Theoretical Framework:

 

When speaking of language awareness it is considered that this will only work on students who are learning a second language.  That is, students that have the will or the necessity of being bilingual, but in most cases teachers are not considered to fit into this paradigm.  The Association for Language Awareness (ALA) defines LA as “explicit knowledge about language, and conscious perception and sensitivity in language learning, language teaching and language use.” (ALA, 2012). From this definition it is inferred that LA involves the intention of learning and use of a language willfully and that LA is an aspect to be considered by teachers, learners, parents, school administrators, etc. involved into the bilingual schools, but also into the monolingual classroom.  That is, the way ESL, Bilingual and monolingual students are taught and the way they learn is also influenced by LA.  With this in mind bilingual teachers, as it is seen in Module 1 and 2, should be accountable for promoting the learning of a target language through designing and making use of learning strategies that leads to exercise LA. Thus, teaching practice should focus on Learner-Centered Teaching strategies that make plausible the realization of LA in a mindful manner. (Ellis, 2012). 

 

         But why is it so important for students to show evidence of language awareness when learning a language? The answer to this question is unworldly, and it is just because through LA students will be conscious about what it really means to learn a language making easy  for them to understand and use it. Undoubtedly, bilingual students in early years of the education system when exposed to language classes in the target language will immediately compare cognitively this “new” language with their native language.  They will start being conscious about the fact that there are two ways of naming objects, concepts, ideas, feelings, etc. Students will also note these differences and similarities to be present in many domains and dimensions as when they note similar sounds, grammatical structures, vocabulary, meanings, etc., but also that sometimes the pair of languages are not as similar at they seem to be. In many cases this awareness occurs inside the cognitive processing of every student at different levels and times, but let us just picture how this LA will increase in every student whit the assistance of teachers.  But how teachers can help increasing LA in every kid?  Again, the answer is more than simple to say; using some strategies that involve activities that foster and encourage LA. 

 

         The first step for making bilingual school children conscious about LA is to achieve that they see the target language not as their enemy and that they have to forget everything about his native language to start learning and using the target language.  Teachers then have to keep out this idea from his pupils´ minds and make them have a positive attitude towards leaning a second language and feel confident about starting to speak and write in the target language, but at the same time making them feel proud of speaking their native language too. Once students show confidence when trying to use their no-native language, then teachers will  set activities that increase LA through the use of songs, games, rhymes, etc. so they will know that these strategies will help them understand and use better this new way of speaking and writing, and so they will become more active in learning the target language. (Language Awareness, para. 1, 3 and 4)

 

            Strategies for teachers that want to increase LA in their early bilingual students will then be centered in the way students learn more than in the way teachers teach.  That is, what is known as student-centered learning strategies, in which the focus is set on how students learn, their learning styles, their interests, likes and dislikes.  All this with the objective of making the students feel comfortable, confident, but also motivated towards learning the target language. Among the strategies that teachers can use to foster students centered learning are precisely focusing on students interests as it was mentioned before, learning by doing in which students are actively involved, giving pupils the responsibility to take choices about the way they want to learn, encouraging communication over accuracy in which kids are motivated to speak despite their possible grammatical errors or mispronunciation of sounds; giving them tasks that are open-ended in which students are presented a series of language challenges they have to figure out how to solve, instead of the boring grammar exercises that sometimes are out of context; just to mention a few.  The purpose of all these student centered strategies have the goal of fostering LA and building the children confidence to speak, write, read and listen into the target language, but at the same time they represent a way of challenging students while  making them feel secure every time they use the target language. (Rogers, p. 1 and 2, 2002)