To reach these goals, you are expected to do the following:<\/p>\n
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- read the introduction below<\/li>\n
- watch the videos provided<\/li>\n
- check your knowledge and understanding with an activity at the end of each task<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Please note<\/em>: the total work time required to complete 4_3 is about 75 minutes.<\/p>\n
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Reading<\/h4>\nThis part examines the process through which learners move from language input to intake then to output as they learn a second language (L2) in primary school.<\/p>\n
Language acquisition and language learning<\/strong><\/p>\n
Some children acquire multiple languages from earliest childhood, often because they are exposed to them in their home environments. Other children learn second or additional languages (L2) after they\u2019ve acquired their first language (L1), often because they study them at school.<\/p>\n
Language acquisition<\/em> implies an unconscious process wherein children absorb a language through implicit learning often in familiar contexts, whereas language\u00a0learning<\/em> implies a conscious approach usually through explicit instruction in more formal settings.<\/p>\n
Both types of language learning, implicit and explicit, can lead to proficiency in the target language (i.e. the language being learned).<\/p>\n
Receptive and productive skills<\/strong><\/p>\n
Learners\u2019 competence is using a second language generally progresses from\u00a0receptive<\/em>\u00a0skills (i.e. ability to listen and read in the L2 and understand meaning) to\u00a0productive<\/em>\u00a0skills (i.e. ability to speak and write in the L2). The time required for the passage from receptive to productive skills depends on the individual learner, as well as on the quality and quantity of input provided in the L2.<\/p>\n
Learning a second language is not a smooth, swift, or even process. Learners may progress in bursts then reach a plateau before something prompts further progress in the L2.<\/p>\n
Silent period<\/strong><\/p>\n
Infants learn a second\u00a0language\u00a0by listening to verbal input provided by\u00a0caregivers and teachers. At the start of the acquisition process\u00a0they are \u2018silent\u2019 insofar as they are not actively producing the language (orally or in writing) but are absorbing it through active listening. Exposure to sufficient comprehensible input<\/em> enables them to acquire the new language and develop productive skills.<\/p>\n
Interlanguage<\/strong><\/p>\n
Learners\u2019 developing knowledge of a second language is called interlanguage<\/em>: it may have some characteristics of the L1, some characteristics of the target language (TL) and some characteristics that are more general and seem to occur across language systems.<\/p>\n
Analyzing learner language is a crucial step in a teacher\u2019s ability to understand the evolving L2 competence of learners and provide constructive feedback to support their language growth. In order to support their learning and not de-motivate them, it is important for teachers to distinguish between problems learners may experience in basic interpersonal communication skills (BICS) compared with cognitive academic language (CALP) in the L2.<\/p>\n
Error analysis<\/strong><\/p>\n
Error analysis<\/em> enables teachers to decide on the nature of different types of errors made by learners in the L2: errors in spelling and punctuation; developmental errors; over-generalizations; simplifications; transfer or interference errors from L1; avoidance errors.<\/p>\n
Understanding whether errors made in learners\u2019 utterances in L2 are a decrease in the correct form due to an emerging ability to generalize a particular form or rule (for ex. I\u00a0buyed<\/em>\u00a0a bus ticket), which actually indicates progress in the L2, is important for teachers to be able to provide corrective feedback that supports individual learner\u2019s linguistic development.<\/p>\n
Corrective feedback and scaffolding<\/strong><\/p>\n
Corrective feedback<\/em> is an indication to a learner that his\/her use of the target language (TL) is incorrect. Teachers often recast<\/em> learner language by correcting the mistakes made in leaners\u2019 utterances; these changes help to model the correct usage of the TL.<\/p>\n
Teachers will also use linguistic scaffolding techniques<\/em> to support the communicative success of L2 learners. This may include providing a learner with a missing word or expanding his\/her incomplete sentence. Teachers also use\u00a0modified interaction techniques<\/em> or adapted patterns of conversation with L2 learners \u2013 such as self-repetitions, checking for comprehension by asking questions, stopping to clarify requests \u2013 to ensure they understand.<\/p>\n
Sources:<\/em><\/p>\n
Cameron, L. Teaching Languages to Young Learners<\/em>. Cambridge UP: 2001.<\/p>\n
Cook, Vivian. Second Language Learning and Language Teaching<\/em>. Routledge: 2016 (5th edition)<\/p>\n
Cummins, Jim.<\/p>\n
Dorsch, Matthias. Second Language Acquisition vs. Second Language Learning<\/em>. Grin Verlag: 2010.<\/p>\n
Dunn, O. Introducing English to Young Children: Spoken Language<\/em>. Collins: 2014.<\/p>\n
Ellis, Rod. Second Language Acquisition<\/em>. Oxford UP: 1997.<\/p>\n
Krashen, Stephen. Second Language Acquisition and Second Language Learning. <\/em>Pergamon Press: 1981.<\/p>\n
Philip, J., R. Oliver, and A. Mackey. Second Language Acquisition and the Young Learner: Child\u2019s Play?<\/em> John Benjamins Publishing Company: 2008.<\/p>\n
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Activity<\/h4>\nThe following activities are based on your viewing of three short videos recorded in a Montessori primary school in South Tyrol where German is the L1 and Italian the L2. The video clips are of a single Science lesson taught in the L2 to a mixed group of pupils, aged 6 to 8 \u00a0(1st, 2nd and 3rd year primary school).<\/em><\/p>\n