L2 development as concept-mediated textual activity (original) (raw)
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Framed within a Sociocultural Theory of Mind approach to the field of Second Language Acquisition, this article proposes a comprehensive analysis to studying learners’ development and internalization of grammatical concepts in the L2 classroom. The present investigation focuses on the case study of Julian, a student enrolled in an advanced Spanish course struggling with the notion of aspect. Julian’s development is examined through an analytic approach of multiple sets of data (definition, written performance protocols, and verbalizations) before and after being exposed to Concept-Based Instruction. It is proposed that interpreting learner’s performance by connecting different types of developmental data allows for a closer examination of the process of concept formation and internalization in the L2. The analytical approach presented in this article also provides researchers and practitioners with the necessary tools to understand how learners transform their conceptual understanding through conscious manipulations, which have the potential to foster the development of complex grammatical categories of meaning.
Mediated Development: A Nexus of Dialogic and Material Mediation in the Second Language Classroom
New Perspectives on Material Mediation in Language Learner Pedagogy, 2022
The development of pedagogical materials and their use in second language (L2) classroom contexts has received an increased amount of attention by L2 researchers for their role in mediating language learning and teaching experiences (e.g., Guerrettaz and Johnston, 2013). The emergence of this important field of inquiry has overlapped with a growing body of L2 Sociocultural Theory (SCT) research referred to as Concept-Based Language Instruction (CBLI). CBLI comprises approaches to organizing language curricula around linguistic concepts that can be presented to learners through specially designed materials, including images, diagrams, and models (e.g., Poehner et al., 2019). Among these approaches is Mediated Development (MD), distinct for its emphasis on the ecology developed through the interactions among learners, teachers, and instructional materials (Infante, 2016). The present study seeks to examine how learner sensory and cognitive engagement with concept-based materials may help their construction and expression of meanings in the L2 and the ways in which engagement with and through material forms of mediation may contribute to the organization of L2 classroom discourse, pushing it beyond more conventional patterns. We explore these points through interactional data drawn from a recent MD project conducted in an intact Intensive English classroom.
L2 input and characteristics of instructional techniques in early foreign language classrooms
L2 input and characteristics of instructional techniques in early foreign language classrooms, 2021
Linguistic input is considered one of the most important prerequisites for the acquisition of a foreign language. In recent decades, theoretical approaches within a cognitive-interactionist framework (Long, 2015) have identified various aspects of L2 input and characteristics of instruction that predict learners’ L2 outcomes. Teaching principles relate (1) to characteristics of communicative activities in which the L2 is embedded and encountered by the learners, and (2) to the quality of L2 input, L2 interactions and learners’ L2 output (Ellis & Shintani, 2014). They are in line with task-based and content-based L2 teaching approaches. This chapter starts out with the theoretical underpinnings to L2 instructional principles (Gass et al., 2020, Kormos, 2011, Leow, 2015, Truscott & Sharwood Smith, 2019). Based on two graphical illustrations on characteristics and processes in ISLA and internal knowledge construction, it introduces the roles of sensory input and individual perception, the internal meaning-making process, prior knowledge and selective attention. Consequences of this type of information processing for instruction are discussed with respect to the instigation of noticing, salience, cognitive activation and depth of processing. The second part of the paper gives an overview of characteristics of teachers’ linguistic behavior which includes how teachers modify verbal input in the L2 both lexically, structurally and prosodically, how they shape communicative interactions in terms of authenticity, negotiation of meaning, feedback and focus on form, and how they create opportunities for productive L2 output of the learners. Linguistic input is typically supported by different types of non-verbal scaffolding techniques and is embedded in communicative-instructional activities that have the potential to facilitate L2 acquisition. Especially scaffolding techniques which foster comprehensible input are crucial in early stages of SLA. Instructional characteristics of activities comprise autonomous action-oriented problem-solving (construction of knowledge), the activation of learners’ prior experiences, the stimulation of multiple senses, and a positive learning environment. The goal of these instructional principles is to pro-vide comprehensibility and cognitive stimulation during the L2 acquisition process, induce wide-spread neural activity and ultimately facilitate long-term retention. All of these principles are derived from the above mentioned theoretical framework and operationalized as ‘teaching techniques’ in the Teacher Input Observation Scheme (TIOS, Kersten et al., 2018) which serves as a structuring matrix for the second part of the paper. Techniques are defined as “description of how a communicative behavior or activity is carried out in the classroom at a given moment as the actual point of contact with the learner/s”. This operationalization has specific measurement implications for research studies as it provides a systematic basis of multidimensional categories of L2 teaching techniques. In terms of teaching practice, the classification of these techniques allows for L2 classroom observation, teacher training and teachers’ self-evaluation. The paper closes with empirical and practical examples on the effect of such teaching techniques in preschool and primary school classrooms. The TIOS can be downloaded at https://www.researchgate.net/publication/340096869\_Teacher\_Input\_Observation\_Scheme\_TIOS\_and\_Manual. Revised version, to appear in: Special Issue on 'Teaching English to Young Learners' (Cirocki, A. & Wilden, E., eds.), The European Journal of Applied Linguistics and TEFL, 2021 (2). (under review)
Proficiency And Communicative Competence In L2: Implications For Teachers And Learners
The concept of proficiency as far as language is concerned has remained a relative term in linguistic parlance. In absolute sense of it, proficiency represents an " unknowable abstraction that reflects the universal competence of native speakers " ; a perception that has great consequences for the second language learners. This led to the emphasis placed on communicative competence and learner variability from the early 1970s. Learners vary in their linguistic competence. They are also prone to both interlingua and intralingua errors, with many having difficulty in expressing their communicative intentions. This paper is therefore one attempt aimed at providing insight into the learners' structural and grammatical problems as well as communication strategies they employ in awareness of the gaps in their linguistic repertoire. Introduction The definition of proficiency as far as language is concerned has consequences for second language learners. For second language learners, attaining native – speaker proficiency is almost a state of utopia. According to Bialystok (1998) a proper definition of language proficiency should present an identifiable standard against which to describe language skills of users in different contexts. This requires a combination of formal structure, that is, a clear set of standards and communicative application, which include recognition of variation from the rules. In actual sense, second language learners vary in the ultimate level of proficiency with many failing to achieve target language competence. The variability has been linked to the fact that learners are less familiar and confident with the structural elements and conventions of the target language. The variable performance is often characterized by both interlingual and intralingual errors that emerge as learners develop interlanguage development. Moreover, as a result of the gaps in learners' linguistic repertoire, they often have difficulty in expressing their communicative intentions. This, most of the times, makes them adopt some communication strategies in an attempt to pass across their meaning. This apparent structural and grammatical inadequacy in learners' repertoire presents great challenges not only to the learners but also to teachers and researchers.
Observing the interactive qualities of L2 instructional practices in ESL and FSL classrooms
Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 2016
Discourse features that promote the generation of interactionally modified input and output, such as negotiation for meaning, have been shown to significantly enhance second language acquisition. Research has also identified several characteristics of instructional practices that render them more or less propitious to the generation of these discourse features. While various classroom observation studies have successfully measured the communicative orientation of classroom environments, most of the indicators of interactivity analyzed in those studies were obtained through micro-level discourse analyses and not through macro-level analyses of task-related factors shown to directly influence the interactivity of instructional practices. Such a macro-level scale has potential practical implications for teachers and administrators seeking an efficient tool for assessing and improving the interactivity afforded by a given curriculum. The objective of the present study was therefore to d...
Language acquisition and teaching of conceptual competence in L2: The case of motion events 1
Do language learners think in their first language when using the language they are learning? Does learning a second language have an influence on your first? And if so, is there a way to exploit this fact in second language teaching? In order to answer these questions this article will briefly rederence some of the latest literature addressing the frst two questions. In light of these findings, ideas and methods are outlined that can help to productively use the differences between L1 and L2 conceptualization patterns in the classroom and how this can forward conceptual competence in the L2.