——— aaa 26 Second Language Acquisition (SLA) 1 Learner profiles ‘4a. Read the three profiles of second language learners. How effectively do you think each person communicates in English? ‘Chan Hee ~L1 Korean Korea on holiday. Chan Hee moved permanently from his native Korea to Australia when hhe was eight years old, with very basic English. As soon as he arrived, he attended a mainstream primary school and had English language support lessons for the first six months atthe school. He is now 14 years old and studying at secondery school. He still speaks Korean with family members, but he feels uncomortable with his first language when he goes back to English ‘Mona ~L1 Arabic Mona started learning English at primary school. She was a very capable student and did well in English throughout her primary and secondary schooling, She decided to major in as an English language teacher in an Egyptian secondary school and tries to pass on her passion for the language to her learners. She takes any opportunity to practise English ‘with native speakers she meets in Cairo. language and literature at university. She now works Bogdan - Lt Russian 2 Key terms ‘Match the terms on the left with the definitions on the ri Bogdan began studying English at high school, but fet that this study was largely a waste of tme. He studied sports science at university for three years, but during that time he didn't study English. After university, he ‘met an English woman, Hannah, who was living and working in Russia. Hannah spoke Russian well, so they always spoke Russian together. ‘When Hannah returned to live in England, Bogdan followed her. At the beginning it was hard coping with life and language, but Bogdan soon picked up English by ear and began working as a gym instructor. After ‘many years, he eventually married Hannah and is now settled in England. 1 implicit knowledge ‘a. when a second language learner notes L2 language features in what they hear or read 2 explicit knowledge knowing a language without necessarily knowing the rules of that language 3. skil-building theory ‘¢ when a learner hears or reads language and makes sense of it without worrying about linguistic form 4 input processing the concept of developing language ability by actively practising what has been learnt to the point where it becomes automatic (5. noticing ‘e_ knowing the rules ofa language and the way in which it works Teacher Training Essentials QENGLEES © Cambridge University Press 2010 a7a Sa 26 Second Language Acquisition é 3 3a Reading Read the article on SLA and the role of conscious learning by Rod Ells. Does Rod Ellis agree with Stephen Krashen's assertion that explicit and implicit knowledge are entirely independent of one another? ‘The role of consciousness in L2 acquisition 1. When children acquire their L1 they seem to do so without conscious effort. In contrast, L2 learners, especially adults, seem to have to work hard and to study che language consciously in order to succeed. This comparison is not entirely accurate, however, for L2 learners, even adult ones, ate also capable of ‘picking up' language in much the same way as children do in L1 acquisition, Ae stake here is one of the most controversial issues in SLA ~ the role of consciousness 2. Two opposing positions can be identified. Stephen Krashen has argued the need to distinguish ‘acquired’ L2 knowledge (i. implicit knowledge ofthe language) and ‘learned’ L2 knowledge (ie. explicit knowledge ‘about language). He claims that the former is developed subconsciously through comprehending input while communicating, while the latter is developed consciously through deliberate study of the L2, However, as we will shortly see, this claim is controversial. $0, too, is Krashen’s claim that the two knowledge systems are entrel independent of one another and that ‘learned! knowledge can never be converted into ‘acquired’ knowledge. This contradicts skill-building theories of L2 acquisition, according to which leamers can achieve grammatical accuracy by aucomatizing ‘learned’ knowledge through practice. 3. Richard Schmidt has poinced out that the term ‘consciousness is often used very loosely in SLA and argues that there is anced to standardize the concepts that underlie its use. For example, he distinguishes between consciousness as ‘intentionality’ and consciousness as ‘attention’. ‘Intentionality’ refers to whether a learner makes a conscious and deliberate decision to learn some L2 knowledge. Ic contrasts with the ‘incidental learning’, which takes place when leamers pick up L2 knowledge through exposure. Schmide argues that no matter whether learning is intentional or incidental, it involves conscious attention to features in input. 4 This distinction is important and helpful. Ic helps us to see that when Krashen talks about ‘acquisition’ being ‘incidental’ and ‘subconscious’ he has failed to recognize that ‘incidental’ acquisition might in fact still involve some degree of conscious ‘attention’ to input. In other words, learning incidentally is not che same as learning without 5. There are, in fact, very different positions regarding the need for conscious attention in L2 acquisition. Schmidt argues that learning cannot take place without what he calls noticing — the process of attending consciously t linguistic feature in the input. He provides evidence of the importance of noticing in a study of his own acquisition ‘of Portuguese when he was in Brazil. Schmide kept a diary, recording the various L2 features he noticed in the input he experienced. Subsequent analyses of his ourput showed that in nearly every case the forms that he produced were those that he had previously noticed people using when they spoke to him. At best, however, this constitutes limited evidence of the need for conscious attention. Other researchers, not least Krashen, have resisted the claim that input processing involves noticing. 6 Schmidt also points to a third sense in which we can talk about consciousness in language learning. He uses the term “awareness to refer to whether learners are conscious of acquiring new L2 elements (ie. of when ‘intake’ is converted. into L2 knowledge). The possibility of learning taking place implicitly in this way is even more hotly disputed. ‘According to some psychologists, learners can achieve long-term storage of complex material through implicit learning. ‘That i, they can learn without awareness and without consciously testing hypotheses. However, other psychologists have disputed this, arguing that the earning which has taken place only appears to be implicit but, in fact, learners are aware of what they are learning 7 Irrespective of whether learners learn implicitly or explicitly, it is widely accepted that they can acquire different kinds of knowledge. It is perhaps self evident that all language users, including L2 leamers, Anow rules that guide their performance without any awareness of what the rules consist of, OF course, they can always reflect on this impli knowledge, thus making i explicit. I is also clear that L2 learners may have knowledge about the L2 (i.e. explicit knowledge) bue be unable to use this knowledge in performance without conscious attention, Ellis, R. (1997) Second Language Aquisition, Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp-54-56. Teacher Training Essentials QIUUMeaLE © Cambridge University Press 201026 Second Language Acquisition 3b Read the article again and match the summaries a-g to the paragraphs. Which paragraph 3c 3d points out that incidental learning does not ‘automatically mean that learners are not sometimes conscious of form? discusses disagreement between psychologists whether information, e.. language, will be remembered Jong term if learners are not conscious of what they are learning? outlines that the degree to which children and adults are conscious of acquiring first and second languages is a hotly debated issue? puts forward the idea that paying some kind of attention to the language heard or read results in more effective learning? €... introduces two means of second language development: one that involves ‘picking it up’ without ‘worrying about grammar; the second that involves consciously studying grammar rules as a way of learning ani? _... argues that L2 learners use both conscious and Unconscious knowledge about the target language? § ... Claifies key terms associated with the concept of consciousness by considering the role played by the. learner's own will to learn something? Think about your experiences as a second language learner and teacher. What points of view do you agree with or disagree with in the article? Discuss your ideas in small groups. Complete the grid for the learners described in Task 1, using the symbols below. Y highly likely? possibly x less likely Lots of acquisition | Incidental | Conscious | A lot of implicit Eng Alot of explicit English opportunities learning | learning _| language knowledge language knowledge ‘Chan Hee ‘Mona Bogdan 4 Noticing vs. acquisition Sort the following classroom tasks a-h into those that promote language noticing and those that provide language acquisition opportunities. b a e f 8 h informal chat at the beginning of the lesson concept checking the meaning of new vocabulary items grammar gap-fill practice tasks oral fluency practice with role plays sgrammar-analysis tasks showing part of a film on DVD listening to a song, controlled oral language practice dialogues | Promote language noticing Provide language acquisition opportunities Teacher Training Essentials QUIRES © Cambridge University Press 2010