ESOL3005_9005 & LING2002

Pre-recorded Workshop 1:
Introduction & Principle #1 – Meaningful Learning

Dr. Mai Ngo

Senior Lecturer in TESOL & Applied Linguistics
Email: [email protected]
 In this Workshop, we cover
• Key Concepts of Second Language
Learning and Teaching

• 03 Perspectives of SLA

• Methods & Post-method Pedagogies

• Introduction to 12 Principles of
Language Teaching and Learning

• Principle #1 (Meaningful Learning) in

focus
 Orientation to the Topic

• Have you watched my self introduction video?

• Have you navigated the FLO?

• Are you familiar with the FLO navigation?

• Have you checked the Topic Guide (TG) & Statement of

Assessment Methods (SAMs)

• Have you checked the deadlines?

Dr. Mai’s Teaching Approach

• Flipped Classroom
 What does Flipped Classroom mean?
• Learning by participating & engaging (reflecting +
asking/questioning)

• Not focusing on the traditional 1st step (transfer of

information –  you study and prepare before class

• Focusing on the 2nd step (assimilation of information &

applying knowledge – in class/workshops)  you
participate & learn in face-to-face workshops and
complete tasks in weekly entry/exit tickets on FLO
 Very important: What to do every week
In order to obtain your participation grade, each
week you all need to do all of the following, before
class:
 Read the main reading and set secondary
readings, as specified in weekly modules on
FLO

 Watch the weekly pre-recorded workshops and

supplementary videos, as specified in weekly
modules on FLO

 Participate by posting in response to weekly

Online Activities and completing tasks in weekly
Entry and Exit tickets. Internal students have to
attend scheduled face-to-face workshops
scheduled.
 Key Components of Language

LANGUAGE Language is
SYSTEMATIC

SEMANTICS
PHONOLOGY
(meanings GRAMMAR
(speech sounds)
of word, phrase, text)

MORPHOLOGY SYNTAX
(structure of words, (grammatical structure
forms) of sentences)
 Key Components of Language

Language is used for

LANGUAGE
COMMUNICATION

PRAGMATICS DISCOURSE
SENTENCE ANALYSIS
(language in use/
PROCESSING in context) (Analysis of language
beyond the sentence)
Key Components of Language

Language has
LANGUAGE
UNIVERSAL
CHARACTERISTICS

UNIVERSAL INNATENESS
(language knowledge CROSS-CULTURAL
GRAMMAR exists in human ANALYSIS
(structural rules)
at birth)
 What is learning?  What is teaching?

A change
Acquisition or
in “adding”
behaviour

The application The

of active,
conscious focus, retention of
and information
subconscious
attention or skills

Relatively The
involvement of
permanent storage systems,
but subject memory, and
cognitive
to forgetting organization

(Brown, 2017, p. 8)
Language Acquisition vs. Language Learning

• Is an unintentional process
Language • Takes place in a “natural”
environment as a result of
Acquisition interaction and comprehensible
inputs

• Is an intentional process
Language • Is the result of direct instruction in
the rules, structures or lexis of the
Learning language
• Takes places in the classroom
 Learning  Teaching

LEARNING happens by Teaching is

study and/or helping/guiding learners
and/or providing
experience and/or experience and/or giving
instruction instructions
How to teach a language?

Your
understanding of
HOW you teach
the components
of language & a language
learning (WHAT)
 What is teaching a language?

Teaching the
A language
Teaching
content through
language
D
learning in
Teaching a
context
language
B Teaching its
Teaching culture
learners C
 Understanding Language Teaching
WHERE is the
learning context?
Your understanding An EFL or ESL or
of the learning EAL context?
context (Where)
WHO are the learners,
their age, characteristics,
life experiences,
capabilities, strengths
HOW TO
and weaknesses? Your TEACH
WHY are learners Your WHAT components
understanding of
learning the language? understanding of of language to be
learners & their taught?
the language to
learning purposes
be taught (What)
(Who & Why)
 Method vs. Teaching

METHOD TEACHING What

What
teachers/practicing
theorists/experts
teachers actually
propose steps for
do to facilitate
teachers to follow
learning
 Method Analysis vs. Teaching Analysis

METHOD TEACHING
 Review the ANALYSIS  Study classroom
ANALYSIS inputs and interactions
literature to analyse
proposed methods of what practicing
teachers do in the
 What steps should classroom to develop
we follow? personal knowledge
 Examples of Common Traditional of Method of
Language Teaching
• Audiolingual Method: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pz0TPDUz3FU (23 mins 11 seconds)

• Suggestopedia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rkrvRlty5M (23 minutes 03 seconds)

• Silent way: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqLzbLCpack (17 mins 04 seconds)

• Community Language Learning (CLL): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tx_we_P3Pic (20 mins 52

seconds)

• Communicative Approach: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kRT-rsKxn4 (19 mins 39 seconds)

• Comprehension Approach/Total Physical Response (TPR):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuS3ku-PSL8 (14 mins 40 seconds)

 Current Major Shifts of Methods
(No best methods - One approach has not replaced
completely the other, transition in progress
(1) From communicative Language Teaching (CLT) to Task Based Language Teaching (TBLT)

(2) From systemic discoveries to critical discourse

(3) From product-oriented teaching to process-oriented teaching

(4) From a rigid curriculum to a flexible one

(5) From method-based pedagogy to post-method (or principle-based one)

Current Major Shifts of Learners

Independent, Active, autonomous

passive learners innovators, creators

A WHOLE
IMITATORS PERSON/CREATOR:
Cognitive, affective,
social, political being
 Pause to Reflect:
How would you describe, in your experience, the
current accepted method or approach to language
teaching?
 What is methodology?

Methodology is the study of

• the practices and procedures used in
teaching (ESOL2004_9004)
AND
• the principles and beliefs that underline them
(ESOL3005_9005)
 03 Perspectives on Second Language
Acquisition (SLA): A Balanced Description

• Perspective #1: Structural Linguistics and Behavioral Psychology

• Perspective #2: Generative Linguistics and Cognitive Psychology

• Perspective #3: Constructivism

 Perspective #1:
Structural Linguistics and Behavioral Psychology

• The linguist’s task was to describe human language and to identify their
structural characteristics (What)
• What are examples of classroom activities?

CLASSROOM
IMPLICATIONS:
Structural drills, rote
memorisation and
pattern practices
 Perspective #2:
Generative Linguistics and Cognitive Psychology

• Linguists are interested in the what and why (i.e., factors like
innate, psychological, social or environmental circumstances)
• What are examples of classroom activities?

CLASSROOM IMPLICATIONS:
• Focus on observable linguistic
performance + observable
cognitive behaviors
• (What & why?)
 Perspective #3: Constructivism -
A Multi-disciplinary approach
• Linguists place emphasis on active learners CLASSROOM IMPLICATIONS:
(discovering and transforming complex Scaffolding tasks (within ZPDs) that
information), on social interaction & a learner has not yet learned,
cannot yet perform independently
cooperative learning but is capable of learning with
• ZPDs: learning happens (with interaction with appropriate help, support &
guidance of others
the environment). There is the distance
between learners’ existing developmental tasks
and their potential development
• What are examples of classroom activities?
Perspective #3: Constructivism (ZPD)
Principles  Classroom Teachers’ Choices

Principles Choices
derived from teachers make
research in classroom
Teaching by 12 Principles

06
Cognitive
Principles

12 Principles
03 Socio- of Language
affective
Principles Teaching and
Learning

03
Linguistic
Principles
 06 COGNITIVE Principles:
related to mental and intellectual functions

#1 Meaningful Learning

#2 Automaticity

#3 Autonomy

#4 Strategic Investment

#5 The Anticipations of Rewards

#6 Intrinsic Motivation
 03 Socio-affective Principles:
related to emotions/affect

# 7.Language Ego

#8. Willingness to Communicate

#9 Language-culture connection
 03 Linguistic Principles:
related to language

#10. Communicative Competence

#11. Interlanguage

#12. Native Language Effects

 A Cognitive Principle #1 in Focus: Meaningful Learning
COGNITIVE IMPLICATIONS FOR CLASSROOM PRACTICE
PRINCIPLE #1

• Make meaningful associations between existing knowledge/experience and new

material
Meaningful  better long-term retention than rote learning of material in isolated pieces
Learning
(relating new • Promote meaningful learning (considering students’ characteristics, interests,
items and needs, motivation, academic goals and career goals, autonomy, linking new
experiences to knowledge/concepts to students’ existing knowledge and background)
existing
knowledge) • Design activities for meaningful communication
Vs. Rote learning
• Use materials that facilitates meaningful learning

• Avoid the drawbacks of rote learning (by avoiding too much grammar, too many
abstract principles, too much drilling and memorisation, unclear purposes,
irrelevant activities, mechanical techniques, avoiding rule recitation, meaningless
repetition and mimicking)
 How can you apply “Meaningful Learning” Principle
into teaching second language systems?

• Teaching GRAMMAR for young/teenager/adult learners in

ESL/EFL contexts?

• Teaching VOCABULARY for young/teenager/adult learners

in ESL/EFL contexts?

• Teaching PRONUNCIATION for young/teenager/adult

learners in ESL/EFL contexts?
 How can you apply “Meaningful Learning” Principle
into teaching second language skills?

• Teaching LISTENING for young/teenager/adult learners in ESL/EFL contexts?

• Teaching SPEAKING for young/teenager/adult learners in ESL/EFL contexts?

• Teaching READING for young/teenager/adult learners in ESL/EFL contexts?

• Teaching WRITING for young/teenager/adult learners in ESL/EFL contexts?

 Your
Wrap up: 4 Key Messages Your
understanding understanding of
the key language
components of learning vs.
language language
(What)  acquisition 
01 02 determine your
determine How
to each teaching belief
FIRST
LANGUAGE
Teachers’ personal ACQUISITIO
Your
choices of N
understanding
approaches to
method
language teaching are 04 03 (analysis) vs.
grounded in 12 key
teaching
principles 
(analysis)
internalising Theory-
Practice connections
 Week 1’s Task:
Post your answers to Online Activity#1 on FLO
Exit - Ticket