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EEd 121 Principles and Theories of Language Acquisition and Learning  Topic 4 PRINCIPLES AND THEORIES OF LANGUAGE ACQUISITION AND LEARNING: PHILOSOPHIES OF EDUCATION  1. To recognize the common philosophies of education. 2. To expla...

EEd 121 Principles and Theories of Language Acquisition and Learning  Topic 4 PRINCIPLES AND THEORIES OF LANGUAGE ACQUISITION AND LEARNING: PHILOSOPHIES OF EDUCATION  1. To recognize the common philosophies of education. 2. To explain the involvement of philosophies of Learning education in developing child’s language Objectives acquisition and learning. 3. To analyze the theories of language learning presented by experts.  1. Plato’s Problem 2. Cartesian Linguistics, by Descartes 7 Great 3. Locke’s Tabula Rasa Theories 4. Skinner’s Theory of Behaviorism About Language 5. Chomsky’s Universal Grammar Learning 6. Schumann’s Acculturation Model 7. Krashen’s Monitor Model  Language. It’s all around us. It’s vital for our everyday existence. And yet many of Introduction us find it challenging to pick up a new one. The problem, we tell ourselves, is that we’re thinking too hard.  The solution, we say, is to be more like those kids that we once were when we learned our first language. Introduction Simply absorbing things, the way kids do without really thinking about the language must surely be our best bet, we convince ourselves.  Now, what’s the PROBLEM? Introduction We’re NOT KIDS ANYMORE and we never will be again.  We’re not going to have the same opportunities as we did in our native language where we were in constant contact with parents and siblings who Introduction corrected our every mistake. Nor do most of us want to spend 18 years of our lives studying a language just to achieve high school-level fluency.  We don’t need to abandon the lessons we’ve taken from childhood language learning, Introduction but we must surely temper them with something else. And that thing is theory.  Theory, the most highly condensed form of thought based on principles and evidence, can Introduction help us as adults to excel in language learning in ways that would otherwise not be possible. 1. Plato’s Problem Noam Chomsky, a linguist and philosopher, coined the term "Plato's problem" to describe how people, particularly infants, Plato’s can learn complex information Problem and skills like language without receiving much formal instruction. Plato’s Problem ▪In the field of linguistics, Plato's problem is the problem of finding an explanation for how a child acquires language though the child does not receive explicit instruction and the primary linguistic data a child does receive is limited.  In the nature versus nurture debate, Plato tended to side with nature, Plato’s believing that knowledge Problem was innate. challenges This paradox the notion that knowledge can only be acquired through instruction and experience.  knowledge is innate ▪ People come to the world knowing things and they are not taught. ▪ By the age of 4, most of the children can Plato’s have the ability to construct complex Problem sentences in their native language. This ability usually precedes literacy, mathematical skills, and even some motor skills.  How is it, then, that children can Plato’s use language so early in life? Problem This is Plato’s problem  This was his answer to what has become known as Plato’s Problem, or as Bertrand Russell summarizes it: “How comes it that Plato’s human beings, whose contacts Problem with the world are brief and personal and limited, are nevertheless able to know as much as they do know?”  Being born with this knowledge from the get-go would naturally Plato’s solve this little quandary and Problem consequently he viewed language as innate.  Plato believed that we possess innate ideas that precede any Plato’s knowledge that we gain through Problem experience. That is why people can talk early on life. 2. Cartesian Linguistics, by Descartes “I think, therefore I am” In his opinion, language acquisition was a simple and easy process, barely worthy of his attention. Like Plato, he believed in the Cartesian innateness of language Linguistics because he thought it reflected the general rationality of human beings.  ▪ But rather than Descartes himself, it was the rationalist movement that he symbolized and that was thriving in the period when he lived that was most important for linguistics. Cartesian ▪ This “Cartesian” movement, Linguistics according to Chomsky noted the creativity involved in everyday language and presented the idea that there were universal principles behind every language.  Cartesian Linguistics Universal Language principles behind creativity every language. The central doctrine of Cartesian linguistics is that the general features of grammatical structure are common to all Cartesian languages and reflect certain Linguistics fundamental properties of the mind. 3. Locke’s Tabula Rasa Tabula Rasa (Blank Slate) This is the idea that all knowledge comes from outside ourselves through sensory experience rather than through innate knowledge that we have at birth. Tabula This naturally carried over to Rasa language theory with Locke rejecting the idea that there was an innate logic behind language.  Sensory Experience refers to the direct involvement or perception of the five primary senses: sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell, in the interaction with the environment around us. These experiences are fundamental to how we perceive and interpret the world. Sensory Experience are the sorts of experiences we have when we see, hear, touch, smell, or taste something  These theories don’t touch too much on the practical, everyday level of language learning. Locke’s They’re far less detailed and Tabula Rasa more philosophical than the modern scientific theories we’re used to. But they have important implications.  Locke’s Tabula Rasa If Plato and the Cartesians are right, then the emphasis in language learning must lie on If Locke is right, then we must what we already know, using focus our attention on sensory our innate abilities to come to input, gaining as much an understanding of the external input as possible. particularities of a specific language. 4. Skinner’s Theory of Behaviorism ▪ In the middle of the 20th century, B.F. Skinner took Locke’s ideas of sensory input and ran with them. Skinner’s ▪ According to behaviorism, a radical Theory of variant of which was put forward by Skinner, all behavior is no more Behavioris than a response to external stimuli m and there’s no innate programming within a human being to learn a language at birth.  ▪ What differentiates Skinner from those who came before him is the level of detail he went into when connecting behaviorism and language learning. Skinner’s ▪ In his concept of what he called Theory of “operant conditioning,” language Behaviorism learning grew out of a process of reinforcement and punishment whereby individuals are conditioned into saying the right thing.  For instance, if you’re hungry and you’re able to say “Mommy, I’m Skinner’s hungry,” you may be rewarded Theory of with food and your behavior will Behaviorism thereby be reinforced since you got what you wanted.  ▪ To put it another way, Skinner described a mechanism for language learning that hadn’t existed before on the tabula rasa side of the language acquisition debate. Skinner’s ▪ What this means for us as language Theory of learners, should his theory be even partially Behaviorism true, is that a process of conditioning must be achieved for us to succeed. When we say the right thing, we must be rewarded. When we say something incorrectly, that too must be made clear.  ▪In other words, Skinner’s we need feedback to Theory of Behaviorism succeed as language learners.  ▪5. Chomsky’s Universal Grammar  children are born with an innate understanding of grammar, which provides a framework for language acquisition. Universal all human languages share Grammar underlying syntactic categories and grammatical features a common structural basis for all languages.  ▪ would assert nearly the exact opposite of what Skinner had offered in his theory. ▪ Where Skinner saw all learning coming Chomsky’s from external stimuli, Chomsky saw an Universal innate device for language acquisition. Grammar ▪ What Skinner understood to be conditioning according to particular events Chomsky, understood to be the result of the universal elements that structure all languages.  ▪One critique that particularly Chomsky’s concerns of many is that it may Universal have little to do with learning Grammar a second language, even if it’s how we learn a first language.  ▪ In short, while Chomsky’s theory may still be important in the linguistics field as part of an ongoing discussion, it offers little help for Chomsky’s learning a second language other Universal than to provide you with the Grammar confidence that the grammar for all languages is already inside your head. You just need to fill in the particulars. 6. Schumann’s Acculturation Model vs  John Schumann’s Acculturation Model describes the process by which Schumann’s Acculturation immigrants pick up a new Model language while being completely immersed in that language.  This theory doesn’t deal with the process of language learning as we normally think of it (such as Schumann’s how we acquire grammar or Acculturation listening skills), but rather focuses Model on social and psychological aspects that influence our success.  For instance, an immigrant is more likely to acquire their new target language if their language and the target language are socially equal Schumann’s Acculturation if the group of immigrants is small Model and not cohesive, and if there is a higher degree of similarity between the immigrants’ culture and that of their new area of residence.  The obvious takeaway is that language learning is not an abstract subject like physics that can be learned from a book Schumann’s regardless of the world around you. There are sociological factors at play Acculturation and the more we do to connect with the Model culture on the other end of our second language, the faster and easier it will be for us to learn that language. 7. Krashen’s Monitor Model  ▪ Language acquisition is subconscious and results from informal, natural communication ▪ Language learning is conscious and Krashen’s driven by error correction (more Monitor formal). Grammar structures are Model acquired in a predictable order. ▪ Language acquisition occurs with comprehensible input (i.e. hearing or reading things that are just slightly above our current language level).  A monitor is anything that corrects your language performance and pressures you to Krashen’s “communicate correctly and not Monitor just convey meaning” (such as a Model language teacher who corrects you when you make a grammatical mistake).  While this theory is quite popular, there has been criticism and direct contradiction of certain Krashen’s parts of it (particularly his idea Monitor about the predictable order of Model grammar structures). Still, it’s useful to get ideas for language learning.  This theory suggests that we should both strive to increase our second language inputs (like by Krashen’s watching video clips and going Monitor through books for reading) and Model make sure we receive proper error correction in one form or another.  1. Essentialism 2. Progressivism 3. Perennialism 7 Philosophies 4. Existentialism of Education 5. Behaviorism 6. Linguistic Philosophy 7. Constructivism  1. Essentialism 2. Progressivism 3. Perennialism 7 Philosophies 4. Existentialism of Education 5. Behaviorism 6. Linguistic Philosophy 7. Constructivism 1. This philosophy contends that ESSENTIALISM teachers teach learners to Why teach. acquire basic knowledge, skills, and values.  Essentialist programs are academically rigorous. The emphasis 1. is on academic content for students ESSENTIALISM to learn the basic skills or the What to teach. fundamental r’s – reading, ‘riting, ‘rithmetic, right conduct – as these are essential to the acquisition of higher or more complex skills.  Essentialist teachers emphasize mastery of subject matter. They 1. are expected to be an intellectual ESSENTIALISM and moral model for their How to teach. students. They are seen as “fountains” of information and “paragons of virtue.” 1. ESSENTIALISM What is the importance or connection of this philosophy to language acquisition and learning?  1. Essentialism 2. Progressivism 3. Perennialism 7 Philosophies 4. Existentialism of Education 5. Behaviorism 6. Linguistic Philosophy 7. Constructivism  Progressivist teachers teach to develop learners to become 2. enlightened and intelligent citizens PROGRESSIVIS of a democratic society. This group M Why teach. of teachers teaches learners so they may live life fully NOW not to prepare them for adult life.  ▪ The progressivists are identified with a need-based and relevant curriculum. 2. This is a curriculum that “responds to PROGRESSIVIS students’ needs and that relates to M What to teach. students' personal lives and experiences. ▪ Progressivists accept the impermanence of life and the inevitability of change. 2. Progressivist teachers employ PROGRESSIVIS experiential methods. They M How to teach. believe that one learns by doing. 2. PROGRESSIVIS What is the importance M or connection of this philosophy to language acquisition and learning?  1. Essentialism 2. Progressivism 3. Perennialism 7 Philosophies 4. Existentialism of Education 5. Behaviorism 6. Linguistic Philosophy 7. Constructivism  We are all rational animals. Schools should, therefore, develop the student’s rational and moral 3. powers. According to Aristotle, if PERENNIALISM we neglect the student’s reasoning Why teach. skills, we deprive them of the ability to use their higher faculties to control their passions and appetites.  ▪ The perennial curriculum is a universal one on the view that 3. all human beings possess the PERENNIALISM same essential nature. What to teach. ▪ What the perennialist teachers teach are lifted from the Great Books.  ▪ The perennialist classrooms are centered around teachers. The teachers do not 3. allow the students’ interests or PERENNIALISM experiences to substantially dictate what they teach. How to teach. ▪ Students engaged in Socratic dialogues, or mutual inquiry sessions to develop an understanding of history’s most, timeless concepts. 3. PERENNIALISM What is the importance or connection of this philosophy to language acquisition and learning?  1. Essentialism 2. Progressivism 3. Perennialism 7 Philosophies 4. Existentialism of Education 5. Behaviorism 6. Linguistic Philosophy 7. Constructivism  ▪The main concern of the existentialists is to help students understand and 4. appreciate themselves as unique EXISTENTIALISM individuals who accept complete Why teach. responsibility for their thoughts, feelings, and actions. ▪ “existence precedes essence”  ▪ In an existentialist curriculum, 4. students are given a wide EXISTENTIALIS variety of options from which M What to teach. to choose. Students are afforded great latitude in their choice of subject matter. 4. ▪ Existentialist methods focus on EXISTENTIALISM the individual. Learning is How to teach. self-paced and self-directed. 4. EXISTENTIALISM What is the importance or connection of this philosophy to language acquisition and learning?  1. Essentialism 2. Progressivism 3. Perennialism 7 Philosophies 4. Existentialism of Education 5. Behaviorism 6. Linguistic Philosophy 7. Constructivism  ▪Behaviorist schools are concerned with modification and shaping 5. BEHAVIORISM students’ behavior by providing a favorable environment since they Why teach. believe that they are a product of their environment. 5. Behaviorist teachers teach BEHAVIORISM students to respond favorably to What to teach. various stimuli in the environment.  ▪ Behaviorist teachers ought to arrange environmental conditions so that 5. BEHAVIORISM students can make the responses to stimuli. How to teach. ▪ Physical climate – light, temperature, arrangement of chairs or furniture, ▪ Psychological climate – Do they feel welcome, happy, accepted? 5. BEHAVIORISM What is the importance or connection of this philosophy to language acquisition and learning?  1. Essentialism 2. Progressivism 3. Perennialism 7 Philosophies 4. Existentialism of Education 5. Behaviorism 6. Linguistic Philosophy 7. Constructivism  To develop the communication skills 6. LINGUISTIC of the learner because the ability to PHILOSOPHY articulate, to voice out the meaning Why teach. and values of things that one obtains from his/her experience of life and the world is the very essence of man.  Learners should be taught to 6. LINGUISTIC communicate clearly – how to PHILOSOPHY send clear, concise messages and What to teach. how to receive and correctly understand messages sent.  ▪ The most effective way to teach 6. LINGUISTIC language and communication is PHILOSOPHY the experiential way. Make them experience sending and How to teach. receiving message through verbal, non-verbal, and para-verbal manner. 6. LINGUISTIC PHILOSOPHY What is the importance or connection of this philosophy to language acquisition and learning?  1. Essentialism 2. Progressivism 3. Perennialism 7 Philosophies 4. Existentialism of Education 5. Behaviorism 6. Linguistic Philosophy 7. Constructivism  Constructivists seek to develop 7. intrinsically motivated and CONSTRUCTIVIS independent learners adequately M Why teach. equipped with learning skills for them to be able to construct knowledge and make meaning of them.  The learners are taught how to 7. learn. They are taught learning CONSTRUCTIVIS processes and skills such as M What to teach. searching, critiquing and evaluating information.  ▪ In constructivist classroom, the teacher provides students with data or 7. experiences that allow them to CONSTRUCTIVIS hypothesize, predict, manipulate objects, HowMto teach. pose questions, research, investigate, imagine and invent. ▪ The constructivist classroom is interactive.  7. CONSTRUCTIVIS What is the importance M or connection of this philosophy to language acquisition and learning?