Blog #6 Learning vs Acquisition

The students:

Learning	Both	Acquisition
Look up words in the dictionary to write definitions	Make a Venn diagram to compare two stories	Write rhyming poetry and then discuss different spellings for the same sound
Practice sounding out words	Correct peers when they make a mistake during reading	Identify words on a big book page that start with the same sound
Read in round-robin fashion	Group cards with classmates’ names by a criterion such as first or last letter	Read a language experience story they have created with the teacher
Ask teacher how to spell any word they don’t know	Work in pairs to arrange words from a familiar chant into sentences
Divide words into syllables	Make alphabet books on different topics
On a worksheet, draw a line from each word to the picture that starts with the same sound

The teacher:

Learning	Both	Acquisition
Makes sure that students read only books that fit their level	Preteaches vocabulary	Does a shared reading with a big book
Conducts phonics drills	Has students segment words into phonemes	Writes words the students dictate for a story and has students help with the spelling of difficult words
Uses a variety of worksheets to teach different skills	Asks students to look around the room and find words starting with a certain letter	Teaches Latin and Greek roots
Sets aside time for SSR (sustained silent reading) each day	Uses decodable texts	Has students meet in literature circles
	Chooses predictable texts	Teaches students different comprehension strategies
		Does a picture walk of a new book

In the chart above, I noted activities that involve learning, acquisition or both. I used the following criteria to determine which activity involved each method:

      "Learning is a conscious process that involves studying rules and vocabulary. (Freeman, 2004, p. 35)

      "Acquisition is subconscious. Acquisition occurs as students use language for a variety of              purposes. (Freeman, 2004, p. 35)

Several of the activities could be either learning or acquisition or a combination of both. Much depends on the intent of the teacher and the type of activity involved in using decodable texts for example. If the teacher is meeting with small groups of students or using decodable texts in connection with science this could constitute learning or acquisition or both. 

In teaching Latin and Greek roots and comprehension strategies, teachers are giving students tools they can use in many settings and acquisition will take place as students take part in these activities.

Lessons and activities that involve students and allow them to interact with text and with each other give students the opportunity to acquire and therefore hold onto language and information better than activities simply involving drill and skills.