Theoretical justifications

Abstract

The last chapter dealt with the various methodologies which were adopted at different periods of the last century and the issues surrounding each of them. Reform followed counter-reform as the forces of progressivism and conservatism ebbed and flowed in the course of pedagogic developments. The background to this discussion was the distinction between teaching and learning. Teaching is concerned with pedagogy, or what rationale is applied to guide and shape classroom practice. Learning is what happens in the learner’s brain. Of course, teaching and learning are intimately connected but do not necessarily influence each other in a linear manner. Nevertheless, the various approaches covered in chapter 2 involve individuals designing teaching on the basis of what they understand learning to be. Clearly, if we understand better how languages are learnt, then we can orientate our teaching practice accordingly. This chapter considers various learning theories and their implications for recent pedagogic trends in second language teaching. Ultimately, my purpose is to show why MLAC may be justified as an approach which can enhance both teaching and learning. To do this, we need to look at what we know about language and its processes. Modern linguistics has much to tell us about the interrelationship between the form and content of language and the role each of these plays in the learning and teaching context. Chapter 2 dealt with second language learning from the perspective of teaching and methodology. This chapter is about all language learning in the first instance, what distinguishes second language learning in the second, and then the implications this distinction has for organising learning.