FL 561 Rebeca R. Hill Article #1 VanPattern, Bill. (1986, March).

Second Language Acquisition Research and the Learning/Teaching of Spanish: Some Research Findings and Implications. Hispania, 69, 202-216. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org.logon.lynx.lib.usm.edu/ While I realize that the date of this article is past the five year mark, I found it very much applied to todays teaching in the classroom. It is interesting to note that some research does not grow outdated but serves as a stepping stone to build on. This journal research article spoke about how we as teachers need to move away from an approach that teaches little by trying to incorporate every grammar point in the first two years. It is more important to give students input that is real and that students have to work with in order for them to actually talk back (p. 203). There are still teachers who are stuck in the more mechanical way of teaching a foreign language. Teachers also need to use the language as much as possible but stay away from things that are considered mechanics, such as drills. The more you engage your students in the target language, the better. Research has not changed one bit on these points. It also spoke about how students draw on their L1 for bridging that gap to the SLA. Teachers need to be aware that students rely on this to help them in the L2. Krashens view with regards to utterance initiator helps us to encourage our students to use circumlocution to help them be able to communicate in the L2 (p. 206). As part of the language learning experience many years ago, learning another language was by routines. Some of these strategies are not bad. There are some students who actually pick up routines and use them correctly with the appropriate grammar imbedded in them. Studies show that students do pick up some of these routines without having a directive to learn them per say. It would be a great way to use them in more of a community type setting, especially one were the students can role play. This learning were students go thru different stages as they develop in their learning is negotiation. It stresses that learners grow in their language acquisition not all at once but gradually. Teachers need to be aware that students have a built in mechanism for language learning and that does not always include overt instruction. Also, this article spoke about how teachers should not worry so much about morphology because it is controlled by influences outside of the teachers control. Therefore, teachers should think about using activities that focus on nonlinguistic aspects of communication) (p. 211). Another interesting point this article brought out was that teachers are sometimes to preoccupied with having their students produce acquisition instead of encouraging them or allowing them to make mistakes and use the language. It seems that creating a classroom language community were students interact on a personal level is key to motivating and engaging students to use the language. As they move to this conversational focus, teachers need to be aware that sometimes correction does not necessarily mean improvement. Students dont always adhere to correction even when it is given in a

positive way. Ideally, you want students to self-correct. They can do this but it has to take time. Early language learners generally will not do very well in this area. In closing, much of what this article had to say and the research that was done is still relevant and useful today as it was in previous years. Article #2 Polio, Charlene, Zyzik, Eve. (2009, Winter). Don Quixote Meets Ser and Estar: Multiple Perspectives on Language Learning in Spanish Literature Classes, The Modern Language Journal, 93, 550-569. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org.logon.lynx.lib.usm.edu This study was done to see how 3 Spanish literature courses in college deal with language-focused instruction. The professors mainly saw their priority as teaching literature and different aspects of the language imbedded in culture but did not feel that it was their place to specifically teach grammar. One professor stated that there are lots of other grammar classes as part of the curriculum and that literature classes are not geared for grammar instruction. However, there was a planned focus on form during some of the activities that required meaning negotiation. From the students perspectives, they felt that they did improve in their writing skills and in their readings skills but felt that their speaking skills were still lacking. In the study, you see were the professors did a great deal of talking and in this format, students do not necessarily feel the need to interact. This is definitely one area that needs improvement because the only way to improve speaking is to actually do it. Also, it was interesting to note that both the teachers and the students gave their opinions on the strength of the classes and they were pretty much on target. Speaking is always the big scary area for most students and the one area teachers need to be very intentional as they approach language learning. I find it commendable that they use culture as a tool to teach literature but they need to rethink how much communication plays such a huge part in that learning. It is not about listening to the professor but it is more about engaging the students in conversation. While the learning goals for the classes were achieved, the area that students felt was their weakest was still an area that did not improve very much or at all. Feedback was given through recast and in doing so, the classroom environment was a safe place to show off your language skills for students. However, it was not done enough to make any real impact in their every day learning. It seems to me that the professors need to go back and re-evaluate their goals for the course and prioritize speaking as well as the other goals they have for the class. Artcile #3

Pellettieri, Jill. (2011, June). Measuring Language related Outcomes of Communitybased Learning in Intermediate Spanish courses. Hispania, 94, 285-302. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org.logon.lynx.lib.usm.edu This was a great study that showed how a community based approach to learning intermediate Spanish. Non-native students were encouraged to work in a community environment where they had to speak to natives speakers, greet and introduce themselves, talk about projects they had been assigned , etc. Although the students were at first apprehensive, they did engage the native speakers. Many students are afraid to speak for a variety of reasons. It could be they are shy or perhaps, they are introverted. They also may have a fear to speak in a community setting but nevertheless, they ventured forth. In this case study, the theoretical framework of L2 WTC was used (p. 286). Pelletieri wanted to show that given the setting, students would indeed engage and find that they are successful in maneuvering the language barrier. Using Gardners socioeducational model, the study looked at how the students felt about themselves and about the situations they were placed in. This study pointed out Gardners view that nonnative speakers want to associate themselves with native speakers. Because immersion learning necessarily involves learning through the L2, those students adopt a motivation for learning that is more tightly connected with authentic L2 communication (p. 287). The students were motivated to want to, which is always a huge step in the speaking arena of the L2. The more they used the language and were successful, the more motivated they were to use it again. Successful communication builds self confidence, which in turn motivates the learner to want to speak more. Learners wanted to use the language outside of the classroom setting. This is a great point that we all need to strive for. Using the language in a real world application is how you get students hooked on your foreign language learning experience. That is were you have students who want to use it even after they have finished their formal studies. This study opens the door to further studies on community based learning groups. I would love to have this type of set up in my classes and plan on investigating how to go about using my community of native Hispanic speakers in my area.