Discussion Details
| Title: | Disc: Controversies in AL: Re: 16.844, Correction |
| Submitter: | Ronald Sheen |
| Description: | Editor's note: This issue contains corrections to Linguist 16.844 (http://linguistlist.org/issues/16/16-844.html), which were not included in the original post. Our apologies to the author for this oversight.
This is response to Noah Silbert's (NS) post (http://linguistlist.org/issues/16/16-819.html). Although I don't disagree with the main thrust of Ronald Sheen's claims about the state of Applied Linguistics, I find it more than a little ironic that in his offer to defend his position, he falls prey to the same intellectual pitfalls he is so eager to criticize." Let's establish what these ''intellectual pitfalls are'' in order to test whether I have fallen prey to them. In fact, in my original post (http://linguistlist.org/issues/16/16-713.html), I implied that there was but a general one. That was to first propose that classroom second and foreign language learning (SFLL) occurred in a certain manner and to (and here comes the pitfall) then propose that the educational system be so modified (_revolutionised, in fact_) to render classroom activity conducive to allowing learners to experience language in that manner _without_ carrying out long-term sample implementation to discover what classroom learners actually acquire. Put more succinctly, the pitfall entails theorising on the nature of classroom learning and to then implement it on a grand scale without discovering whether it actually works. So the question to answer is the following: What in what I have previously written provides support for his argument that I have fallen prey to this pitfall?'' Note that the following does not provide such support: Since we're on the subject of the end state of SLA, Sheen's claim that ''there is empirical evidence to demonstrate that such an application is more a recipe for fossilisation'' is his most glaring example of acceptance of a dubious theoretical construct, exactly what he takes as the field's worst failing. The point that has been missed is the following: I _do not_ use the assumed validity of such constructs as a platform for the advocacy for some new teaching option resulting in yet one further disruptive revolution in language teaching. A verifiable example of actually falling prey to the pitfall is the implementation of SCLT (strong CLT - see Howatt 1984:287-288) banning all systematic teaching of grammar in the Province of Quebec, Canada, in 1984 (see Sheen 2003 for an account of this). Notable applied linguists who had a hand in this are Lightbown and Spada who have also argued for the validity of ''incidental learning'' and developmental sequences. Lightbown (2002:533), for example, argues that ''Classroom research has provided additional support for the conclusion that some features are acquired incidentally - without intentional effort or pedagogical guidance''. She has also stated that in using ''acquire'' she is referring to the various incorrect forms which characterise the path towards acquisition. In addition, and in implicit support of the validity of developmental sequences, she (2002:533) suggests that the developmental process may be quite prolonged and that, therefore, teachers need to ''exercise patience'' in waiting for it to occur. Her response, however, is problematic for, she provides no classroom-derived evidence demonstrating learners progressing from some initially inaccurate form. More specifically, it needs to be emphasised, that there is nowhere in the literature empirical evidence derived from long term classroom studies demonstrating classes of students progressing from some initially incidentally-acquired incorrect form to a more correct form. One case where such a study should have revealed such evidence is Lightbown et al. (2002). This was a six-year study of students' learning assumed to be totally incidental. Yet, the findings provided neither evidence as support for incidental learning enabling learners to produce correct forms nor for passage through developmental stages. A specific example of the assumption of the validity of incidental learning leading to the passage through developmental sequences is Spada and Lightbown (2002:125). They take third-person Wh-questions and argue that learners initially produce forms such as ''What the dog playing'' (ie with no fronted auxiliary) and later pass on to a stage in which they produce correct forms. Surprisingly, given the introductory nature of the book, the two authors provide no supportive empirical evidence derived from actual classroom oral production resulting solely from incidental learning. They further omit to refer to comparative research they both carried out on the acquisition of third-person interrogatives (Spada and Lightbown 1993) which did not produce any evidence to support their claim. On the other hand, a cross-linguistic study covering the eight years of Quebec ESL (Sheen 2005) demonstrates that Spada and Lightbown are correct in the initially acquired form. However, during the following eight years, students continue to produce those same forms thus providing data to support the plausible conclusion that to all intents and purposes these incorrect forms have become fossilized. Now, in purely theoretical terms, NS is quite correct in doubting the permanency of the putative fossilisation. However, in terms of assessing the efficacy of a teaching option, it is legitimate to consider the fact that students failed for eight years to progress from an intially acquired form to later ones (in spite of being continually exposed to them) as evidence of the failure of the teaching option. Finally, here are some specific points which deserve more specific responses: My claim here is simply that the idea of 'applying' developmental sequences in the L2 classroom is, as far as I can tell, incoherent. On the other hand, it makes good sense to attempt to test whether or not they play a role in SLA and, if indeed they do, designing curricula to accommodate them. This is surely a recipe for unethical conduct. That is, using students as guinea pigs. For what ''classroom application'' of developmental sequences means, see Lightbown's advising (above) patience on the part of teachers as DSs occur and Lightbown (1998, 2000 and 2002). Sheen's claim that the application of developmental sequences has ''NOWHERE been demonstrated to result in an ability to produce accurate grammatical language'' is also problematic. I may be misinterpreting this statement, but if by 'grammatical language' he means native-like in every respect, Yes, NS is misinterpreting the statement. I am referring to examples such as the interrogatives described above and the correct use of the ''usual suspects'' in terms of erroneous verbal forms. References: Howatt, A.P.R. (1984) A History of English LanguageTeaching. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Lightbown, M. P. (1998). "The importance of timing in focus on form." In C. Doughty & J. Williams (Eds.) Focus on Form in Classroom Second Language Acquisition, (pp, 177-196) Cambridge: CUP Lightbown, P. (2000). "Anniversary article: Classroom SLA research and second language teaching". Applied Lingustics, 21: 431-462. Lightbown, P.M. (2002) "The role of SLA research in L2 teaching: Reply to Sheen". Applied Linguistics, 23-4: 530-536. Lightbown, M. P., Halter, H. R., White, J. L. & Horst, M. (2002) "Comprehension-Based Learning: The Limits of 'Do It Yourself' ". CMLR, 58: 427-464. Sheen, R. (2003) "Focus on form - a myth-in-the-making" English Language Teaching Journal, 57: 225-233. Sheen, R. (2005) "Developmental sequences under the microscope". Proceedings of The IATEFL Annual Conference 2004 in Liverpool, UK. Spada, N., & Lighbown, P. M. (1993). "Instruction and the development of questions in the L2 classroom" Studies in Second Language Acquisition 15: 205-221. Spada, N., & Lighbown, P. M. (2002). "Second Language Acquisition" In Norbert Schmitt (Ed.) An Introduction to Applied Linguistics (115-132) |
| Date Posted: | 21-Mar-2005 |
| Linguistic Field(s): | Applied Linguistics |
| LL Issue: | 16.846 |
| Posted: | 21-Mar-2005 |
