Celia
Theories of how we learn I consider the affective filter hypothesis the main one. It may annul the others hypotheses now that it's the individual attitude what entails the learning; you will learn deeply if you are happy and energetic. The following four hypotheses are related to each other. The comprehensible input establishes that there must be an input subtly higher to our knowledge, so we could improve our learning, but the way to know how high is this level is first of all by noticing it, and that's what argues the noticing hypothesis; there must be some aspects of the input that catch our attention, making us look into them. As a consequence of this interest, we internalize them in our intake. For example, hearing an informal expression on a TV show (for example "you nailed it!") and search for its meaning. By doing it, we prove both theories: the higher input and the noticing of it. The next selected theory is the interaction hypothesis. Frequent conversations with native speakers of our second language facilitate this task of learning unknown items, now that while we are exposed to the language, we may ask directly and as a consequence it will be internalized faster and deeply. For example, a conversation with an English on the road: (Learner): Do you think we'll have many cars today? I don't know how to say it properly (English): Do you mean if we will be "caught in a traffic jam"? Added to this interaction is the monitor hypothesis: a reconstruction of what the learner think it's wrong (How years have you...I mean, How old are you?) Both are close related because a learner does it when the interaction or conversation takes place. After having analyzed several theories about language acquisition I created my own theory called "input context". There are aspects that several theories hadn't considered: context, frequency and interest. The more we are exposed to the language (frequency) and the more interested we are in learning (interest) the more we'll learn, but in order to have these two factors, context in which the language takes place is needed. In the example of conversation on the road mentioned before, for example, it's in the moment of the recast when the expression is automatically internalized because, even unconsciously, the learner will remember the context along with the expression. If the learner memorizes the expression "to be caught in a traffic jam" by heart without context, probably he would forget it easily.
Apr 26, 2015 4:28 PM
Corrections · 2
Good comment Aurélien, have you studied Kant?
May 15, 2015
It's a very interesting and accurate vision, Emmanuel Kant wrote the same about filters, being conscience and reason, but indeed without emotions we cannot make choices, so they're as much important as you wrote. Sure that nothing is easier than learning the languages or our loved ones, or even books and other forms of expression!
May 15, 2015
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