THE COMPREHENSION HYPOTHESISStephen Krashen

BY: ADRIANA PEREZ SANTILLAN ALEXIS CARDONA LUQUEÑO

The Comprehension Hypothesis

It begins when we acquire language, when we understand messages, when we understand what people tell us and when we understand what we read.

The Comprehension Hypothesis also applies to literacy: Our reading ability, our ability to write in an acceptable writing style, our spelling ability, vocabulary knowledge, and our ability to handle complex syntax is the result of reading.

Few years ago, He referred to this hypothesis as the Input Hypothesis. He preferred “Comprehension Hypothesis,” because it more accurately reflects what the hypothesis says.

The Comprehension Hypothesis refers to subconscious acquisition, NOT conscious learning.

A strong affective filter prevents input from reaching those parts of the brain that do language acquisition.

Krashen's Comprehension Hypothesis Model ofL2 learning

Krashen's Five Hypotheses

The Natural Order Hypothesis

'we acquire the rules of language in a predictable order'

TheAcquisition/ Learning Hypothesis

'adults have two distinctive ways of developing competences in second languages .. acquisition, that is by using language for real communication ... learning .. "knowing about" language' (Krashen & Terrell 1983)

The Monitor Hypothesis

'conscious learning ... can only be used as a Monitor or an editor' (Krashen & Terrell 1983)

The Input Hypothesis 'humans acquire language in only one way - by understanding messages or by receiving "comprehensible input"'

TheAffective Filter Hypothesis

 'a mental block, caused by affective factors ... that prevents input from reaching the language acquisition device' (Krashen, 1985, p.100)

Acquisition Learning

implicit, subconscious explicit, conscious

informal situations formal situations

uses grammatical 'feel' uses grammatical rules

depends on attitude depends on aptitude

stable order of acquisition simple to complex order of learning

NOTE: "Explicit" means "something that is easily understood or told directly and clearly" whereas "Implicit" means "something that is not expressed clearly, thus not clearly understood".

Aptitude is your capacity ability to do something.Attitude is your behavior toward something.For this job position your aptitude to raise children will be testedYou better change your attitude, right now.

Evidence for the Input Hypothesis (Krashen 1985)I) people speak to children acquiring their first language in

special ways

II) people speak to L2 learners in special ways

III) L2 learners often go through an initial Silent Period

IV) the comparative success of younger and older learners reflects provision of comprehensible input

V) the more comprehensible input the greater the L2 proficiency

VI)  lack of comprehensible input delays language acquisition

VII) teaching methods work according to the extent that they use comprehensible input

VIII) immersion teaching is successful because it provides comprehensible input

IX) bilingual programs succeed to the extent they provide comprehensible input

Examples

People speak to children acquiring their first language in special

ways

People speak to L2 learners in special

ways

L2 learners often go through an initial Silent Period

The comparative success of younger and older

learners reflects provision of

comprehensible input

The more comprehensible input the greater the L2 proficiency

Lack of comprehensible input delays language acquisition

HOW DOES“COMPREHENSIBLE INPUT”APPEAR IN THE CLASSROOM

Teaching methods work according to the extent that they use comprehensible input

Bilingual programs succeed to the extent they provide comprehensible input

INFORMATION

Retrieved from: http://www.sdkrashen.com/articles/eta_paper/index.html

PERSONAL COMMENT 

The Comprehension Hypothesis is a very important stage where the learners acquire a new language. It is a subconscious acquisition because it is reflected when students are acquiring new vocabulary without them realizing for that reason is NOT a conscious learning. When the learner is acquiring a new language, a strong affective filter prevents input from reaching those parts of the brain that do language acquisition. Finally when the learner acquires that new knowledge they learn it and beginning to write, to read and to speak.In the classroom it begins after the silent period, when students understand what the teacher say, when they understand what they are reading in the textbooks and finally they understand what people say. Finally the students begin to speak