ESL 6000 Language Acquisition and Learning
Explores the accepted theories of language learning and acquisition. The distinction is made between learning and acquisition as it relates to efficient language application and use. Distinctions are also made between communicative language learning and academic language learning and the instructional supports required for each. This is an applied theory course with significant reading and which provides a theoretical framework for the remainder of the coursework in this major. Understanding how language is learned and acquired is fundamental to language instruction. The importance of socialization in the target language with transitional supports in the mother tongue is also explored.