UNIT 10: EXPOSURE AND FOCUS TO FORM

   

In this unit, what I learned was about the different ways through which we can learn a foreign language. They are by exposure, interacting, and focusing on form. When I say exposure, I refer to pick up a language automatically and without realizing; the same process that follow babies when learning their first language. The same should occur when learning a foreign language; students need to be exposed to the language. For example, hearing or reading a wide variety of language that should be neither too easy nor too difficult for their level. Thus, they will be able to work out unconsciously about the meaning and the form of the language. In addition,   learners need time to acquire language something called the silent period, before they will be able to use the language. The second step of this process is make learners use language to interact. This means that all language that they have acquired during the silent period needs to be put into practice through interaction either with their own classmates or with the teacher. The thing is that they have to try to use the language to express themselves and make their meaning clear to others. In this process, of course there will appear some inconvenience and error, but this is an important part of interacting because it will help them to explore the language by choosing different words and grammatical structures until they will be able to communicate successfully. The third step is encouraging students to focus on form. This help them not only to concentrate on meaning, but also in important features such as punctuation, spelling or pronunciation. They will make students use the language more accurate and understandable. For doing this is important to consider learners´ age, learning styles and learning experience. How to apply this in the classroom is the big question? According to my own teaching language perspective, I think that the three processes should go together little by little since each one depends on each other. For instance, I can start by providing my students some reading materials where they will analyze how the texts are constructed, the kind of language used, etc.  It means  to make then acquire as much language as possible, then I can continue by encouraging them  to create role plays in which they will apply all language get from the reading, and finally I can ask them to focus on certain vocabulary or grammatical structures such as: the correct use of regular and irregular verbs.  Another example, I can bring some recordings of stories, so students will hear many times for getting language, then they will interact with their partners about the main and specific ideas of the stories, and after that I can make them focus on pronunciation such as the ending sound of plural forms (/s/,/z/;/Iz/).  As a conclusion, learning a foreign language needs to follow a process which requires time and perseverance by the learner and should be done along the teacher´s help. 

There are some links below that I consider useful and have more information related to this topic.

ü  Himmele, P & Himmele, W. (2009).ncreasing Exposure to Academic Language by Speaking It.Alexandria, VA:ASCD. Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/ascd-express/vol5/505-himmele.aspx

ü  Larsson, P.( 2011). Exposure to English outside the Classroom.Swetzeland . Retrieved from https://dspace.mah.se/bitstream/handle/2043/12177/T9,%20Final%20Dissertation,%20Fraser%20MacLeod%20and%20Pia%20Larsson.pdf?sequence=2

We can also read this book.

1.    Schulz, R.(2009). Focus on Form in the Foreign Language Classroom: Students' and Teachers' Views on Error Correction and the Role of Grammar. U.S.