LANGUAGE AWARENESSLANGUAGE AWARENESSTEACHER GUSTAVO GÓMEZ TEACHER GUSTAVO GÓMEZ PEÑAPEÑA

Answer the questionsAnswer the questionsWhat is awareness?What is language awareness?How do you acquire awareness?

Interest in current Interest in current approaches approaches Learner independence, learner

autonomy, learning strategies, self-directed learning, self access, individualization

Explicit learner-centred approachesCognitive sciences Studies in individual differences “Good language learner” research Humanistic approaches “Study skills” tradition Social changes and changes in the

labour market.

http://www.learningpaths.org/papers/paperawareness.htm

AWARENESSAWARENESSState or ability to perceive, to

feel, or to be conscious of events, objects or sensory patterns. More broadly, it is the state or quality of being aware of something. In biological psychology, awareness is defined as a human's or an animal's perception and cognitive reaction to a condition or event.

Language AwarenessLanguage Awarenessexplicit knowledge about language, and conscious perception and sensitivity in language learning, language teaching and language use.

good knowledge about language, a conscious understanding of how languages work, of how people learn them and use them.

Language awarenessLanguage awareness(Cognitivist learning theory)As a prerequisite for the

restructuring of the learner’s mental representation of the language, some degree of conscious awareness is necessary

Awereness-raising Awereness-raising activitiesactivitiesExplicit focus on the rules of the systemHelp learners uncover gaps in their knowledge

Attention: Pay attention, alert, interested, involved

and curious- features of target skill

Noticing: Conscious registering of the occurrence of

some event. When do you notice things of language?

- make connections

- familiarity

- absence of something

- noticing the gap

Understanding: no awareness without

understanding, recognition of general rules,

principles or patterns

THE CELLPHONE AGETHE CELLPHONE AGEDo you have a cellphone? Yes,

No/Why?What functions does your

cellphone provide?

Match the word with the correct Match the word with the correct meaning.meaning.

a. indispensable __large inconvenient size

b. the preserve of __be as good asc. Bulky __not noticingd. rival __suitable only

fore. bemoan __very importantf. oblivious __complain about

Why did you choose your particular

cell phone? Does it have any functions

that you never use?

How do you think cellular phones will

change in the coming years?

Do you think you have good ‘cell

phone manners’? Can you give any

examples?

In what places is cell phone usage

banned? Do you agree with this?

Choose one of the following populations and design a cellphone for them

ConsiderConsiderFeaturesUsesRestrictionsPriceShapePopulationAdvantages

NOW…NOW…Choose a topic and plan a set of

activities to teach a specialized language

Raising awareness Raising awareness activitiesactivitiesActivate background knowledge:

brainstorm vocabulary (tyres, gears,

brakes, saddles, frame)

Check gist: asking general questions

Check register: establish register

variables (tenor), degree of formality

Check details: provide a grid to fill,

multiple choice questions, repeat

recording as many times as necessary

Listen and read: hand out the

transcript

Resolve doubts: residual doubts

about the topic and the reading

Focus on language features:

identifying, counting, classifying,

matching, connecting, comparing

and contrasting