Lecture 4

 Language development, in a multilingual context

 Stages of second language acquisition
Language development within multilingual context

 Language development is thought to proceed by ordinary processes of learning in which

children acquire the forms, meanings, and uses of words and utterances from the linguistic
input.
 Multilingual contexts, therefore, refer to contexts where more than one language is used in
or out-of-school settings.
Using multilingual approaches involves

 Recognizing and valuing the multilingual nature of societies, schools and

classrooms.
 Pedagogical strategies that encourage inclusive education within a supportive
multilingual learning environment.
 Being aware of beliefs about speakers of other languages and how they can impact
on establishing and maintaining an inclusive learning environment.
 Assessing individual learners in a manner that takes their linguistic background into
account.
 Giving learners appropriate opportunities to use their home languages to support
and demonstrate their understanding of learning content.
 Reflecting on how effective implementation of multilingual approaches is in
promoting learning.
Learning to read and write in a multilingual society

 Instruction should provide important coverage of vocabulary, and comprehension etc.

 Focusing on these key components of reading positively influences the literacy
development of students learning to read in a new language.
 Reading and writing instruction in a new language are necessary, but not sufficient.
 Oral proficiency is critical as well but often overlooked. Word identification skills are
taught more easily than underlying competencies.
 Individual differences contribute significantly to reading and writing development in a new
language.
 Reading and writing development is influenced by factors such as a student’s age, a
student’s previous experiences with reading and writing, and the new language’s similarity
to the student’s first language.
Factors Influencing Second Language Acquisition

 External factors
 One external factor that influences second language acquisition is the environment
where language takes place. The two environments that children most likely are
exposed to L2 are home and school.
 Place and Hoff (2011) conducted study.
 Internal factors
 In addition to the external factors mentioned above, there are also internal factors
that impact second language acquisition in learners. These factors include age,
motivation to learn and language learning aptitude.
 One study found that a child’s intrinsic motivation was the strongest factor of a
learner’s motivation and self-confidence to learn a second language, which leads to
increased L2 achievement (Pae, 2008)
L1 (Language) and L2 (Language) Acquisition

Researchers define language acquisition into two categories: first-

language acquisition and second-language acquisition.
 First-language acquisition is a universal process regardless of home language.
Babies listen to the sounds around them, begin to imitate them, and eventually
start producing words.
 Second-language acquisition assumes knowledge in a first language and includes
the process an individual goes through as he or she learns the elements of a new
language, such as vocabulary, grammatical structures, and writing systems etc.
Stages of Second language Acquisition

 Stage I: Pre-Production ‘Minimal Comprehension’

 Stage II: Early Production ‘Limited Comprehension’
 Stage III: Speech Emergence ‘Fair to Good Comprehension’
 Stage IV: Intermediate Fluency ‘Good Comprehension’
 Stage V: Advanced Fluency Near-Native Comprehension
Stage I: Pre-Production
Minimal Comprehension
 Silent/Receptive stage can last up to zero to 6 months…
 May have up to 500 words in their receptive vocabulary but they are not yet speaking.
 Will listen attentively and they may even be able to copy words from the board.
 They will be able to respond to pictures and other visuals.
 They can understand and duplicate gestures and movements to show comprehension.
Cont…

Student Characteristics Teachers Strategies

  Encourage listening; don’t force speaking
Verbally unresponsive
 Slow speech, emphasize key words
 Hesitant and unsure
 Model and demonstrate activities
 Use one word responses  Use visual aides:
 Developing listening skills  pictures
 Respond non-verbally by:  graphic organizers
 Use gestures and body language
 Pointing
 Nodding
 Gesturing
Stage II: Early Production
Limited Comprehension

 This stage may last up to six months to a year.

 Will develop a receptive and active vocabulary of about 1000 words.
 During this stage, students can usually speak in one- or two-word phrases.
 They can use short language chunks that have been memorized although these chunks
may not always be used correctly.
Cont…

Student Characteristics Teachers Strategies

 Relate words to their environment  Encourage listening; don’t force speaking
 Begin to grasp main ideas of message  Use cooperative learning and scaffolding
 techniques
Mispronounce words (no need for
correction)  Ask Yes/No and directed choice questions
 Ask listing type questions
 Allow students to illustrate knowledge
Learner Tasks and Blooms Taxonomy

Blooms Taxonomy: Assessing

Learner Tasks comprehension
 Name  Know
  Where is the . . . ?
Label
 Comprehend
 Group
 Draw and label the….
 Respond
 Apply
 Discriminate  Show me how you know…
 List  Analyze
 Categorize  Show how you would sort…
 Tell/say  Synthesize
 Chant  Predict (tell) what happens next
  Evaluate
Answer
 Why did _____ choose_____?
Stage III: Speech Emergence
‘Fair to Good Comprehension’

 1-3 years
 Vocabulary of about 3,000 words.
 They will communicate with simple phrases and sentences.
 They will ask simple questions, that may or may not be grammatically correct.
 “ May I go to drink water? V. Can...”
 They will also initiate short conversations with classmates.
 They will understand easy stories read in class with the support of pictures.
 They will also be able to do some content work with teacher support.
Cont…

Student Characteristics Teachers Strategies

 Begin to speak in simple sentences  Encourage listening and not force
 speaking
Demonstrate expanded vocabulary
 Use cooperative grouping
 Participate in small group discussions
 Encourage efforts to participate
 May rely on native language to
 Ask How and Why questions
 Communicate complex ideas
 Emphasize content area vocabulary
 Start to acquire basic communication
 Provide pictures and content area text
 Skills and social language
 Provide opportunities for participation in
 May not tell you if they do not early reading and writing activities
understand.
 Modify work according to individual
need.
Stage III: Speech Emergence

Bloom Taxonomy: Assessing

Learner Tasks Comprehension
  Know
Recall
 Can you recall . . . ?
 Retell
 Comprehend
 Define  Explain what is happening. . . ?
 Compare  Apply
 Role-play  How would you use. . . ?
  Analyze
Select
 How would you organize. . . ?
 Describe
 Synthesize
 Organize  What would happen if. . . ?
 Evaluate
 What choice would you have made?
Stage IV: Intermediate Fluency
‘Good Comprehension’

 3-5 years
 Developed a vocabulary of about of 6000 active words.
 Using more complex sentences when speaking and writing.
 Express opinions and share their thoughts.
 Many grammar errors in writing
 Ask questions to clarify what they are learning in class.
 Use native language strategies to learn content in English.
 Work in grade level math and science classes with some teacher support.
 Comprehension of English literature and social studies content is increasing.
Cont…
Student Characteristics
 Begin to speak in more complex
sentences.
 May use incorrect grammar and verb
forms.
 Participate more often in large groups
 Exhibit greater vocabulary development
 cooperative group activities
Begin to think in the new language
instead of translating from native
language
 Synthesize what they have learned and
make inferences from that learning.
Teachers Strategies
 Encourage listening and not force
speaking
 Provide visually rich content instruction
 Design content activities that focus on
speech production, not grammatical form
 Have students take on larger roles in
 Provide extra time or modify
assignments.
Cont…

Blooms Taxonomy: Assessing

Learner Characteristics Comprehension
 Summarize  Know
 Restate  How would you describe. . . ?
 Contrast  Comprehend
 Predict Which statements support . . . ?
 Create  Apply
 Classify What questions would you ask about . . . ?
 Extend  Analyze
 Evaluate What is the relationship between . . . ?
 Support  Synthesize
 Examine Can you predict the outcome if . . . ?
 Evaluate
Compare and contrast. .
Stage V: Advanced Fluency
Near-Native Comprehension

 It takes students from 4-10 years to achieve cognitive academic.

 At the beginning of this stage, however, they will need continued support from
classroom teachers especially in content areas such as history/social studies and in
writing.
 Student at this stage will be near-native in their ability to perform in content area
learning.
Cont…
Student Characteristics
 Can interact extensively with native
speakers
 Make few grammatical errors
 Participate in English literacy programs
 Have high levels of comprehension but
may not understand all of the academic
language
 Read and write for a variety of
purposes
Teachers Strategies
 Encourage listening and not force
speaking
 Emphasize content area vocabulary
 Begin to provide grammar instruction
 Focus on reading and writing skills
 Have students take on advanced
cooperative learning roles (note-taker).
Cont…

Blooms Taxonomy: Assessing

Learner Tasks Comprehension
 Construct  Know:
 Hypothesize How would you explain ?
 Justify  Comprehend:
 Analyze Put this in your own words ?
  Apply:
Defend
 Debate What other way could you ?
 Analyze:
 Elaborate
 Conclude What ideas justify___ ?
 Synthesize:
 Influence
 Show what would happen if ?
Persuade
Evaluate:
What would you cite to defend__ ?
Assignment 1

 Analyzing Literacy Development in Pakistan

 Due Date 22nd ,October,2021.