates they will learn more and retain more vocabulary and at the
same time practicing or reviewing grammar as well, that is what they need to
communicate.
Vygotsky (1978) said that “Children’s thinking and meaning-making is socially constructed and
emerges out of their social interactions with their environment”.
The Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD” states that
students cannot learn by themselves that always a tutor-teacher or adult have
to guide them to do what they need to do or work on.
Vygotsky also said that social interaction was
foundational in Cognitive Development and this is true because I like to have
my classes outdoor instead than in a classroom and they participate more and
try hard to express by talking what they need to express and by doing
investigation for an specific topic they learn a lot about culture.
In many ways Constructivism perspectives are a natural
successor to cognitively based studies of universal
grammar-information-processing memory-etc.
Since 1980s till 2000s constructivism has been very
important in the process of learning a second language and some schools
include:
- Interactive
discourse
- Social
cultural variables
- Cooperative
learning
- Discovery
learning
- Construction
of meaning
- Interlanguage
variability.
As a teacher I could say that the Classical Method is
no appropriated nowadays in our classes, we can explain grammar rules and
vocabulary by conversational or reading classes and the students can learn more
and have fun at the same time.
It is very important to tell the student that do not
translate literally that they should interpret what the others are saying or
what they are reading or listening to understand better and not to use any
translator when writing an essay for them it is hard but they can try to do it.
Constructivism has witnessed a growing interest in
interpersonal relationships, the value of group work, pair work and the use of
cooperative strategies to achieve the goals.
We need to stress the importance of self-esteem and
motivation to our students today the term Communicative Language Teaching (CLT)
it is getting great importance in schools.
Teachers need to teach our students to communicate
genuinely, spontaneous and meaningfully.
We need to have good approach with the students and to
know that every student is unique and have different ways to learn, we need to
establish a good relationship with them where the respect towards each other is
important and let them know how important are them for us.
EXAMPLES
OF TEACHING:
Pair
work: I like to use this
in my classes because the students can work dialogs and help each other with
their knowledge of the previous classes where they put in practice writing,
grammar and tenses and also to get known each other more. It is also a cooperative
work.
Search: students investigate about a topic that I assigned to
them and they should do a poster or videos and presented to their classmate and
explained it to them it is away to evaluated pronunciation and an oral
practice, I like to do this with them in order to teach them how to speak in
front of public.
Reading
Comprehension: for the
students is a good way to comprehend text and answer complete questions and
learn the difference between WH Questions and Y/N Questions and to practice the
grammar forms and tenses. Sometimes they do it in pairs.
Listening
Comprehension: to educate the
ear and to teach them the proper way of listening and complete gaps, I do this
activity with songs or texts.
ANGY
PLATA ÁLVAREZ
The cognitive psychologist, Lev Vygotsky, shared many
of Piaget's assumptions about how children learn, but he placed more emphasis
on the social context of learning.
In Vygotsky's theories both teachers and older or more
experienced children play very important roles in learning.
Vygotsky argued, "learning is a necessary and universal aspect of the process of
developing culturally organized, specifically human psychological function".
There are two main principles of Vygotsky's work: the
More Knowledgeable Other (MKO) and the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD).
Vygotsky's constructivist theory, is often called
social constructivism, and imply an active and involved teacher, he emphasized
the critical importance of culture and the importance of the social context for
cognitive development.
Vygotsky's theories has more emphasis on the role that culture plays in the cognitive development. He also places more emphasis on social factors contributing to cognitive development, “For Vygotsky, the environment in which children grow up will influence how they think and what they think about”.
According to Piaget, language depends on thought for
its development (i.e. thought comes before language). For Vygotsky, thought and
language are initially separate systems from the beginning of life, merging at
around three years of age, producing verbal thought (inner speech).
I personally believe that Vygotsky’s theories are
right about the influence of environment in culture in the learning process,
that’s why every teacher has to identify the students environment to be able to
success in the teaching process.
EXAMPLES
As culture and experience people (no need to be the
teacher) play an important role in this theory I would try this examples:
1. Group
activities: this is a way
to students with more experience or knowledge to share it with peers and give
the opportunity for the other with less to get confidence.
2. Role games: are games in which players assume the roles of
characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out
these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting or through a
process of structured decision-making or character development.
