Preview of Ch. 6: Foreign Language Aptitude (Merica)

Activating background knowledge:
Before reading this chapter, take a moment to consider some of these questions. You might want to jot down some ideas and/or discuss some of these briefly with a partner.

1. What does it mean when people say that someone has a gift or a knack for learning languages?

2.a. Think about your own experience learning a language. Do you think that you have an aptitude for language learning?
b. Why or why not?
c. Can you think of specific examples from your L1 and/or L2?

3.a. Have you observed others who you think have an aptitude for language learning? Try to think of somebody you know (this could be a family member, a friend, a fellow student in a class you have attended or a student who you have taught). What qualities do they exhibit?

d. How is learning a language in a classroom different from learning outside of a classroom?

e. What role do you think memory plays in language learning?

A few points that I found interesting from chapter 6:

- Intuitively, it seems that aptitude accounts for more significant differences in implicit learning situations than in explicit learning in the classroom. However, empirical evidence on this matter remains inconclusive.

- According to Ross et al. (2002) and DeKeyser (2000), aptitude plays a more significant role for late learners because they usually learn the L2 in a formal classroom setting and have limited exposure to natural L2 input (Ortega, forthcoming Ch. 6, p. 13).

- At the bottom of page 15, Dr. Ortega mentions how some students benefit from recasts more than others. “Noticing the gap” refers to the learner comparing what they said with what they heard from the interlocuter. Reading this made me think of the Spanish 102 class that I am currently taking. I enjoy observing how the teacher skillfully helps raise students' awareness and leads them to correct themselves in verbal utterances. She uses a variety of helpful techniques such as repeating what the student said with rising intonation and sometimes writing something on the board to help the student see their mistake. I find this highly beneficial for the student involved as well as those listening.

- In the middle of page 16, after motivational and affective forces are mentioned in bold, Dr. Ortega adds that those with high motivation may benefit more from recasts by viewing every L2 encounter as an opportunity to learn. I agree with that conclusion.

- Section 6.12 offers evidence that matching teaching styles to students learning style preference yields more successful learning in the classroom. Think about your own learning experience. Can you think of a situation in which the teaching style matched (or did not match) your learning style? How did this affect your success in that class?

The following website provides more detailed information including additional sample questions and answers as well as frequently asked questions:
http://www.2lti.com/htm/Test_mlat.htm

A final note: I’m quite curious to learn how my L2 aptitude measures on this aptitude test. I wonder if others in our department or university have recently taken it. I would like to find out if we can take this on campus.

P.S. The fancy editing options do not appear on this old computer, so I apologize that I cannot enrich the text with bold and colorful additions now.