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Activities to Promote Learning and Communication in the Second Language Classroom
Author(s) -
STEVENS FLORENCE
Publication year - 1983
Publication title -
tesol quarterly
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.737
H-Index - 91
eISSN - 1545-7249
pISSN - 0039-8322
DOI - 10.2307/3586653
Subject(s) - psychology , linguistics , language acquisition , pedagogy , comprehension approach , mathematics education , sociology , language education , philosophy
Recent research in psycholinguistics has suggested that experience with language in its communicative function is essential for learning to speak a second language. A suitable linguistic environment provides for the development of strategies for aural comprehension and for the acquisition of oral production. Such an environment is provided by immersion programs in Canada, whose successful second language learning results are well known. However, teaching techniques are not the same in all immersion classrooms. This article examines a teaching methodology based on activity‐centered learning, which is applicable to ESL or FSL classes as well as to immersion programs. Examples are given of activities which foster second language learning both in the classroom and on out‐of‐school excursions, together with the psycholinguistic principles on which they are based. The activities described are suitable for 11–12 year olds and may be adapted for younger or older learners.