Scribd
Upload
12 views

Unit 2 - Course Guide

Unit 2 of the EDU 500 course discusses the relationship between learning theories, beliefs, and practices in second language teaching. It emphasizes the importance of aligning teaching methods with theoretical frameworks to enhance understanding and effectiveness. The chapter also explores various perspectives on language acquisition and the role of teacher intervention in the learning process.

Uploaded by

Mirley casas usman
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
12 views

Unit 2 - Course Guide

Unit 2 of the EDU 500 course discusses the relationship between learning theories, beliefs, and practices in second language teaching. It emphasizes the importance of aligning teaching methods with theoretical frameworks to enhance understanding and effectiveness. The chapter also explores various perspectives on language acquisition and the role of teacher intervention in the learning process.

Uploaded by

Mirley casas usman
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 2

EDU 500 Second Language Teaching and Learning (February 2019)

Unit 2 - Course Guide


Unit 2: Learning theories, beliefs and practices
This chapter discusses learning theories, beliefs and practices and their
relationship to methods and practice. It focuses on the forces of change in
methodologies.

Set Reading
Spiro, J. (2013). Changing Methodologies in TESOL. Edinburgh: Edinburgh
University Press. Chapter 2.

Forum Discussion Questions & Tasks


•Is it enough that a method works, or do we need to associate it with a theory?
Why or why not?
It is not enough, we should support our practice with theory due to we can have a
better insight about the methods and the way they work the best, we also can
lean on theories to learn more about the believes and practices that support our
work .

•Should the way we teach a second language be informed by the way we acquire
a first language?
It depends on some special circumstances , in a more natural environment we
could learn a language in the same way as a child can learn it, this gives us the
chance to learn the language based on our daily basis needs, but unfortunately,
this way takes longer, on the other hand , The audio lingual model let us learn
the language in different stages of our lives, both are good methods and they
support very well their believes, but I’d rather choose the audiolingual approach
based on the different ages I can teach.

•Should learning a language involve engagement with the whole self, or is it a


pre- dominantly intellectual activity?
Humanism appeared as a paradigm in the 1960’s , based on the belief in human
freedom , the potential of people and their values, people act with intentionality
and values (Huitt,2001), humanists also believe that to study a person as a whole
is important, specially when individual grow and develop their foundations, this
deals with important aspect such as; motivation , personal interests, etc. on the
other hand, the cognitive learning theory is supported by the idea that
constructing meaning and discovering knowledge is an essential part of the
process of learning. For me as a teacher through the years, I’ve seen the
importance of blending theories that let our student to explore different kind of
methods and identify the ones they feel more engaged to, our students are
different, their beliefs, opinions, likes and dislikes, a broader application of
theories and methods give teachers a wider chance to impact students in their
classroom.

•How far should a teacher intervene in the learning process?


As much as he can to create a reliable atmosphere for students to be able to
•A key aspect of learning is struggling with knowledge; it's not enough to simply
be given answers, students need to process knowledge in a way that makes it
memorable. Consider these two questions:

•Think of something you have successfully learned; what contributed to your


success?
I think it was English, I was studying at university engineering and the use of
English was nearly compulsory, and I was pretty motivated, so it was easy to be
nailed by it.

•Think of something you have not been able to learn, despite studying it; what
contributed to your failure?
It was math definitely, and I’m very sure it was because I was memorizing
formulas which I couldn’t ever understand fully, the purpose was not so clear.

You might also like