Teaching theory

Since the birth of civilization the unifying tool of human existence has always been Language. Language is used to create utterances and written input for means of communication. In order to create such masterpieces we need to develop our skills in manipulating and using our language. It is a combination of those innate skills and acquired ones. The Webster’s Dictionary defines language as a systematic means of communicating ideas or feelings by the use of conventionalized signs, sounds, gestures, or marks having understood meanings. In other words, language is essential to the human being and it is the most important way of expression and comprehension.

Language is part of our nature, a piece of our identity. Some say language creates our culture, other say that culture makes our language, either way language is crucial to our existence. After stating what language is, we can talk about how we acquire it. There are many theories about language acquisition in the world; some say language is acquired by social interactions, or the quality and quantity or input, or just the process of making any learning experience meaningful.


I believe all of them blend together in to a set of increasing cognitive development. Input is necessary to relate it to the processes of comprehension of what we already know in order to make connections to new input. Prior experiences linked with interaction, will make any learning experience meaningful in content. So, all of them are a cyclical organism of evolution. A language evolution, that goes from the simplest to a maximum point of communicative competence. All theories of language acquisition come from divided schools of thought like: Cognitive, behaviorist and constructivist. I believe that all of them unite into the evolution process of language acquisition in my model. My main focus is in constructivism with Krashen’s Natural Approach theory, cognitive psychology with Ausubel’s Subsumtion Theory, Motivation theory and .


I implemented the Skinner’s factor of positive reinforcement and operant conditioning. M y model orbits around the theory of first language acquisition, functional; because even if I do consider Krashen and Ausubel’s theories the center of my model I acknowledge the fact that social interaction is crucial in language learning.


My model is not limited to constructivist views; it also revolves around cognition development. Now, let’s explore my model with the meticulous explanation that will leave you with the concrete understanding of my theory. My ideas were all polished by this course, I was introduced to a series of theories that captured my attention and even helped me analyze some misconceptions I had towards language acquisition. I went into a time travel into the days I was in school and I could only remember the things that created a concrete impact in my present. This made me understand that learning has to be meaningful and it has to touch the student’s development road tracks in order to stay with them during their life journey. David Ausubel created his theory based in this notion. For Ausubel, learning can only be achieved in the human organism through meaningful learning, deliberately making the effort to link new knowledge with higher order concepts in cognitive situations. (Brown, 2007) The input starts to be meaningful the time a student realizes how important and valuable it is going to be for them in the future.

 Language meaning and socialization “Involves a consideration of mind, language, and epistemology, and a recognition that cognition originates in social interaction and is shaped by cultural and socio political processes” ( Watson- Gegeo , 2004) So, meaning has to be enhanced by establishing purposes of the usage of the language avoiding wrong perceptions of why the language is being taught. I believe it is a teacher’s job to put side socio political aspects of learning a language and to use culture awareness to avoid alienation towards second language acquisition. By doing this they can perceive the appropriate stimulation to feel more motivated, interested, and involved in the context. The teaching of intercultural competence can be molded by the anchored instruction approach that is an attempt to help students become more actively engaged in learning by situating or anchoring instruction around an interesting topic.


The learning environments are designed to provoke the kinds of thoughtful engagement that helps students develop effective thinking skills and attitudes that contribute to effective problem solving and critical thinking. I believe meaningful learning is just one step, reaching this step most be polished by other strategies referred to as hypothesis, that are concentrated in Krashen’s Natural approach theory. These are the Natural Order Hypothesis, Input Hypothesis and the affective Filter Hypothesis. The Natural Order states that the acquisition of grammatical structures follows a natural order which is predictable, and that this order seems to be independent from the learner’s age, L1 background, and exposure to the language. (Romero, 2008) After this Natural order is reachable, there’s when the Input hypothesis comes along during innate acquired connections. The new input the student is going to be introduced with will follow a natural order of accommodation in to their linguistic competence. “Acquisition requires meaningful interaction in the target language, natural communication, in which speakers are concerned not with the form of their utterances, but with the message they are conveying and understanding.” (Stephen D. Krashen, 1983) By making this input interesting to the student by relating it with past experiences meaningful interaction occurs, allowing the student to do learning and not just simple acquisition; also we have to keep in mind that the facts of quantity and quality of input are to be taken seriously in this hypothesis. But language acquisition can only be accomplished during the set of an appropriate learning environment in which levels of anxiety are excluded. This is the main goal of Krashens affective Filter hypothesis. Learning has to take place in ways of non present defensiveness; on the contrary, motivation has to be the center of enhancement. While the students develop a sense of confidence they develop language ego, self esteem and a positive attitude towards learning. This way they will interact among each others, they will participate and produce. The behaviorist aspect of my model is strictly defined by Skinners positive reinforcement also referred to as operant conditioning. Its about reinforcing a behavior and giving the appropriate stimuli to it, in order to enhancing that behavior to be repeated in the future. Behaviors like participating; doing questions with self-confidence and understanding they will have a positive response from the teacher. I am all about constructivism. My model is based on the importance of creative ideas of learning. It consists in giving the students the opportunity of being creative during the usage of their skills in the multiple intelligences. For example, if the student is musical let’s give him activities in which he can maybe create song lyrics in the L2. It is basically taking an advantage of the skills the students have to help them be more engage in learning.

Using language arts, fun but also meaningful activities, like plays, creating short stories ect… The intention is to let the students be creative by following the teachers expectations of the objective that he/she wants to accomplish. It can also be done by taking an advantage of hi-tech devices in the classroom. Teachers must expect the students to use Technology that can be reachable for them, like computers. For me, second language acquisition does not only consist on doing PowerPoint, presi or word presentations, it is also about using what other teachers consider antique; books. Why not do research in the school library and have them read books, investigate and read. My theorical model consists in giving the students the tools they need by making sure that the input will have a lifetime meaning in their lifes, not just to follow academic goals. It is about creating the appropriate environment for leaning while understanding the students first.

Understanding how to approach them, what strategies must be used to teach them and to create a conscious vision of their particular needs. There is no wonder that diversity is present in all classrooms but my theory is based in the expectations of understanding the student’s uniqueness and molding them to feel motivated for learning more in the future. My theorical model does not consist in opening doors for the students, it consists in helping the students to board Plaines to view the world and know they can make it anywhere.