Language Acquisition
Mention the three faces of language learning in early childhood and their main characteristics
0-3 years: Vocalization (crying, cooing) and auditory discrimination (sound differenciation). Negation and question.
Pre-school years: Metalinguistic awareness. Give commands, ask questions, tell stories.
School years: Language registers. Vocabulary, understanding and expressing abilities expand and grow.
How do we create an effective learning environment?
We create an effective learning environment by:
- Planning the structure
- Setting the rules and routines of the classroom
- Providing Ss sense of security, belonging and competence.
Why is important to start learning L2?
Explain briefly the different learning perspectives.
Behaviorist: Language imitation -> Positive reinforcement. They follow a pattern: hearing and practicing.
Innatist: Biologically programmed for language learning. Universal grammar. This theory is linked to CPH.
Interactionist/Developmental: Interplay between innate learning ability and the environment.
How do we create optimal conditions for learning English?
The demands have to have a purpose, must be relevant, meaningful, natural, part of a coherent whole, memorable, multisensory, etc.
As mentioned in Teaching Young Learners English chapter 1, what are the conditions that benefit the early start in L2 learning?
Starting younger is better for many reasons:
The value of increased time, the possibility of better pronunciation and fluency, intercultural competence and the value of bilingualism.
What's the difference between language learning and acquisition?
Acquisition doesn't require effort. Subcouncious process.
Learning is the result of direct instruction in the rules of language.
Name some characteristics of Young Learners
Name and explain the different EYL programmes.
FLEX, FLES, immersion, dual-language and transitional.