"Language, Learning and Teaching". By H. Douglas Brown

1. What is a permanent struggle in teaching / learning?

The permanent struggle in teaching/learning is to reach beyond the confines of the first language and a new language, a new way of thinking and acting; with it a new culture.

2. Are we equipped with a do-it-yourself-kit to acquire languages?

Language learning is not a set of easy steps that can be programmed in a quick do-it-yourself kit.  Many variables are involved in the acquisition process. Few if any people achieve fluency in a foreign language solely within the confines of the classroom.

3. Why do people learn or fail to learn a language?

The teacher can teach a foreign language successfully if he knows something about that intricate web of variable that are spun together to affect how and why one learns or fails to learn a second language.

4. Name the issues to consider in second language acquisition?

We have to consider who is learning and who is teaching, the experience or training of the teacher and how teacher and student interact to each other. Also we have to pay attention on what we are teaching.  The teacher needs to understand the system and functioning in order to explain it to the student. Besides that is important to know how we are going to teach that knowledge, we have to know what cognitive process are utilized in second language learning and whether the students are children or adults.  Because it is known that children know more easily than adults do. So, if we are going to teach to adults we will need more commitment.  But the key of all this process is the reason of their learning.  Why are students learning? Which are their motivations? Do they want to know about the culture? Are they motivated? Or do they do it just to pass the course?

5. What are the motivations to learn a language?

The motivations to learn a language could be the achievement of a successful career, or passing a foreign language requirement, or wishing to identify closely with the culture and people of the target language.

These motivations must be known by the teacher to encourage students to better learning. 

6. Give 3 definitions for LANGUAGE.

• “Language is a complex, specialized skill, which develops in the child spontaneously, without conscious effort or formal instruction, is deployed without awareness of its underlying logic, is qualitative the same in every individual, and is distinct from more general abilities to process information or behave intelligently”.

• “Language is a system of arbitrary conventionalized vocal, written, or gestural symbols that enable members of a given community to communicate intelligibly with one another”.

•  “1. - Language is systematic. 2. - Language is a set of arbitrary symbols. 3. - Those symbols are primarily vocal, but may also be visual. 4. - The symbols have conventionalized meanings to which they refer. 5. - Language is used for communication. 6. - Language operates in a speech community or culture. 7. - Language is essentially human, although possibly not limited to humans. 8. - Language is acquired by all people in much the same way; language and language learning both have universal characteristics”.

7. What is the relation between language and cognition?

The teacher has to be aware of the cognition of the student in order to provide a good teaching. He should know what his student is able of, and according to that organize the class and make activities in which the student could reach the final goal.

8. Which are some LEARNING definitions?

• “Learning is acquiring or getting of knowledge of a subject or a skill by study, experience, or instruction”

• “Learning is relatively permanent change in behavioral tendency and is the result of reinforced practice”

9. Can we define TEACHING apart from learning?

Teaching cannot be defined apart from learning. Teaching is guiding and facilitating learning, enabling the learner to learn, setting the conditions for learning. 

10. What is the importance of our PEDAGOGICAL PHILOSPHY?

Our pedagogical philosophy reflects our personal values and the needs of our student. It is a sign of what we expect from us as teachers. It is important because it will determine your teaching style, your approach, methods and classroom techniques. 

11. Refer to the 3 schools of thought in SLA?

Structuralism/ Behaviorism:  The linguist’s task was to describe human language and to identify structural characteristics of those languages. It was said that any notion of “idea” or “meaning” is explanatory fiction, and that the speaker is merely the locus of verbal behavior. The behavioristic paradigm also focused on publicly observable responses. The “scientific method” was rigorously adhered to, as “mentalistic”, illegitimate domains of inquiry.

Rationalism and cognitive psychology: Ferdinand de Saussure (1916) claimed that there was difference between parole (performance) and langue (competence). Descriptive linguists chose largely to ignore langue and to study parole

Constructivism: Constructivists argue that all human beings construct their own version of reality, and therefore multiple contrasting ways of knowing and describing are equally legitimate