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- THEME 1, LANGUAGE ACQUISITION PROCESS Here, we are going to explain the main theories about the language acquisition process. There are some authors that made very important researches about this theme which can be useful for teachers **VYGOTSKI'S THEORY ** Zone of Proximal Development Vygotsky proposed that learning depended on the zone of proximal development (ZPD), which he defined as "the distance between the actual developmental level as determined by independent problem-solving and the level of potential development as determined through problem-solving under adult guidance, or in collaboration with more capable peers."  Scaffolding Scaffolding essentially means that a more experienced person offers support, encouragement and guidance to a learner as appropriate. The key term is ‘as appropriate’. Guidance can be given in two forms:
 * 1) When the learner runs into difficulty specific instructions are given
 * 2) When the learner is coping well only general encouragement is given

 The ‘scaffold’ is provided by the expert and this allows the child to climb higher. Scaffolding is a powerful technique employed quite naturally and unconsciously by many good parents and teachers – think about how an adult helps a child as he learns to walk. The adult remains flexible and constantly modifies what she is offering in response to what the child is doing. Scaffolding emphasises the social-interactive nature of learning and describes quite clearly the conditions most suitable to learning. It is also crucial to remember that in time we all learn to scaffold for ourselves; self-instruction. The goal of learning is to become an independent learner. Scaffolding can help achieve this. Children also learn from each other by: Variety is essential in developing this approach in the classroom. If children only ever work with the same children in groups or pairs it severely limits the scope for them to learn from each other.
 * collaborative learning, involving children who are at similar levels of competence working together in pairs or in groups
 * peer tutoring, involves a more knowledgeable child providing guidance to another child in order to bring him up to a higher level of competence in a task. Research has shown that this not only benefits the child who is receiving the guidance; it also promotes learning in the child expert.

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<span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"> Vygotski thinks there are four types of language: <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"> - Public language: children interact with other people. - Private language: children need to repeat sentences at loud. - Inner speech: they don’t need to repeat sentences at loud because they are in their mind. - Verbal thought: when learners can change the short messages in their brains into a complete sentence.

**<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; vertical-align: baseline;">GARDNER'S THEORY ** <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;">Howard Gardner of Harvard has identified seven distinct intelligences. This theory has emerged from recent cognitive research and "documents the extent to which students possess different kinds of minds and therefore learn, remember, perform, and understand in different ways," according to Gardner (1991). According to this theory, "we are all able to know the world through language, logical-mathematical analysis, spatial representation, musical thinking, the use of the body to solve problems or to make things, an understanding of other individuals, and an understanding of ourselves. Where individuals differ is in the strength of these intelligences - the so-called profile of intelligences -and in the ways in which such intelligences are invoked and combined to carry out different tasks, solve diverse problems, and progress in various domains." <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"> Gardner says that these differences "challenge an educational system that assumes that everyone can learn the same materials in the same way and that a uniform, universal measure suffices to test student learning. Indeed, as currently constituted, our educational system is heavily biased toward linguistic modes of instruction and assessment and, to a somewhat lesser degree, toward logical-quantitative modes as well." Gardner argues that "a contrasting set of assumptions is more likely to be educationally effective. Students learn in ways that are identifiably distinctive. The broad spectrum of students - and perhaps the society as a whole - would be better served if disciplines could be presented in a numbers of ways and learning could be assessed through a variety of means." The learning styles are as follows:  <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline;">**Linguistic** - using words effectively. These learners have highly developed auditory skills and often think in words. They like reading, playing word games, making up poetry or stories. They can be taught by encouraging them to say and see words, read books together. Tools include computers, games, multimedia, books, tape recorders, and lecture. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"> **Bodily-kinesthetic** - use the body effectively, like a dancer or a surgeon. Keen sense of body awareness. They like movement, making things, touching. They communicate well through body language and be taught through physical activity, hands-on learning, acting out, role playing. Tools include equipment and real objects. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"> **Musical** - show sensitivity to rhythm and sound. They love music, but they are also sensitive to sounds in their environments. They may study better with music in the background. They can be taught by turning lessons into lyrics, speaking rhythmically, tapping out time. Tools include musical instruments, music, radio, stereo, CD-ROM, multimedia. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 90%; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"> **Interpersonal** - understanding, interacting with others. These students learn through interaction. They have many friends, empathy for others, street smarts. They can be taught through group activities, seminars, dialogues. Tools include the telephone, audio conferencing, time and attention from the instructor, video conferencing, writing, computer conferencing, E-mail. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"> **Intrapersonal** - understanding one's own interests, goals. These learners tend to shy away from others. They're in tune with their inner feelings; they have wisdom, intuition and motivation, as well as a strong will, confidence and opinions. They can be taught through independent study and introspection. Tools include books, creative materials, diaries, privacy and time. They are the most independent of the learners.
 * Logical -Mathematical** - reasoning, calculating. Think conceptually, abstractly and are able to see and explore patterns and relationships. They like to experiment, solve puzzles, ask cosmic questions. They can be taught through logic games, investigations, mysteries. They need to learn and form concepts before they can deal with details.   [[image:multiple-intelligences[2].jpg width="285" height="360" align="left"]]   **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 14px;">Visual-Spatial **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 14px;"> - think in terms of physical space, as do architects and sailors. Very aware of their environments. They like to draw, do jigsaw puzzles, read maps, daydream. They can be taught through drawings, verbal and physical imagery. Tools include models, graphics, charts, photographs, drawings, 3-D modeling, video, videoconferencing, television, multimedia, texts with pictures/charts/graphs.

<span style="color: #800080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">- THEME 1, VERBAL AND NON VERBAL COMMUNICATION <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">**Semiotics**, also called **semiotic studies** or (in the Saussurean tradition) **semiology**, is the study of sings and sign processes (semiosis), indication, designation, likeness, analogy, metaphor, symbolism, signification, and communication. Semiotics is closely related to the field of linguistics, which, for its part, studies the structure and meaning of language more specifically. Semiotics is often divided into three branches:
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">**Semantics:** Relation between signs and the things to which they refer; their //denotata//, or meaning
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">**Syntactics:** Relations among signs in formal structures
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">**Pragmatics:** Relation between signs and the effects they have on the people who use them.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">There are some kinds: <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">- Sign: gesture. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">- Cue: gesture that provokes something. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">- Signal: what will happen next.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">There are some kinds of sings too:

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">- Emblem: gesture with a precised meaning known by a culture. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">- Illustrators: gesture that enhace verbal messages. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">- Adaptator: it helps to a person to adapt tension, also called manipulator. Hands are used very often. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">- Regulator: used to regulate, control or manage a conversation. Turn talking. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">- Affect displays: facial expressions that show our emotions.