Educational Theories on Teaching English

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Recommended: Three language acquisition theories

Assessment: Student Prompts/Teacher Directions

English language learners (ELL) preschool students and regular English speaking students fit into Krashen theory of second language acquisition in several ways. First it focuses on essential interaction rather than being educated through rules and error revision to inherited language. Second, the teacher must establish information that is understandable to preschool ELL students using effective strategies and methods. Third, ELL preschool students must be comfortable and motivated for language acquisition to occur. This is when ELL preschool students’ are aware of the efforts that are ordinarily on the subject material of what is being discussed and the medium (“Why Learn a Second Language,” n.d.). Interactionist theory in second language acquisition supports preschool ELL students to assimilate the grammar of a second language as it relates and implies while focusing on what is meant and communication in personal interactions. Therefore, this theory associates the interaction of the ELL students’ mental knowledge and verbal setting (Beller, 2008). This essay is based on a 4 and 5 year old preschool ELL students. The 4 year old is male Bosnian ethnicity and the 5 year old is male Latino ethnicity. However, the learning center is based on a child-centered approach with the teacher occasionally working with a small group of ELL preschool students and regular English speaking preschool students. Also this essay will compare and contrast the major language acquisition theories which are Krashen’s second language acquisition theory, and the interactionist theory. Therefore, both theories will focus on the Montessori approach in which the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protoc...

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...tudents when they did not identify the alphabet letter she pointed to right instead if preschooler were unable to identify an alphabet letter he or she was unable to move forward to the play area to join the other students. However, in contrasting the interactionist theory with the lessons observed is that in the 4 year old Bosnian male preschool student circumstance there is no native speaker in his native language that can communicate to him in the classroom environment. He however is able to emphasize what he needs to communicate even if speaking in English is confusing. Another way that interactionist theory contrast from the lessons observed is that the mentor teacher does pressure the ELL preschool students and regular English speaking preschool students in rehearsing the days of the week and in examining preschoolers to identify the alphabet letters.

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