Learning to read

Summary Reading begins with the child’s acquisition of spoken language. Later he learns to differentiate the graphic symbols from one another and to decode these to familiar speech sounds. As he learns the code, he must progressively utilize the structural constraints which are built into it in order to attain the skilled performance which is characterized by processing of higher-order units—the spelling and morphological patterns of the language. Because of my firm conviction that good pedagogy is based on a deep understanding of the discipline to be taught and the nature of the learning process involved, I have tried to show that the psychology of reading can benefit from a program of theoretical analysis and experiment. An analysis of the reading task—its discriminatory and decoding aspects as well as the semantic and syntactical aspects—tells uswhat must be learned. An analysis of the learning process tells ushow. The consideration of formal instruction comes only after these steps, and its precepts should follow from them. This article is adapted from a paper used at a conference on Perceptual and Linguistic Aspects of Reading, sponsored by the Committee on Learning and the Educational Process of the Social Science Research Council and held at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, Palo Alto, California, 31, October 1963. Reprinted by permission of the Author and Publisher from Science, V. 148, No. 3673, 21 May 1965.     

Learning to read

This paper traces the philosophical and programmatic evolution of Pratham's accelerated reading programme ‘Read India’. It outlines the experiences that led to the development of the accelerated reading technique and the organizational contexts in which this approach has been played out.     

Learning to read: a psycholinguistic analysis of transitional processing

In the last decade a shift in view of the reading process, from basically an‘analytic’to a‘constructivist-psycholinguistic’view, has become apparent. The basis of this shift is analysed. The question of whether the process of learning-to-read, i.e. the transition from initial reading to fluent reading, can be understood in the same light is raised. It is argued that although the process of learning-to-read can be viewed essentially as a constructive process, developmental constraints require a modified view of the róle of constituent processing strategies. Implications of this modified view are suggested for the evaluation and teaching of reading.     

Orthographic learning through self-teaching among learners of English as a second language

Reading and Writing - Children can teach themselves new words via independent text reading. Previous studies on self-teaching heavily focused on learning to read in a first language (L1). Limited...     

Learning mathematics in a second language: A problem with more and less

An investigation into the development of the understanding of the relational terms more and less when used in a mathematical setting is described for two distinet groups of children. The first is a group of Papua New Guinean children attending government schools in Papua New Guinea; English isthe second language for these children. The second is a group of expatriate children attending international primary schools in Papua New Guinea. English is the first language for these children. The language of instruction in both school systems is English. In all, 376 Papua New Guinean children in grades 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10, and 255 expatriate children in grades 2, 4, and 6 were given a test in which the words more and less were used in different contexts. Although analysis of errors suggested that Papua New Guinean and expatriate children tended to make qualitatively similar errors, substantial differences were found in the grade levels by which class mastery of a given meaning could be assumed, with the Papua New Guinean children lagging from 2 to 4 years behind their expatriate contemporaties. This difference appears to have serious educational implications for the learning of elementary mathematics in Papua New Guinea.     

Learning English through actions: a study of mobile-assisted language learning

This study investigated the impact of taking photos using mobile phones on the English phrase-learning performance of English as a second-language learners. A total of 116 students enrolled in a college in Central Taiwan participated in this study. The participants were divided randomly into two groups: a control group and an experimental group (EG). The control group was assigned an online phrase-reading activity for the purpose of phrase learning, whereas the EG was instructed to engage in phrase learning by taking photos using their mobile phones. The study primarily investigated the participants' daily encounters with newly acquired phrases through the use of photos taken using mobile phones, which were associated with the sentences they constructed. The results of the study indicated that the students in the EG significantly outperformed the control students on the delayed posttest, and the EG exhibited a significantly higher level of perception toward the phrase-learning activities compared with that of the control group.     

二语习得补缺法

二语习得过程就是学习者形成自己中介语的过程。学习者利用补缺法,不断对自己的中介语进行修正、补充、建构,使其接近于目标语者的母语水平。这一过程分为注意、选择、补充三个阶段。该方法的意义在于能解决部分二语习得理论中的难题,能弥补克拉申输入理论的不足,能提高输入转化为吸收的效率。     

The contribution of inquiry to second language learning

Abstract

In this article the authors raise their concern about the way in which students with different levels of competence in the language of instruction (English in this case) acquire a second language. They also address the issue of the types of conditions which are necessary in order for dialogic interaction to be effective in the classroom when these students are acquiring a second language

In the first section, a review of the different theories on language learning is carried out, which helps to provide a response to the questions which have been raised. In the second section, the need to create opportunities to use the second language in real and meaningful situations is also raised, based on the results of three case studies. Learning through dialogue is presented as being a much more effective approach to teaching and learning a second language than traditional approaches, which were based on the teacher merely providing instruction and subsequently developing the information.     

第二语言习得的特性探讨 --第二语言习得和母语习得的异同

第二语言习得的特性是指这种习得不同于该语言作为母语或第一语言习得，即儿童习得自己的母语时的特殊规律性。充分认识第二语言习得的特殊规律，对发挥和培养学习者的学习兴趣和优势，使他们收到理想的学习效果都有促进作用。本文在回顾第一语言（或母语）习得理论的基础上，对母语习得和第二语言习得在以下方面作了对比：（1）动机；（2）环境（语言环境和文化环境）和方式；（3）过程（语音，词汇，句子）；（4）年龄；从而得出两种习得之间的相同点及差异，相同点反映出语言习得的普遍规律，而两种习得之间的差异正是第二语言教学中应引起注意的方面。     

二外英语在外语院校非英语语言类专业中课程设置探究

二外英语为外语院校非英语语言类专业的必修课程,本文首先从《教学要求》,教师队伍建设,教学模式等角度探讨二外英语的必修课地位;其次以笔者所在院校为例探究二外英语教学中的多样化学分设置;并进一步论述了英语选修课对二外英语教学的有益补充。     

二语动机自我系统理论下的二语动机策略研究

在第二语言习得进程中,动机是必不可少的组成部分。在二语研究范围的重点由"教"到"学"的转移进程中,将二语学习动机和学习策略两个领域成果融为一体的二语动机策略愈发显出自身重要的价值。教育心理学家D?rnyei所提出的动机自我系统理论是借鉴了社会心理学的新发展成果,他的"二语动机自我系统"为当今的二语动机策略研究奠定了坚实的理论基础。本文以D?rnyei的"二语动机自我系统"为理论基础,结合国内外相关研究成果,探讨如何更好地研究二语动机策略,并恰当地应用到语言教学中,从而提高教学效果。     

对外汉语教学中的拼音教学

对外汉语教学中的拼音教学与对内的拼音教学在教学对象、目标、模式等方面存在很多差异,并且对外汉语教学中的拼音教学有其自身的特点。那么在具体的对外汉语教学中,我们就更需明确一些有关普通话语音和相关教学的问题。     

试论二语习得中的学习动机因素及影响

动机是影响二语习得过程的一个重要因素。关于动机对二语习得的影响,不同学者的观点各有不同。实际上,积极的态度和手段能促进语言学习者对语言的学习,真正激发学生的学习动机,提高语言学习的效率。