aritclecritique
Transcript of aritclecritique
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Sarah Ruff
Article Critique
The article I am critiquing is called Features of Input of Second Language
Acquisition from the Journal of Language Teaching and Research. It deals
primarily with the classifications of input in the classroom and what type is most
helpful to an English language learner. The article then discusses the optimal
input defined by Krashen and how it is compared with first language acquisition.
In this paper I will first present a general summary of the article. I will then
analyze the article in relation to the quality and value of the information
presented. I will discuss whether I agree or disagree with the main points and
finish by presenting ways in which this article can be applied to the classroom.
The article begins by defining the features of input. The general term
input is said to include a variety of student and teacher characteristics, including
but not limited to intelligence, sex, personality, learning or teaching style,
previous experience, motivation, attitudes, etc (Wang, p. 282). However, this
article in particular narrows down the term to refer simply to general learning or
teaching style. This is particularly important to English learners in China, who are
likely to depend almost entirely on classroom learning to improve their English.
Most of them are only exposed to English in the classroom, and therefore only
hear what is called Teacher talk. The article notes that the characteristics of this
include very short, simple, grammatically correct sentences and general, high
frequency vocabulary (p. 282). Teachers ask many unreal, irrelevant questions
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that produce answers previously learned. The teachers do most of the talking,
and the topics tend to be uninteresting. As a result, the English language
learners have very little chance to experiment with the structures they have
learned and therefore their motivation for learning can be affected very negatively
(p. 282).
Wang continues by addressing what Optimal Input should consist of in
order to better help students learning English. She references Krashen, who
states that optimal input should be comprehensible, interesting and/or relevant,
not be grammatically sequenced, (and) be in sufficient quantity (p. 283). She
argues that if students are exposed to input with these features, they will be more
likely to learn English competently. So, input should be comprehensible- this
means that the material should be reasonably paced and not too demanding.
The input should be interesting, that is, the students should have material
available to them that is not strictly textbook. Most of the textbooks available to
Chinese students are designed to cater solely to the needs and taste of
examinations (p. 283). This is turn points to the need for sufficient quantity of
input. This is the main concern of Kashens optimal input hypothesis since the big
difference between foreign language learning in the native tongue environment
and in the target language environment lies in the amount of input available to
the learner (p. 283).If an English language learner is in their native country, they
may only have their textbook to rely on. It is important to provide students with
material they can derive meaning from rather than just grammatical concepts.
Wang notes one more characteristic of optimal input, that of authenticity.
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She notes that students learning English in an English-speaking country will be
exposed to authentic speech patterns, whereas students in their native country
will not (p. 284). It is important for them to learn more than just textbook
English. She also points out that textbooks tend to simplify material both lexically
and syntactically, which causes the text to lose authenticity, which causes loss of
cultural meaning (p. 284). She states that, in a word, simplification is often
achieved at the expense of authenticity (p. 284).
There were not many statistics or specific research results given in this
article, so I cannot be certain of how completely valid the arguments are. They
seem both factual and logical. The writer, Xiaoru Wang, is a professor of Foreign
Language in China, and therefore has plenty of experience with English
language learners. Because of this I believe her to be a valid source for this
information. She also references studies done concerning exposure and
comprehension in the classroom done by Snow in 1977 and Carroll in 1990 (p.
283) and uses it to support her conclusion. I do find the information presented in
this article to be highly valuable for a teacher of English as a second language.
Wang points out many problems in the classroom and ideas on how to amend
them; a teacher of any subject could take this information and apply it to their
instructional methods.
I agree with most of the information presented in this article. Being a
language instructor myself, I know what teacher talk is. It is very easy to get
caught up in strictly grammatical instruction without taking the time to make the
material applicable to everyday life. This is particularly relevant to me as a
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teacher because I teach Latin, and my students will never be in an environment
where Latin is spoken around them (cf. Chinese students learning English in
China). If I neglect to make the language relevant and interesting to my students,
there will be few chances for my students to obtain tangible proof of their
progress (p. 282). Wangs section on authenticity also stood out to me, as I
know from experience that teaching solely from a textbook can limit the
knowledge of authentic language. For example, teaching a student simple
sentences in Latin which demonstrate grammatical concepts will not help them
read colloquial Latin literature.
Wangs conclusion that employing the features of optimal input will result
in more effective teaching seems valid and I certainly agree with her proposed
techniques. Many of these techniques can be applied directly in the classroom.
For example, Wang stresses the need for relevant topics within the classroom
(p. 282). This can simply mean discussing in English the learners themselves-
their appearances, family life, likes and dislikes. It is also relevant to discuss their
immediate environment, like the classroom. Wang also suggests devising
language activities that will enable learners to see clearly the relationships
between forms and meanings (p. 283). This can include using hands-on
activities, or any type of activity that demands they use spoken or written forms of
the language in order to achieve a certain goal. Most importantly, teaching both
formal and informal English will help students truly grasp the language. I think a
good way to present this would be giving students a handout with a formal
dialogue printed on it and then bringing in another native English speaker and
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performing the same dialogue informally. The teacher could then lead a
discussion with the students to point out the differences between the formal and
informal conversation. Speaking with the students out of the textbook context will
help them develop the skills they need to communicate in an English-speaking
environment. Thus I believe that out of all the points made in this article, the need
for authenticity is the most important and most applicable in the classroom.
SOURCE
Wang, Xiaoru (2010). Features of Input of Second Language Acquisition. Journal
Of Language Teaching And Research, 1(3). Retrieved July 5, 2010, from
http://www.academypublisher.com/ojs/index.php/jltr/article/view/01032822
84/1813
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