Principles-of-Language-learning-and-teaching-Brown (1)

Chapter 4: Teaching by Principles

Overview

• The chapter focuses on foundational principles in language pedagogy derived from research in second language acquisition and teaching.

• Emphasizes the importance of linking classroom practices (techniques) with theoretical principles from research.

• Many novice teachers adopt techniques without understanding the underlying principles, leading to ineffective teaching.

• A principled approach enhances teachers' ability to choose appropriate techniques and evaluate their effectiveness.

Broad Principles of Second Language Learning

• This chapter outlines twelve key principles that form the basis for effective language teaching.

• These principles are categorized into cognitive, affective, and linguistic groups.

Cognitive Principles

Principle 1: Automaticity

• Defines automaticity as the ability to process language rapidly through subconscious absorption rather than conscious analysis.

• Children often achieve faster automaticity in language acquisition than adults due to their tendency to engage with language contextually without overthinking forms.

• Implications for Teachers:

  • Balance between controlled, focused processing and automatic processing.

  • Enhance classroom activities that focus on language usage rather than formal rules to promote fluency.

  • Recognize that achieving automaticity takes time and patience.

Principle 2: Meaningful Learning

• Meaningful learning promotes retention by linking new information with existing cognitive frameworks, unlike rote learning which leads to superficial knowledge.

• Implications for Teachers:

  • Leverage students' interests and backgrounds to create meaningful learning experiences.

  • Avoid rote methodologies that prioritize memorization over comprehension, such as excessive grammar drilling.

Principle 3: The Anticipation of Reward

• Highlights that anticipation of rewards drives behavior, referring to Skinner's operant conditioning.

• Implications for Teachers:

  • Use a mix of immediate and long-term rewards to motivate students.

  • Foster intrinsic motivation rather than depending solely on external rewards.

Principle 4: Intrinsic Motivation

• Emphasizes that the most powerful motivators for students come from within, stemming from their own desires and interests.

• Implications for Teachers:

  • Design task that fulfill students' intrinsic motivations, making learning enjoyable and meaningful.

Principle 5: Strategic Investment

• Highlights the importance of learners' personal investment of time and effort using individualized strategies in language learning.

• Implications for Teachers:

  • Recognize and adapt to diverse learning styles and strategies.

  • Provide varied instructional techniques to address individual needs in a possibly large classroom.

Affective Principles

Principle 6: Language Ego

• Discusses how learning a second language creates a new identity or 'language ego'.

• Implications for Teachers:

  • Provide emotional support to learners, understanding their vulnerabilities as they navigate a new language.

Principle 7: Self-Confidence

• Self-confidence in learners influences their success in language tasks.

• Implications for Teachers:

  • Affirm student abilities with verbal and nonverbal encouragement.

  • Sequence lessons from easier to harder tasks to build confidence incrementally.

Principle 8: Risk-Taking

• Encourages learners to take risks in using a language without fear of making errors.

• Implications for Teachers:

  • Create a supportive atmosphere that encourages responses.

  • Foster calculated risk-taking, where students feel safe to try new language forms.

Principle 9: The Language-Culture Connection

• Explores the intertwining of language and culture and how culture influences language learning.

• Implications for Teachers:

  • Discuss cultural customs and values related to language in the classroom.

  • Sense sensitive to cultural differences and emotional impacts of culture on learners.

Linguistic Principles

Principle 10: The Native Language Effect

• Describes how a learner's native language impacts the acquisition of a second language, both positively and negatively.

• Implications for Teachers:

  • Use learners' native language understanding to inform feedback and correct errors.

  • Encourage thinking directly in the target language to minimize reliance on the native language.

Principle 11: Interlanguage

• Examines the systematic errors learners make while developing their language skills, indicating stages of language proficiency.

• Implications for Teachers:

  • Provide constructive feedback on errors that help learners understand and overcome them.

  • Create an environment where mistakes are seen as natural and part of the learning process.

Principle 12: Communicative Competence

• Highlights the components of language that students need to master for effective communication (grammatical, pragmatic, strategic, psychomotor).

• Implications for Teachers:

  • Balance teaching between formal language and real-world use, fluency, and accuracy.

  • Prepare students for authentic language use beyond the classroom.

Conclusion

• The twelve principles outlined serve as foundational stones for effective language teaching practice.

• Understanding these principles helps teachers refine their technique choices and improves overall teaching effectiveness.

Topics for Discussion, Action, and Research

• Suggested group activities and discussions include prioritizing principles, discussing omitted principles, and reflecting on practical applications in lesson observations.