Week 3. Learning Activity: Blog 6

The Students:

1. L: Look up words in the dictionary to wrtie definitions. This is a method that adheres to the "learning model" because the assumption is that by looking up the word, the student will consciously learn the meaning of the word. The "acquistion model' would advocate developing vocabulary by encountering word in the context of reading. 
2. A: Make a venn diagram to compare two stories. This is a method supported by the "acquistion model" because this excercise assumes that meaning is created by something more than word recognition. 
3. L: Practice sounding out words. This activity is supported by the "learning model" because it assumes that by being able to decode the word the student will be able to understand the word. The "acquistion model" would want to make sure there was sufficient context and background knowledge to make the new word meaningful.
4. L: Read in a round-robin fashion. This activity is supported by the "learning model" because the oral reading allows the teacher to help students identify words and phrases students do not know. The "acquisition model" advocates silent reading and reading strategies that help students construct meaning from the text.
5. L: Correct peers when they make a mistake during reading. This activity is supported by the "learning model." Even though it is students correcting their peers, the focus is still on decoding and pronounciation--and this a focus of the "learning model." The "acquisition model" is not as concerned with decoding and pronounciation as it is with creating meaning. 
6. L: Identify words on a big book page that start with the same sound. This is also an activity supported by the "learning model." This is a phonics activity. The "acquisition model" would not rely solely on phonics but would create meaning from letters (graphophonics) order of langauge (syntax), and knowledge of the world (semantics).
7. Group cards with classmates' names by a criterion on such as first or last letter. This is an activity supported by the "learning model" because it is focused on letters. It is an inductive approach that begins with letter recognition. This activity might be more alligned with the "acquisition model" if the cards were grouped not by letters but rather by student's characteristics or qualities.
8. A: Write rhyming poetry and then discuss different spellings for the same  word. This activity is supported by the "acquisition model" because it begins with the actual creation of a piece of writing and only then looks at further developing more specific skills like spelling. A more "learning model" activity would be to first learn how to spell all the words and then write the poem.
9. L: Ask the teacher how to spell any word they don't know. This is a strategy supported by the "learning model" because it is more concerned with learing a new piece of information--in this case how to spell a word--than it is with acquiring an understanding of strategies. An activity more alligned with the "acquistion model" would teach students strategies to use when they do not know how to spell a word, such as learning how to use a dictionary to spell unknown words. 
10. A: Read a language experience story they have created with the teacher. For starters, the very term "language experience story" reeks of the "acquisition model." But more importantly, this fits the "acquisition model" because the students have created the story. The fact that the student and teacher examine and critique the story together is alligned with the "acquistion model," in which the primary goal is always the creation of meaning. In a "learning model" classroom the teacher would read the story by himself and simply assign a grade to it. 
11. A: Work in pairs to arrange words from a familiar chant into sentences. This activity is supported by "acquistion model" because it is not so much concerned with decoding and recognizing words as it is with creating meaning. The goal of the activity is to create meaning, and this the primary goal of the "acquisition model."
12. L: Divide words into syllables. This activity is supported by the "learning model" because it is ultimately focused on decoding and pronouncing words instead of constructing meaning. Furthermore, this is not an authentic activity one normally encounters in reading and writing. Its highly manufactured nature also puts it in the "learning model" camp.
13. L: On a worksheet, draw a line from each word to the picture that starts with the same sound. This activity is supported by the "learning model" becuase, first of all, anything using something as artificial as worksheets is in the "learning model" camp. More importantly, it is primarily concerned with phonics and decoding words rather than creating meaning.
14. A: Make alphabet books on different topics. This activity is supported by the "acquistion model." Even though it is using letters, the point is not to simply practice sounding-out the letters but rather to find meaning associated with each letter. Because its primary concern is with meaning, it is an "acquistion" activity.

The Teacher:

1. L: Preteaches vocabulary. This activity is supported by the "learning model" because it artificially teaches vocabulary independent of actual reading. The "acquistion model" would develop student's vocabulary in a fashion intimately linked with reading.
2. A: Does a shared reading of a big book. This activity is supported by the "acquistion model" because it provides students the opportunity to acquire an understanding of literacy through the teacher's modeling of the reading process. This activity does not explicitly instruct students how to read in an inductive manner. Freeman and Freeman (2004) state that through the shared reading of a big book students acquire the knowledge necessary for them to begin reading independently.
3. L: Makes sure students read only books that fit their level. This activity is supported by the "acquistion model." The "Input Hypothesis" put forth by Krashen states that ideal learning situation is actually when material is slightly beyond a student's independent level. The "Input Hypothesis" states that learning activities and learning materials should be set at "input + 1" or at a level just beyond the student's grasp. Assigning only reading books that are actually at a student's level would reject the "Input Hypothesis" which is championed by the "acquisition model."
4. L: Has students segment word into phonemes. This activity is firmly entrenched in the "learning model" because it is focused on decoding and word recognition instead of creating meaning.
5. A: Writes words the students dictate for a story and has students help with the spelling of difficult words. This activity is supported by the "acquistion model" because it begins with students creating a story. It's main focus is creating meaning.  Furthermore, unlike the "learning model," there is not an undue amount of emphasis placed on the form. The students are doing the central work of creating meaning. The teacher is just helping by writing the words given to him by the students. Finally, the focus on spelling develops quite naturally as an outgrowth of the production of a text. 
6. A: Asks students to look around the room and find words starting with a certain letter. This activity is supported by the "acquistion model." Although it does contain work with letters, this  acitivity deals with letters in a more authentic manner. While the "learning model" might just teach the sound of each letter in an artifical manner that is devoid of any connection with the world, this "acquisition model" approach seeks to link letters with meaningful things. Rather than "learning" something utterly abstract, students in this activity are "acquiring" an understanding of the world around them and making connections to letters.
7. L: Uses decodable texts. This is a "learning model" activity because the focus is decoding words rather than creating meaning. A teacher in the "acquistion model" would instead give an authentic piece of literature and help the students use graphophonics, syntax, and semantics to construct meaning.
8. A: Sets aside time for sustained silent reading each day. This is an acitivity supported by the "acquisition model" because the focus is on students reading and using reading strategies to construct meaning.
9. L: Teaches Latin and Greek roots. This is an acitivity supported by the "learning model." It is artifical in nature, divorcing vocabulary development from the act of reading. This activity seeks to consciously "teach" students new information. The "acquistion model," on the other, always seeks to let vocabulary development grow naturally out of reading. If a teacher in the "acquistion model" did teach Greek and Latin roots, it would only because the words came up in authentic reading.
10. A: Has students meet in literature circles. This activity is supported by the "acquistion model" because the focus is again on students using reading strategies to create meaning. In fact, the very nature of the "literature circle" is itself a strategy for constructing meaning because it provides the opportunity for students to create meaning through collaboration.
11. L: Conducts phonics drills. This activity is supported by the "learning model" because its focus is on decoding and only focuses on graphophonics to create meaning; whereas, the "acquistion model" would use graphophonics, syntax, and semantics to create meaning.
12. L: Chooses predictable texts. This activity is supported by the  "learning model." This activity lacks the authenticity to be in the "acquisition model." The "acquistion model" is concerned with authentic reading and unpredictability is part of the world in which we live. 
13. A: Does a picture walk of a new book. This activity is supported by the "acquistion model" because its focus is on creating background knowledge to make help students gain a deeper understanding of the book. This acitivity is rooted in semantics, whereas the "learning model" is only concerned with graphophonics.
14. L: Uses a variety of worksheets to teach different skills. This activity is supported by the "learning model." The "learning model" uses worksheets to consciously teach new skills; indeed, the "learning model" is not overly concerned that worksheets are not part of the authentic world. The "learning model" assumes that even if skill are taught in a way that seperates from the real world, students can still take that new knowledge and apply it back into the world. The "acquisition model" does not allow for such a transfer of knowledge from the inauthentic and the abstract to the real world. If learning is acquired, it can only be acquired through the real and authentic world.

One closing thought, if the above thought is true, it places restrictions--perhaps even very powerful restrictions--on the acquistion model. It seems to me that we "acquire" learning in real situations and not in hypothetical situations. Does this put a limit on the situations in which we can gain learning. It seems that there is an advantage to being able to gain knowledge in an utterly abstract realm and then taking that knowledge and applying it back into the real world and real world situations. But it seems like the "acquisition model" does not allow this. Isn't that why the "acquistion model" would not study Greek and Latin roots outside the context of the actual reading? I clearly do not have this thorougly thought-through. Any thoughts?