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Language Acquisition and Language Learning Materials

Brian Tomlinson discusses key aspects of language acquisition and effective language learning materials. He believes that language acquisition is facilitated by creating a positive learning environment where students are emotionally engaged, achieve self-esteem, and process language multidimensionally. Effective materials provide opportunities for students to use language meaningfully and receive feedback, and expose students to authentic language through extensive listening and reading. Materials should be driven by principles of language acquisition and avoid oversimplifying language or ensuring shallow processing through an overreliance on repetition and substitution activities.

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Cindy Llera
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373 views

Language Acquisition and Language Learning Materials

Brian Tomlinson discusses key aspects of language acquisition and effective language learning materials. He believes that language acquisition is facilitated by creating a positive learning environment where students are emotionally engaged, achieve self-esteem, and process language multidimensionally. Effective materials provide opportunities for students to use language meaningfully and receive feedback, and expose students to authentic language through extensive listening and reading. Materials should be driven by principles of language acquisition and avoid oversimplifying language or ensuring shallow processing through an overreliance on repetition and substitution activities.

Uploaded by

Cindy Llera
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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LANGUAGE ACQUISITION and LANGUAGE LEARNING MATERIALS Brian Tomlinson y y y y y Avisiting Professor at Leeds Metropolitan University and Academic

Director of TEFL International. Teacher, teacher trainer, curriculum developer and university academic in various countries. The Founder and President of MATSDA (the international Materials Development Association) He believes in the teacher being both a performer and a director of student performance. What matters most in language learning is energy, engagement and esteem. These can be stimulated by teacher performance and gained by learners performing to themselves and to others.

Intention y y Language acquisition initial stage of gaining basic communicative competence in a language. Language development subsequent stage of gaining the ability to use the language successfully in a wide variety of media and genre for a wide variety of purposes.

Why language learning materials instead of language teaching material y y y y Many ELT materials are designed for teaching English rather than for learning it. ELT materials (especially global coursebooks) currently make a significant contribution to the failure of many learners of English, to acquire basic competence in English. Failure to develop the ability to use it successfully. They focus on teaching of linguistics rather than on the provision of opportunities for acquisition and development.

My Knowledge of Language Acquisition y y y y y y Language acquisition is a rich experience of language in use. Language experience needs to be contextualized and comprehensible. (Krashen) Learner needs to be motivated, relaxed, positive and engaged. (Arnold and Tomlinson) Language and discourse feature available for potential acquisition need to be salient, meaningful and frequently encountered (Maleyand Tomlinson) Learner needs to achieve deep and multi-dimensional processing of language. (Tomlinson) Materials should provide lots of opportunities for the learners to actually use language to achieve intentions and lots of opportunities for then to gain feedback on the effectiveness of their attempts at communication. Materials for learners at all levels must provide exposure to authentic use of English through spoken and written texts with the potential to engage the learners cognitively and effectively. Exposure is through extensive listening and extensive reading. (Elley 2000; Krashen 1993) Experiential approach - apprehension is followed by comprehension ( Kolb 1984). Practice Activities provides the learners frequent opportunities to get something right make very little contribution.

y y y y

Thoughts about Language Acquisition According to Brian Tomlinson: y y y y y y Majority of the language learners gain very little from being given information about a language and how it is used Majority of the language learners gain very little from analytical activities Majority of the language learners gain very little from practice activities Language acquisition is facilitated and accelerated if the learner is positive about their learning environment, achieves self-esteem and is emotionally engaged in the learning activities Learners should be encouraged and helped to represent language multi-dimensionally L2 beginners courses should follow the learner syllabus and should focus on meaning rather than form

What ELT Do To Facilitate Language Acquisition and Development? y y y y y y y Some of them are providing a rich experience of different genres and text types Some of them are providing an aesthetically positive experience through the use of attractive illustration and design Some of them are making use of multimedia resources experience to provide a rich and varied experience of language learning Some of them are helping the learners to make some discoveries for themselves Some of them are providing supplementary materials which provide the learners with experience of extensive listening or extensive reading Some of them are helping the learners to personalize and localize their language learning experience Some of them are helping learners to become independent learners of the language

What ELT Materials Do to Inhibit Language Acquisition and Development ELT Materials: y y should be driven by principles of language acquisition all units of material should be principled, relevant, and coherent

List of the characteristics many ELT materials are currently doing to inhibit language acquisition y y y y y They are underestimating learners both in terms of language and cognitive ability. In particular they are treating linguistically low level as intellectually low level learners. They are impoverishing the learning experience in a misguided attempt to make learning easier by simplifying their presentation of language. They are creating an illusion of language learning by using a presentation/practice/production approach which simplifies language use and results in shallow processing. They are also creating an illusion of language learning by ensuring that most activities are easily accomplished as a result of involving little more than memorization, repetition of a script or simple substitution or transformation.

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