TESL 0100 - Unit 4 Review
Unit 4 - How are languages are learned?
I really enjoyed this unit, lots of information that was super interesting. Language acquisition is an interesting topic. What I learned was that Acquisition of Language is developed subconsciously through comprehending input via communicating. When watching the video by Stephen Krashen on language acquisition, is that 'acquisition' is far more important than 'learning' because it doesn't disappear with time. Krashen also spoke about 'noticing language', which is the process of attending consciously to the linguistic features of input, also known as deliberate learned knowledge. He also stated that MOTIVATION in language learning is a huge factor, and I agree! Ss who are motivated, have good self-esteem and low anxiety (no internal or external pressures) do well in acquiring language. But if a Ss is not motivated, has low self-esteem and has high levels of anxiety, a sort of wall goes up and blocks acquisition from happening. <--- I thought this was very interesting to hear. Even though you know there are some factors in learning any subject, just hearing it made it more clear to me.
I also like his statement on learning a language, "...the goal is not to just teach language but, teach Ss HOW to acquire language. So that they can become autonomous and improve on their own." --- My co-operating teacher had told me the same thing, and its a valid point. We are not only teaching the language but also the skill to acquire others as well.
In this unit we also touched on Motivation and how it's key to engage students in the lessons. And that to motivate Ss, as the teacher you need to make sure that the lesson is interesting and relevant to the group. I now understand that if it's not relevant to the Ss lives in some way, it's a bit difficult to get them interested in the lesson. Also Technology helps in this aspect, since we all carry some form of technology, it's easy to have them use it in class as well.
Overall I really liked this unit, it was super informative.
Laters!
References:
(2011. May 30,). Stephen Krashen on Language Acquisition. CELT Athens. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vh6Hy6El86Q
I really enjoyed this unit, lots of information that was super interesting. Language acquisition is an interesting topic. What I learned was that Acquisition of Language is developed subconsciously through comprehending input via communicating. When watching the video by Stephen Krashen on language acquisition, is that 'acquisition' is far more important than 'learning' because it doesn't disappear with time. Krashen also spoke about 'noticing language', which is the process of attending consciously to the linguistic features of input, also known as deliberate learned knowledge. He also stated that MOTIVATION in language learning is a huge factor, and I agree! Ss who are motivated, have good self-esteem and low anxiety (no internal or external pressures) do well in acquiring language. But if a Ss is not motivated, has low self-esteem and has high levels of anxiety, a sort of wall goes up and blocks acquisition from happening. <--- I thought this was very interesting to hear. Even though you know there are some factors in learning any subject, just hearing it made it more clear to me.
I also like his statement on learning a language, "...the goal is not to just teach language but, teach Ss HOW to acquire language. So that they can become autonomous and improve on their own." --- My co-operating teacher had told me the same thing, and its a valid point. We are not only teaching the language but also the skill to acquire others as well.
In this unit we also touched on Motivation and how it's key to engage students in the lessons. And that to motivate Ss, as the teacher you need to make sure that the lesson is interesting and relevant to the group. I now understand that if it's not relevant to the Ss lives in some way, it's a bit difficult to get them interested in the lesson. Also Technology helps in this aspect, since we all carry some form of technology, it's easy to have them use it in class as well.
Overall I really liked this unit, it was super informative.
Laters!
References:
(2011. May 30,). Stephen Krashen on Language Acquisition. CELT Athens. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vh6Hy6El86Q
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