SECOND LANGUAGE LEARNING AND

READINGby Eunice V. Rivera

and Hannah Gay Castro

Overview

1. Who is Bilingual?2. Dis/Advantages of Bilingualism3. Bilingual Education4. Language Provision5. Factors that affect achievement in L2

Learning6. Principles of Second Language

Acquisition7. Approaches for promoting ESL learning8. Ways to engage in meaningful language

learning9. Reading in two languages10.Activity

Who Is Bilingual?

Li, a Japanese business man living in the Philippines, can speak Japanese and Tagalog fluently.

Who Is Bilingual?

Maricar is a Filipina with a Korean husband. She can read and write Korean but cannot speak it.

Who Is Bilingual?

Ligaya is a Filipina working as a domestic helper in Hong Kong. She can speak Cantonese but cannot read nor write it.

Who Is Bilingual?

Lissie is a Filipino immigrant in the US. She already knows the English language. However, she was required to take English courses before she can continue studying in the US.

Who Is Bilingual?

Jose has deaf parents. As a child, he has learned English and sign language simultaneously.

Who Is Bilingual?

All the people in those examples are bilingual. This shows that many degrees of bilingualism may exist, sometimes varying in the same person over time.

Who Is Bilingual?

The term bilingualism is usually reserved to describe two languages within an individual.

Disadvantages of Bilingualism There will be temporary disadvantage if

a child’s two languages are both underdeveloped.

A potential problem is the amount of effort often required by some parents to raise bilingual children

A third problem area tends to be with identity.

Advantages of Bilingualism

Communication advantage

Cultural advantage

Cognitive advantage

Bilingual Education

Bilingual education involves teaching academic content in two languages, in a native and secondary language with varying amounts of each language used in accordance with the program model.

Bilingual Education

The Language provision in the 1987 Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines which are embodied in Article XIV, Sec. 6 and 7 provide the legal basis for the various language policies that are

being implemented in the country.       

Bilingual Education

The ratification of the above-mentioned constitution resolved the issue on what the national language is, since the 1935 and 1973 Philippine Charters were not clear about this.

Provision

1. Section 6.  The national language of the Philippines is Filipino.  As it evolves, it shall be further developed and enriched on the basis of existing Philippine and other languages.

Provision

2. For purposes of communication and instruction, the official languages of the Philippines are Filipino and, until otherwise provided by law, English.

The Philippine Bilingual Education Policy (BEP)

The main media of instruction after the initial phase using the local vernaculars as ‘auxiliary languages’ are Filipino and English. Filipino is used for all subjects except for the English language, science and mathematics (the latter using

English as the medium of instruction). 

Approaches for Promoting ESL LearningThe Language Experience Approach.

Student orally share a common experience. These experiences become texts for initial reading instruction.

(See http://vimeo.com/10737930 )

10/21/11

Approaches for Promoting ESL Learning

Literature-Based Programs. Learners select their own reading texts. The most popular are high interest/low reading level books, fiction or non fiction. When the text is written at a level within the reader’s ability and the story is engaging, readers usually get past unfamiliar words and derive meaning from the context.

(See http://vimeo.com/27319322)

Approaches for Promoting ESL Learning

Process Writing. Emphasizes writing as a communicative act with an intended purpose and audience. The teacher and the other learners help the writer find a topic and revise drafts of a written piece until it conveys the intended meaning.

Factors that Affect Achievement in L2 Learning Cognitive Development and First

Language Proficiency. First language has been shown to have a direct influence on the development of second language

Age. Researchers give conflicting ideas regarding age and second language learning.

The Critical Period Hypothesis. Suggests that there is a time in human development when the brain is predisposed in second language.

Factors that Affect Achievement in L2 Learning

Others believe that older student are better second language learners because they have achieved a higher level of cognitive maturity.

Some say that for academic achievement, it does not matter when second language learning begins, as long as cognitive development continues at least through age 12.

Factors that Affect Achievement in L2 Learning Attitude and Individual Differences.

Student with active and competitive coping styles, and a more positive attitude toward learning English achieve better in school.

Principles of Second Language Acquisition (ERIC, 1984)

Which of these do you feel strongly about?

Bilingualism is an asset and should be fostered.

There is an ebb and flow to children’s bilingualism. It is rare for both languages to be perfectly balanced.

The learner’s language and cultural background should be respected.

Principles of Second Language Acquisition (ERIC, 1984)

For some bilingual children, code-switching is a normal language phenomenon.

Language is used to communicate meaning; children will learn a second language more readily if they engage in meaningful activities that require using the language.

Principles of Second Language Acquisition (ERIC, 1984)

Language flourishes best in a language-rich environment.

Children should be encouraged to experiment with languages.

Ways to Engage Students in Meaningful Language Learning Do shared reading and reading

alouds (story reading)

Tailor questions for different levels of language competence and participation.

Use demonstrations, modeling, role playing

Present new information in the context of known information

Paraphrase often

Use simple structures, avoid complex structures

Ways to Engage Students in Meaningful Language Learning Repeat the same sentence patterns

and routines.

Reading in Two Languages

Geva and colleagues proposed two viewpoints:

(Ocampo, 2010)

Central Processing Hypothesis

Script Dependent Hypothesis

Reading in Two Languages

Central Processing Hypothesis argues that:

the underlying mechanisms involved in learning to read are universal and therefore operate in any type of orthography or language

orthography does not influence reading development even in bilinguals

reading development in bilinguals is based on underlying skills associated with the development of monolingual learning

Reading in Two Languages

difficulties in reading in any language are rooted in deficient skills in the cognitive and language-related processes that underlie reading

Reading in Two Languages

Script Dependent Hypothesis hypothesizes that:

orthography is the primary influence in reading acquisition

the processes that compromise reading cannot be explained without considering the reader’s linguistic environment and the orthography that symbolizes it

different languages will make different demands on the cognitive system of the learner, therefore, different processes will determine learning

Reading in Two Languages

a predictor of reading ability in one language may well not predict reading in the second

Activity

Following are some school practices that affect second language learning.

To promote English, fine students every time they speak in their first language.

X This practice violates the principle of fostering bilingualism as well as respect for unique cultural background of the learner.

Research shows the cognitive, cultural, and economic advantages of bilingualism.

Activity

Correct a child right away each time he makes a pronunciation or grammatical error so he will remember.

X Doing so will embarrass the child and discourage him from experimenting with the second language. To correct, rephrase or expand on what he/she has already said. (ERIC, 1984)

Activity

Have children read and write about people, places, and events that are important to them.

This is in line with the principles of language as communicating meaning and learning best in a language rich environment. Topics of interest will motivate students to take risks with the language that they might not take with artificial or meaningless subjects.

Activity

Require learners to use only English in the English class, so they will develop the habit of speaking the language.

X This does not recognize the principle that code-switching is part of the normal L2 learning process and forgets that language is used to communicate meaning.

Activity

Hire and maintain teachers who will communicate well.

The presence of good language model is crucial in a “language-rich environment.”