tesl630-REPLIES-Discussion Thread: Technology and Mental Processes

**You will need to already own the book: Introduction to Language 11th edition By Victoria Fromkin, Robert Rodman, and Nina Hyams.
**I will have 2 different discussions uploaded to the files. Each discussion needs its own response of at least 150 words and its own citations and references. Example: Discussion one-Needs a reply with at least 150 words with its own citations and references and Discussion two- Needs a reply with at least 150 words with its own citations and references. * I also uploaded the 2 discussions, and the actual assignment, just pay attention specifically about replying back to two classmates sections. When responding back, please be kind, and do not correct any of the comments or disagree, write in a first-person, such as -I agree with, I like how you, etc.- Also please just use the book from above for this assignment, and, if necessary another source for examples and such. Also, I am an American and English is my first language, so it should be from my point of view, thank you.

Discussion one

Sue-Ellen Castillo

Understanding how language and the brain work together to acquire language would aid me in becoming a better teacher. An exceptional English as a Second Language teacher understands that acquiring language is much more than knowing grammar and rules. It involves an unconscious process of using language as a means of communication among humans. Fromkin et. al. states "Ordinarily we have no difficulty understanding or producing sentences. We do it without effort or conscious awareness of the processes involved." This allows teachers to create lessons that are task-based, encouraging students to use language to communicate. This knowledge also allows for effective instruction by encouraging the teacher to use various tools to encourage language learning including cooperative learning. This allows students to focus on conveying meaning while incorporating the grammar knowledge they have learned. Faltis states " When the primary goal of bilingual teaching is comprehension through translation, rather than enabling students to understand concepts, principles and processes through exchanges and the negotiation of meaning, joining the community of knowledge in either language is difficult." (Faltis, 1996) This type of teaching focuses on creating authentic and engaging language experiences for students. This allows for them to use different areas of the brain that encourage the acquisition of language. 

Teachers use the knowledge of the human brain to develop lessons that promote peer interactions using the basic social target language skills as well as academic language. This also challenges educators to scaffold instruction to accommodate for students of various proficiency levels while having them work together on tasks. The scaffolding can include various visual and written aids to help students complete the tasks while using the target language.   This knowledge also encourages teachers like myself to create learning opportunities for students to use critical thinking skills. This would also involve using all four language domains including speaking, listening, writing and reading. This active engagement forces students to synthesize the grammar knowledge they have while using areas of the brain in charge of communication and human interaction. Using the target language through positive interactions among peers encourages social relationships and raises the level of empathy among peers. This also promotes whole-brain activity encouraging students to acquire the language using all areas of the brain. 

Faltis, C. (1996). Learning to Teach Content Bilingually in a Middle School Bilingual Classroom. Bilingual Research Journal, 20(1), 29–44. https://doi.org/10.1080/15235882.1996.10668618

Fromkin, Victoria, Robert Rodman, and Nina Hyams. An Introduction to Language. Boston, MA: Thomson Wadsworth, 2011. Print.

Discussion two

Julieta Irons

Question 1. Describe how understanding more of how language and brain work together can aid you in becoming a better teacher. How can you use this information in your classes and with your students?

   Psycholinguistics is an area of experimental linguistics that is concerned with linguistic performance—how we use our linguistic competence—in speech (or sign) production and comprehension, (Fromkin, Rodman, & Hyams, 2018).  Studying the relations between language and the brain constitutes an object that concerns many and diverse disciplines. It represents, without a doubt, one of the most relevant chapters in the historical development of psycholinguistics and forms the central nucleus of the current contents of Neurolinguistics and its strict implication in the treatment of language disorders and language acquisition.  Teachers need to understand how ESOL students’ brains adjust to acquiring the L2.  Per Fromkin, “As we might expect, the units we perceive depend on the language we know, especially its phonemic inventory” (Fromkin, Rodman, & Hyams, 2018).  Thus, difficulties acquiring the sounds of a second language (L2) are explained by the phenomenon known as transfer or interference (transfer) of the first language (L1).  The brain behaves very differently in learning a second language than in the first if we learn them at different times in our lives. When learning our first language, we tend to easily use grammar rules, although, on many occasions, we are not able to explain them as they are explicit. In the second, grammar knowledge is explicit, as we usually learn another language, and we need to know its rules beforehand. However, if we learn both languages at the same time, the same brain area will relate to both languages and put them in contact to generate more complex schemes. 

Learning a second language can be approached in different ways. Reading can be one of those fun and motivating activities that make learning a second language attractive and fun for children. In addition, stories allow children to understand the world around them and promote their development. For this reason, it is a good idea to promote its use as a fundamental part of the natural learning of a language. Reading is about recognizing letters and how they combine into words and then how they connect to the sounds they make and their meaning. This is how reading is not only a visual process, as was believed at some point. It is also an auditory process.  Our brain elaborates the meaning by finding meaning to the relevant ideas of a text and relating them to the concepts that it already has as meaning; but even more, our capacity is directed to think about what we take for meaning, that is, we can conclude, creation of the mind.  Understanding how language and brain work together can help me as a teacher by learning the strategies that I need to use in the classroom, what methods of instruction do I need to add or change. By doing so, I can help my ESOL students achieve a better second language learning experience.

                                                                                     References

Fromkin V., Rodman R., & Hyams N. (2018). An Introduction to Language. [MBS Direct]. Retrieved

                                        from https://mbsdirect.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781337671279/

 Discussion Grading Rubric

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