Language vs. Acquisition

As I read Freeman & Freeman’s explanations of learning and acquisition, a few key descriptors came to mind.  Learning seems to encompass activities that are systematic, formulaic, and conventional.  Whereas acquisition thrives off of authentic, meaningful, and internalized processes. 

Since I work mostly with young students who have learning disabilities, I found myself beginning this reading as an advocate for many of the learning activities.  Students with learning disabilities seem to benefit from formulas and systematic instruction when learning to read and write.  However, as I continued reading, I found myself more of a champion of the acquisition activities.  While systematic learning has its place in a child’s education, and can be beneficial in doses, authentic learning activities are the ones that seem to have more staying power.  When students “learn” reading, writing, and language concepts in a more conventional way, they do not have a memorable context to refer to when they try to recall what they learned.  However, when students experience language and construct meaning through reading, writing, and speaking, they will be able to recall the experiences and also the information.   

When I completed the chart below, I thought about each activity.  If the activity seemed to isolate a skill or if it felt formulaic, I labeled it as a learning activity.  If the activity seemed authentic, or tied a skill into a broader context, I labeled it as an acquisition activity.

Exercise adapted from: Freeman, D. E. & Freeman, Y. S.  (2004).  Essential linguistics: What you need to know to teach reading, esl, spelling, phonics, grammar.  Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

The Students
L	look up words in the dictionary to write definitions
A	make a Venn diagram to compare two stories
L	practice sounding out words
L	read in round-robin fashion
L	correct peers when they make a mistake during reading
A	identify words on a big book page that start with the same sound
A	group cards with classmates’ names by criterion on such as first or last letter
A	write rhyming poetry and then discuss different spellings for the same sound
L	ask the teacher how to spell any word they don’t know
A	read a language experience story they have created with the teacher
A	work in pairs to arrange words from a familiar chant into sentences
L	divide words into syllables
L	on a worksheet, draw a line from each word to the picture that starts with the same sound
A	make alphabet books on different topics.
The Teacher
L	pre-teaches vocabulary
A	does a shared reading with a big book
L	makes sure that students read only books that fit their level
L	has students segment words into phonemes
A	writes words the students dictate for a story and has students help with the spelling of difficult words
A	asks students to look around the room and find words starting with a certain letter
L	uses decodable texts
A	sets aside time for SSR (sustained silent reading) each day
L	teaches Latin and Greek roots
A	has students meet in literature circles
L	conducts phonics drills
A	chooses predictable texts
A	teaches students different comprehension strategies
A	does a picture walk of a new book
L	uses a variety of worksheets to teach different skills.