33001 PRINCIPLES OF SECOND LANGUAGE LEARNING

Year	No.	Offer	Mode	Description			Cred. Pts
98	33001 	S1  	D 	PRINC OF 2ND LANG LEARNING	1.00

Contents

• Staffing
• Synopsis
• Objectives
• Topics
• Texts
• Recommended References
• Student Workload
• Assessment Details
• Other Requirements

STAFFING:

Other Teaching Staff:

SYNOPSIS:

Teachers  of  second  languages need to have a  theoretical  framework
which  would enable them to evaluate their activities in the classroom
more  effectively. While in practice it is possible to  find  that  an
activity  that  is theoretically ineffective can be effective  through
teacher  or other factors operating in the classroom, nevertheless  to
be  able  to teach creatively in the classroom, teachers need to  know
why something they do in the classroom works. No teacher operating  in
the classroom does so without some sort of theory of teaching, however
rudimentary it might be. This unit attempts to provide teachers with a
coherent  theory  of  second language learning.  The  unit  emphasises
recent  research  in second language acquisition and  the  theoretical
issues  underlying  such  research. The unit looks  at  the  following
topics:  (a)  various approaches to assessing and  describing  learner
language;  (b)  the  notion of "interlanguage"; (c)  the  question  of
transfer  from  first  language in SLL; (d)  cognitive  processes  and
strategies involved in second language learning and communication; (e)
individual  learner  characteristics, learning  and  environment;  (f)
social and cultural factors affecting L1 and L2 use; (g) consideration
of  the  implications of SL learning research and theory for  language
teaching.

OBJECTIVES:

At the end of the unit, the students will exhibit an
understanding of:

1. the theories of second language learning and the research
   evidence that exists for them by discussing these theories.
   
2. the different ways that learner language can be assessed and
   described by discussing key concepts such as "interlanguage",
   "language learner language", "error analysis", "communicative
   competence" and the similarities and differences between them;
   
3. the cognitive factors involved in second language learning and
   use by describing factors and showing how they relate to a
   differential rate of SLL;
   
4. the strategies that are used for learning a second language
   and communicating in it by describing these strategies and
   showing, with research evidence, their implication for
   classroom teaching;
   
5. individual differences in learning by discussing them and
   their implication for classroom practice;
   
6. differences arising out of the social contexts in which
   learning takes place by discussing such differences, their
   implication for classroom practice and the effects of
   different contexts on the eventual learning outcomes;
   
7. the relationships between research and classroom practice by
   discussing the types of classroom practice that would reflect
   our current knowledge of SLL.
   

TOPICS:

 Description                                                    Weighting(%)

Introduction:  L1 and L2 Acquisition -                                10.00
               the similarities, the differences

Approaches to examining and discussing L2 development                 15.00

Interlanguage analysis - phonology and morphology; syntax,            15.00
                         discourse, pragmatics

The question of variability in 1L                                     10.00

Cognitive   processes   and   strategies   in   SLL   and             20.00
communication

Individual differences: cognitive, affective personality,             15.00
                        the age issue

Social and cultural factors in  L2 Learning.                          10.00

Implications for teaching                                             5.00

TEXT and MATERIALS to be PURCHASED:

RECOMMENDED REFERENCE MATERIALS:

"Principles of Language Learning and Teaching" 3rd edn H D Brown
Englewood Cliffs NJ: Prentice-Hall

"The Study of Second Language Acquisition" R Ellis, Oxford: OUP. 1994

STUDENT WORKLOAD REQUIREMENTS:

	ACTIVITY				HOURS
Directed Study                                	96
Private Study                                 	50
Examinations                                  	3
Assessments                                   	25

ASSESSMENT DETAILS:

No  *F/S Marks     Due        Description                              Wtg(%)    LBL WWW
1   S              WK 6      ASSIGNMENT 1 (2000-2500 WORD ESSAY)       20.00     Y
2   S              WK 6      JOURNAL KEEPING                                     N
3   S              WK 14     ASSIGNMENT 2 (2000-2500 WORD ESSAY)       20.00     Y
4   S              END S1    EXAMINATION 3 HOURS                       50.00     N

OTHER REQUIREMENTS:

1    Over  the  two assignments and journal keeping students  will  be
     expected to achieve at least half the marks.
2    Students must submit both assignments as well as the journal.
3    To pass students must achieve an overall mark of 60%.