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Teachers understand that L2 acquisition is a long, complex process that is a result of social, psychological, and linguistic components interacting with one another. Teachers should plan lessons that engage students socially with one another, in addition to teaching language through content.

Students learn language due to experiences and they need a variety of experiences to do so. Language is attached to other components of the brain and given time they will develop the language skills required in life.

Yes, connectionist theories do have an influence on my practice. They shed light on the many different factors at play in the L2 process and make us consider how language is attached to so many other cognitive processes.

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Teachers will consider the steps, or order of grammatical acquisition and design activities in accordance of the order of acquisition. Teachers will understand what order English skills are developed and know what features will be out of reach for learners.

Students will build language in sequences and will learn certain features before others.

Personally, I find PT interesting and it makes sense that we learn skills in sequences and use processing strategies. I think it is beneficial to consider which features will be acquired, when they will be acquired, and in what order they will acquired.

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NO LAD! We are not computers!

Group of theories, not just one.

Complex adaptive systems includes social, psychological and linguistic components all interacting with one another. One part of the system cannot be understood in isolation from the other parts.

Adaptability is never ending=Grammars are not fixed and can change due to experience (what if an adult gets a new job that uses technical, occupational-specific jargon). Brain is always responding to the linguistic environment.

Grammar is a process, not a product. Grammar is developed through learner's experiences with target forms= experience provides learner with the probability of their occurrence.

Though complex adaptive systems are in constant, chaotic flux, they settle into attractor states- states where behavior is probablistic. Basic Variety, the first simple system learners construct when first learning a language, is an attractor state. No state is fixed, learning will progress/change.

It is believed that learners' systems are different, and developmental stages are not so neat and defined. This is different from symbolist theories.

Focus is on the nature of the interactions between the components of the system (Ellis. p. 197.) Learner needs to be looked at holistically- how do the social, psychological and linguistic components of the system interact?

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One must arrive at one landing before climbing to the next

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Symbolist theory that emphasizes implicit learning

Processing strategies are hierarchical in nature, mastered one at a time (Ellis, p. 192).  Pienemann (2005): "it is hypothesized that processing devices will be acquired in their sequence of activation in the process (Ellis, p. 192).

How can a learner understand more complex aspects of grammar/usage if lower-level aspects are not mastered/understood first? Acquisition happens in stages.

Theory was created to explain the sequencing of grammatical structures in L2 acquisition. Theory helps predict when and in what order learners acquire features.

Pienemann proposed this hierarchical ordering: (1) word/lemma (2) category procedure (3) phrasal procedures (4) s-procedure and word order rule (5) matrix/subordinate clause

Processing is specific to language, differs from connectionist theories. Grammar processing happens in "grammatical memory store."

Shortcomings: Does not account for input, only production. Does not detail how learners gain control over grammatical structures. Does not tell us how input is processed.

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Teacher will provide multiple examples of correct usage and bring learners attention to forms (presentation). They will then give learners ample time and activities to practice forms (practice). Learners will then have had time to process and internalize forms. They will now be able to produce correct forms in context.

Learners will pay attention to forms presented and learn the correct usage. They will then complete exercises that reinforce correct usage and mechanically process the correct forms. Learners will now be able to produce the correct forms.

Personally, this theory/method (PPP) does not influence my personal practice. Language is better taught in naturalistic contexts that provide realistic interaction with forms (communicative language teaching).

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Symbolist theory
Influenced presentation-practice-production (PPP) method.

Language learning is like any other learning (driving a car).

Early stage is defined by declarative knowledge that involves controlled processing.

Final stage is automatic and procedural in nature.

Learners proceduralize their declarative knowledge through practice (Ellis, p. 191).

Practice is skill specific: listening helps listening, not speaking, etc. No single knowledge store that language is retrieved from, but different stores that support productive and receptive skills.

Detractors: Language and forms learned in isolation will not lead to communication. Language learning must resemble real communication practice (DeKyser).

Highly automatized knowledge is not implicit knowledge, but functions the same way (DeKyser).