This week is the continuation of my conversation with Dr. Bill VanPatten in episode 88 of Growing with Proficiency The Podcast. If you haven’t listened to Part 1, click here to listen.
In this second part, we continue exploring the intricacies of language acquisition, focusing on the role of grammar, the importance of input, and the evolution of output in language learning.
Dr. VanPatten shares his insights on creating engaging and effective language teaching environments, emphasizing the need for compelling content and genuine connections with students. In this post, I’m highlighting part 2 of our discussion.
Role of Grammar Instruction
In part 2, I asked Dr. VanPatten to discuss the role of grammar instruction in our language classes. Before he addressed this question, though, Dr. VanPatten wanted to remind teachers just how little time our students spend in second language acquisition in a one- or two-year program.
As he pointed out, children entering kindergarten have been involved in language acquisition since birth, and they still are only at a certain point in language acquisition at the age of five. Teachers should remember that language acquisition takes time, and our students only spend a limited amount of time acquiring language through our class time with them. Additionally, all students learn at their own pace.
Dr. VanPatten continued to explain that grammar should be whatever we want it to be, as long as it does not take the place of acquisition. He also takes a different approach on grammar. With his students, he lets his learners tell him when they want to learn something for the purpose of communication.
What changed with this approach was that he was not getting the questions that he had been getting years before. No longer were students asking if something was going to be on the test. Instead, students asked to clarify something he said, what something means, or how they should say something. The takeaway from this is don’t fool yourself thinking your approach is going to make some big difference, because it’s not.
Role of Output in Language Acquisition
Dr. VanPatten explained that, “the role of output is what it is in communication because communication is expression and interpretation of meaning in a given context for a given purpose.” He continued, “From the learners point of view, you express meaning, you make output, because you have something to say. Not because I make you say something, or because I want you to speak in a complete sentence because you have something to say.”
Listen to episode 88 above or here to hear Dr. VanPatten explain how output evolves over time. Basically, output has to move from dependence to independence, and it will take a long time as Dr. VanPatten points out.
For language acquisition, making output does not get language in your head, input gets language in your head. What output gets you is your ability, when you interact with people. The role of output, no matter how minimal it is, is to get other people to keep interacting with you. When students have a high level of engagement, they are making you do more interacting with them and providing more comprehensible input.
It Doesn’t Guarantee Language Acquisition
Input is essential for language acquisition, but it doesn’t guarantee native-like proficiency. The fact that you’re getting exposed to the same input doesn’t guarantee that everybody’s going to be at the same place at the same time.
So, what can teachers do to get, and keep, our students engaged and wanting to learn a second language? Dr. VanPatten answered this question by saying, “If your students seem uninterested, it is because you’re doing something that’s not interesting.” Students have to want to connect with you, and you have to want to connect with students as learners.
Why do teachers feel challenged when it comes to language acquisition for our students? Dr. VanPatten points out that understanding the nature of communication is so important for helping our students acquire language, however, teachers are not taught the nature of communication, how it happens, what it’s used for, and its purpose. They think they’re teaching communicatively and they’re not. For more, listen to our whole conversation here.
Bio of Dr. VanPatten
Prof. VanPatten is widely known for his work in second language acquisition and second language instruction, with special emphases on input processing, processing and parsing more generally, the interface between input processing and acquisition, morpho-syntactic relationships, and instructed SLA.
He has published eight books, eight edited volumes, six language textbooks (including the movies Sol y viento, Liaisons, and the tele series Destinos), and close to 200 articles and book chapters. In 2018 he left academia to pursue writing full-time.
His debut novel, Seidon’s Tale, was the recipient of the 2019 Kops-Fetherling International Books Silver Phoenix Award for Best New Voice in Fiction. His second novel, Looks Are Deceiving, received the bronze medal from the International Readers’ Favorite Book Awards for LGBTQ fiction. He is currently working on his sixth novel.
For more information, check out his personal website at http://www.billvanpatten.net
More resources:
Teacher Guide: How to Shift to A Comprehensible and Communicative Teaching Approach
Growing With Proficiency The Blog
Growing With Proficiency The Spanish Teacher Academy Waitlist
Growing With Proficiency TPT Store
Free FB Community: Growing With CI
Claudia @IG
