Learning and Acquisition of English as a Foreign Language

Reaction paper:

The role of the first language in foreign

language learning.
(Nation, 2003)

Javiera Carrillo Ibez

Camila Foulon Puentes
April, 2017
 Regarding Nations research about The role of the first language in foreign language
learning released in 2003 by Cambridge University, the author acknowledge the
importance of the effective acquisition of a second language through the effective
usage of several strategies and resources. Nation proposes that it is important to
consider the reasons associated with the difficulties that individuals might overcome
in learning a second language, and the procedures they use to manage the
acquirement. The author presents several methods for helping people to acquire a
second language in an effective form, where some of them are directly related with the
common problems that might appear in beginners process of learning a second
language such as the inclination to use their mother tongue. The writer additionally
mentions the importance of the role that teachers play in making the learning
environment an achievement facilitator, by promoting some suitable methods to apply
in classroom management. In addition, the author presents some options on how to
work with classes if teachers need to encourage some problems, for example they
need to discuss the value of the use, in class, of the second language, also they must
choose tasks where students can succeed, and many other, yet they might be careful
with the application of the situations, thus the fact that some students can feel
embarrassed using a second language. Lastly, it is mention some others factors who
can be very useful, as the usage of input and output, first language as a tool, and some
others over the emphasis of combining students native language and the use of their
second language.

Firstly, as it is mentioned before, according to Nation, 2003. Teachers should have

in mind the four strands of learning which are necessary in the efficient development
of a second language in classes. The first strand is meaning focused input (p. 3), which
is learning through listening and reading; moreover, it is important for teachers to
present activities with meaningful context to enhance students acquisition capacity.
The second is meaning focused output (p. 3) that is learning through speaking and
writing, where teachers should create opportunities in class to work on these skills.
The third strand is language focused learning (p. 3-4), related to learning through
language features, meaning to learn a second language through some characteristics
of the language such as grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, and some others. The
last strand correspond to fluency development (p.5), that it is learning through material
related to the four skills of English to improve the level of performance. It is important
to let teachers and learners know they ought to develop all these skills in sense of an
adequate acquisition of the second language; moreover, the schedule of time
implemented in classes related to these four strands should be equal for each one of
them.

Secondly, the use first language can be also a useful tool to develop an effective
understanding of the second language throughout the English course. From the
perspective of English as a foreign language students, meaning focused tasks can
carry a ponderous amount of consciousness load, the majority of learners tend to use
their first language to make themselves understood within groups, due to the
embarrassing consequences that second language communication employment can
provoke. According to many authors as Nation, 1991; Lado, Baldwin and Lobo, 1967;
Mishima 1967; Laufer and Shmueli, 1997, and so on. There are different studies
validating the use of their second language as a high speed collaborator to learn new
vocabulary thoroughly. This reality happens when teachers applies constant exposure
to learners native language to carry on second language activities. Therefore,
students will manage the use of their first language in a pleasant circumstance to gain
knowledge that can be useful and highly applicable in a future second language
acquisition context. It is important however not to assume the applicability of first
language in all cases, hence some students can start using their first language more
frequently, when the real purpose of teachers for them is to develop a second
language with just a minor help from their first language

As a group, we agree with the statements presented in the article. We think that it is
very important for us, as future teachers of a second language, to know in deep the
procedures used in classroom context, as guidance to help them catch their principal
goal, and to develop a genuine knowledge and fluency in second language acquisition.
While Nation gave us also some clues on how we can manage tasks in the classroom,
another authors suggests the fruitful implementation of variant approaches which can
be pointed as a contrastive position in the study of a second language acquisition.
Notwithstanding, each one fulfill a not less important piece in the process of becoming
a proficient English learner.
 References

Nation, P. (2003). The role of the first language in foreign language learning.
Asian EFL Journal, 5(2), 1-8.