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TMN3701 Latest Exam Pack 2024
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, ASSIGNMENTS 2021 Assignment 1
Question 1
1. Read the following scenario and answer Question 1.1 that follows.
During a discussion about additional language acquisition with our colleagues in the Department of
Language Education, Arts and Culture, it became clear that colleagues disagree on whether age plays a
role in additional language acquisition. One group is of the opinion that the younger learners are, the
easier they acquire or learn an additional language, while the other group contends that this is not the
case and that adults can acquire or learn an additional language just as easy and fast (and even faster)
than children.
1.1. What is your point of view on the role that age play in the learning of an additional
language? Substantiate your point of view.
I believe that age plays a role in additional language learning because I believe there is a
critical period for language acquisition.
According to innatist theory, human beings have an inborn, biological ability to acquire a
language and thus human beings are genetically programmed to acquire certain skills during
certain periods of life.
Once the “critical period” is over, it is not possible to acquire those skills. As far as language is
concerned, the critical period during which a language can be acquired naturally and
effortlessly is from birth to more or less ten years of age, when the brain retains its plasticity.
This is evident from the relative ease with which young children acquire a second language to
which they are exposed and their ability to acquire native-like pronunciation.
Although there are people who believe that children can acquire an additional language much
more easily than adults and that adults cannot “acquire” a language, but have to “learn” it, there
are theorists who claim that the reason why adults do not acquire a second language as well as
young children do are related to a number of internal and external factors.
Children, for example, have more time to devote to language learning, they do not experience
pressure to speak fluently and accurately from the beginning, their errors are often overlooked,
they are praised for small efforts and they use simple language.
Adults, however, are expected to use more complex language and to express complicated ideas.
Adults also tend to believe that they cannot learn a new language well. They are easily
embarrassed by their mistakes and they may experience frustration in trying to express
themselves adequately. These negative feelings may affect their motivation and willingness to
use the new language.
There are studies that show that older learners are more successful than younger learners if
second language development takes place in similar circumstances. This is because adults
make the most of their metalinguistic knowledge, memory strategies, problem-solving skills
and general knowledge when learning a second language. Adults are thus better able to apply
language rules.
In addition, adults are often more motivated to learn a second language and therefore do better
than children.
,1.2. When teaching an additional language, it is important to make sure that there is
Comprehensible input, Interaction and Comprehensible output. Explain what is meant by each
of these theories and explain how you will apply these theories when teaching English FAL in the
IP.
COMPREHENSIBLE INPUT is regarded as essential for language acquisition. The input is
made comprehensible through modified interaction.
Learners thus need to interact with other speakers and work with them to reach mutual
comprehension through the negotiation of meaning (modified interaction). Negotiation of
meaning is done through comprehension checks, confirmation checks, requests for clarification
or paraphrasing; and this often results in modified input, in other words, input that has been
adjusted to facilitate comprehension.
Modification is done by both speaker and listener. A speaker can, for example, do a
comprehension check by asking, “Do you understand?”, while the listener can ask for
clarification by asking the speaker to repeat. In other words, “When communication is difficult,
interlocutors must ‘negotiate for meaning’, and this negotiation is seen as an opportunity for
language development” (Lightbown & Spada 2013:114).
Input is received by reading and listening to sentences in a language. If these sentences are
understood, they are stored in the part of the brain that is responsible for language. The brain
can later retrieve these models, build on them and make new meanings of words.
INTERACTION in the classroom should provide ample opportunities for student talk. It
should be borne in mind that interaction involves listening as well as speaking.
According to the interaction hypothesis, providing opportunities to talk is not enough.
Comprehensible input and output that result from the negotiation of meaning is also required.
Group work is important.
Interaction not only contributes to fluency but is also a resource for new language learning.
The MODIFIED OUTPUT that learners produce as a result of negotiating meaning is
important for language learning.
The comprehensible output hypothesis is a complement of the input hypothesis.
According to this hypothesis it is not enough to get input only, learners must also get enough
opportunity in the classroom to talk (to produce output) and they should be “pushed” (by
asking for clarification of their utterances) in the output they produce.
How I will apply these theories/hypotheses when teaching an additional language:
Create opportunities for input (e.g. letting learners listen to and read the additional language).
Let learners check for understanding when receiving input by, for example, letting them ask the
teacher (or the speaker) questions or by asking them questions (in other words, negotiation of
meaning or modified interaction).
Create opportunities in the class for group work or role play, as group work/role play will
ensure input, interaction and output.
Provide enough opportunity in the classroom for learners to produce output, in other words to
speak and write.
Ask for clarification in output (speaking and writing) produced by learners.
, 1.3. Explain what is meant by a text-based approach and a communicative approach and
explain how you will use these two approaches when teaching English FAL in the IP.
A TEXT-BASED APPROACH explores how texts work. The purpose of a text-based
approach is to enable learners to become competent, confident and critical readers, writers and
viewers of texts. It involves listening to, reading, viewing and analysing texts to understand
how they are produced and what their effects are. Through this critical interaction, learners
develop the ability to evaluate texts. The text-based approach also involves producing different
kinds of texts for particular purposes and audiences. This approach is informed by an
understanding of how texts are constructed. The approach will require quite a lot of modelling,
support and scaffolding in the First Additional Language classroom.
A COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH suggests that when learning a language, a learner
should have a great deal of exposure to the target language and many opportunities to practise
or produce the language by communicating for social or practical purposes. Language learning
should be a natural, informal process carried over into the classroom where the literacy skills of
reading/viewing and writing/presenting are learnt in a ‘natural’ way – learners read by doing a
great deal of reading and learn to write by doing a range of writing.
How I will use these approaches:
All language teaching will be text-based.
All language teaching will be context-based.
Group work will be used to give learners a chance in the classroom to communicate with each
other and use the language.
Integrated teaching (integration of the four skills when teaching) will ensure a text-based,
communicative approach to teaching.
Question 2
2. The following learning content is prescribed in CAPS for the teaching of reading in Grade 5, Term
1, Week 1-2 (page 53):
GRADE 5
Term 1: Week 1-2 (CAPS, page 53)
Reading and viewing
Reads a short story
Text from the textbook or reader/s or Teacher’s Resource File (TRF)
[instruction will be repeated every fortnight]
Pre-reading: predicting from title and pictures
Uses reading strategies, e.g. making predictions, uses phonic and
contextual clues
Discusses new vocabulary from the read text
Discusses the title, plot and where the story takes place (setting)
Expresses simple opinion on the story • Uses a dictionary
Does comprehension activity on the text (oral or written)
Practises reading
Reads aloud with appropriate pronunciation, fluency, and expression
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