G.+Input+&+Output


 * Input, Output, Interaction & Communication **



In the ELL classroom, learners use input and output in their interactions with their teachers and peers to acquire the language necessary to communicate and succeed in the L2 environment. Below I have defined these processes and presented their implications for both ELL and regular classroom teachers. I have also provided some teacher tips and web resources in each section.

 Input - What is input in the classroom environment?

I nput is the language available to the second language learner. According to Krashen, input is critical to second language acquisition because it can be used to create fluency and proficiency. Gass (1997) explains that input results in greater proficiency when a learner:  Input is important because it allows the learner to confirm or reject guesses that they have about the language system of L2. However, input may only prove useful in SLA if it builds on what the learner already knows. If the input is redundant or is above the learner’s level of comprehension, it may not be useful to the learner. This type of input is described as comprehensible input or I +1 in Krashen’s input hypothesis.  Classroom Application Input in the classroom should be ... -just a bit more difficult than the learner can easily understand (//i+//1). -presented with the help of background information, context/ visual cues or gestures. -repeated several times, but with slight variation in the examples or vocabulary used**.** -scaffolded to include presentation of key words or other important information.  For more information on comprehensible input and ESL see ... [|Comprehensible Input and Output @ Everything ESL.net] [|Using Scaffolded Instruction to Optimize Learning] Teacher Vision- [|What Is Comprehensible Input?] [|Key Instructional Principals to Use with ELLs]
 * 1) **notices a gap** between what they know and what they need to know.
 * 2) uses context and extra-linguistic information to **connect their prior knowledge** to the new language presented.
 * 3) <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 121%;"> takes this comprehended input and **processes it**. At this stage the input might also be described as what Corder (1967) refers to as **intake,** or internalized input.
 * 4) <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 121%;"> **analyzes the intake** using psycholinguistic analysis and **integrates the information** as part of their interlanguage grammar or stores it away for later use.

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">Output <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">- What is it and why is it important to acquire language? <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;"> <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 123.75%;">Swain (1985) suggests that output, or the production of language, is just as important as input to the learning process. Students may be able to comprehend input without understanding the structures or syntax used to convey meaning. However, when students are asked to respond in speech or writing they are forced to consider the form in which they formulate their response. According to Swain (1995), “**pushed output**” or output that must be accurate and sociolinguistically appropriate facilitates acquisition by:
 * 1) <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">bringing attention to the learner’s knowledge gap.
 * 2) <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">allowing learners to tests language hypotheses and respond to feedback.
 * 3) <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">forcing learners to actively reflect on what they know in L2. (Glisan & Shrum, 2000)

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">Classroom Application <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">Output in the classroom can be facilitated by <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">... -putting learners in small groups where teachers or students can modify or adapt their communication to meet each participant's needs. -checks for understanding and asking for clarification from the learner. -providing ample opportunities for student input on subjects that are relevant to them**.** -making feedback and correction immediate and encouraging.

Some popular output activities in small groups include "Think, Pair, Share" and "Inside/ Outside Circles."

For more information on comprehensible output and ESL see ... [|Comprehensible Input and Output @ Everything ESL.net] [|Language Development Activities for ELL Students] [|Quick Tips from Everything ESL.net]

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">Interaction <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">- What is the role of interaction in the second language acquisition process?

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 108%; line-height: 115%;">I <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 118.8%; line-height: 115%;">nteraction provides learners with opportunities to negotiate meaning and develop an understanding of L2 grammar. Gass proposes that, as students interact with one another, they inevitably experience **miscommunications** including misunderstandings and incomplete understandings. Normally these terms carry a negative connotation, but, as they relate to language learning, they provide students with opportunities to make L2 adjustments. These communication issues force students to clarify, repeat and negotiate meaning.

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 121%; line-height: 115%;">As learners resolve these miscommunications they acquire language and integrate the input from their interactions into their new language system. (Gass, 1997) Interaction also provides opportunities for learners to work in **Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development**, or the area between what the learner can produce on their own, unassisted and the area of “potential development when collaborating with adults or more capable peers.” (Glisan & Shrum, 2000) When interacting, a learner can increase their language capabilities through this type of peer-scaffolding.

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">Classroom Application <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">Interactive activities for the classroom include <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">... <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 143%;">- <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 132%;">Class surveys -Discussions about pop culture - Conversation grids -"Think, Pair, Share" activities - Line dialogues or "Inside/ Outside Circles" -Information gap activities -Games such as Jeopardy, Bingo, etc. <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;"> For more information on interaction and ESL see ... [|Activities to Promote Interaction and Communication] [|ESL Speaking Activities] [|Ingredients for Successful Communicative Tasks]

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">Comprehension <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">- How do interaction, input and output promote comprehension in L2? <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Through the input and output created in student and teacher interactions students are better able to comprehend communication in L2. As teachers continue to provide students with comprehensible input students grow in their ability to comprehend increasing complex input. When creating output, students are pushed to stretch and develop in their language production abilities and become more aware of their language strengths and weaknesses. Through interaction learners are forced to clarify and modify their language to comprehend one another. In combination, input, output and interaction raise the learners' level of understanding of L2 and promote communicative competence.

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">Classroom Application <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">To increase comprehension in the classroom <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">... -try to provide students with activities in small groups to complete task-based assignments -integrate reading, writing, speaking and listening activities -create activities where students can interact in meaningful contexts

For more information on comprehension and ESL see ... <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Tips on Communicating @ EverythingESL.net <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;"> [|Making Content Comprehensible for ELLs] [|Comprehension: Helping ELLs Grasp the Full Picture- Webcast]

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">References

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif;">Gass. S. M. (1997). //Input, interaction, and the second language learner.// Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum. Gass, S.M. & Selinker, L. (2008). //Second language acquisition: An introductory course// (3rd ed.). New York: Routledge. Glisan, E. & Shrum, J. (2000) //Teacher’s handbook: Contextualized language instruction//.Boston: Heinle &Heinle

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Jessica de Araujo Jorge Graduate Student [|Middle Tennessee State University] jlm2w@mtmail.mtsu.edu Foreign Language Department Chair [|Hendersonville High School] jessica.dearaujojorge@sumnerschools.org