Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and problems for Teaching & Education

Communicative Competence in English

Acquisition, Learning, and Teaching Methods

Communicative competence is the main objective in English language learning. It involves developing several subcompetences:

1. Linguistic: Understanding and using vocabulary, grammar, and syntax.
2. Strategic: Using techniques to overcome language gaps and modify text for audience and purpose. Acquiring conversational fluency.
3. Socio-linguistic: Having knowledge of the social rules of language, non-verbal behaviors, and cultural references.
4. Discourse: Understanding how ideas are connected through patterns of organization, cohesive, and transitional devices.

Block of Contents

1. Oral texts comprehension (Listening).
2. Oral texts production, expression, and interaction (Speaking).
3. Written

Samuel Johnson (1755): Dictionary of the English Language

Standardization of meaning of words and English spelling

Robert Lowth (1772): Short Introduction to English Grammar

Prescribed what correct grammar should be, based on Latin knowledge

Karl Ploetz: Grammar Translation Method

Learning language using example sentences, two grammar rules, and a list of vocabulary. Translation is emphasized.

Berlitz Method: Direct Method

Learning focuses on oral language, listening, and speaking. Imitation of native speakers is encouraged. Proficient teachers are required, and L1 is not used in classes.

Michael West: Reading Method

Learning through reading. Tests focus on frequent words, and complexity is decreased in tests.

Army Method (WWII): Audiolingualism

Based... Continue reading "A Comprehensive History of Language Learning Theories and Methods" »

T1- 2lang as comm; 2.1comm; 2.1.1def; 2.1.2elements in comm; 2.2lang; 2.2.1def; 2.2.2characteristics; 2.2.3components; 2.2.4funct; 3oral and written lang; 3.1oral lang; 3.1.1production skills; 3.1.2interactional skills; 3.1.3teaching of oral comm; 3.2written lang; 3.2.1teaching of written comm; 4features which define a comm situation; 4.1speech acts; 4.2context of situation; 4.3context of culture //

T2- 2comm; 2.1def. Comm vs lang; 2.2elements which take part in comm; 2.3types of comm; 2.3.1verbal comm; 2.3.2non-verbal comm; 2.3.3extralinguistic strategies: TPR; 2.3.4comm strategies; 3comm in the f.lang class in P.Ed; 3.1comm lang teaching; 3.2acquisition of the comm c; 3.3teacher's role; 3.4students' different learning styles //

T3 – 2development... Continue reading "Effective Communication in Language Teaching and Learning" »

1. Cognitive principles.

They relate mental and intellectual functions.

1. Automaticity

Efficient second language learning involves a timely movement of the control of a few language forms into the automatic processing of a unlimited number of language forms.

2. Meaningful learning

Meaningful learning will lead toward better long-term retention than rote learning.

3. Anticipation reward

Human beings are universally driven to act by the anticipation of some sort of rewards — tangible or intangible, short term or long term — as a result of the behaviour.

4. Intrinsic motivation

The most powerful rewards are those that are intrinsically motivated within the learner.

5. Strategic investment

Successful mastery of the second language will be due to a learner’s own personal

Legal References

LOMCE

O.L. 8/ 2013 (BOE)

RD1105/2014

(BOE)

Linguistics / Grammar

Recommended Texts

• CRYSTAL, D. (1997): The Cambridge Encyclopaedia of Language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Quirk, R. and S. Greenbaum (1991): A University Grammar of English. London: Longman.
• Quirk, R. et al. (1985). A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language. London: Longman.
• CHOMSKY, N: Syntactic Structures. The Hague. 1957.
• Leech, G. and Svartvick “A Communicative English” Longman 1979.
• Thompson, A. & Martinet, A1986. A Practical English Grammar. Oxford University Press.
• GREENBAUM, Sidney & QUIRK, Randolph: A Student’s Grammar of the English Language. Longman. 1990.
• HUDDLESTON, R.: Introduction to the Grammar of English. Cambridge University

Context

Context is understood as the extralinguistic circumstances that influence the linguistic form of an utterance. It is formed by all the ethnographic knowledge that is necessary to interpret the statement. It is something dynamic, and those who participate in a communicative exchange have to build it.

Dimensions

• Location
• Nonverbal behavior
• Language as context
• Extra-situational context

Levels

• Spatio-temporal: The environment in which the communication takes place.
• Situational: What happens around the speakers as they converse is also influential.
• Sociocultural: The social characteristics of the participants that determine the form and interpretation of a message.
• Cognitive: General knowledge of the world, as well as the intentions of a participant.

Transmedia Storytelling: Unfolding Across Multiple Platforms

Pros and Cons of Transmedia Storytelling

Shared Knowledge and Collaborative Processes

1. Lexicology vs. Morphosyntax

Lexicology is the study of content words, or lexical items, focusing on the meanings and origins of words. Morphosyntax is the study of grammatical categories or linguistic units that possess both morphological and syntactic properties, encompassing the rules that govern these units.

2. Idioms: Definitions and Syntactic Types

An idiom is an expression whose meaning cannot be deduced from the meanings of its individual parts. There are two main syntactic types:

• Non-clausal idioms: e.g., pull someone's leg.
• Clausal idioms: e.g., he won't even lift a finger.

3. Dialectal and Stylistic Variations in Synonyms

Synonyms often exhibit variations independent of truth conditions, categorized as follows:

Dialectal Differences

Synonyms... Continue reading "Linguistic Concepts: Lexicology, Idioms, and Synonyms" »

Conditionals

• First Conditional: If + present simple, future. Example: "If he scores this penalty, they will win the match." Describes possible or probable future actions.
• Unless: Used to replace "if...not".
• Second Conditional: If + past simple, would + verb. Example: "If they scored ten goals in the final match, they would win the league." Describes imaginary or unlikely actions.
• Third Conditional: If + past perfect, would have + past participle. Example: "If he had scored, they would have won the match." Describes past situations that did not happen and their potential consequences.

Additional Conditional Connectors

• Even if: Used as a more formal alternative to "if".
• As long as / Providing: Used to replace "but only if".

Reported Speech

Examples:

• "Where

Unit 6 Level 2 Test Answers

Vocabulary Section

1. Phrasal Verbs & Expressions

1. pick up
2. break up
3. set off
4. start over
5. look up to
6. snapped up
7. picked out
8. stocked up on
9. picked up
10. broke down

2. Vocabulary & Concepts

1. in the spotlight
2. doing their best
3. trend
4. available
5. environmentally friendly
6. breaks down
7. landfill
8. a drop in the ocean
9. pressing

Grammar Section

3. Verb Forms & Structures

1. visit
2. will notice
3. are being made
4. Can... guess
5. to think
6. costs / is costing
7. has revealed
8. will tempt / tempts
9. is... written
10. wonder
11. (have) participated

4. Sentence Transformations & Rewrites

1. have a temperature, I'll be back at school
2. my shoes repaired
3. that / which I started last night
4. seeing / that we see a film that weekend
5. she had been worrying about me
6. being asked to leave (by the security guards)

5.