(Second) Language Acquisition

Student’s Name/ ID ： Vivian 9722609 Betty 9722609 Yuri 9722616

Instructor： Philip LinDate ： Sep. 29th, 2008

SLA –Question of Chapter 1

Question 3 ： What are primary differences between a b

ehaviorist’s, a cognitivist’s and a Constructivist’s understanding of language and language learning? Name some scholars and teaching techniques associated with each approach.

Content

Behaviorism Cognitivistism Constructivistism Comparative Discussion

Behaviorism Behaviorism is a study of the behavior of organisms

(including humans) by focusing centrally on publicly observable responses that can be objectively and scientifically perceived, recorded, and measured.

Typical behavioral models were classical and operant conditioning, rote verbal learning, instrumental learning, discrimination learning, and other empirical approaches to studying human behavior.

A behaviorist might consider effective language behavior to be the production of correct responses to stimuli. If a particular response is reinforced, it then becomes habitual, or conditioned.

Behaviorism

B.F. Skinner’s classic, Verbal behavior (1957) ： Skinner’s theory of verbal behavior was an extension of his

general theory of learning by operant conditioning. Operant conditioning refers to conditioning in which the human being gives a response, or operant without necessarily observable stimuli; that operant is maintained (learned) by reinforcement.

According to Skinner, verbal behavior, like other behavior, is controlled by its consequences. When consequences are rewarding, behavior is maintained and is increased in strength and perhaps frequency.

Behaviorism

The Audiolingual Method ： It is known as the Army Specialized Training Program (ASTP) or the “Ar

my Method”. Characteristic of these coursed was a great deal of oral activity-pronunciation and pattern drills and conversation practice-with virtually none of the grammar and translation found in traditional classes. （ H. Douglas Brown, Teaching by Principle, P.23 ）

The characteristics of the ALM ： New material is presented in dialogue form. There is dependence on mimicry, memorization of set phrases, and ov

erlearning. Structures patterns are taught using repeating skills. There is little or no grammatical explanation. Vocabulary is strictly limited and learned in context. Great importance is attached to pronunciation. Very little use of the mother tongue.

Behaviorism

The aids of the ALM ： There is much use of tapes, language labs, and visual aids.

The goal of the ALM ： There is a great effort to get students to produce error-free utteran

ces.

The drawback of the ALM ： 1.Language was not really acquired through a process of habit formation and overlearning. 2.Errors were not necessarily to be avoided at all costs. 3.Structural linguistics did not tell us everything about language that we needed to know.

Cognitivistism Cognitive psychologies asserted that meaning,

understanding , and knowing were significant data for psychological study and tried to discover psychological principles of organization and function.

Discover underlying motivations and deeper structures of human behavior by using a rational approach.

They freed themselves from the strictly empirical study typical of behaviorists and employed the tool to derive explanations for human behavior.

Cognitivistism Chomsky human language cannot be scrutinized simply in term

of observable stimuli and response or the volumes of raw data gathered by field linguists.

Ferdinad de Saussure- a. Parole (What skinner “observes" and what

Chomsky called performance) b. language (akin to the concept of competence, or

our unobservable language ability)

Cognitivistism Interest in the ultimate question why 1. What underlying factors- innate, psychological social, or environmental circumstances 2. Why the person did 3. What the person’s motivation and psychological state 4. What might have been the cause of the behavior

Constructivistism Constructivism- A Multidisciplinary Approach ： Constructivists think that all human beings construct their own ve

rsion of reality, and therefore multiple contrasting ways of knowing and describing are equally legitimate. Moreover, they think this theory is based on the idea that the dialectic （註 1 ） or interactionist （註 2 ） process of development and learning through the child's active construction should be facilitated and promoted by adults. Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky, named often associated with constructivism, Piaget stressed the importance of individual cognitive development as a relatively solitary act. Biological timetables and stages of development were basic; social-interaction was claimed only to trigger development at the right moment in time. On the other hand, Vygotsky (1978), described as a “social” constructivist by some, insisted that social interaction was foundational in cognitive development and rejected the notion of predetermined stages.

Constructivistism Constructivism- A Multidisciplinary Approach ： 註 1

Everything is transient and finite, existing in the medium of time (this idea is not accepted by all dialecticians).

Everything is made out of opposing forces/opposing sides (contradictions).

Gradual changes lead to turning points, where one force overcomes the other (quantitative change leads to qualitative change).

Change moves in spirals not circles. (Sometimes referred to as "negation of the negation") 註 2

promotes the idea that nothing in society is determined, and that people can break free of a label as individuals ）

Constructivistism Constructivism- A Multidisciplinary Approac

h ： Researchers studying first and second lan

guage acquisition. They figured out that in many ways constructivist perspectives arte a natural successor to cognitive studies of universal grammar, information processing, memory, artificial intelligence, and interlanguage systematicition.

Constructivistism Constructivism: Cognitive constructivism, social con

structivism 1.Nowadays, Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky’s theor

ies are not by any means new to the scene of language studies. Yet, in a variety of post-structuralist theoretical positions, constructivism emerged as a prevailing paradigm only in the last part of the twentieth century, and is now almost orthodoxy. A refreshing characteristic of constructivism is its integration of linguistic, psychological, and sociological paradigms, in contrast to the professional chasms that often divided those disciplines in the previous century.

Constructivistism Constructivism: Cognitive constructivism, social con

structivism

2.Two branches of constructivism: cognitive version: emphasis is placed on the importance of le

arners constructing their own representation of reality. “Learners must individually discover and transform complex information if they are to make it their own, [suggesting] a more active role for students in their own learning than is typical in many classrooms”(Slavin, 2003, pp.257-258), this theory seemed to meet Piaget’s thought, but have taken that long to become widely accepted views. For Piaget, “learning is a developmental process that involves change, self-generation, and construction, each building on prior learning experiences”(Kaufman, 2004, p.304).

Constructivistism Constructivism: Cognitive constructivism, social

constructivism

2.Two branches of constructivism: Social version: emphasis that the importance of social

interaction and cooperative learning on constructing both cognitive and emotional images of reality. Spivey(1997, p24)noted that constructivist research tends to focus on “individuals engaged in social practices,…on a collaborative group, [or] on a global community.” The champion of social constructivism is Vygotsky (1978), who advocated the view that “children’s thinking and meaning-making is socially constructed and emerges out of their social interactions with their environment” (Kaufman, 2004, p.304).

ComparativeComparativeSchool of Thought Typical Themes Scholars Approaches

Structuralism ＆ behaviorism

Outside performance Repetition/habitual Learning Performance Description Observable performance Scientific method Empiricism/ experience Surface structure Conditioning/reinforcement

B.F Skinner Charles Osgood

Audiolingual MethodSeries Method(Gouin)Direct Method(1930s-1940s)

Rationalism ＆ cognitive psychology

Analysis/insight Explanation-why Intuition Mentalism Generative linguistics Acquisition/innateness Interlanguage systematicity Universal grammar Competence Deep structure

Noam Chomsky David Ausubel

Georgi Lozanov’s(1979)-Suggestopedia

Constructivism

Individual differences Social Practice Context Interactive discourse Sociocultural variables Cooperative group learning Interlangrage variability Interactionist hypotheses

Jean Piaget Lev Vygotsky

1970’s-meaningful communication

Silent WayCommunity LanguageKrashen-Natural Approach

Discussion ★First language acquisition （ FLA ） ＊ Behaviorist of FLA= Behaviorism of SLA ＊ Nativist of FLA= Cognitive of SLA

School of Thought Typical Themes Scholar

Behaviorist

Tabula rasa Stimuli : linguistic responses Conditioning Reinforcement Observable Performance Habitual

B.F Skinner MacCorquodale

Nativist

Innate predispositions (LAD/UG) Systematic/rule-governed acquisition Creative construction “Pivot” grammar Parallel distributed processing Natural Biologically Cognitive Creativity Rule-governed

Noam Chomsky Eric Lenneberg McNeill

Discussion ★First language acquisition （ FLA ） ＊ Behaviorist of FLA= Behaviorism of SLA ＊ Nativist of FLA= Cognitive of SLA

School of Thought Typical Themes Traits

Functional(no scholar)

ConstructivistSocial interactionCognition and languageFunctions of languagediscourse

＊ Language was one manifestation of the cognitive and affective ability to deal with the world and others.＊ The generative rules were proposed under the nativistic framework were abstract, formal, explicit and quite logical with form of language deeper functional levels of meaning.

Discussion Schools of

thought Difference Approach

Structural Linguistics and Behavioral Psychology

* Focused on publicly observable response-those that can be objectively perceived, recorded, and measured.

* The unrealizable of observation of states of consciousness, thinking, concept formation, or the acquisition of knowledge made such topics impossible to exam in a behavioral framework.

* The scientific method was rigorously and therefore such concept as consciousness and intuition were regarded as mentalistic, illegitimate domain of inquiry.

* Bases on certain learning modals (a) operate condition –Skinner (b) instructional learning (c) discrimination learning (d) rote verbal learningMore interest in the what question1.what question about human behavior-objective measurement of behavior in controlled circumstance2.what happen3.the physical description

Gouin-Series Method-1.use target language 2.No translation 3.No analysis of grammar rules Direct Method(1930s-1940s)-oral communication skills were build up in a car

efully trade profession organized around question-and-answer exchanges between teachers and students in small, intensive class.

Audiolingual Method1. ALM was firmly grounded in linguistic and

psychological theory.2. conditioning and habit-formation--drill , pat

tern practices

Discussion Schools of thought Difference Approach

Generative Linguistics and Cognitive Psychology

Chomsky –human language cannot be scrutinized simply in term of observable stimuli and response or the volumes of raw data gathered by field linguists.Ferdinad de Saussure-1.Parole (What skinner “observes" and what Chomsky called performance) 2.language (akin to the concept of competence, or our unobservable language ability)Cognitive psychologies asserted that meaning, understanding , and knowing were significant data for psychological study and tried to discover psychological principles of organization and function.Discover underlying motivations and deeper structures of human behavior by using a rational approach.They freed themselves from the strictly empirical study typical of behaviorists and employed the tool to derive explanations for human behavior.Interest in the ultimate question why 1.what underlying factors- innate, psychological social, or environmental circumstances.2. Why the person did 3.What the person’s motivation and psychological state 4.What might have been the cause of the behavior

Georgi Lozanov’s(1979)-Suggestopedia

Discussion Schools of thought Difference Approach

Constructive structure

The characteristic is its integration of linguistic psychological and sociological paradigmsEmphasis both the learner’s role in construction meaning out of available linguistic input and the importance of social interaction in creating a new linguistic system.Two branches of constructivismCognitive & social Cognitive-Piageta.“Learners must individually discover and transform complex information if they are make by their own”a.“ learning is a developmental process that involves change ,self-generation, and construction ,each building on prior learning experiences”Social constructivism-Vygotskya.“individuals engaged in social practices....on a collaborative group, or on a global community”b.emphasizes the importance of social interaction and cooperative learning in constructing both cognitive and emotional image of reality. e. ZPD(Zone of proximal development)--the distance between learner’s existing developmental state and their Potential development

1970’s-meaningful communicationSilent WayCommunity LanguageKrashen-Natural Approach 1.The goal is to build the basic communication skills necessary for everyday language situations. 2.the initial task of teachers was to provide comprehensible input ,that is ,spoken language that is understandable to the learner or just a little beyond the learner’s level

Thank you for listening ！