TESOL – English Teacher Certification

Chapter One – Pedagogy – How Teachers Teach, in Theory and Practice

Those of us who speak a language, which is the vast majority of humanity, get that language from our parents and from other people around us. None of us who can speak our first language, barring any physical or mental condition, had to think about the process of acquiring that language. It just happened. The key factor in acquiring our first language is exposure. We hear words and phrases spoken to us or around us every day, and we are given opportunities to use what we hear as much and as often as possible. This is what is known as language acquisition, and it is a subconscious process. Age is often a factor in acquiring more than one language. Due to exposure, children have an extraordinary ability to acquire more than one language. Children are more willing to try speaking, and do not become shy or embarrassed when they make mistakes. Children who grow up in a functionally bilingual family are exposed to two languages during their developmental stage, helping them understand two languages natively. It is more difficult for teenagers and adults to acquire language as easily as children do. However, teenagers and adults may be more efficient learners. We often talk about acquisition being a subconscious process and learning being a conscious process. When we study grammar, for example, we think more about the form, the meaning, the use, and the pronunciation. Through learning, we can change the conscious process of learning a second language into the subconscious process of using that language – but this takes time, effort, and practice.