ENG505 Quiz 1 Notes

Lesson-01 INTRODUCTION TO THE COURSE-I

•  UG refers to the mentalist approach that supports nativism and cognitivism.
•  The theory advocates that children are born with Language Acquisition Device (Hadley, 2001, p.

58. and are innately programmed to learn language.

•  The presence of language universals is seen to be the key characteristic which contains parameters setting.
•  UG emphasizes that biological mechanism determines the language learning process supported by the representation of ‘core grammar.’
•  Stephen Krashen’s ‘Monitor Model’ distinguishes acquisition (subconscious learning) and learning (conscious learning) as responsible factors for developing competence in the second language acquisition.
•  The monitor hypothesis claims that the acquisition process is responsible for all second language utterances and fluency.
•  On the contrary, learning is the ‘editor’ and ‘monitor’ for the output (Hadley, 2001).
•  The input hypothesis states that speaking fluency emerges over time and that acquisition process is subject to our exposure to the language, which is beyond our current level of comprehension.
•  Cognitive theory has significant contribution in the area of SLA as it focuses on the internal mental process as the basis for language learning.
•  According to cognitive theory, proficiency develops through practice and then it becomes automatic.
•  The mental processes rely on the analysis where the positive and negative feedback play an important role for reconstructing and meaningful language learning.
•  Conversation theory advocates participation process as useful mechanism for language learning.
•  The participation encourages scaffolding and corrective feedback.
•  The emphasis is on initiating conversations which do not require speaking full sentences.
•  Language learning is seen to be a process of communication where through suggestions and error correction, learning is improved.
•  The basis of Schumann’s ‘Acculturation Theory’ is a ‘social theory’ which considers social forces as the deriving factors that affect language learning and acquisition processes.
•  It emphasizes that instead of internal mental activities, the external factors facilitate learning by providing the target language culture for specific language functions.
•  Language being social phenomena does consider attitudes and stereotypes towards the target language as affective learning factors. Errors can be corrected.

Lesson-02 INTRODUCTION TO THE COURSE-II

•  Edward Anthony proposed a ‘three-level framework’ (1965) based on ‘Approach, Methods, and Techniques.’
•  ‘Approach’ is a set of principles or ideas about the nature of language learning;
•  ‘Method’ is an overall mechanism; ‘Technique’ is a specific strategy/way.
•  Researchers vary in terms of design, procedure and approach;
•  Anthony’s framework emphasized ‘Approach,’ whereas
•  Richards and Rogers considered ‘Method’ as a broader term in comparison to approach.
•  Repka and Stern claim that ‘method or methodology’ is a broader term that covers the rest.
•  Goal orientation, organization, progressiveness, and linking of age to content and successiveness are the general characteristics of methods.
•  However, methods and methodology are related to planning of a specific task, content, procedure, and assessment.
•  Analysis of ‘Language Learning Theories’ requires understanding of the terms ‘Technique, Activity and Procedure.’ ‘Technique’ is a broader term for specific tasks and refers to Brown’s taxonomy of techniques: controlled, semi-controlled and free techniques.
•  However, ‘Activity’ and ‘Procedure’ deal with learner’s performance and practices/behaviors in teaching respectively.

Lesson-03 INTRODUCTION TO KEY CONCEPTS IN LANGUAGE LEARNING

•  Learning belongs to behaviorist approach and deals with a mechanical process of habit formation. As opposed to acquisition which is a subconscious process, learning involves both explicit (learner’s is aware of modification of his/her knowledge base) as well as implicit (change in the learner’s knowledge base but outside his/her conscious introspection) learning processes. Drill, imitation, and repetition are the basic elements of learning.
•  Key features of learning (Behaviorist Approach) include: Learning is entirely a product of experiences. It is controlled by the conditions under which it takes place. Variations in learning do exist. Language learning is practice based. Imitation, repetition, reinforcement and retention have significant roles in language learning.
•  Competence is the ‘mental reality’ which is responsible for all those aspects of language use which can be characterized as ‘linguistics.’ Chomsky refers to it as a system of rules, mastered, and the ability to produce infinite number of sentences. Competence is similar to the concepts of Langue and Parole discussed by Ferdinand de Saussure. It is described as unconscious knowledge of grammar. Knowledge of language is observed as implicit. Chomsky (1965) likened competence to ‘ideal’ speaker-hearer knowledge of language. Competence can be measured and assessed.
•  Performance, according to Chomsky, is ‘the actual use of language in concrete situations.’ It focuses not only on the knowledge of the linguistic units but also the ability of the speaker to use appropriate language in a specific context. Parole (Saussure) describes the physical manifestation of langue (competence). Performance can be full of errors. Performance and its products are complex phenomena due to speaker-hearer’s linguistic competence, speech production, memory, dialectical environment, idiolect and individual style, factual knowledge, health and emotional state, and other related factors.
•  Deductive Learning, being teacher centered approach, refers to providing learners with an understanding of the rules followed by examples and practice. The rules are of primary focus and the practice is encouraged through examples that inculcate rules.
•  This type of learning is suitable for learners who: need a clear base to begin with a new language item (students of lower grades). are accustomed to a more traditional approach. lack the training to find rules themselves.
•  Inductive Learning, being learner-centered, begins with examples first and requires learner to determine rules relevant to the examples. Determining the relevancy of rules appropriate to examples is a challenging task for the learner. It equips learners with the knowledge of the concepts. Key Features
•  Enables learners to ‘notice,’ by way of the examples, how the concept works. It emphasizes learner’s active involvement in the learning process.

Lesson-04 BEHAVIORISM-I

•  The behaviorist movement began with John Watson in 1913.
•  It is also known as a psychological approach which emphasizes scientific and objective methods of investigation.
•  The behaviorists claim that knowledge is external, and humans are born with blank slate. Learning takes place through association between stimuli-response processes resulting into specific habit formation.
•  Critics believe that it does not provide learners with the ability to solve problems and opportunities for improvement.
•  Some examples of behaviorist theory are: • Drill/ rote work • Repetitive practice • Bonus points (incentive to do more) • Participation points (incentive to participate) • Verbal reinforcement (such as ‘well done’) • Establishing rules
•  Russian Physiologist, Ivan Pavlov is the founder of ‘Pavlovian Conditioning’.
•  He discovered it accidentally during 1890s. He conducted an experiment on a dog and learnt that a dog would salivate in response to the ringing of a bell.
•  The Pavlovian conditioning follows: Unconditioned Stimulus (food) > Unconditioned Response (Salivate) It introduced the Law of Temporal Contiguity, whereby two stimuli were presented together to develop association.
•  Temporal Congruity occurs when two stimuli are experienced close together in time and, as a result, an association may be formed.
•  In Pavlovian Conditioning, the strength of the association between the conditioned stimulus (CS) and the unconditioned stimulus (US) is largely affected by the phenomenon of temporal congruity.