FACULTAD DE LETRAS
Language
acquisition and
classroom
atmosphere
Professor
Leyla Lobos Vásquez
Profesor adjunto – Depto Cs del Lenguaje
Contenido con audio
FACULTAD DE LETRAS
Specific objectives
 To identify the main characteristics of children and conditions
needed when learning a foreign language.
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Introduction
In this lesson, we will explore the main conditions needed for optimal learning of a foreign language so as to
respond to the main characteristics of young children.
This includes the main theories of (1) language acquisition and the (2) classroom atmosphere that teachers must
promote and encourage.
FACULTAD DE LETRAS
Contents
Language acquisition
Classroom atmosphere
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Topic 1
Language acquisition
and classroom
atmosphere
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Children learn new languages best when…
1
2
3
Target language instruction
Teachers
Learning
 Conducted in the target
language.
 Learners as active
constructors of meaning
rather than passive
receivers of vocabulary
and information.
 Occurs in meaningful,
communicative
contexts that carry
significance for the
student.
 Target language and
native language are kept
distinctly separate.
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FACULTAD DE LETRAS
Children learn new languages best when…
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Learning
Comprehension
 Organized in terms of
concrete experiences;
visuals, props, realia, and
hands-on activities are
integral components of
instruction.
 Emphasized rather than
speaking at beginning
stages of the program,
shadowing the process of
first-language acquisition.
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Children learn new languages best when…
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Reading and writing
Assessment of learning
teachers
Culture
 Used as communicative
tools, as appropriate to
the age and interests of
the learners, even in
early stages of language
development.
 Frequent, regular, and
ongoing in a manner that
is consistent with
targeted standards,
program goals, and
teaching strategies.
 Learned through
experiences with
cultural materials and
practices rather than
through discussion and
reading.
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FACULTAD DE LETRAS
Children learn new languages best when…
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Planning
Curriculum and instruction
 Organized around a thematic center and
establishes a balance among the basic
goals of culture, subject content, and
language in use.
 Organized to a communicative syllabus
rather than a grammatical syllabus.
 Grammar is presented through and for
usage rather than analysis.
 Grammar for its own sake is not the
object of instruction.
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FACULTAD DE LETRAS
Children learn new languages best when…
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Activities
Foreign language program
 Geared to the young learner’s
interests, developmental levels, and
experiential background. Designed to
appeal to a variety of learning styles and
to incorporate opportunities for
movement and physical activity.
 Drawn from and reinforced the goals of
the general elementary school
curriculum, including across-the
curriculum goals such as cognitive skills
development and global education.
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FACULTAD DE LETRAS
Key elements for successful learning
Reading and
writing for
communication
Comprehension
Concrete
experiences
Active
constructors
Meaningful
communicative
contexts
Target language
Goals of the
curriculum
Frequent
assessment
Interests and
developmental
Culture
stages
Communicative
syllabus
Planning
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Working with young language learners
Children’s ability to grasp meaning
Children’s creative use of limited
language resources
Children’s capacity for indirect learning
Children’s instinct for fun and play
The role of imagination
The interest for interaction and talk
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Important abilities to develop
Using language creatively
Going for meaning
Joining in the action
Using ‘chunks’ of language
Having fun
Feeling at home
Talking their heads off
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FACULTAD DE LETRAS
Conditions which support
language learning
Create a real need and desire to use English
Provide sufficient time for English
Provide exposure to varied and meaningful input
with a focus on communication
Provide opportunities for children to experiment with
their new language
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Conditions which support
language learning
Provide plenty of opportunities to practice and use
the language in different contexts
Create a friendly atmosphere in which children can
take risks and enjoy their learning
Provide feedback on learning
Help children notice the underlying pattern in
language
FACULTAD DE LETRAS
Topic 2
How children learn
languages
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Looking back on those days…
How old were
you?
How did you
learn Spanish
(L1)?
Who taught
you?
FACULTAD DE LETRAS
In this unit
Stages through which children acquire their first language( L1).
Different views of L1 and L2 acquisition.
Are the L1 and L2 acquired in the same way?
Does younger mean better?
Brewster, J. (2004). Chapter 2 in: J. Brewster, The Primary English Teacher’s Guide. Pearson.
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Take a quiz
Take the following quiz about children learning languages and select the correct alternative. You will find the
questions in the following five slides. Take notes of your responses if possible.
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Propiedades
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Permitir que el usuario abandone el cuestionario:
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El usuario puede ver las diapositivas después del cuestionario: Después de aprobar el cuestionario
Mostrar el cuestionario en el menú como:
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Editar propiedades
Propiedades
Botón 'Terminar' en aprobar:
Va a la siguiente diapositiva
Botón 'Terminar' en reprobar:
Va a la siguiente diapositiva
Permitir que el usuario abandone el cuestionario:
Después de que el usuario haya completado el cuestionario
El usuario puede ver las diapositivas después del cuestionario: Después de aprobar el cuestionario
Mostrar el cuestionario en el menú como:
Editar en Quizmaker
Múltiples elementos
Editar propiedades
Propiedades
Botón 'Terminar' en aprobar:
Va a la siguiente diapositiva
Botón 'Terminar' en reprobar:
Va a la siguiente diapositiva
Permitir que el usuario abandone el cuestionario:
Después de que el usuario haya completado el cuestionario
El usuario puede ver las diapositivas después del cuestionario: Después de aprobar el cuestionario
Mostrar el cuestionario en el menú como:
Editar en Quizmaker
Múltiples elementos
Editar propiedades
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FACULTAD DE LETRAS
Stages through which children acquire their first
language ( L1)
STAGE
AGE
Babbling
From birth to around 8 months.
The first “word”
At about 11 months children put names to the objects and people
around them.
Two words
Between 18 months and 2 years, they enter a syntactic phase of
acquisition by placing two words together (e.g. look Daddy).
Phonological, syntactic and lexical norms
Third and fourth years are periods of great creativity when the essential
language elements are put in place.
Syntactic and lexical complexity and richness
Between 6 and 12, children continue to expand their reading vocabulary
and to improve their understanding of words. They like learning chants,
poems, song lyrics and love tongue twisters or jokes.
Brewster, J. (2004). Chapter 2 in: J. Brewster, The Primary English Teacher’s Guide. Pearson.
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Behaviorist view (1950s – 1960s)
Characteristics

Language learning is like any other kind of learning in that it involves habit
formation.

It emphasizes repetition in the form of drills, accuracy and the avoidance of
errors.

It stresses the importance of positive reinforcement in L1 and L2 acquisition
where correct learning behaviour is rewarded by praise.
Brewster, J. (2004). Chapter 2 in: J. Brewster, The Primary English Teacher’s Guide. Pearson.
Darafei, Y. (Ilustradora). (2019). Portrait of John Broadus Watson. American psychologist, the founder of behaviorism. Hand drawn illustration [vector]. Extraída de:
https://www.shutterstock.com/es/image-vector/portrait-john-broadus-watson-american-psychologist-1478152343
FACULTAD DE LETRAS
Nativist (or innatist) views (1960s – 1970s)
Characteristics

Children are pre-programmed to learn a language and are highly
sensitive to the linguistic features of their environment.

Chomsky (1959) suggested an internal or innate Language Acquisition
Device (LAD), now referred to as Universal Grammar (UG), which allows
children to process all the language they hear and to produce their own
meaningful utterances.
Brewster, J. (2004). Chapter 2 in: J. Brewster, The Primary English Teacher’s Guide. Pearson.
Deepspace. (Fotógrafo). (Octubre 10, 2010). Reputed author Noam Chomsky answers questions by the journalist at his visit to Turkey [imagen digital]. Extraída de:
https://www.shutterstock.com/es/image-photo/istanbul-turkey-october-10-reputed-author-125767208
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Cognitive – developmental (1970s – 1980s)
Characteristics

Language development was an aspect of general cognitive growth.

Certain thinking skills must first mature in order to create a framework for
early language development.

In L2 learning, the Critical Period Hypothesis (CPH) (Lenneberg,1967),
suggested that there is a specific and limited time for language acquisition.

Researchers have found that there are many other important factors to
consider aside from age, such as motivation and learning conditions.
Brewster, J. (2004). Chapter 2 in: J. Brewster, The Primary English Teacher’s Guide. Pearson.
EQRoy. (Ilustradora). (Abril 4, 2019). View of a bust statue of Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget in the Parc des Bastions in Geneva, Switzerland [fotografía]. Extraída de:
https://www.shutterstock.com/es/image-photo/geneva-switzerland-4-apr-2019-view-1383394259
FACULTAD DE LETRAS
Social – interactionist (1980s)
Characteristics

Stresses importance of child's interaction with parents and other caregivers.

Crucial element: The way language is modified to suit the level of the
learner.

Bruner (1983) showed how an innate device was not able to function
without the help given by an adult.

LASS: Language Acquisition Support System

Language: LAD+LASS.

Vygotsky: Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) explains the fact that
children can do much more with the help of someone more skilled than
themselves than they can do alone.
Brewster, J. (2004). Chapter 2 in: J. Brewster, The Primary English Teacher’s Guide. Pearson.
Natata. (Ilustradora). (2019). Lev Semyonovich Vygotsky vector sketch portrait [retrato]. Extraído de: https://www.shutterstock.com/es/image-vector/levsemyonovich-vygotsky-vector-sketch-portrait-1196205049
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Are the L1 and L2 acquired in the same way?
Some L1
and L2
acquisition
processes
L1 and L2
learners
 Different what they bring to the language
learning situation.
 Similar in their ability to acquire language.
 Very similar.
 Many of the learning conditions are very
different.
Brewster, J. (2004). Chapter 2 in: J. Brewster, The Primary English Teacher’s Guide. Pearson.
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FACULTAD DE LETRAS
Are the L1 and L2 acquired in the same way?
Phases
Learners work out rules about how the language
works.
They generalize these across a group of similar
instances.
They go on to over generalize, or use rules where
they are not appropriate before finally going on to
use the language items correctly.
Brewster, J. (2004). Chapter 2 in: J. Brewster, The Primary English Teacher’s Guide. Pearson.
E.g. young children learning English go
through a phase of saying goed and putted
for past tense instead of went and put.
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Does younger mean better?
An early start is not, in itself,
automatically an advantage.
“…language is best
learned during the early
years of childhood”
(Scovel, 1988)
An early start is influenced by
many learner factors: levels
of motivation and
confidence, differences in
language aptitude and
personality.
Brewster, J. (2004). Chapter 2 in: J. Brewster, The Primary English Teacher’s Guide. Pearson.
“… the critical age for nativespeaker-like pronunciation is
six years, provided good
pronunciation models are
available, while for learning
grammar the critical age is
around puberty and
onwards”
(Ellis, 1994)
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FACULTAD DE LETRAS
Five to seven years old
Talk about what they are doing
Understanding comes through hands and
eyes and ears
Can tell you about what they have
Have a very short attention and
done or heard
concentration span
Can plan activities
Can argue for something and give
reasons
Brewster, J. (2004). Chapter 2 in: J. Brewster, The Primary English Teacher’s Guide. Pearson.
Enjoy to play, and learn best when they
are enjoying themselves
Enthusiastic and positive about learning
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Five to seven years old
Basic concepts are formed
Can tell the difference between fact and
fiction
Ask questions all the time
Brewster, J. (2004). Chapter 2 in: J. Brewster, The Primary English Teacher’s Guide. Pearson.
Able to make some decisions about their
own learning
Competent users of their mother tongue
Aware of the main rules of syntax in their
own language
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FACULTAD DE LETRAS
Teaching the young learner means…
Words are not
enough
Play with the
language
Brewster, J. (2004). Chapter 2 in: J. Brewster, The Primary English Teacher’s Guide. Pearson.
Language as
language
Variety in the
classroom
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Teaching the young learner means…
Routines
Cooperation not
competition
Brewster, J. (2004). Chapter 2 in: J. Brewster, The Primary English Teacher’s Guide. Pearson.
Grammar
Assessment
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Teaching tips
VERY YOUNG LEARNERS

Introduce English slowly with enjoyable activities.

Support what you say with gestures, actions,
movements, and facial expression.

Help the children feel secure by repeating familiar
activities, e.g. songs and rhymes.

Repeat in English what children say to you in their
mother tongue.

Use a puppet to talk to in English.

Use drawings and photos.

Tell lots of stories using pictures for support.
YOUNG LEARNERS

Explain in mother tongue on the first day why you are using
English during the English lesson.

Teach the class useful phrases about the language use, e.g.
Can I use… (mother tongue)? What’s… in English?

Plan for success and a positive experience.

Talk about your own personal experiences, e.g. What you
like/dislike. This is like telling stories.
Brewster, J. (2004). Chapter 2 in: J. Brewster, The Primary English Teacher’s Guide. Pearson.
And above all, have fun!
FACULTAD DE LETRAS
Questions
1
2
3
4
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How do children learn their first language?
Do children with a high intelligence quotient (IQ) score learn
to speak foreign languages quicker and better than others?
How important is high motivation in successful language
learning?
Is it better for pupils to learn a foreign language when they
are below the age of puberty?
Should teachers use materials with only language
structures which have already been taught?
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Six key principles of teaching very young learners
No evidence that learning a new language
‘too early’ might have a negative impact on L1
development.
Early language learning can have a positive
influence on children´s cognition.
Young children need more time than
adolescents and adults to learn a new
language.
An early start can Foster children´s attitudes
and motivation, thus have a positive effect on
their proficiency later on.
Benefitted from meaning-focused activities
and natural use – not from explicit rules.
Teachers need to apply and age-appropriate
methodology.
Brewster, J. (2004). Chapter 2 in: J. Brewster, The Primary English Teacher’s Guide. Pearson.
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Applying an age-appropriate methodology
Multisensory
learning
Playing
games
Stories
Songs,
chants and
rhymes
Learning
to interact
Brewster, J. (2004). Chapter 2 in: J. Brewster, The Primary English Teacher’s Guide. Pearson.
Learning
to think
FACULTAD DE LETRAS
Summary
Children learn best when the conditions for learning are considered.
There are different ways to understand and explain how children learn a
foreign language.
The developmental stages of the child should be considered when planning
instruction.
Language learning depend on more than one factor.
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References
 Brewster, J. (2004). Chapter 2 in: J. Brewster, The Primary English Teacher’s Guide. Pearson.
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You have
completed this
lesson!