Van Lier & Walquí's Theory of Language as Action by Jessica Michelle Ewton

What is the Theory

ewtonj — 2024-07-31 21:15:45 UTC

"Language as a form of human action" means that language is developed for functionality, but is inseparable from all human action (Van Lier & Walquí, 2011, p. 4)

This means that language is interwoven with other forms of human interaction like socializing or working. This theory describes language as something used to act. It is reflective of culture, socioeconomic factors, etc. and is place-based.

Application in Education

ewtonj — 2024-07-31 21:29:36 UTC

"An action-based perspective means that ELs engage in meaningful activities (projects, presentations, investigations)." (Van Lier & Walquí, 2011, p. 4)

The main educational impact for this theory is the use of activity based learning. ELs need to engage in the material through highly scaffolded activities to learn content and language at the same time.

The role of the teacher is to structure activities in such a way that students are pushed into higher level thinking. There is an emphasis on group work so that ELs are able to work with their peers which is vital for integration socially.

Educational Example

ewtonj — 2024-07-31 21:37:10 UTC

DeFazio, a teacher at a New York high school, tasks his students with writing a letter explaining if animal communication is language. There are five volunteers that write the beginning of their letter up on the board and the class mingles talking about their views. One student, Julio, talks to his peer about how he believes that animal communication is language. Julio then asks to read his letter to the class, which has some pronunciation and grammatical errors, but is still praised by the class and teacher. This is an act of communication which is critical in the acquisition of a new language. (Van Lier & Walquí, 2011, pp. 4-5).

Contextualized Language

ewtonj — 2024-07-31 21:42:53 UTC

"Language ceases to be an autonomous system, but is part of larger systems of meaning." (Van Lier & Walquí, 2011, p. 5)

An important aspect of this theory is that language isn't independent of context clues. When language is used in action then there are gestures, intonation, movement, etc. which aid in understanding (Walquí, 2012).

In my experience learning Spanish, gestures and intonation were vital for my understanding. When I speak with others I look at how they move and use the context of what we are doing to glean understanding of the words I don't recognize. Beyond this I use context when speaking with others which helps my fluidity when speaking. ELs should be allowed to use English without it being isolated from these things.

My Future Classroom

ewtonj — 2024-07-31 21:50:15 UTC

I would love to incorporate an activity like DeFazio's into my classroom. I think that having students work individually then sharing their work with peers is a great way to engage ELs. In my future chemistry class I could see asking a question about the scientific method versus how science is actually practiced then have a discussion like this. I think it is important to emphasize that science isn't done without people so it is informed by the researchers cultural background which would hopefully be discussed.

Sources

ewtonj — 2024-07-31 21:58:58 UTC

Van Lier, L., & Walquí, A. (2011). Language and the Common Core State Standards. Stanford University. https://ul.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/resource/2021-12/04-Van%20Lier%20Walqui%20Language%20and%20CCSS%20FINAL.pdf

Walquí, A. (2012, April 10). Language and the common core state standards. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3YJx8ujoto&ab_channel=TinaCheuk

Leo Van Lier

ewtonj — 2024-07-31 22:02:12 UTC

Aída Walquí

ewtonj — 2024-07-31 22:02:42 UTC