LG501 Second Language Acquisition and Language Teaching

A mouse saved her young from a ferocious cat by barking 'bow wow'. After the cat ran away, the mouse said to her offspring 'See, children, it pays to know a second language' (after Efstathiadis, 93)

Aim	to apply the multi-competence model of second language acquisition research to the teaching of English to non-native speakers
Format	10 weeks, 2 hours per week
Lecturer	Vivian Cook
Time	Weds 10-11 Room: 4.336
Content	Some of the following questions will be covered, roughly week by week. Web-links are to general pages, articles, etc most of which are not specific for this course. The main list is on SLATOPICS. 1. how second language acquisition research relates to language teaching styles and principles 2. the nature of the L2 user 3. L2 user goals of language teaching: is the native speaker a proper model for language teaching? 4. L2 user models of vocabulary and bilingual cognition 5. the role of the L1 in teaching 6. strategies and processes of users 7. should spoken language really be preferred at the beginning stages of teaching? (paper in progress) 8. designing materials for beginners based on the L2 user (paper to appear) 9. how SLA research should be used in language teaching Other topics and materials are available on SLATopics
Assessment	A 3000-word essay on one of the following, submitted by the end of week 10 (13th Dec): i. What advice would you give based on SLA research into the L2 user you have encountered during the course or in your reading to a student starting to learn a second language in a classroom? Give your reasons ii. Discuss the implications of one aspect of SLA research for language teaching, such as the nature of the L2 user, compensatory strategies, vocabulary and the mental lexicon, etc. iii. Justify or reject one of the following principles of 20th century language teaching and decide how far it is justified for teaching in the 21st century in the light of current SLA research and theories: the goal of language teaching is to become as close as possible to the native speaker; students learn best through spoken, not written, language; teachers and students should use the L2 rather than the L1 in the classroom. iv. To what extent is the multi-competence model simply an attempt to take the interlanguage assumption seriously?
Reading	In general the course will rely on the following and on papers in press available from Obscure Writings: Cook, V.J. (2001) Second Language Learning and Language Teaching, Arnold. Third edition. Cook, V.J. (ed.) (2002) Portraits of the L2 User. Multilingual Matters (Chapter 13) Cook, V.J. (ed.) (2003) Effects of the Second Language on the First. Multilingual Matters Cook, V.J. (1999) ‘Going beyond the native speaker in language teaching’, TESOL Quarterly, 33, 2, 185-209 Cook, V.J. (2001) 'Using the first language in the classroom', Canadian Modern Language Review, 57, 3, 402-423 Other recommended books are: Willis, J. & Willis, D. (eds.) (1996), Challenge and Change in Language Teaching, P 133.C5 Lightbown, P. and Spada, N. (1999), How Languages are Learned, 2nd edition, OUP Bialystok, E. (2001), Bilingualism in Development, CUP SLA Bibliography (6000 item list: don't ask me till you've checked it)