KEY CONCEPTS IN LANGUAGE

LEARNING AND LANGUAGE

EDUCATION
Concepts extracted from Diane Larsen-Freeman’s take on
linguistics

BY L E O N A R D O G O N Z Á L E Z
LANGUAGE TRIANGLE
( H OW T HE A U TH OR EX PL A INS L A NGU A GE)

Teache
r

CONTEXT CONTEXT

Subject Learner’s
matter language
process

CONTEXT
 HISTORY

BEHIND LANGUAGE TERMS

 WHAT IS LANGUAGE? TAKES ON LANGUAGE

• First details: 1) Language and culture’s inseparability => The way we view and
understand language.
Our “picture” of language => Affects the way we teach!

• LANGUAGE:
A) Synchronic system (Saussure, 1916): ‘language as a rule-governed discrete
combinatory system’
using => phonemes, lexemes, morphemes => words, phrases,
clauses, sentences

B) Social-fact (Hymes, 1972): ‘call for language education to move beyond

linguistic competence to communicative competence: the knowledge of
when and how to say what to whom’
WHAT IS LEARNING? LEARNING IDEOLOGIES

• 1) Behaviorism (Skinner, 1957) : Operant conditioning => ’behaviour is

reinforced in order to condition a voluntary response to a particular
stimulus’

• 2) Structuralism (Bloomfield, 1957) : Habit formation => ‘mimicry-

memorization and pattern and dialogue practice’

• 3) Innatism (Chomsky, 1965) : LAD => ‘consists of innate general principles

of language’

• 4) Interactionism (Snow, 1970) :

W/CHILDREN … Interaction between child and caregiver => ‘support
latter provided to learn language’ => particular accommodations to facilitate
language acquisition are engaged.
WHO ARE THE LEARNERS?
 Language aptitude.
• NO actual response to this.  Motivation.
But may
 Social attitudes.
include…  Learning style.
 Preferences.
Although must
consider…

m
he
• Learner’s age.
Brain’s plasticity!

t
of
• Native languages.

ar me
• Other spoken

So
e:
Leadin languages.
g to • Individual
differences.
• Context they’re in.
Understanding of
differences between
kids and adults LA
process.
WHAT IS TEACHING?
• I) Traditional view: ‘Knowledge transmission’. Teachers responsible
for transmitting what they know to students. => RECEIVE, MEMORIZE,
REPEAT
• II) Constructivism: ‘Learning : socially constructed. Teaching:
meaningful’ => Social interaction in education. => EXPERIMENTATION,
PROBLEM SOLVING, DIALOGUING

Teacher roles:
• Drill conductor and model (Audiolingual method)
• Facilitator and counsellor (Community Language Learning)
• Reflective practitioner: ‘someone who can detach oneself from experience,
examine it, and learn from it’
ECLECTIC WAY
 INTERSECTING ANGLES
• A) Language and learning: one interjection is Language Assessment =>
Teacher’s performance. => Decide next teaching move.

• B) Language and teaching: BASICALLY => Language teaching materials

are designed by linguisti experts.

• C) Learners and language:

Young learners => Content based teaching => Vehicle in which other
subjects are learned.
(Keeping interest alive to
motivate)
Adult learners => Particular goal => Study of language for a specific
occupational, technical, or academic purpose.