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Date Posted: 13:04:26 06/04/03 Wed
Author: Gerson G. dos Santos
Subject: Task_5_Krashen_Fractal_Model

TASK_5 : Krashen`s theory and Fractal Model

Task is to compare the two texts and give your own opinion about how language is acquired.

The main characteristic concerning Krashen’s theory and Fractal Model is that the first one makes a distinction between acquisition and learning while the second one does not. In other words, according to Krashen’s theory, acquisition would be a subconscious process, that is, second language is acquired naturally through meaningful interaction – like occurs with the primary language; Learning would be a result of formal instruction and conscious knowledge of the language. Fractal Model, on the other hand, as Vera Menezes asserts in her article, does takes acquisition and learning as something separated, but as parts of the same system.
Another important point between Fractal Model and Krashen`s theory is that the fact that while one, Fractal Model, sees acquisition and learning as fragmented views of parts of parts of a single system; and the other one, Krashen’s theory, consider only its model as one which fit well the language learning for supplying compreensible in input – natural sounds, writtings, readings, so forth of the second language in which the learners receive, that in order to improve the learners`s acquisition should go oen step beyond their current stage of linguistic competence. Besides, Krashe’s theory considers that high motivation, self-confidence and low anxiety help the learner to acquire the language easier, and that learners’s production should only come when they are already ‘ready’for that.
According to her article, Fractal Model of second language, Vera Menezes argues that many factors (culture, social distances, intelligence, motivation, etc) are determinant for na effective or ineffective learning or acquisition. She also points out that many authors, such Nunan and Larsen-Freeman, take language acquision as a complexity based on complex system or chaos theory: small changes into the language process can result in large differences into the language acquisition; and it would have na order in all surround itself. This would take place because the language is a process od continual restructuring.
Differently from Krashen’s theory, which takes only its one as model of language acquisition; Fractal model takes many theories as relevant to learning and/or acquisition of a second language. Some of them, including Krashen’s one, are:
- behaviorist, which sees tthe language as an automatic habits based on drills (imitation by repetition);
- Krashen, which considers important the input – plus one level difficult from what learners have;
- Hacth, which sees the interaction one of most important aspects of the language learning;
- Swain, which considers the output as relevant, that is, learners’s production such oral and written by what he/she has acquired during input;
- Schumann, which takes the learning and acquisition as a process of accultaration;

The main reason for Fractal model does not consider only one theory is because the language learning is a non-linear process. In other words, it cannot be predicable for having many factors (social context, motivation, input, etc.) in it such as the chaos theory sees.
So, any alternatives used by the learners to increase, to improve or to solve a learning doubt such as consulting dictionary, infering meaning from context, consulting another person, would be seen as an attempt to stable na unstable state of the learning, according to Todorov’s theory mentioned in Vera Menezes’s article.
Besides, the Fractal Model could also be divided in subsystems:
- Bio-Cognitive-Affective: attitude, learning strategies, anxiety, age, sex/identity;
- Input: sporadic, continous, oral, written varied of the language;
- Interaction: real, simulated, virtual in group, in pairs;
- Social-Historical Context: classroom, natural environment, stimulus, feedback, culture
- Automatism: sounds, intonation, standarts discourse patterns, international rules;
- Affiliation: identity, prejudice, faxcination, integration, political context;
- Motivation: needs, beliefs, objectives, self-steem.

In summary, the Fractal Model embraces not only one theory such Krashe’s one, but many theories which also are very relevant to language learning for being a dinamic system that has a lot of factors behind it such as social context, creativity, adapation, motivation.

It seems that for language acquisition only one theory does not seem fill all the needs in which it has been involved. I believe that language acquisition is based on not only one theory, but in many of them. Each situation will require one of them as well as some of them may be useful in certain context or not. It means that the learning acquisition does not only depend on the theory in which it has been used, but also factors that are out of theory field such as motivation, social context, and so forth, and that only one theory may be not be able to deal with. The fact is that each situation – as well as different learners expections, needs - will take not only theoric aspect but all of them at the same time.


REFERENCES:
http://www.veramenezes.com/model.htm
http://www.viavale.com.br/english/sk-krash.html

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