The Art of Teaching Spanish: Second Language Acquisition from Research to Praxis

5 Concept-Based Instruction and the Acquisition of L2 Spanish

5 Concept-Based Instruction and the Acquisition of L2 Spanish Eduardo Negueruela University of Miami James P. LantOlf Pennsylvania State University T he rekindling of interest in teaching grammar in foreign language classrooms is arguably the result of concern about the lack of control over the grammatical features of the L2 (secondary language) observed among learners who have passed through pedagogical programs in which opportunities to communicate are given greater emphasis than are the formal features of learners' performance.A problem confronting those who wish to bring grammar back into focus isthe need to develop a clear understanding of what grammar consists of in the first place (Odlin 1994). For instance, Ellis (2004) notes that L2 researchers do not seem to agree on either the relevance or even the relationship between such concepts as implicit versus explicit grammatical knowledge, automatic and controlled processing of grammar, metalinguistic knowledge versus grammatical rules, deductive versus inductive learning of grammatical features, and so on (see also Ellis 1997,2002; Hinkel and Fotos 2002). In their meta-analysis of the effects of instruction of learning, Norris and Ortega (2000) conclude that explicit form-focused and form5-focused instruction, where learners are made aware of grammatical forms, have substantial positive effects on learning and are more effective than implicit instruction. On the other hand, they note that in studies in which rules are explicitly taught, the impact on learning was not significant. One problem with these studies, however, is that grammar presentation was not carried out in a consistent manner across the studies. In some studies rules were presented paradigmatically "with various forms and functions of a linguistic subsystem presented together" (484). In others, the rules were presented in stages "with aspects of a structure explained in small steps accompanied by intervening practice or exposure activities" (ibid.). In most studies rule-based explanations were presented prior to engaginglearners in other instructional activities.In some studies, however, explanations were available for consultation as learners participated in instructional activities;in others, the rules were reintroduced at intervals throughout the instructional intervention (ibid.). As far as we can determine, the previous research has not concerned itself with the quality of the grammatical rules presented to learners, and this, along with the functionality of this knowledge—that is, how instruction promotes the appropriation of grammatical knowledge to make it accessible to learners when they use the language—form the primary focus of this chapter. Specifically,our concern is with instruction of Spanish verbal aspect. However, we are not interested in accuracy of morphological endings but in learner understanding of, and control over, the concept of aspect as it is manifested in the distinction in Spanish between preterit and 79 80 Negueruela and Lantolf imperfect. Consequently, we propose that the key to the development of conceptual understanding of grammar is the construction of appropriate didactic models that learners can use to guide their performance and ultimately internalize as a means of regulating their meaning-makingability in the L2. We first explicate the pedagogical implications of Vygotsky's sociocultural theory of mind. It is important to point out that research within the Vygotskyantradition generally has been grounded in the dialectical concept of praxis, which drawsinstruction and development into an organic unity that arises in concrete practical activity. Accordingly, the true test of a theory resides in its ability to promote development in the very sites where ordinary activity transpires, and this includes pedagogical activity in the school setting (see Cole 1996; Scribner 1997).1 In Vygotsky's praxis-based framework, instructionis understood as"any directivewhich elicits new activity,"and development is conceived of as "the reorganization of consciousness through this activity" (Axel 1997,131). What all of this means is that from a sociocultural perspective , pedagogical research is part and parcel of SLAresearch.2 In what follows we propose an approach to grammar instruction that is predicated on the Vygotskyan principle that schooled instruction is about developing control over theoretical concepts that are explicitly and coherently presented to learners as they are guided through a sequence of activitiesdesigned to prompt the necessary internalization of the relevant concepts.3 The primary value of theoretical concepts is that unlike spontaneous, everyday concepts, they are not connected to an individual 's personal experience; rather, they represent the generalizedexperienceof a community (Karpov2003, 66). Control of theoretical concepts enables learners to operate independently of a specific context as it allowsthem to transfer the concept to all relevant contexts as needed. According to Karpov (2003, 70), "Rote skills...