ALM and the Atlas Complex
In ALM and previous methods, the relationship between teachers and students can be best described as:
(A) Parent and children
(B) Authoritative transmitter and receptive vessels
(C) Facilitator and explorers
(D) Architecht and inventors
(B) Authoritative transmitter and receptive vessels
In order to maximize acquisition, input must be:
(A) meaning bearing
(B) comprehensible
(C) technical
(D) A & B
(E) B & C
(F) All of the above.
(D) A & B
How learners initially perceive and process linguistic data in the target language is called:
(A) structured input
(B) intake
(C) processing instruction
(D) input processing
(D) Input processing
TRUE or FALSE? The first language of the learner is always the source of errors in the L2.
FALSE
Which of the following is NOT a part of the schema of acquisition in the communicative approach?
(A) Input
(B) Intake
(C) Developing system
(D) Output
(E) None of the above.
(E) None of the above
ALM was based on what type of psychology and what does this psychology entail?
Behaviorist - based on the formation of habits
What is the difference between "input" and "intake"?
"Input" is everything you receive in your L2, while "intake" is what the learner actually attends to and gets processed in working memory.
What makes structured input different from input?
I+1, learners forced to process target structure in context
Is explicit explanation necessary for acquisition?
NO. It may be helpful at early stages but is not needed for acquisition to occur.
What is one of the ways you can tell that an instructor has the Atlas complex?
Answering questions meant for students, giving too much explanation, teacher-fronted class, etc.
What is the Atlas Complex and how does it affect students' learning experience?
When the teacher takes on all responsibility in the classroom. This negatively affects students' learning in that they are not made to take the task of learning into their own hands.
What is an expansion? Give an example.
When an instructor adds to a student's output to make a full grammatical utterance. For example, if a student says, "Friends go beach summer", an expansion would be, "My friends go to the beach in the summer."
Give an example of a structured input activity.
Matching, T/F, Y/N, multiple choice, names of classmates, etc.
Name and describe the three different types of drills.
Mechanical: learner needs not to attend to meaning, only one correct answer. (BAAAD)
Meaningful: learner must attend to meaning, but still only one right answer already known to participants (not sooo bad)
Communicative: learners must attend to meaning and answer is new to participants, not one correct answer. (the best!)
How can you present structured input on superlatives?
Open-ended
This chapter presents five "givens" of language acquisition. Name TWO of them.
(1) SLA involves the creation of an implicit system.
(2) SLA is complex and consists of different processes.
(3) SLA is dynamic but slow.
(4) Most L2 learners fall short of a native-like competence.
(5) Skill acquisition is different from the creation of an implicit system.
Explain how TPR (Total Physical Response) works.
Students must respond to teacher's input by physically doing something.
What are the two components that make up "communicative value"?
+/- inherent semantic value and +/- redundancy
Explain paradigms and how they are or are not beneficial to language acquisition.
A paradigm is a representation that displays the various forms of a given grammatical structure. They are mostly NOT beneficial becaus language is not stored this way in our brains. They may, however, serve as a "security blanket" for students.
One of your colleague teaches using a very traditional approach. He says, "That's the way I learned, so..." Explain to him why this is a misconception.
He is overlooking what happened outside of the classroom to contribute to his acquistion.
What was Krashen's "Input Hypothesis"?
As long as there is motivation and the right affective environment, comprehensible input will cause acquistion.
What is "binding" and give an example.
Terrell - cognitive and affective mental process of linking meaning to a form. Teaching students words in English using pictures and avoiding translations.
What are the THREE components of processing instruction?
1. Learners are given information about target structure.
2. Leaners are informed of a processing strategy that may negatively affect their picking up the form.
3. Learners are pushed to process the form through structured input.
The authors mention three reasons that classroom learning may be superior. Explain TWO of them.
(1) Classroom learners tend to be exposed to a wider range of language data than nonclassroom learners.
(2) Instruction heightens learners' awareness of grammatical form and stucture, perhaps making the forms more salient in the input.
(3) They "self-select" (motivation and affinity)
Name ONE of the principles of input processing and explain it.
Text page 139