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Introduction |
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Language Baggage |
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SLA - Theoretical Perspectives |
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Contextual Factors in SLA and SLT |
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Conclusion |
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Assessment Information |
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References |
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SLT - Historical Perspectives
Second Language Teaching Theory | Page 1 of 1 |
The ‘what happens’ within language classrooms is very much tied to beliefs about teaching and learning. This section contains a number of short ‘images of practice’.
Each image is predicated on particular beliefs that are worth exploring briefly.
‘Mr Crocker-Harris’
In his 1994 film version of Terrence Rattigan’s play, The Browning Version’, Mike Figgis uses Albert Finney to brilliantly portray Andrew Crocker-Harris, teacher of the Classics at an English boarding school. The learning of Latin verses through scribing, memorisation, fear and belittlement is graphically depicted, as is the role of ‘languages’ as an entrée into literary appreciation and scholarly pursuit.
Language learning as a part of being both ‘cultured’ and ‘able’ has had a significant part to play in the way that language study has been constructed historically both in the UK and here in Australia. This type of construction, however, usually saw a focus on grammar, and on translation. Students exposed to this version of language teaching and learning developed very little by way of practical ability with respect to the functional use of the language that they were studying.
 | Grab the video – it’s worth a watch, and it’s a good place to start in order to see where language teaching practices have come from in modern times. |
‘Class of ‘71’
Rows of small boxes (or carrels as they were known), each equipped with a tape recorder and headphones. Students isolated and locked into their own small world of learning that was occasionally interrupted by the voice of the teacher interjecting to correct. Hour upon solitary hour was spent uttering and repeating phrases such as ‘I go, you go, he goes, she goes’.
This, the audio-lingual classroom (or language laboratory) was both a reaction to grammar / translation, and an expression of the impact of behaviourist psychology on language teaching and learning. The emphasis on the written was supplanted with a belief that, with continual oral repetition, with mimicry and memorisation, habits would be formed and a new language would be learnt.
‘Simon Says’
Students in classrooms, performing on command ‘stand up, sit down, open the cupboard, walk here, do that’ etc etc. Much movement with a focus on enjoyment and on demonstrating comprehension of utterances.
TPR or Total Physical Response is an approach to the teaching of languages that was developed by James Asher in the 1980s. It is based on the belief that, if students are required to engage with a second language in the same way in which they engage with their L1 (first language or mother tongue), then it is possible for a second or third language to be acquired with relative ease. Asher premised this belief on the interactions observed between mother and child. This was considered to represent the natural way of acquiring L1, and TPR was constructed in order to replicate this approach with a second or third language.
‘Christmas in Quebec’
It’s winter. Snow is on the ground and English speaking Canadian children are interacting with their classroom teacher who speaks only in French. These children are immersed in the language that they are learning. They learn the content of the curriculum in French. It may be Science, or Social Science, it may be Art, or it may be Music. Whatever it is, it is taught through the exclusive use of the target language, in this case French.
The idea of ‘immersion’ as a way of teaching a second language is associated with the belief that immersion in the language and the culture of a society leads naturally to the acquisition of the language of that society. Additionally, because of the work of Stephen Krashen, there was a belief during the 80s and into the 90s that all that was necessary for the acquisition of a second language was the provision of rich, but comprehensible target language input. Emphasis on other areas often associated with language learning (eg the form of the language) is often minimal in this approach.
‘Let’s pretend’
The classroom is abuzz with noise. Pairs of learners work their way through situational scenarios requiring target language exchanges relevant to communicative situations likely to be encountered in day to day living in target language speaking communities.
A belief in the importance of communicative competence, together with an appreciation of the significance of interaction in the language learning process, have driven the inclusion of these sorts of exchanges and activities in language classrooms. Roleplays have become common place in many language learning and teaching contexts.
‘I know the words but I can’t put them together’
So said a year 6 learner who, on visiting a target language speaking community suddenly realised that she knew a lot of content words but was very ‘light on’ with the grammar words of the language.
This is a recent and common phenomenon of primary school programs in languages other than English. It has been brought about by beliefs associated with what is appropriate for early childhood learners (sorting, colours, numbers etc) together with a focus on vocabulary consolidation through fun games. Additionally, in some quarters, there has been the belief that nothing more than this can be achieved in primary language programs because of time constraints.
‘Multimodal, multitasking’
In the classroom there is one group of learners watching a cartoon in the target language. In another area there is a group working on the construction of a roleplay. A pair of students are sending an email in the target language to keypals in a TL speaking community. Others are engaged in a shared reading task and yet others are sending SMS messages in the TL to learners in a school in another suburb.
There are not many classrooms that currently look like this and yet such an experience would appear to be very much in keeping with contemporary views on learning and teaching, together with the acknowledged benefits of ICT (Information Communication Technology) for classrooms and for language learning.
Other images of practice could be included for perusal and maybe you would like to make a contribution from your experience. Hopefully, however, what is here is sufficient to demonstrate how particular beliefs about learning, language and education have impacted, and are impacting, on second language teaching practices.
It is time now to focus in more deeply on how some of these beliefs and practices have been informed by developments and debates in the area of second language acquisition research.
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