Essay: English second language

Teaching by principles

In this essay I will talk about 12 principles on how to teach English. These principles divide in 3 subjects, which are: cognitive principles, sociaffective principles and linguistic principles.

Cognitive Principles: Relate mainly to mental and intellectual functions.

1.    Automaticity is when you learn a second language subconsciously, which means, without overly analyzing the forms of language itself. It’s easier for children to learn this way because they aren’t analyzing the forms of the language like adults tend to do. Teachers can practice this principal by making classroom lessons related to useful language. (something the learner will use in the “real world”)

2.    Meaningful learning is when you relate the new information your learning with the information that you already have. Teachers can use this principle by concentrating lessons on things the learners like, for example: interests, academic goals, career goals, etc.

3.    The anticipation of reward is when the students behavior or motivation is driven because they are expecting some kind of reward, whether its verbal, short term, long term, etc. Teachers can use this in class by giving there students verbal praise of motivating there students to learn how to complement each other.

4.    Intrinsic motivation. This is when the motivation of a learner comes within, for example: needs, wants and desires.

5.    Strategic investment is when you learn more ways to teach your students so it can be easier for them to understand. This involves knowing each student individually so you can learn their strengths and weaknesses. Teachers can do this in class by making each student aware of his/her learning styles, and letting them in on secrets to how to learn certain things faster.

6.    Autonomy is the capacity to control one’s own learning. This means that as teachers we have to permit the student to do its own learning, we just have to guide them. Teachers can do this in their classroom by making them work in pairs so that they can gain creativity with the new language they have learned.

Socioaffective principles: feelings about self, about communicating with others in a community of learners, and about the ties between language and one’s culture, worldwide view, and way of life.

7.    Language ego. This is something all the learners develop as they learn a new language because they also develop a new mode of thinking, feeling, and acting. This stage is also known as the “warm and fuzzy” because it is when a learner is most sensible to learning a new language. Teachers must learn how to treat learners and not harm there ego, make them feel like they can do anything.

8.    Willingness to communicate is the intention to initiate communication, when given the choice. This means that if the student is given the choice to speak the new language, he/she will speak; if they decide not to speak it is known as unwillingness or “shyness”. Teachers can help by creating a comfortable atmosphere in the classroom where no one can feel threatened.

9.    The language culture connection. This means that whenever you teach a language, you also teach a complex system of cultural customs, values, and ways of thinking, feeling, and acting. Teachers can do this principle by discussing cross-cultural differences in the classroom.

Linguistic principles: language itself and on how learners deal with complex linguistic systems

10. The native language effect . This is when the native language of learners exerts a strong influence on the acquisition of the target language system. While that native system will exercise both facilitating and interfering effects on the production and comprehension of the new language, the interfering effects are likely to be the most salient. Teacher can do this in the classroom by relating the feedback error to their native language system.

11. Interlanguage. This is when a learner knows sections of the language, but mixes some parts of the language where they aren’t supposed to be. For this the teachers have to really know that language and be prepared to give correct feedback.

12. Communicative competence. This is what shows how competent the learners are to maintain communication. This is the main goal of any language classroom.

We have to realize that someday our learners will be out of our classroom and we have to do everything possible to prepare them for the real world, “out there.”