Beyond Exposure (Part 2): Exploring Processing Instruction and Structured Input Activities with Dr. Florencia Henshaw

In episode 41 of Growing with Proficiency The Podcast, I continued our conversation with Dr. Florencia Henshaw, diving deeper into the world of language acquisition and the role of input. If you haven’t listened to episode 40, listen here to the first part of our conversation.

In part 2 of our discussion, Florencia sheds light on the concept of processing instruction, unraveling its significance in helping students establish form-meaning connections. Listen to discover how these principles can be effectively applied to design-structured input activities that enhance language learning outcomes in the classroom.

Common Ground

In Dr. Florencia’s book, Common Ground, she and the co-authors discussed the importance of input for language acquisition. Input helps students make form-meaning connections. In the book, they also talk about vocal and grammar in regards to input. Dr. Florencia discuss some of the ideas detailed in the book. Get your copy of the book through the link at the end of this post. 

Processing Instruction

Dr. Florencia explained in episode 41 that processing instruction was coined by Dr. Bill Van Patten. It basically means that we need to be aware of what the student is doing with the input or how these form-meaning connections are being made. 

She also explained that as the learner is trying to understand something, meaning is being attached to a form. Sometimes, they make the right connections, and sometimes they don’t. We need to think about if we could increase the likelihood that they will make the right form-meaning connections. Processing Instruction draws the learner’s attention to a particular form that was likely to get ignored.

Ins and Outs of Processing Instruction

Next, we discussed some of the fundamentals of processing instruction that applies no matter the teaching style. One is that that the brain is a limited process and a limited capacity processor, and we cannot process every single detail in language. We also cannot expect that just because students have been exposed to a form, that they processed it or even that they noticed it. In our discussion, we also talked about the implications of this in our classes.

I mentioned to Dr. Florencia about doing gestures for our students. She noted that we need to gently and slowly remove the training wheels and push them to process, even if it is with a little warning. Listen to episode 41 as we talked a little bit about captions. One thing that Dr. Florencia emphasized was that there is no one formula for how much input there should be.

Structure Input Activities

Dr. Florencia also explains that if you’re going to create an activity, give meaning priority. Ask yourself, what is the message? What do you want them to be understanding? Also, keep in mind how the learner is more likely to understand or misunderstand it. In addition, remember that our brain goes for meaning and whatever gives them meaning. The rest sometimes goes away. What are you doing to push the students to process the thing you want them to process?

Also, be aware of the cognitive load. We don’t want it to be in overload. Dr. Florencia gives some great examples of these things in our discussion.

The Conversation Continues…

However, the conversation doesn’t stop there. In the latter part of our discussion, Florencia emphasizes the vital importance of having assessment policies in our classes that align with the principles of language acquisition.

Get ready to be inspired and gain valuable insights from this enlightening episode. Hit that play button above or on your favorite podcast player. And remember, there may not be a magic formula for language acquisition, but these principles and strategies can guide us in making informed decisions in our classrooms.

Don’t forget, you can listen to Part 1 here, and all episodes here.

Dr. Florencia Henshaw

Dr. Florencia Henshaw has a Ph.D. in Second Language Acquisition and Teacher Education from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, where she is now the Director of Advanced Spanish. She is an award-winning educator who has published and presented nationally and internationally on technology integration and research-based pedagogical practices. Dr. Henshaw is as passionate about helping students develop communicative ability in the target language as she is about helping teachers make the connection between what we know and what we do. To that end, she launched a YouTube channel called “Unpacking Language Pedagogy,” where she summarizes and discusses research articles, activities, terms, and various topics related to language teaching. Her co-authored book, Common Ground: Second Language Acquisition Theory Goes to the Classroom, also aims to help educators visualize how to put principles into action.