Eigth basic principles of language learning which will underpin a learning centred methodology

# There are 8 basic principles of language learning which will underpin a learning centred methodology. Mention then and explain briefly !

1.        Second language learning is a developmental process. Learners use their existing knowledge to make the new information comprehensible.

2.         Language learning is an active process. It is not enough for learners just to have the necessary knowledge to make things meaningful, they must also use that knowledge. However, it is important to be clear what we mean by the term ‘active’. We must make a distinction between two types of activity :

a. Psycho-motor activity : the observable movement of speech organs or limbs in accordance with signals from the brain;

b. Language processing activity : the organization of information into a meaningful network of knowledge. This kind of activity is internal and not observable.

3.         Language learning is a decision-making process. In the traditional classroom the teacher made all the decisions. Indeed it was essential for the teacher to do so in order to avoid all possibilities of error- you can’t make decisions without taking risks and taking risks makes errors possible or even likely. 

4.         Language learning is not just a matter of linguistic knowledge. The most fundamental problem of second language learning is the mismatch between the learner’s conceptual/cognitive capacities and the learner’s linguistic level. 

5.         Language learning is not the learner’s first experience with language. Every second language learner is already communicatively competent in one language

6.         Learning is an emotional experience. Our concern should be to develop the positive emotions as opposed to the negative ones by, for example :

-          Using pair and group work to build on existing social relationships;

-          Giving students time to think and generally avoiding undue pressure;

-          Putting less emphasis on the product (the right answer) and more on the process of getting an answer;

-          Valuing attitude as much as aptitude and ability;

-          Making ‘interest’, ‘fun’, ‘variety’ primary considerations in materials and methodology, rather than just added extras.

7.         Language learning is to a large extent incidental. You don’t have to be working with language problems in order to learn language.  You can learn a language incidentally, while you are actually thinking about something else.

8.         Language learning is not systematic. We learn by systematizing knowledge, but the process itself is not systematic. Laying out information in a systematic way will not guarantee learning. The learner must create an internal system. An external system may help, but that is all it can do.

1. Gaps.

Learning demands thinking. Gaps create that demand. There are many types of gap, which can be exploited :

a)      Information gaps. There is a need to communicate and share the knowledge.

b)      Media gaps. The information available in one medium and needs to be transferred to another medium.

c)      Reasoning gaps. There are clues and pieces of evidence, but the answer needs to be extrapolated.

d)     Memory gaps. The learners have received some information at one stage of the lesson.

e)      Jigsaw gaps. All the parts are there, but they need to be put together to form a complete unit.

f)       Opinion gaps

g)      Certainty gaps

2. Variety

In order to get the repetition neccesary to help learning, there must be variety to keep the mind alert. Variety can be achieved in a number of ways :

a. Variety of medium: text, tape, pictures, speech

b. Variety of classroom organisation : whole class, pair, individual, group.

c. Variety of learner roles : presenter, evaluator, receiver, thinker, negotiator.

d. Variety of exercise, acivity or task.

e. Variety of skills : reading, listening, writing, speaking, graphic skills.

f. Variety of topic

g. Variety of focus : accuracy, fluency, discourse, stucture, pronounciation etc

3. Predicton

Prediction is a matter of using an existing knowledge of pattern or system in order to anticipate what is likely in a novel situation. Getting students to predict what will be in a piece of discourse has a number of practical pedagogic advantages, too :

a)      It builds learner confidence by making them aware of their potential knowledge. 

b)      It enables the teacher to discover where the gaps in knowledge are, so that teaching can be made more relevant to needs.

c)      It activates the learner’s mind and prepares it for learning.

d)     It gives students an ego investment.  There is all the difference in the world between listening to something to get some information and listening to something to see wheter you were right.

4. Enjoyement

Enjoyment isn’t just an added extra , an unnecassary frill. It is the simplest of all ways of enganging the learner’s mind.  The most relevant materials, the most academically respectable theories are as nothing compared to the rich learning environment of an enjoyable experience.

     5. An integrated methodology    

Using a range of skill greatly increases the range of activities possible in the classroom.

    6. Coherence

It should be clear where a lesson is going. Each stage should build on previous stages and lead naturally  into the following stages.

    7. Preparation

            Lesson preparation is normally interpreted as the teacher planning the          stages of the lesson.

     8. Involvement

Learners need to be involved both cognitively and emotionally in the lesson. 

     9. Creativity

Language is dynamic. Lesson should reflect this. Activities should therefore  allow for different possible anwers, different levels of response. 

    10.  Atmosphere

The cultivation of a cooperative social climate within the classroom is very important. This is particularly the case for ESP, where there are often other factors militating against a good atmosphere- a teacher. 

Tugas Merangkum TESP.