Maisa Martin

University of Jyväskylä, Finland

Alfarådet 19.9.2014

Primary literacy in L2� Dilemmas:

� Adults in Nordic societies must speak, read and write (cf. Qarin Franker’s presentation)

� Literacy is based on oral skills – and traditionallytaught on that basis for children

� Oral skills as a basis of literacy also necessary for those who learn to read for the first time as adultsand in L2 (LESLLA research results)

� New languages traditionally taught with textbooks

� Acquiring oral skills requires literacy?

Rationale� All language learning and teaching is based on beliefs

on what language is, how it functions and how it is learned.

� Teacher training must make teachers aware of theirbeliefs and able to take a critical look at them (and change them if they become convinced that it is necessary).

� Learners need ways to express their abilities, needsand beliefs (cf. Karen Schramm’s presentation).

Content� Language skills – unitary or separate?

� Prerequisites for learning a language

� Prerequisites for learning to read and write

� Adults vs. children

� Ways forward (e.g. DigLin, EU-Speak 2)

� Conclusions

Language skills – unitary or separate?

� Most research in the area of language testing: To testone must know what is tested.

� Less in focus in SLA or pedagogical research: Skills areoften assumed to be separate but overlap is allowed.

� If unitary, not necessary to teach or test separately

� If separate, each skill can/must be taught separately

> repercussions for classroom

� The hand model of language skills to illustrate the research results

The hand model of language skills

Prerequisites for learning a language

� Ability to hear

� Memory

� Ability to distinguish between speech and other sounds

� Phonological awareness:

� Segmentation

� Ability to distinguish between speech sounds (same vs. different)

� Ability to group sounds into phonemes

� Natural differences in these abilities

� Filter effects of L1

Examples of L1 filter effects� Develop very early� b/p, d/t, g/k in Swedish or English for Finns� Phonemic length in Finnish for many others:

� 1. tule� 2. tulee� 3. tulle� 4. tullee� 5. tuule� 6. tuulee� 7. tuulle� 8. tuullee

� Contrastive knowledge of learners’ L1s necessary (cf. Jakob Steensig’s presentation)

Why phonological awareness

important� Language is constructions, incl. words.

� Words stored with phonological associations in theearly stages of L2 learning

� Native speakers and advanced learners have semanticassociations

� Explains some of the confusions of the early learners(i.e. vähän vs. vanha, koulu vs. kuolla)

Phonological memory� Short-term memory

� Digit span

� Great individual variability

� Required both for immediate speech processing and for forming permanent representations of phonemes

� Phonemes as first increments of speech

� Gradual growth of the size on increments > fluency

� Literacy improves phonological skills

Prerequisites for literacy:

Visual skills and memory� Background, foreground, focus

� Lines (straight, curved)

� Shapes formed by the lines

� Directions (left, right, up, down)

� Size, font, capitals, punctuation

� Context (cf. Qarin Franker’s example on arabic)

� Genre

� Pictures

� Colours

Does practice help?� Depends on your view on what language is and how it

is acquired.

� Nativist approach

� Many theories of the connection between L1 and L2

� Usage-based approach

� Frequency and saliency of occurrencies the mostimportant factors

How does practice help?� Environment determines affordances

� Literacy requires practice

� Literacy provides practice

� Sound/letter correspondence can be practised

� Many phonemic features can be practiced, e.g. Graphogame, DigLin

� Blending difficult to teach

� Comprehension requires fluency, fluency requirespractice.

Reading < > Writing� Letter by letter or whole words?

� Language specific but in the long run holistic methodsfail

� Reading > writing (reception > production)

� Writing > reading (agency)

� Fine motor coordination

� Need reduced by typing, also smaller demand for visualmemory

Some research results on early

writing� Cefling & Topling research projects

� Results on the relationships of fluency, accuracy and complexity.

� At A1 level traditional complexity measures do notwork, subordination common (in Finnish).

� Fluency before accuracy.

� Oral skills help a lot early on (up to B1).

Adults vs. children

� Children ”wired” for language learning, particularlyphonology and pronunciation.

� Greater plasticity of the brain

� Less L1 filter effects

� Adults learn faster inititally (if educated)

� More world knowledge > semantic and pragmatic skills

� Variety of interests

� Attitudes and motivation have greater influence

� Higher expectations

The chicken and the egg?� Acquiring oral skills requires literacy? Not

necessarily, of course, but alphabetic literacypromotes the phonological development, readingallows revision, writing taking notes (memory is aided by literacy).

� Literacy without oral skills is mote in mostcontexts.

Ways forward� Oral skills first.

� Tools for helping the co-development of oral skills and literacy.

� Tools for promoting fluency and comprehension.

DigLin

� Computer exercises for early stages of L2 and literacylearning for Dutch, English, Finnish and German

� Expectations set by the teacher, way to reach themfound by the learner

� Unlimited practice, no set order >

� Promotes learner autonomy and agency

� ASR (Automatic Speech Recognition)

� www.diglin.eu

EU-Speak 2

� Surveys of knowledge and skills required of literacyteachers (much based on the work of Alfarådet).

� Newcastle, Amsterdam, Cologne, Granada, Jyväskylä, USA (LESLLA initiative)

� Target: Curriculum guidelines for online in-serviceteacher workshops

� One module piloted in 2014 - 2015

Why this in English?� Maybe we cannot help noticing errors?

� Errors distract

� Have to unlearn noticing them

� Promoting this is a language policy issue

� A positive note: Using more than one language acrossthe lifespan delays the onset of dementia by four years(Bialystok).