MEASURE YOUR KNOWLEDGE ON UNIT 11 BY TAKING A TEST ON IT

                      

CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW 
http://quizlet.com/13034995/test

UNIT 12: DIFFERENCES BETWEEN L1 AND L2 LEARNING

In this unit I learned that we learn our first language in a different context from when we learn a foreign language (L2). It is important to mention that the age plays an important role on acquiring a new language. Reagarding age I realized that learners' L1 learning starts when they are babies and continues through the early years of childhood and lasts into adolescence for some kind of language and language skills such as  academic writing for school or university while learners' L2 learning starts in primary school and secondary school and it can continue in adulthood.  Also, learners are motivated to learn L1 because they need to communicate while in L2 adults and some secondary learners may already have expentations in their lives. Talking about the ways of learning L1 learners  learn through interaction with family while L2 learners learn through interaction with a teacher and sometimes with classmates. 

Therefore, it is important to take into account the learner's age at the moment of teaching. Also, It is meaningful to  mention that the learning of a second  language is better when people are still children because they will be exposure for more time to the language. Learners have different ways to learn and it depends on the learning styles that they have. For instance, learners can learn by hearing, seeing, touching, and so on. It is important learners build up their fluency, motivation and confidence. In the classroom the teacher need to praise the learner's job so that they can be motivated in learning a second language.

Having studied this unit, I will apply this knowledge by developing different activities or tasks that involve the different learning styles.

Read this article that is based on what I have written.
1. Aile, (2009), reviewing some similarities and differences in L1 and L2 lexical development, retrieved from: http://aile.revues.org/4506
2. Bernhardt, Elizabeth and Kamil, Michael (2014). Interpreting Relationships between L1 and L2 Reading: Consolidating the Linguistic Threshold and the Linguistic Interdependence Hypotheses, retrieved from: http://applij.oxfordjournals.org/content/16/1/15.short

UNIT 11: THE ROLE OF ERROR

Mistakes are said to be an important part in learning a language because it allows learners to realize about their mistakes, hence, they will manage to correct them little by little. In this unit I learned that mistakes are subdivided into error and slips. The former occurs when learners try to say something that surpasses their current level of knowledge or language processing (working on the language unconsciuously to try to understant and learn it), that is, they cannot correct errors themselves since they do not realize what is wrong. The latter is caused  by tiredness, or emotions that affect their development when they are learning the target language. I also realized that there are two main reasons why second language learners make mistakes. The first reason is the influence that the first language (mother tonge/L1) causes on the second language (L2). This is called interference or transfer, i.e. learners use sound patterns, lexis or grammatical structures from their own language in English. The second reason is due to their unconsciousness or they are not aware on what they are working out. This kind of error is called developmental error. This error is commonly found in all learners.

There are errors that last for a long time, that is, learners do not stop making them, these fossilised errors may be the result of lack of exposure to the target language or can be the result from their lack of motivation to enhance their lever.

Having studied the role of errors, I will apply this knowledge in the class by making students be aware on their speaking by recording their presentations and asking them to listen to their  recordings so that they can realize wher they failed. 
Watch this video which contains more information about the topic.

1. Sapir, Ingrid. (2014),The role of error analyses in Teacher Development, retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hARIwotJilw
2.  Marcy, Peggy. (2013), Interlanguage and Error Analysis, retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrnYsi6sG8w

UNIT 10: EXPOSURE AND FOCUS ON FORM

Through years people have investigated which is the best way to learn a language. In this unit I learned that  the best way to learn a foreign language is by exposure to it, that is by hearing and/or reading it every day, the more learners are exposed to the language, the more they will acquire it. Therefore, they pick it up automatically. This is the way in which people learn their first language (the language they learn as a baby).

However, exposure is not enough for adults since they need to focus their attention on the form of the language, i.e. the structure of the language, how the words are arranged  into the sentence as well as vocabulary. In this part it is worth mentioning that people need to interact with a view to practising the language, and they can do it by talking with friends. 

I also learned that there are three ways in which we learn a foreign language. Firstly, language acquisition. this means that we learn form being surrounded by language, and we can find  plenty of materials on the internet like movies, musical videos, documentals, books, and so on. Secondly, interaction with other people. As I said above learners need to taldk with someone else who is also learning the same foreign language and they need to be clear with their pronunciation so that the other person can understand what he is talking about, and a good way to do it, is by paraphrasing. Thirdly, learners need to pay attention not just to the meaning of the language but also to its formal features such as, word order, affixes, spelling, and so on.

Now that I know about exposure and focus on form, I would make my students interact more in classes by talking about a movie that all like or with people who share the same likes.
Read this article that contains information about it.
1. Clouston, M. (2011),Focusing on Form: A Teacher's Research Update on Form-focused Instruction, retrieved from: https://www.academia.edu/824758/Focusing_on_Form_A_Teachers_Research_Update_on_Form-focused_Instruction
2.  Allwright, R. (2014), The Importance of Interaction in Classroom Language Learning, retrieved from: http://applij.oxfordjournals.org/content/5/2/156.extract#

UNIT 9: MOTIVATION

Teaching motivation is very important at the beginning of a course since it makes people learn with enthusiasm while they do something. What I learned in TKT module on motivation is that there are some factors that influence motivation. For instance, people want to learn a language because it can help to enhance their lifestyle by finding a better job, getting onto a course of study, getting good remarks from the teacher or booking hotel rooms. By getting one of these they feel that they have achieved practical things in their lives. Another factor is the interest in the target language culture. Learning a new culture can be a motivation to learn a new language because it is very gripping to know more about music, national costume, traditions or holidays from the country. Furthermore, it is essential people feel good about learning a language and it is important the learner´s confidence since when we feel that we can do things successfully we find motivation to go on. Also, it must exist the responsability, that is, the learner autonomy that means his own control when learning something and a sense of achievement. However, there are also learners who are unmotivated, there is no motivation to learn, or demotivated, students have lost their motivation. 

Teachers have to motivate learners by letting them choose their own topics to write or speak something in the target language because they will be pleased by selecting what they really like.

You could read more information on motivation in this webpage:

1. Varderbilt University, (2014), motivating students, retrieved form: http://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/motivating-students/ 
2. Benson, P. (2012), Learner autonomy, retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x75Hv6rJAl0