FP001 – APPROACHES TO LANGUAGE IN THE CLASSROOM CONTEXT

PRACTICE ACTIVITY
General information

The practical activity of this subject consists of carrying out individually the tasks
detailed below. To do this, the learner must keep the statements of each of the tasks
and respond to each of them. In addition, the activity must meet the formal
requirements:

 Length: 4-5 pages (excluding instructions, statements, bibliography and annexes, if

any).
 Font: Arial.
 Size: 11 points
 Spacing: 1.5.
 Alignment: Justified.

The activity should be carried out in this Word document following the rules of
presentation and editing in terms of citations and bibliographic references (see Study
Guide).

Submission must be done following the procedures described in the subject’s

evaluation document; under no circumstances should it be submitted through the
professor’s email.

On the other hand, remember that there are evaluation criteria which are considered
extremely important for the learner to follow. For further information, please refer to the
subject evaluation document.

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Student: Luciana Mokuy Abeso Nkara

Group: 2023-11

Unit: Aproches to Language in the Classroom Context

File Name: 2023-11LMokuy_ALCC

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Table of contents
Task 1 …………………………………………………………………………………. 4-5
Task 2 …………………………………………………………………………………. 6-7
Task 3 ……………………………………………………………………………… 7-8-9
Task 4 ………………………………………………………………………………… 9-10
Conclusion ……………………………………………………………………………... 10
References ……………………………………………………………………………… 11

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Task 1
For numerous years, researchers have endeavoured to comprehend and elucidate the
procedure by which we acquire a second language. The study has provided us with a
more comprehensive understanding of specific features and events that are present
during various phases of the learning process and have a direct impact on the
acquisition of a second language.

The linguistic system of the maternal tongue and the target language are combined in
interlanguage. It is one of those events that has an enormous effect on the acquisition
of a second language. It is the distinctive learning system that students have developed
during the process of acquiring a second language. Interlanguage is a dynamic
process that is regarded as an intermediate stage of the learner's language
development. As students endeavour to comprehend and negotiate the meaning of the
second language, their IL will undergo a transformation.

Transfer is one of the phenomena that significantly impacts the evolution of

interlanguage, and it can have both positive and negative effects.

(Gate, 2022)

In the past few years, language transfer has evolved into a subject of growing interest
in the field of second language acquisition (SLA). This is due to the fact that the
primary aspect of learning a second language is the acquisition of at least one other
language, the L1 or mother tongue, which can serve as a foundation for the acquisition
of the rules and structures of a new language. Negative transfer, which is frequently
referred to as errors, was the sole subject of investigation for an extended period.
Negative transfer is the process by which learners produce ungrammatical expressions
by inadequately applying structures from their L1 to the target language, despite the
absence of corresponding structures in the latter.

Positive transfer occurs when the student of a second language employs their
understanding of the maternal tongue to aid in the acquisition or learning of the target
language. It typically occurs when the two languages share similarities in vocabulary or
form. For instance, the words "hospital" and "color" are written identically in Spanish
and English.

Vocabulary. The acquisition of these words can be facilitated by the use of cognates, or
words that stem from the same linguistic root and have a similar spelling and meaning

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in Spanish and English. Various terms, including chocolate, hotel, radio, restaurant,
hospital, and animal, are included.

In declarative sentences, the word order is subject-verb-object in both languages.

Plural nouns are formed by adding an -s for countable nouns in both languages.
This common feature will simplify the comprehension of the spelling rules for plurals
and the appropriate use of -es and -ies, as students are already aware that they must
modify the noun.

Another example is "My house is large and beautiful." In this instance, the English
language employed the same grammatical form as the Spanish language. It is evident
that the noun, verb, and adjectives are in the same position in both languages.

Conversely, negative transfer impedes the acquisition or learning of a second

language.

For Spanish speakers who are learning English, the use of the verb "to be" becomes
challenging due to the dual connotations of "ser" and "estar" in Spanish. The errors and
mistakes that pupils make when using the verb "to be" in various situations are a result
of this distinction.

In Spanish, the subject pronoun can be omitted from the utterance if the subject is
evident as a result of the verb conjugation. This can result in a negative transfer, as
students may omit the pronoun in an inappropriate manner, resulting in errors.
Languages employed.
The learner generates errors in the production of the target language by utilising
previous knowledge in the mother tongue. For instance, a learner may assume that the
term "actual" refers to "current" in a sentence, such as "The actual" manager of the
organisation will notify us of the organization's changes.

Another example is, Spanish native speakers may be perplexed by the term
"embarrassed" in English, as they may interpret it as "pregnant." This is due to the fact
that the Spanish word for "pregnant" is "embarazada," and the two words are very
comparable in pronunciation and spelling. Conversely, the significance is entirely
distinct.

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English natives frequently commit the error of failing to conjugate verbs in the simple
present in Spanish. Beginners frequently use the phrase "yo tener" instead of "yo
tengo."

Task 2

Teacher noticing, which encompasses two general dimensions: what teachers attend
to and how they reason about what they observe, is the term used to describe the
attentional work of teaching, according to research on teaching. Upon entering a
classroom, you will observe a plethora of activity, including the teacher delivering a
lesson or facilitating a discussion, and students collaborating in groups. Although some
students may be up and moving around the room, others may be engaged in
conversation with their peers or pondering. This necessitates that educators
concentrate on the critical aspects of the situation and interpret the information they
observe in order to facilitate student learning.

Harmer (1990) emphasised the significance of emphasising or bringing attention to a

structure during the presentation stage of a lesson. This could increase the likelihood
that the student will notice it, which could lead to it becoming a part of their
interlanguage as it transitions from input to intake.

(STUDENTS’ ENGLISH SPEAKING DIFFICULTIES AND TEACHERS’, 2022)

Noticing is a critical component of SLA. It is the deliberate focus of the learners on a

specific aspect of the language. Students acquire an understanding of the language's
specific structures and the discrepancy between their interlanguage and the target
language as a result of this conscious process. Students are more likely to employ a
structure in the future when they are cognisant of its functionality and the
circumstances in which it can be implemented. This has the potential to significantly
enhance the student's interlanguage development.

I believe that the two texts included in Appendix 2.1 are intended to instruct students on
the future tense with the phrase "be going to," which denotes future intentions. Different
activities are provided by each to reinforce the grammar structure and assist students
in understanding when to use it.

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Extract 1 commences with a listening exercise; regrettably, we are unable to access
the recording. Consequently, we can only speculate that the conversation is between a
group of friends in relation to an invitation they have received, as indicated by the
subsequent enquiries. Students are then required to respond to enquiries, complete
enquiries, and engage with their peers by asking and answering questions.

The students are provided with a role-play activity in Extract 2, which provides them
with a generous exposure to the target structure. The exercises primarily concentrate
on the production and practice of the affirmative and negative variants of the structure.
This task presents students with a situation that they may find amusing, thereby forcing
them to more effectively observe the structure. Role-playing is an engaging activity that
enables the majority of students to observe alternative perspectives and acquire
knowledge about the utilisation of various intonations in language to facilitate the more
natural expression of their thoughts.

Creativity is always initiated by sensory input, whether it is through sight, hearing,

scent, taste, or touch. This input contributes to the development of a mental database
of information that serves as the foundation for creative thinking. It is both challenging
and rewarding to foster students' creativity, and it can be incorporated into all subject
areas to promote critical thinking and innovative thinking.

Noticing can also assist students in the development of their metacognitive abilities, in
addition to fostering creativity. Metacognition is the process of reflecting on one's own
thought processes, which can assist pupils in developing a greater understanding of
their own learning processes. Students can ruminate on their own learning and modify
their strategies as necessary when they observe what they are doing. This can result in
improved academic performance and more effective learning.

In summary, the cultivation of students' critical thinking, metacognitive abilities, and

creativity can be facilitated by the encouragement of observation. Students can
enhance their capacity to identify details, determine their relevance, and generate
novel opportunities by methodically collecting sensory data, reflecting on it, and
experimenting with multiple relationships among the data through visualisation.
Teachers can facilitate this process by offering opportunities for reflection and
collaboration, which can assist students in developing a greater understanding of their
own learning processes and achieving greater academic success.

Task 3

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Learning a second language can be accomplished in a formal context, such as a
classroom setting, or in a natural context, such as immersion programs in a country
where the target language is spoken or conversations with native speakers.

A formal context is a learning environment in which the learning process is structured

and planned according to a predetermined curriculum. A teacher will serve as the guide
or provider of the information that the students will receive. The student's interlanguage
can be enhanced through explicit instruction. It is a controlled environment that can
cultivate students' confidence, as opposed to a natural context where confidence may
be shattered upon observing the discrepancy between their current language
proficiency and the language they require. The exposure to authentic language and the
absence of opportunities for genuine communication can be regarded as
disadvantages.

Conversely, the natural context pertains to experiences that occur outside of the
classroom. Typically, students experience this phenomenon when they become fully
entrenched in the language and culture.

In real-life situations and interactions, students are exposed to unplanned and

unpredictable input and structures. This environment has the potential to enhance
motivation by making the necessity of communication more apparent to the students.
One potential drawback is the absence of explicit instruction, which can lead to the
development of error production. Another potential drawback is that the language
proficiency of the learners may not be sufficient to facilitate interaction. Additionally, the
effective factor may induce apprehension, leading learners to abandon their attempts to
communicate.

Input is an essential component of the acquisition of a second or foreign language (L2).

It pertains to the L2 data (form-based and/or meaning-based) that learners acquire in
both formal and naturalistic environments. In formal contexts, teacher talk is a
significant source of input, as it facilitates classroom interaction and communication.
Teacher talks features, including simplified vocabulary, pauses, and slowed speech,
can be employed for interactions in the classroom, such as instruction, explanation,
and input. In natural environments, input can originate from a diverse array of sources,
such as discussions with native speakers, reading books, viewing films, and listening to
music.

Physical Constraints: A system's actions are restricted by two categories of constraints:

physical and psychological constraints. Designs are more user-friendly and the

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likelihood of errors during interaction is reduced when physical constraints, such as
dimming or concealing options that are unavailable, are applied correctly. Cognitive
limitations, including diminished memory capacity and attention, are referred to as
psychological constraints. Designers can develop user interfaces that are more user-
friendly and intuitive by comprehending these constraints.

Output: Output is also crucial in the pursuit of language acquisition, as it encourages

learners to generate language that is coherent, precise, and appropriate. Learners can
identify deficiencies in their language proficiency and strive to enhance their
interlanguage system by composing messages that are comprehensible. Assignments,
presentations, and written exams may constitute output in formal environments. In
natural environments, output may result from engaging in social events, composing
emails, and conversing with native speakers.

Interaction: Finally, interaction pertains to the manner in which students engage with
their instructors, peers, study environment, and materials. The nature of social
interaction can differ among schools and is contingent upon the school's perspective
on its ideal form. In formal settings, interaction may manifest itself through class
discussions, group activities, and one-on-one interactions with instructors.
Conversations with native speakers, participation in language exchanges, and
attendance at cultural events are all potential sources of interaction in natural contexts.
Effective interaction can assist learners in honing their language abilities, receiving
feedback, and fostering self-assurance in their abilities.

Task 4

In a formal context (classroom), discourse is comprised of three phases: initiation,

response, and feedback (IRF). Teachers are the ones who initiate this sort of
interaction. The initial stage involves the input, which is typically structured and
comprehensible to facilitate the student's comprehension of the content. The input will
also be associated with the structure that is to be acquired. The student's response
constitutes the subsequent phase. The input will determine the output of the learner,
and the quality of the response will be contingent upon the student's proficiency in
English. The student will have the chance to practise and produce language in a
controlled environment. This could potentially restrict the students' ability to negotiate
meaning and apply the language in authentic communication scenarios. The feedback
provided by the teacher is a critical component of the third stage of this model. The
teacher will be able to enhance the language of the students by providing feedback.

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This criticism is considered more effective when it is given promptly, when it is focused
on the linguistic form rather than the content, and when the language used is
comprehensible for the learner, but it will vary depending on the task. The comments
will assist pupils in identifying the discrepancy between the output and the objective
language.

In conclusion, it is evident that the impact of IRF exchanges on SLA could be either
beneficial or detrimental to the student's development in the acquisition of a second
language. It is contingent upon several factors, including the timing of the feedback, the
clarity of the feedback for the student, the extent to which it allowed the student to
identify the discrepancy between their IL and the target language, and the absence of
anxiety or stress in the students.

For instance, there is potential for genuine input in an IRF dialogue, such as the
following: "How many brothers do you have?"

Three!
Apparently, you have three siblings. Okay. That is a huge family!

Conclusion

The tasks outlined in this chapter have been an immensely beneficial and insightful
exercise. It has enabled me to more effectively comprehend and recognise the
contents that were examined. Additionally, it has enabled me to contemplate the
materials and reassess their suitability for the students. As educators, it is imperative
that we prioritise the requirements of our students and implement all the strategies and
modifications that are required to assist them in accomplishing the objectives we have
established for them. An essential first step in enhancing our instruction and assisting
students in their learning process is comprehending the interactions and functioning of
all the components of the classroom environment.

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References
Council, B. (2024). TeachingEnglish. Obtenido de TeachingEnglish:
https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/professional-development/teachers/
knowing-subject/d-h/initiation-response-feedback-irf
Gate, R. (2022). Interlanguage and Its Implications to Second Language Teaching and
Learning. Pacific International Journal. Obtenido de
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/366751261_Interlanguage_and_Its_I
mplications_to_Second_Language_Teaching_and_Learning
STUDENTS’ ENGLISH SPEAKING DIFFICULTIES AND TEACHERS’. (2022). Journal
of English Education and Literature, 14.

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