Second Language Acquistion

Second Language Acquistion

1. Input Hypothesis

   • Stephen Krashen
     • everyone learns the same way
       • comprehension of messages
         • comprehensible input
           • understanding message being told
             • talking is not a form of practicing
           • understand message being read
     • learning is not a matter of differences, but similarities
       • applications within classrooms
         • use of a relaxing environment
           • allows for the input to reach the child
         • less emphasis of speaking as practice
           • curriculum based on the comprehension of message

2. BICS vs. CALP

   • Jim Cummins
     • BICS
       • Basic interpersonal communicative skills
         • smallest aspect of language
         • high frequency vocabulary
         • conversational frequency that is picked up quickly
     • CALP
       • cognitive academic language proficiency
         • takes five to seven years for ell to catch up to grade level
         • language used in textbooks and assessments
     • Classroom applications
       • forces teachers to look at the type of language ell's are learning
         • how are their conversations with peers?
       • find new strategies that give children more access to the academic language they require
         • more textbooks

3. Universal Grammar

   • Noah Chomsky
     • ability to learn grammar hard-wired in to brain
       • manifests without being taught
     • "mental grammar"
       • brain automatically understands and distinguishes differences of language
         • nouns
         • verbs
     • Classroom Applications
       • less drill of grammar
         • no teaching of phoneme awareness
         • no spelling rules
       • more use of time for practicing
         • have kids writing