EDUCATION THEORIES

Education Theories

Education Theories

Introduction

Language education may be referred to simply as the teaching and learning of language. When one looks beneath the surface, however, the complexities of curriculum for language education become apparent. Language education curriculum may be defined in various ways, from the design, implementation, and assessment of programs to support the acquisition of target languages; to materials, textbooks, and exercises. Furthermore, it also includes instructional practices comprising the instructional program; to a conception of language education curriculum. It considers purposes and contexts for which language instruction and acquisition are geared and expanded to acknowledge the impact of larger educational, and societal influences on individuals involved in the teaching and learning of languages. Examining complexities, associated with language education curriculum, provides a glimpse of challenges inherent to the field of curriculum studies by highlighting the interaction of influences beyond the classroom that affect the success of the school curriculum.

With an increasingly diverse student population, researchers and educators argue for language education that includes teaching practices and materials to support their ability to integrate into society. When the curriculum does not draw on the linguistic and cultural knowledge that immigrant and minority students bring to school, their academic success and subsequent career success is jeopardized. The immigrant and minority students are likely to feel that they do not have a sense of belonging, when their maternal languages and cultures are not acknowledged in their school contexts. Furthermore, their exclusion is believed to contribute to the loss of maternal language proficiency of students and subsequent difficulties in communicating with parents, family members, and other members of ethnic minority communities who are not fluent in English.

Krashen's Approach

The natural approach to language teaching incorporates naturalistic principles identified in the studies on second language acquisition. Learning arises through the use of language in communicative situations goal without resorting to the first language or grammatical analysis. This approach attaches importance to understanding and communicating the meaning of statements and promotes the creation of a suitable learning environment in the classroom to produce successfully acquiring a second language (Kramsch 1995, pp. 1-16). This proposal was submitted by T. Terrell in 1977 from his experience as a Spanish teacher in California. T. Terrell and S. Krashen published in 1983 “The Natural Approach”, a book that contains a theoretical part with the principles and theories of second language acquisition and some practice with classroom techniques and procedures offered by this approach. The natural approach to communication attributes most important function of language. Therefore, it focuses on teaching communication skills. The meaning becomes the center of attention, stresses the importance of vocabulary and grammar moves into the background. The lexicon is considered essential in the construction and interpretation of statements (Krashen 1981, pp. 51-79).

The techniques recommended by Krashen have roots from other methods and adapt to the principles of the natural approach: for example, computer-based activities, the total physical response method, the use of mime, gesture and context, the direct method; activities information gap to complete a task, the ...