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Rita Soledad Fernandez
Dr. Ingman
Language and Language Development
8 October 2017
Assignment 1 Theories and Hypothesis Comparative Chart
Current Theories Implication to Students
(1) Steph Krashen’s Acquisition-Learning Hypothesis
Theories – Students learn a second
language through the
subconscious need to
communicate more than they
would learn from the formal
explicit learning of the second
language.
Monitor Hypothesis – A student
learning a second language will
be able to edit their use of the
language if they are given the
time, is thinking about accuracy
and knows the rules of the
second language.
Natural Order Hypothesis –
Student’s learning a second
language will learn the
grammatical structures in a
predictable order.
Input Hypothesis – In order for
students to continue to
successfully learn a second
language, they need get inputs
that are just a little beyond what
they have currently mastered.
Affective Filter Hypothesis –
Confident students learn a second
language faster that less
confident students.
(2) Whorf-Sapir Linguistic Determinism – The
Hypothesis language a student speaks
determines the way they interpret
the world around them.
Example
Students who work in groups to
complete a task that requires
collaboration will have the need
to communicate and will learn
more vocabulary then through a
formal vocabulary lesson.
Students learning a second
language should be taught rules
and then be given homework that
requires them to apply the rules
to correct language mistakes so
they edit at a pace that is
appropriate for them.
Students may not be ready to
learn certain grammatical
structures when the teacher has
plans to teach them.
Teachers should constantly be
assessing students’ skills in order
to make sure that the content
students are being exposed to is
at an appropriate level.
Teachers should incorporate team
building exercises in their lessons
so students gain confidence in
their ability to learn a second
language despite the likelihood
that they will be making
mistakes.
Students who do not have a word
for cheating would not be able to
cheat on an exam.

Current Theories Implication to Students
Linguistic Relativism – The
language a student speaks
partially influences your thoughts
about the real world.
(3) Cummins BICS Due to a common underlying
and CALPS proficiency (CUP), students
learning a second language can
build upon the foundation of
their first language.
Students with strong Basic
Interpersonal Communication
Skills (BICS) can communicate
in everyday social contexts with
greater ease.
In order to complete higher level
tasks and do well in school,
English Language Learners
require Cognitive Academic
Language Proficiency (CALP).
(4) Cognitive Students receive content-area
Academic instruction and language
Language development activities within the
Learning same lesson.
Approach
(CALLA)
(5) Canale’s four Students need to be taught
components of grammar, how to speak
communicative appropriately in various social
competence situations, and how to
compensate for communication
breakdowns.
(6) Lev Vygotsky’s Using social interaction to help Kagan’s cooperative learning
Social students find personal meaning in structures are great tools in
Constructivist
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Example
Students who do not have a word
for cheating may still be able to
discover how to cheat on an
exam.
Students who have already
learned how to solve linear
equations in their first language
will be able to do so when
provided with instructions in
their second language.
Students enrolled in an after
school program have additional
time to increase their basic
interpersonal communication
skills with peers. Though these
students may appear to be fluent
English speakers due to being
able to speak fluently with peers,
can continue to struggle in an
academic setting where they do
not understand various academic
words.
Teachers must teach academic
vocabulary explicitly in order to
provide ELL students with the
tools to communicate,
conceptualize, think critically,
contextualize and understand
culture.
In a 8th grade math class, students
are learning new vocabulary
using a graphic organizer and
then self-evaluating their learning
in a journal.
The use of role-play in the
classroom provides students with
an opportunity to develop
grammatical competence,
sociolinguistic competence,
discourse competence, and
strategic competence.
making sure students have ample

Current Theories Implication to Students
what they learn can develop
students’ language and thought.
(7) Discourse Theory Face-to-face conversation is
essential to maximize the speech
input and output that students
produce.
(8) Semiotics In addition to learning the verbal
language, students learning a
second language need to learn the
meaning of signs.
(9) Second Language There are four different stages
Acquisition that second language learners
Theory pass to acquire a new language.
Verbal production and
comprehension improve as a
student progresses to a different
stage.
Silent/Receptive Stage I –
It is normal for students
acquiring a second language to
be very quiet in the classroom,
their verbal output will increase
as they comprehend more
vocabulary.
Early Production Stage II –
Students at this stage produce
one or two word responses and
have limited comprehension.
Speech Emergence Stage III –
Students at this stage have good
comprehension and can produce
some simple sentences though
will likely have grammar and
pronunciation errors.
Intermediate/Advanced
Proficiency Stages IV & V –
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Example
opportunities to develop their
language skills.
Students in classrooms with
ample opportunities to speak
develop their knowledge about
the second language, competence
in their native language, ability to
use the functions of language and
their general world knowledge.
An ELL student may not know
how to use emojis in text
messages to a peer because they
are not aware of the connotation
of certain symbols.
Teachers with ELL students
should be aware of the various
stages so they can use
appropriate instructional
strategies that will meet students’
needs.
Students in Stage I need a lot of
visual aids to help them develop
their vocabulary. The use of
Total Physical Response (TPR)
techniques is a great way to have
students at this stage participate
without talking.
Teachers should ask students at
this stage yes or no questions in
order to have students
confidently participate.
Some great activities for students
at this stage include activities that
require students to provide an
explanation in writing or orally.
Students at this level should be
expected to engage in activities

Current Theories Implication to Students
Students at this stage have
excellent comprehension and are
approaching Native-like speech.
(10) Critical Period There may or may not be a
Hypothesis critical period for second
language acquisition. If there is
not a critical period, teachers
should further explore why
second language learners struggle
compared to young children
learning a second language.
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Example
that require them to analyze and
evaluate different topics.
A student learning English as a
1st grader may have an easier
time acquiring the language
compared to a 7th grader due to
their age.