TESL 523: Second Language Acquisition
Summer 2015
Dates:
Day and Time:
Location:
Instructor:
Office Hours:
Contact information:
June 29 – August 13, 2015
Wednesdays, 5:30-8:00 pm
This is a hybrid class. The following dates are the face-to-face
class meetings that you are required to attend:
**Monday, June 29
Wednesday, July 29
Wednesday, July 8
Wednesday, August 5
Wednesday, July 15
Wednesday, August 12
Wednesday, July 22
MGC 303-A
Sarah Young
T, W 3:00-5:00pm and by appointment (MGC 300)
syoung@american.edu
Course Overview
This is an introductory course on second language acquisition (SLA) designed to examine how
languages are learned in naturalistic and instructed contexts. You will explore various
approaches and methods that have been used in SLA research, and how data on L2 learning
informs our hypotheses about how knowledge and use of L2 develop. Using SLA theories and
research findings that are most relevant to ESL/EFL teaching, you will gain knowledge of the
developmental processes of L2 learning, as well as internal and external factors that influence L2
learning. The course will help you develop a broad conceptual framework of SLA processes,
which will ultimately help you teach a second or foreign language more effectively.
Course Goals
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
• Distinguish among theoretical frameworks of SLA that comprise linguistic,
psychological, and sociocultural aspects.
• Identify learner-internal and learner-external factors that influence L2 learning processes.
• Analyze patterns in a language learner’s oral/written language and provide possible
reasons for these patterns based on SLA theories.
• Conduct a case study research project on an English language learner, culminating in a
literature-based research paper.
Course Textbooks
Lightbown, P., & Spada, N. (2013). How languages are learned. Oxford: Oxford University
Press.
Tarone, E., & Swierzbin, B. (2009). Exploring learner language. Oxford: Oxford University
Press.
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Attendance and Participation Requirements
Please let me know in advance if you will be absent from class. You are responsible for all
material covered during any absence. Active class participation includes completing all
readings before class; bringing insightful comments, brilliant insights, and incisive questions
about the readings and class topic to our discussions; and engaging your classmates in our
professional learning community in-person and online. Please be considerate of your
classmates by arriving on time and silencing cell phones. It is also considered inappropriate
to text or use social media during class time. Such behaviors will negatively affect your
participation grade.
On average, you should expect to spend at least 12 hours per week on course readings and
assignments for TESL 523. All assignments must be submitted on Blackboard in the
Assignments folder (unless otherwise stated) by the due dates established; no late work will
be accepted. Electronic files should be saved using this format: “Assignment (Lastname)”. In
all of your assignments, make your best effort to incorporate information from the readings,
class discussions, and your TESOL classroom and tutoring experiences.
Please let me know as soon as possible if you have a problem with an assignment
submission. You are strongly encouraged to meet with me during scheduled office hours to
discuss any questions or ideas you have.
You will need regular and reliable access to a computer with high-speed Internet and
video/sound capabilities, and a DVD player. In addition to attending class, you will log in to
Blackboard (referred to as Bb on syllabus) on a regular basis to check for updates and
announcements, download readings, post reflections and assignments, review recommended
resources, and respond to discussion questions.
Academic Integrity
You are subject to the Academic Integrity Code of American University. Please carefully read
the guidelines at http://www.american.edu/academics/integrity/. All work you submit must be
your own or must be properly documented. In addition, collaborative work and work submitted
for another class must be approved in advance by the instructor.
Writing Center and Academic Support and Access Center
The Writing Center offers free, one-on-one coaching for all AU students at any stage of their
writing process. Writing consultants focus on supporting the writer rather than producing a
product. They do not prepare papers for students; they prepare students for papers. Students are
encouraged to call for an appointment (ext. 2991)—sessions begin on the hour and usually last
about 45 minutes at Battelle-Tompkins 228. You must have a writing assignment sheet with you
at the time of your appointment. For more information, refer to the site:
http://www.american.edu/cas/writing/index.cfm. The Academic Support and Access Center
offers study skills workshops, individual instruction, tutor referrals, and services for students
with learning disabilities. For more information concerning these services, please see
http://www.american.edu/ocl/asac/index.cfm.
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Assignment Descriptions
Online Component: Exploring Learner Language exercises and discussion
(30%)
The hybrid nature of this course requires you to complete exercises from the Exploring Learner
Language text and DVD each week, to submit your exercises on Bb, and to engage in online
discussions about L2 learner data. Note: Some ELL exercises will be submitted to me via the
Assignments folder on Bb; others will be posted directly into the Discussion Board (Db) on Bb.
SLA in the News
(5%)
You will locate and briefly present a short article or resource from print or online media that
addresses some aspect of second language acquisition in the “real world.”
Reflection Paper on SLA and ELT
(15%)
You will write a 4-5 page essay reflecting your beliefs about the relationship between SLA
research/theories and English language teaching. Your proposed framework should be based on a
few key scholarly sources that you find particularly relevant to your ELT context.
SLA Research Paper – A Case Study of an ELL
(40% + 10% for proposal)
This project will take you the process of articulating research questions, reading relevant literature,
designing a research methodology, selecting a case study participant, collecting data, and writing up the
results in an academic paper. Your case study will include the following components: Literature review,
learner interview data, L1-L2 linguistic analysis, analysis of L2 oral and written language samples, and a
learner reflection or stimulated recall activity based on an observation of L2 use.
Grading Scale for All Assignments**:
94-100
90-93
87-89
84-86
80-83
77-79
74-76
70-73
65-69
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD
Due Dates
7/11: Proposal, timeline, & initial
references due
7/19: Draft participant profile due
7/26: Draft analysis of language
samples due
8/2: Draft L1-L2 analysis OR languagein-use reflection due
8/9: Reflection paper on SLA and ELT
due
8/13: Final research paper due
** Late work will not be accepted.
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Course Schedule
Abbreviations: How Languages are Learned (HLL); Exploring Learner Language (ELL); Blackboard (Bb); Discussion board (Db)
Week
1
Topic
Introduction to SLA
as an Interdisciplinary
Field
F2F Meeting
June 29
HLL: Chap. 1
Ortega (2009) Ch. 1 (Bb)
Online Work
Read:
ELL: Intro
HLL: Chap. 4
Assignments/Postings Due
Watch and post by 7/5:
Video/Db: The Birth of a Word
Video/Db: 5 Techniques to Speak Any
Language
Video/Db: Learn Any Language in 6
Months
2
SLA Research
Ideologies, Methods,
and Data (part 1)
July 8
HLL: Chap. 5
Ioup et al (1994) (Bb)
Schmidt (1983) (Bb)
Read:
ELL: Chap. 2
Coe (2002) (Bb)
Ellis & Shintani
(2014) (Bb)
Due via Bb: ELL - Exercises 2.1, 2.4,
2.5
SLA Research
Ideologies, Methods,
and Data (part 2)
July 15
Tarone (2010) (Bb)
Ellis (2014) (Bb)
Atkinson (2014) (Bb)
Read:
ELL: Chap. 3
Due via Bb: ELL - Exercise 3.2
Learner Identity and
Individual
Characteristics
July 22
HLL: Chap. 3
Dornyei (2014) (Bb)
Norton & Toohey (2001)
(Bb)
Read:
ELL: Chap. 1
Kim & Duff (2012)
(Bb)
Due via Bb: ELL - Exercise 1.1 (two
learners)
July 29
HLL: Chap. 2
Tarone (2007) (Bb)
Read:
ELL: Chap. 4
Due via Bb: ELL - Exercise 4.1
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4
5
Language Analysis
and Developmental
Sequences
Due 7/11: Research proposal
Due 7/19: Draft participant profile
Due 7/26: Draft analysis of language
samples (oral and written)
Due 8/2: Draft L1-L2 analysis OR
language-in-use reflection
4
Spada & Lightbown (1999)
(Bb)
6
Instructed SLA
7
Multilingualism and
Multicompetence
August 5
HLL: Chap. 6
Seedhouse & Walsh (2010)
(Bb)
TBD
August 12
Ortega (2014) (Bb)
Norton (2012) Chap. 6 (Bb)
TBD
Read:
ELL: Chap. 5 & 6
Due via Bb: ELL - Exercises 5.1, 5.3,
6.4
Due 8/9: Reflection Paper on SLA and
ELT
Read:
ELL: Chap. 7
Due 8/13: Final Research paper
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