KRASHEN’S CONTRIBUTION OF ELT.
INTRODUCTION
Over the last 20 plus year Krashen
has been recognized as one of the foremost experts in the field of linguistics
specializing in theories of language teaching and development. Krashen is also
a champion of foreign language education in the United States. Stephen krashen has contributed to the fields
of second language acquisition, bilingual education and reading. He is credited
with introducing various influential concepts and terms in the study of second
language acquisition and learning the input hypothesis, monitor theory, the Affective filter and the natural order hypothesis. His research also concerns
literacy and linguistics. He has published over 350 books and articles and
is an activist to inform policy on bilingual education.
Krashen is also noted supporter of whole
language reading philosophy and methods. His five hypothesis about language
acquisition remain influential in both theoretical linguistics and language
teaching and he also developed the comprehension based natural approach to
second language learning with Tracy D. Terral ( Krashen S.D,1983)
Although there is frequently
criticism of his theories and beliefs when the term language acquisition is
used it is most likely the result of his use of the term and the clear
distinction he made from language. The acquisition learning distinction is the
most fundamental of the entire hypothesis in Krashen’s theory and the most widely
known among linguists and language practitioners.
The most ambitious as well as the most
controversial theory which attempts to provide an overall account for language
teaching is Krashen’s Monitor Theory.
These theories have had a large impact on all areas of second language
research and teaching thus, received extensive attention in the professional
literature.
Krashen’s Monitor Model:
One of the remarkable contributions of krashen
along with Terral’s is the Monitor hypothesis. It explains that there is a
relationship between language acquisition and language learning. The monitoring
function is the practical result of the learned grammar. According to krashen,
the acquisition system is what begins the process of speaking a new language and the learning system is the
editor or monitor that plans, edits and correct the language in addition Krashen indicates that there are three kinds of individuals who use the monitor
to some extend to another. First, there are the over-users who constantly use
the monitor to correct their speech. Then there are the under-users who never
learned grammar or choose not to use grammar to monitor their speech. Finally,
what we want to have are the optimal users who use the Monitor correctly in the
monitoring of their speech. The Monitor Theory is based on five main hypotheses.
These comprise;
The
Acquisition- Learning hypothesis: Krashen claimed that formal instruction or learning and
studying about a language,, is a different process from the natural acquisition
that takes place as a subconscious act similar to the way children begin to understand their native language we
use learning to produce correct form or grammar, while acquisition is used to understand and produce meaning.
The
Natural Order hypothesis: in this hypothesis krashen acclaimed that there is a natural,
predictable order in which people acquire language. It is the same for each
person and independent of the instruction program
The
Monitor hypothesis: the
learned system should have the purpose of self-monitor production. It is
somehow related to the goal that the learner may be unable to identify and correct
mistakes or ask for help and reflect on the process of acquisition. ‘Conscious
learning… can only be used as a monitor or the editor’ (Krashen & Terrell
1983)
The Input
hypothesis: people acquire a language
by understanding messages or by receiving comprehensible input. This input
should be slightly ahead of a learner’s current state of. The input hypothesis
states that only comprehensible input will result in acquisition of the target
language. Krashen says that learners must be exposed to input that is just
beyond their current level in order to make progress.
The Affective Filter
hypothesis: The Affective filter
hypothesis asserts that a learner’s emotional states act as adjustable filters
that freely permit or hinder input necessary to acquisition. ‘a mental block,
caused by affective factors… that prevents learning.
These five hypotheses of second language acquisition
can be summarized as:
1. Acquisition is
inevitable and more important than learning.
2. In order to acquire, two conditions are necessary. The first
is comprehensible input containing i+1—i.e., structures a bit beyond the
acquirer’s current level, and second, a low or weak Affective filter to allow
the input in (Wilson, 2000).
The teacher in the classroom is enticed by this hypothesis
because of the obvious effects of self-confidence and motivation.
However, Krashen seems to imply that teaching children, who don’t have this
filter, is somehow easier, since “given sufficient exposure, most children
reach native-like levels of competence in second languages” (p.47). This
obviously completely ignores the demanding situations that face language minority
children in the U.S. every day. A simplification into a one page
“hypothesis” gives teachers the idea that these problems are easily solved and
fluency is just a matter of following this path. As Gregg and McLaughlin
point out, however, trying to put these ideas into practice, one quickly runs
into problems.
Krashen’s Monitor Theory
is an example of a macro theory attempting to cover most of the factors
involved in second language acquisition: age, personality traits, classroom
instruction, innate mechanisms of language acquisition, environmental
influences, input, etc. Despite its popularity, the Monitor Theory has been
criticized by theorists and researchers mainly on the grounds of its
definitional adequacy. Yet despite these criticisms, Krashen’s Monitor Theory
has had significant impact on SL/ FL teaching.
Conclusion.
Krashen’s Monitor Model has attracted
enormous attention on linguists and educators. The major pedagogical
implications of Krashen’s Hypothesis are the teaching should be seen as preparation
for acquisition in the wider world. It focused that teaching should be
restricted to simple form and its goal is to enable the learner to monitor. Although theories are primarily concerned with
providing explanations about how languages are acquired, no single theory can
offer a comprehensive explanation about the whole process of second language
acquisition. Each theory offers a different insight in the complex process of
second language acquisition. The field of SLA is still young. Krashen’s Monitor
Model Theory and hypothesis made a great contribution in the field of
language learning and teaching.
REFERENCE
Binnema, J.
(n.d.). A closer look at the Monitor Model and some of its criticism. Retrieved November
16,
Wilson, R. (2000). A
summary of Stephen Krashen's “Principles
and Practice in Second
Language Acquisition”. Retrieved November 16, 2011,
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