THE NATURAL APPROACH

THE NATURAL APPROACH

Background & History

Natural Approach believes that adults can still acquire second languages. The ability of language acquisition does not disappear as we grow up.

Adults also acquire language by following the principles of Universal Grammar.

In the book, Mr. Krashen and Mrs. Terrell consider their approach as a traditional method.

1997 “A proposal for a “new” philosophy of language teaching called the Natural Approach”

Attemp to incorporate the “naturalistic” principles identified in L2 Acquisition

Stephen Krashen

Applied linguistic at the University of Southern California.

They both elaborated a Theoretical Rationale for the Natural Approach.

Krashen’s influential theory of  L2 acquisition.

The Natural Approach: Language acquisition in the classroom (1983)

 

1. The Acquisition Learning Hypothesis:

·         Acquisition: Is as developing competences by using language for real communication. It is a natural way of developing the ability to speak a language.

·         Learning: Refers to formal knowledge of a language. It is the process in which conscious rules about a language are developed.

2. The Monitor Hypothesis:

    The Monitor Hypothesis states that we may use learned knowledge to correct ourselves when we communicate.

a. There must be enough time for the learner to apply the learned rule.

b. The speaker must be focused on correctness (on the form of the output).

c. The speaker must know the rules.            

3. The natural order hypothesis

The natural order hypothesis states that all learners acquire a language in roughly the same order. This applies to both first and second language acquisition. This order is not dependent on the ease with which a particular language feature can be taught; in English, some features, such as third-person "-s" ("he runs") are easy to teach in a classroom setting, but are not typically fully acquired until the later stages of language acquisition.

children who learn their first language acquire grammatical structures in a predetermined and "natural" order; students acquire the grammatical morpheme before the third person of the morpheme.

4. The imput hyphotesis

This theory, contraire to the acquisition learning hypothesis, is totally based on acquisition and is based on that we acquire language knowledge when we are shown to knowledge beyond our understanding.

5. The affective filter

The affective filter is a theoretical construct in second language acquisition that attempts to explain the emotional variables associated with the success or failure of acquiring a second language. The affective filter is an invisible psychological filter that can either facilitate or hinder language production in a second language. When the affective filter is high, individuals may experience stress, anxiety, and lack of self-confidence that may inhibit success in acquiring a second language. On the other hand, a low affective filter facilitates risk-taking behavior in regards to practicing and learning a second language.

Teacher roles

"The teacher is the primary source of comprehensible input. Must create positive low-anxiety climate. Must choose and orchestrate a rich mixture of classroom activities" (Brown, 2007)

Source: The teacher is the generator of a constant flow of language input.

 

Environmenter

The teacher creates a classroom atmosphere that is interesting, friendly, and in which there is a low affective filter for learning.

The Role of Instructional Material

"Materials come from realla rather than fromtextbooks. Primary alm is to promote comprehension and communication" (Brown, 2007).

They make classroom activities as meaningful as possible by supplying the extra- linguistic context that helps the acquirer to understand and thereby to acquire"

Pictures and other visual aids facilitate the acquisition of a large vocabulary within the classroom.

Recommended materials include schedules, brochures, advertisements, maps and graded books.

Games, in general, are seen as useful classroom materials since .."games by their very nature, focus the student on what it is they are doing and use the language as a tool for reaching the goal rather than as a goal in itself "

Theory of language

"The essence o languages is meaning. Vocabulary, not grammar, is the heart of language." (Brown, 2007)

Because they were built not around "actual theories of language acquisition, but on theories of something else, e.g. the structure of language" (Krashen 8& Terrell, 1983).

Krashen Terrell- Communication, as primary function of language.

And they were against earlier methods that had focused on grammar.

So the Natural Approach, is a Communicative Approach