GACE Spanish P-12: Language Acquisition and Instruction

Study materials for GACE exam covering Language Acquisition and Instruction (conducted in English)

What are the 2 theories/”camps” for First and Second Language Learning?

1. learning occurs same way as other skills

2. unique learning from other skills

The second camp of language learning believes it is “hard-wired” into the brain

True

What are the 2 subgroups of the first camp of language learning?
“Language learning is like all other human learning”

Environmentalist/Behaviorist, Cognitivist

Beliefs:
- children develop lang the same way all organisms learn everything
- early linguistic responses are reinforced by adults

Enviornmentalist/Behaviorist

What does it mean for language learning to be reinforced by adults (according to environmentalist theory)?

positive reinforcement = learn; negative reinforcement = stop learning

• Theory of operant conditioning (learning is a function of change that occurs in observable behavior)

• Successive approximations (children acquire verbal behavior to match “verbal community.”

Skinner’s Behaviorist Theory

earning is a function of change that occurs in observable behavior

Operant conditioning (skinner’s theory)

children acquire verbal behavior to match “verbal community.”

Successive approximations (skinner’s theory)

Skinner’s theory is what type of language learning camp/subgroup?

First camp; behaviorist/environmentalist

What are the limitations of skinner’s behaviorist theory?

language rules and structure cannot be learned solely through imitation

T/F: language rules and structure cannot be learned solely through imitation

True

How can you apply behaviorist theory principles in teaching??

• small, manageable portions

• introduce new lessons in the target language

• precise shaping of new learned behaviors

• teacher models correct form + positive reinforcement

Behaviorist principle of language exposure

share new information in small amounts

Does behaviorist teaching principles require precise shaping of newly learned behaviors?

yes

Do behaviorist teaching principles focus on quantitative or qualitative measurement of results?

quantitative (tests, quizzes, homework)

Behaviorism and internal states?

Disregards internal states

Cognitive and Behaviorist internal vs external

cogitive=internal; behavior=external

• learning occurs in mental processes, not external actions

• internal mental stimuli for learning

• thinking > doing

Cognitivist

What is the main theory for the Cognitivist subgroup of the first camp of language learning? (lang learning = same as all other skills)

Piaget’s Cognitive Developmental Theory

What does Piaget believe about language acquisition and cognitive development?

part of overall cognitive development

According to cognitivist theory, one must first understand the underlying concept to acquire specific linguistic form

true

What are the 4 stages of cognitive developmental theory (in order)

1. sensorimotor

2. preoperational

3. concrete operational

4. formal operational

• egocentric (view the world primarily in relation to themselves)

• Birth - 2 years

• learn about the world through senses and motor actions over language

Sensorimotor stage (cognitivist)

• 2 - 7

• children begin to think symbolically

• use language to represent objects and ideas

preoperational stage (cognitivist)

• 7 - 11 years

• begin to think logically about concrete, tangible events

• users still struggle with the abstract concepts and ideas

concrete operational stage (cognitivist)

• 12+ years

• The ability to think abstractly develops

• Can reason logically —> greater control of the concrete

formal operational stage (cognitivist)

Current cognitive theorist?

McLaughlin

What is McLaughlin’s Cognitive theory of learning?

• informational processing model (general cognitive process)

• transfer, simplification, generalization, restructuring, automatization

What is the distinction between declarative knowledge and procedural knowledge?

Declarative=facts and info; procedural=how to do something

language learning has historically been treated as gaining what type of knowledge?

declarative

cognitivists believe language learning is gaining what type of knowledge?

procedural

Connectionist/Prallel Distributed Processing

• knowledge is connections/forming true connections

• language learning is CONTEXT

Second Camp of language learning is…

language learning is uniquely supported by the brain

What are the subgroups within the second camp of language learning?

Nativist, Interactionist

• Noam Chomsky

• humans possess an Internal Language Acquisition Device (LAD)

• environmental factors influence, but DO NOT determine the language learning process

Nativist

LAD equals

Language Acquisition Device (Chomsky)

What is a Language Acquisition Device?

innate mechanism all humans possess for learning language

Chomsky believes language growth occurs in the “language organ” in the brain (brain is part of biological world)

True

• speakers understand internal sentence structure (syntax) due to phrase structure rules

Chomsky’s Syntactic theory

“poverty of Stimulus”

• Chomsky

• children learn grammatically correct structure even w/ exposure tp incorrect structure

• The “innateness hypothesis” (inborn ability of all humans to develop language)

• universal grammar → linguistic rules are pre-programmed in the brain

• language development is inevitable (not voluntary) given suitable environment

Chomsky’s Theory of Innate Language Development

what is universal grammar?

linguistic rules are pre-programmed in the brain

according to Chomsky’s Theory of Innate Language Development, learning language is inevitable

true

what is the innateness hypothesis?

all humans have inborn ability to develop language

universal grammar contains strict rules for each language

false (principles & parameters)

• language consists of “deep structures” and “surface structures”

• the mind performs transformations to change deep structures into surface structures

Chomsky’s Transformational grammar

what is deep structure?

a basic statement; where linguistic concepts originate

what is surface structure?

final forms of spoken and written language

Semantic changes (meaning) and syntactic changes (changes in sentence structure that produce questions and negatives) are achieved through transformations from the same deep structure to different surface structures.

True

How can you approach teaching to align with Chomsky’s theory of language acquisition (nativist)?

• optimal physical nourishment from a stimulus-rich environment

• emphasize similarities between English and target language (universal grammar)

• correct errors over time as proficiency increases

• Jerome Bruner

• interactions between child and parent'/caregiver determine the course of language development

• draws heavily from Piaget’s constructivist theory

Interactionist (second camp)

learning = the process of building new concepts/ideas on existing foundational knowledge (cognitive aspects)

Constructivist theory

Bruner focused on what aspect of learning (Lev Vygostsky and sociocultural theory of learning)

social aspects

• emphasis on adult/child interactions

• Child-Directed Speech (CDS) is important (how adults speak to children and their scaffolding of language)

Interactionist Theory of Language Acquisition

the linguistic behaviors of adults in speaking to children, as having a specialized adaptation of supporting the process of language development.

Child-Directed Speech (CDS)

What does LASS stand for? (Bruner, Interactionist)

Language Acquisition Support System

What is a Language Acquisition Support System

innate ability to read and interpret social situations and interactions (language)

temporary support children need to promote cognitive growth

Scaffolding

T/F: Scaffolding is consistent with contructivist theory (though not part of it)

True

i + 1

Input Theory

What are the 5 main hypotheses of Krashen’s Input theory?

1. acquisition/learning distinction

2. input

3. natural order

4. monitor

5. affective fllter

What is acquisition/learning distinction hypothesis input theory?

acquisition=normal process of “getting” a language; learning=formal studying

What is Input hypothesis input theory?

Language is acquired by receiving comprehensive input (i+1)

Utterances are above speaking level but can be understood

comprehensible input

What is natural order hypothesis input theory?

order to how language rules are learned

What is monitor hypothesis input theory?

learning (conscious study) is primarily useful in monitoring what has been acquired

What is affective filter hypothesis input theory?

Aversive feelings can be associated with/ hinder lang learning

Similarities in learning L1 and L2

1. both constructed from prior knowledge + experiences

2. same sources in natural situations

3. learners use similar strategies

4. follows predictable patterns

5. Silent period

6. Motherese

the process by which a learner applies a grammatical rule or language pattern too broadly, using it in situations where an exception is actually required

Overgeneralization

describing when you don’t know a word (talking around the word)

Circumlocution

• using single/repeated words

• simple phrases

• slow utterances

Motherese

Differences in L1 and L2 Language Learning

1. L1 has a critical period

2. L2 learners are older than L1 learners

3. fundamental difference hypothesis

4. transfer interference

If you learn L1, you can learn L2 anytime

True

Older learners have more cognitive tools at their disposal & more control over the input they recieve

True

Fundamental Difference Hypothesis

L2 learners cannot access UG and LAD like native speakers

What are the predictable stages of language learning based on the Continuum of Learning Theory?

1. Silent/receptive (pre-production)

2. Early production

3. Speech emergence

4. Intermediate language proficiency

5. Advanced

Silent/receptive (pre-production) stage (continuum of learning theory)

• few hours to 6 months

• communication through pointing and pictures

Early production stage (continuum of learning theory)

• one and two word phrases

• indicate understanding with yes/no; who/what/where

• 6 months

speech emergence stage (continuum of learning theory)

• 1 year

• short sentences and simple questions

• grammatical errors

intermediate language proficiency stage (continuum of learning theory)

• 1+ years

• complex statements

• share thoughts and opinions

• speak more often

Advanced stage (continuum of learning theory)

• 5-7 years

• substantial vocabulary

Commonly observed patterns in L2 learners

Interlanguage, fossilizations, codeswitching, communication strategies

correct but not native-like use of language (rule-bound use of language)

Interlanguage

when learners plateau at interlanguage and don’t advance to native-like competence

fossilizations

speaker changes language mid-sentence **Predictable → @ end of clause

codeswitching

Communication Strategies

paraphrase, subbing words, hand motions, etc.