How do Learners acquire their Second Language?

On our Forum this week, my classmate Victoria started us off by sharing her beliefs about how learners go about picking up a new language. I agreed with her view that there is a fundamental difference between second language learning, which is formal, and ‘by the book’, and, second language acquisition, which is a more informal process of knowledge being absorbed, naturally into the brain.

Like Victoria’s students, my own are not in an immersive environment, and have little exposure to English on a daily basis. So it is my job to make the classroom time as ‘immersive’ as possible. I think that proficiency in any language, and therefore, the ‘ease’ by which it may be acquired, is strongly related to how it is broken down, presented and recycled:

Breaking down the lanaguge into manageable chunks or groups of words with similar meanings, or belonging to the same topic clearly helps. My beginners are usually first exposed to high frequency words for high frequency situations they are likely to encounter. By contrast, if I were teaching advanced students, then they will prefer some exposure to less frequently used items and idioms. I am usually able to quickly identify the level of new student(s) and provide adequate, graded material that matches their needs. However, I do often struggle with the fact that not all students in one class are the exact same level, so, should the lesson content be too easy, this may result in one student being bored, or the other, overly-challenged.

Presenting the language in context is a must. This can can be supported by different types of media – from the well-worn textbook, newspaper article, radio interview, other audio clip, TV/video clip, picture, website, etc. I have found that contextualising new language in multiple ways, not only appeals to a broad range of learning styles, but also deepens understanding. As a student myself, and an audio-visual learner, with the emphasis on the visual, I can attest that even though I can listen and understand, if I listen and see, I remember.

Recycling the language through alternating activities, is a powerful way to support language acquisition. We learn through repetition: but doing the same thing, too often, gets boring, and may even lead one to forget! So using the language in different situations, through differing types of activities, can strengthen understanding. And if those activities are fun, engaging and meaningful, then this means the students are likely to become more motivated and want to come back for more!

So, looking back, it looks like doing all of that, at once, to combine Victoria’s key elements of practical content within simulated real-life situations, is one difficult task! But if the deftly, multi-tasking teacher can spin all of those plates at the same time, then the student will accumulate language proficiency through acquisition, rather than by learning. That is not to say that all students reject traditional methods of learning by the book, and rote memorisation. In fact, it’s alive and kicking here in China! Which means you must be doubly aware of the fact that what you, the teacher, considers ‘the best way to learn’ is not necessarily what you students want or expect. For example, I’m more fluency, before accuracy, whereas Chinese students usually prefer to have the teacher correct every word they utter, immediately after it is spoken. Obviously, that can mess up the flow of a conversation…but perhaps I’m going slightly off-topic!

(By the way, the picture is of course – a joke! My lessons are all about my students!)