1 TALKING ABOUT LANGUAGE TEACHING.

According to Stern It is important to have cleared the different concepts we can

found when talking about language teaching; when we said mother tongue we are
talking about the first language we are able to learn, but when we are talking about
second language or foreign language we distinguish that there is another language
involve besides our very first language, and thats the first major difference we
have to be awarded in the practice of language teaching, but it is also important to
know that the social status has the same level of importance due to its relevance
when language is viewed on its practical work. Having in mind this concept we
notice that there is some kind of difference between second language learning and
bilingualism since second language learning has to do with acquiring a second
language with no necessary a practical use like here in Colombia learners of
English are not able to put in practice in their everyday life this language, when we
said bilingualism or bilingual is when the people involved in the process of learning
are able to make a practical use of the second language in their interaction in the
community. Another distinction across the terms learning and acquisition has to do
with the methodology in which the apprentice is trying to get the language whereas
it is his first or a second language. When we said acquisition we think about the
biological way of learn the first language or native tongue, but when we are talking
about learning it means that there are other aspects to consider rather than the
biological one like social factors, experience through the management of a
language etc.
2 THEORY AND PRACTICE.
As Stern said theory and practice are both from hand to hand in the process of
learning and teaching when theory became the basis or support of practice but at
the same time practice became the result the product of theory. The practice at the
same time provides new experience to theorize about the different aspects implicit
in the process of learning and teaching. But what is in fact theory: according to
Stern It refers to the systematic study of the thought related to a topic or activity,
for example, art, music, or education. A theory views a topic or certain practical
activities as something coherent and unified, but divisible into parts. A theory
0ffers a system of thought, a method of analysis and synthesis, or a conceptual
framework in which to place different observations, phenomena, or activities. It is in
this widest sense that we can also speak of theory of second language teaching.
But what makes a theory something useful and meaningful to put in practice. Stern
develops some criteria in which is possible to support a theory: Usefulness and
applicability which is the most important criteria because it refers to the reality
of a classroom and how those thoughts would be useful at the time of establish
a path to construct knowledge. A second one explicitness which refers to
establish and make it clear the purpose of those statements, when talking
about coherence and consistency a good theory has to go through the entire
phenomena of learning and teaching since there are too many different
approaches in which a teacher is able to work by using different methods.
Another criterion, explanatory power and verifiability has to do with the
component of support the theory by research of the statement we are going to
develop, in this way both theory and research became an important part of
each other. Simplicity and clarity rather than a complex way to faces the
theory enable us to understand and put in practice those statements and social
consequences of theory development with the applicability of the statements
having in mind the different factors in which a theory is carried out.
3 TOWARDS A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
The process of teaching and learning has to do with two elements which are
scholarly and scientific manner we have to start with the conscious of the amount
of problems arisen of the practice of the profession that is how applied linguistics
appear to provide an specific mediation between theory and practice. That is how
Campbell creates a model in which applied linguistics became a mediator in the
process of language teaching: the theory which is linguistics the mediator applied
linguistics and the pedagogy which is the way to put in practice all the theory but at
the same time Campbell realized of the importance in the context when it is
concerned to second language, it is here when the theory became wider by using
besides linguistics psychology, sociology and anthropology to engaged the theory
with the reality in a context. But as Campbell; Spolsky, Ingram, Mackey and
Strevens fashioned different models with a common deal which is the interaction
and interdisciplinary to provide a theory framework that supports language
teaching process. The result is that there is no one specific model to approach into
the process but there are different methods that can be useful in different ways
depending on the intention and the purpose we want to achieve.
One general model created by Campbell wants to give the opportunity to the
teacher himself to come up with his own theory according to the four elements of
this model which are language, learning, teaching, and context. All of these models
are created as a metatheory which is the basis of the action of these techniques to
solve the problems related with the practice of second language learning. The
Campbells model has these characteristics like comprehensiveness to applied the
techniques of second language learning not only in certain environments but
everywhere it is necessary, principle of interaction since the theory works together
with practice and therefore the teacher is not only a teacher but a researcher,
multifactor view with a lot of different issues that became something to be awarded
in the develop of the theory and multidisciplinary approach in which not only
linguistics as the main basis to support theory but it is related also with human
been himself and how the theory can be adapted according to the circumstances
or the actual context.
As a personal conclusion it is important to have in mind and be awake of the
importance of both theory and practice because those are dependent from each
other, it is a duty as a teacher to approach the best model according to our
learners population, but to achieve that we have to be conscious of the background
and the contemporary relations across the language learning and teaching
process.
DIDACTICA, DISEO Y MELEX
MARTHA ELIZABETH VARON PAEZ









FUNDAMENTAL CONCEPTS IN LANGUAGE TEACHING
STERN, H.H. (1983)













WILSON GARCA
UNIVERSITY OF TOLIMA
B.A. IN ENGLISH
IBAGUE
2014
1 TALKING ABOUT LANGUAGE TEACHING.
According to Stern It is important to have cleared the different concepts we can
found when talking about language teaching; when we said mother tongue we are
talking about the first language we are able to learn, but when we are talking about
second language or foreign language we distinguish that there is another language
involve besides our very first language, and thats the first major difference we
have to be awarded in the practice of language teaching, but it is also important to
know that the social status has the same level of importance due to its relevance
when language is viewed on its practical work. Having in mind this concept we
notice that there is some kind of difference between second language learning and
bilingualism since second language learning has to do with acquiring a second
language with no necessary a practical use like here in Colombia learners of
English are not able to put in practice in their everyday life this language, when we
said bilingualism or bilingual is when the people involved in the process of learning
are able to make a practical use of the second language in their interaction in the
community. Another distinction across the terms learning and acquisition has to do
with the methodology in which the apprentice is trying to get the language whereas
it is his first or a second language. When we said acquisition we think about the
biological way of learn the first language or native tongue, but when we are talking
about learning it means that there are other aspects to consider rather than the
biological one like social factors, experience through the management of a
language etc.
2 THEORY AND PRACTICE.
As Stern said theory and practice are both from hand to hand in the process of
learning and teaching when theory became the basis or support of practice but at
the same time practice became the result the product of theory. The practice at the
same time provides new experience to theorize about the different aspects implicit
in the process of learning and teaching. But what is in fact theory: according to
Stern It refers to the systematic study of the thought related to a topic or activity,
for example, art, music, or education. A theory views a topic or certain practical
activities as something coherent and unified, but divisible into parts. A theory
0ffers a system of thought, a method of analysis and synthesis, or a conceptual
framework in which to place different observations, phenomena, or activities. It is in
this widest sense that we can also speak of theory of second language teaching.
But what makes a theory something useful and meaningful to put in practice. Stern
develops some criteria in which is possible to support a theory: Usefulness and
applicability which is the most important criteria because it refers to the reality
of a classroom and how those thoughts would be useful at the time of establish
a path to construct knowledge. A second one explicitness which refers to
establish and make it clear the purpose of those statements, when talking
about coherence and consistency a good theory has to go through the entire
phenomena of learning and teaching since there are too many different
approaches in which a teacher is able to work by using different methods.
Another criterion, explanatory power and verifiability has to do with the
component of support the theory by research of the statement we are going to
develop, in this way both theory and research became an important part of
each other. Simplicity and clarity rather than a complex way to faces the
theory enable us to understand and put in practice those statements and social
consequences of theory development with the applicability of the statements
having in mind the different factors in which a theory is carried out.
3 TOWARDS A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
The process of teaching and learning has to do with two elements which are
scholarly and scientific manner we have to start with the conscious of the amount
of problems arisen of the practice of the profession that is how applied linguistics
appear to provide an specific mediation between theory and practice. That is how
Campbell creates a model in which applied linguistics became a mediator in the
process of language teaching: the theory which is linguistics the mediator applied
linguistics and the pedagogy which is the way to put in practice all the theory but at
the same time Campbell realized of the importance in the context when it is
concerned to second language, it is here when the theory became wider by using
besides linguistics psychology, sociology and anthropology to engaged the theory
with the reality in a context. But as Campbell; Spolsky, Ingram, Mackey and
Strevens fashioned different models with a common deal which is the interaction
and interdisciplinary to provide a theory framework that supports language
teaching process. The result is that there is no one specific model to approach into
the process but there are different methods that can be useful in different ways
depending on the intention and the purpose we want to achieve.
One general model created by Campbell wants to give the opportunity to the
teacher himself to come up with his own theory according to the four elements of
this model which are language, learning, teaching, and context. All of these models
are created as a metatheory which is the basis of the action of these techniques to
solve the problems related with the practice of second language learning. The
Campbells model has these characteristics like comprehensiveness to applied the
techniques of second language learning not only in certain environments but
everywhere it is necessary, principle of interaction since the theory works together
with practice and therefore the teacher is not only a teacher but a researcher,
multifactor view with a lot of different issues that became something to be awarded
in the develop of the theory and multidisciplinary approach in which not only
linguistics as the main basis to support theory but it is related also with human
been himself and how the theory can be adapted according to the circumstances
or the actual context.
As a personal conclusion it is important to have in mind and be awake of the
importance of both theory and practice because those are dependent from each
other, it is a duty as a teacher to approach the best model according to our
learners population, but to achieve that we have to be conscious of the background
and the contemporary relations across the language learning and teaching
process.