Group members: Katie Farr, Zoe Cook, Nichole Bowen
Estimated Timing of Pres 30 mins
Topic (why is it significant?): How we learn language, this is significant because vital to communication
1. What is the real life situation under consideration?
In situations where one is surrounded in by unfamiliar language; how do we react to this new knowledge? Ex. Learning new slang by looking up unfamiliar words on urban dictionary
2. What is the TOK knowledge issue(s) (questions) that will be the focus of your presentation?
Overall: How do we come to “know” a language?
Subquestions: How do we learn language? Why do we learn language? How does the way we learn influence how the language is utilized? How do we best learn language? What affects the way we learn language?
3. Write a summary in note form (like a bulleted list) of the way you plan to deal with the knowledge issue(s)/questions during your presentation. Provide approximate TIME and be specific about TOOLS, EXAMPLES and WHO is doing what. Think about the criteria:
Zoe, Nichole, and Katie for 3 minutes: explain our knowledge issues, questions, and specific topics, using Prezi with questions written out
Katie for 9 minutes: Investigating and exploring the knowledge claim “Reading, writing, listening, and speaking are the four essential pillars of language acquisition and are best taught through individualized technique” using anecdotal evidence and personal perspective developed from personal experience learning language, emphasis on Duolingo, techniques used, and why they are effective
Zoe for 9 minutes: Explaining the claim “Social and cultural groups have a profound impacts upon the language we acquire and how we utilize this language, within a singular language” using anecdotal evidence about personal cultural shock, specifically through language. Various types of communities that shape our language and how they do so. The effect of pop culture and technology on language acquisition. How and why we acquire language that is already part of our native tongue?
Nichole for 9 minutes: The claim “There are many factors (both internal and external) that impact a person’s ability to acquire a language”. Internal factors such as natural predisposition to languages, age, previous language experience. External factors such as cultural, exposure and immersion, techniques used. Developmental psychology as it relates to language acquisition.
a. How will you identify the knowledge issue(s)?
· We will list and explain all of the knowledge issue questions that we are investigating at the beginning of our presentation and explain how they relate. As they become relevant to our personal sections, we will reference back to them.
b. How will you show your personal perspective?
· Within our sections, we will use personal anecdotes to relate to the knowledge issues at hand and explain how these experiences have led to our current views
· Katie: experience using Duolingo and learning the importance of repetition and the four essential pillars
· Zoe: my experiences with language changes when moving to different regions and interacting with different groups of people, slang and language changes between different communities and cultures
· Nichole: anecdote of young bilingual friend, understanding the effect of age and language acquisition and how it isn’t just internal factors like ability
c. How will you make connections to other Ways of Knowing or Areas of Knowledge?
· Psychology as an Area of Knowing
· Sociocultural level of analysis: language determined by cultural groups and conformity
· Development psychology and its affect upon language acquisition
d. How will you examine the knowledge claims and possible counterclaims (i.e different perspectives)? Tip: ask yourself, what would someone who disagrees with the claim say, and what reasons would he give? What about someone from a different culture, age group, religion, class, educational background?
· Claim: Reading, writing, listening, and speaking are the four essential pillars of language acquisition and are best taught through individualized technique.
· Counter-claim: Complete immersion is the only way to fully understand a language.
· Claim: Social and cultural groups have a profound impacts upon the language we acquire and how we utilize this language.
· Counter-claim: With technology connected the world, the globalization of language is making social and cultural differences in language acquisition less prominent.
· Claim: There are many factors (both internal and external) that impact a person’s ability to acquire a language.
· Counter-claim: Environmental factors (such as techniques used to learn) are the only things that affect how effectively language is learned.