First semester H.

The Natural Approach Krashen & Terrell, 1983

How do we acquire language?

The Natural Order Hypothesis Grammatical structures are acquired in predictable order and it does little good to try to learn them in another Order.

Input Hypothesis This hypothesis claims to explain the relationship between what the learner is exposed to of a language (input) and language acquisition ….. 1- it relates to acquisition 2-People acquire language best from messages that are just slightly beyond their current competence 3- the ability to speak fluently can not be taught directly

The Monitor Hypothesis *Conscious learning operates only as a monitor or editor that checks or repairs the output of what has been acquired *it claims that we may call upon learned knowledge to correct our selves when communicate but conscious learning has only this function. *Three conditions limit the successful use of the monitor. 1- time 2- focus on form 3- Knowledge the rules( the monitor does best with the rules that are simple in two ways. To describe &they must not to require complex movement.

The Affective Filter Hypothesis *The learner's emotional state can act as a filter that impedes or blocks input necessary for language acquisition. There are three kinds of effective variables related to second language acquisition: 1- motivation 2- self-confidence 3-anxiety *Also, this theory states that the students who has a low affective filter seek and receive more input, interact with confidence & more receptive to the input they receive.

THE ACQUISITION- LEARNING HYPOTHESIS There are two distinctive ways for developing competence in a second language: * Acquisition 1- is the ´natural way, 2-understanding and using language for meaning full communication. 3-No grammatical rules 4- it is unconscious process * learning : 1- conscious process 2- it results in explicit knowledge about the forms of lang. 3- formal teaching is necessary for learning to occur 4- correction of errors help with development of learned rules

*Communicative view of language is the focus behind the Natural Approach. *Particular emphasis is laid on language as a set of messages that can be understood. *The focus on meaning not form. *Vocabulary is stressed (Lexicon)

*Reflect the cognitive psychology and humanistic approach prominent in the field of education. *This Approach shift the culture of the language classroom 180 degrees and brought a sense of community to the students by their sharing of the experience of learning the same language together.

Theory of Learning 1- The monitor model is the centre of Krishen's second language learning theory, late 1970s. 2- Distinguish between acquisition --a natural subconscious process, and learning- conscious process.

Theory of Learning Krashen · s Theory Five Hypotheses The acquisition learning Hypothesis The monitor Hypothesis Natural order Hypothesis Input Hypothesis The effective filter Hypothesis

Acquisition vs. Learning Implicit Subconscious Informal situations Uses grammatical feel Depends on attitude Stable order of acquisition Explicit Conscious Formal situations Uses grammatical rules Depends on aptitude Simple to complex

Acquisition leads to spontaneous, unplanned communication.

Providing Input for Acquisition In classrooms we can provide input that is optimal for language acquisition Focus on the message / not the form Interesting topic (Intake)

Process of Second Language Acquisition (SLA) The process of second language acquisition involves three components: Sender: The person giving the message Receiver: The person interpreting the message Affective Filter: The experiences of the receiver

Natural Approach Techniques a) Affective-Humanistic activities * dialogues – short and useful - 'open' dialogues * interviews – pair work on personal information * personal charts and tables * preference ranking – opinion polls on favorite activities * revealing information about yourself – e.g. what I had for breakfast * activating the imagination – e.g. give a historical figure advice

Natural Approach Techniques b) Problem-solving activities * task and series – e.g. components of an activity such as washing the car * charts, graphs, maps – e.g. bus fares, finding the way * developing speech for particular occasion e.g. What do you say if ….. * advertisements c) Games, e.g. What is strange about … a bird swimming?' d) Content activities, e.g. academic subject matter such as math

Procedure “inside classroom” 1- Start with TPR commands. 2- Use TPR to teach names of body of parts and to introduce numbers & sequence. “Lay your right hand on your head”. 3- Introduce classroom terms & props into commands." Pick up a pencil and put it under the book, touch a wall, go to the door and knock three times”. 4- Use names of physical characteristics and clothing to identify members of the class by name. “what is your name “. “look at Fatimah. She has a long brown hair. Her hair is long & brown. It is not short. 5- Use visuals, like magazine pictures to in introduce new vocabulary & continue with activities requiring only students names as a response.

Stages of Language Acquisition Preproduction Sometimes called the “Silent Period” because students tend to listen and not speak Can last from 10 hours to 6 months Students have up to 500 words of receptive language Students tend to respond to prompts by pointing Teachers should not “force” students to speak

Stages of Language Acquisition Early Production Can last an additional 6 months after the Silent period Students have about 1,000 words that they can understand and use Students speak in one or two word sentences Yes/No questions and either/or questions are best for students

Stages of Language Acquisition Speech Emergence Can last up to another year or so Students have developed approximately 3,000 words Can use short phrases to communicate Longer sentences are filled with grammatical errors which interfere with meaning

Stages of Language Acquisition Intermediate Speech Can take another year after Speech Emergence stage Students typically have about 6,000 words from which to choose Students can ask questions and share their thoughts Beginning of “analysis” statements in L2

Stages of Language Acquisition Advanced Language Can take from 5-7 years or longer dependent on previous schooling Specialized vocabulary has developed Students can usually participate fully in the classroom Approximates grade level fluency

Learner Role 1- provide information about their specific goals so that acquisition activities can focus on the topics and situations most relevant to their needs. 2- Take an active role in ensuring comprehensible input. 3- Decide when to start producing speech & when to upgrade it. 4- Where learning exercises are to be a part of the programme, decide with the teacher the relative amount of time to be devoted to them and perhaps even complete and correct them independently.

Teacher Role 1- He/She is the primacy source of comprehensible input in the target language. 2- Natural Approach teacher creates a classroom atmosphere that is interesting, friendly & in which there is a low affective filter for learning. 3- the teacher must choose & orchestrate a rich mix of class activities involving a variety of group sizes, content & contexts. 4- He/she is seen as a responsible for collecting materials & designing their use.

Errors in the target language Errors are inevitable Errors are plentiful in the early stages EC puts students immediately on the defensive EC encourages a strategy in which the student will try to avoid mistakes & difficult constructions and focus less on meaning and more on form Errors are actually “interlanguage”

Error correction is NOT the basic mechanism for improving second language performance. A safe procedure is simply to eliminate error correction entirely in communicative-type activities

Conclusion “ We can prepare them for the certainty that they will not be able to find the right word, that they will not be able to understand everything, and we can help insure that they will continue to obtain comprehensible input.” -Krashen