Review Sheet for the S.L.A. Final Exam

 

A description of the exam 
 
The exam will only include objective questions and will not include any writing questions.

Since you are currently writing an essay for your final project and have been doing presentations all along, we feel that this material has been assessed in a number of ways already and doesn't need to be assessed in writing on the final exam. 

 

The objective questions are designed to teach a deep level of knowledge about the content.

Please do not make the mistake of believing that the test will be easy simply because it only uses objective questions. Few of these questions involve such low level thinking as identifying definitions. Instead, many of these questions involve such higher level thinking skills as being able to identify which theory or principle is guiding a teacher's decision in a certain situation. Many of the questions expect the you to be able to see how these theories can be applied to methods content and real life teaching/learning situations. The higher level thinking skills that will be assessed include, inferencing, assessing, and application. 

 

The objective questions will be of two types:

The first type is multiple choice but requires that the test taker justify her choice. In this question type, you will read a scenario and then choose an SLA theory that best explains it. Then, you will have to take the words or expressions from the text that justify your decision and write them on the line provided. After that, you will have to briefly state your reasons for choosing what you did.  Check this webpage for examples.

The second type is a standard multiple choice similar to the ones you saw on the midterm.

 

 
 


 
 
 
 

 

The exam will include all the content covered since the midterm exam, including all the assigned readings and lectures.

The following is a list of the content you should focus on: 

Chapter Eight in the Brown textbook
The Contrastive Analysis Hypothesis and its research
The assumptions it held
The conclusions of the actual research
How it differed from Error Analysis research
 
Error Analysis Research
The assumptions it is based on
How it is typically done
Its shortcomings
 
Interlanguage Theory / Creative Constructionism
How it was a break from the SLA theories before 1970
How it eventually influenced language teaching
 
The Sources of Errors (mentioned in both Brown and Lightbown and Spada)
Be able to identify each of the four types of errors in examples
Know how each one of the four types of errors is caused
Know which sources of errors is strongest in each stage of learning 
 
The stages of interlanguage development
Be able to identify which stage a learner is in based on a description
Know which sources of errors are most prevalent in each stage
 
Fossilization
In what stage of development does it happen?
How does it happen?
To whom does it happen?
How do some learners get unfossilized?
 
Krashen and Terrell's Monitor Model
The Acquisition versus Learning Hypothesis
The Natural Order Hypothesis
The Input Hypothesis
The Monitor Hypothesis
The Affective Filter Hypothesis
Know how teachers provide "i+1" input
Know how "roughly-tuned" input works and why it is better
Be able to identify how teachers may apply Krashen's ides
Know which methods, activities, and techniques Krashen recommends and why he does so
Know what evidence Krashen has for his theories
 
Chapter Six in the Brown textbook
Inhibition Theories 
What causes a learner's inhibitions?
How might classroom conditions affect those inhibitions? 
What can a teacher do to help learners with high inhibitions?
What do inhibited learners need to do?
 
Risk taking theories (1) (2)
What are the types of risk takers?
How does risk taking affect language learning?
What are some of the risks involved with language learning?
What classroom activities involve the most risk?
How can language teachers teach their students to be better risk takers?
Motivation
What are the various types of motivation?
Which types of motivation are generally more successful for long-term success in language learning?
What can teachers do to encourage those types of motivation?
How might knowing your students' motivation help to teach them better?
 
 
Swain's Output Hypothesis (1) (2)
What advantages does output have for the learner?
How do Swain's views differ from Krashen's?
How might a teacher apply Swain's ideas?
Noticing the Gap
Hypothesis Testing
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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