Teaching English Language Learners: Applied Psycho-Sociolinguistics

Catalog description

This course is an overview of the current theories and research in psycho-sociolinguistics and their application in second language acquisition. It begins with a discussion on what is means to be a second language learner in a broad social, cultural, and historical context. It then examines some important factors that influence second language acquisitions such as the on-set age of exposure to a second language, the effects of the first language (L1) on the acquisition of a second language (L2), the L1 and L2 learning environments, the cultural patterns of discourse, the parents’ educational and socio-economic background, their child-rearing beliefs, gender and individual differences, and the potential effect of L2 acquisition has on the development of the learner’s emotion, cognition, and identity. Finally, it focuses on L2 learning in the school context by exploring various teaching strategies that aim to utilize the funds of knowledge of second language learners and maximize their learning potential.