Jarred Flinn ID:11278028

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Jarred Flinn ID11278028
EED.112 Language as Social Practice
Tutorial 8- Joyce Voerman
Assignment 2 Essay
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INTRODUCTION
Understanding the nature of language as Social
Practice is delineated in James Paul Gees theory
of discourse Communities. Discourse Community is
a group of people who share the same belief and
values, which are reflected to a certain extent
in their various meaning making systems. We
become members of Discourse communities by a
mixture of acquisition and Learning.
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INTRODUCTION
Families and communities play a major role in the
acquisition and learning of literacy which can
significantly influence the Childs development of
language and literacy, as well as the further
development of this at school. Social functions
in the early stages of the Childs life are
communicated to their families through techniques
to model and scaffold students to assist and
develop their learning at school. Research in
Particular discourse communities including ESL
(English as Second Language) has been undertaken,
with the concepts of acquisition and learning
being explored and related to primary and
secondary discourses.
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BODY
Main Theme 1- Family and community backgrounds
and situations impact on a Childs acquisition
dramatically. Acquisition is a process of
acquiring something subconsciously by exposure
to models and a process of trial and error,
without a process of formal teaching. Main Theme
2- Theoretical understandings applied to language
development and learning in the context of
schooling is done by a range of techniques,
learning cycles and models. The ZPD, IRF and the
many Scaffolding techniques helps students to
build new knowledge, transform understandings and
reflect on the learning process itself.
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BODY
Main Theme 3- With the concepts or acquisition
and Learning being explored and related to
primary and secondary discourses, it is important
to distinguish between Primary Discourses and
Secondary Discourses. Secondary discourses.
Primary Discourses are those that we are
initially socialised into our homes. Secondary
Discourses are those that we gain through
subsequent participation in various social
groups, institutions and organisations. ESL
(English as Social Practice) students have to
learn the English language in Secondary Discourse
(School).
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CONCLUSION
Thus it can be seen that Language as Social
Practice is learned as part of the wider
socio-cultural activities in which we are engaged
as we become members of our families and
communities. Understanding the nature of language
as social Practice is demonstrated in Paul Gees
theory of discourse communities. As demonstrated
throughout the Essay, family and communities play
a major role in the acquisition and learning of
literacy which significantly influences the
childs development of language and literacy.
Social functions in the early stages of the
childs life are communicated to their families
through functions such as protolanguage, which
primarily set the child up with knowledge and
skills that they will benefit in there secondary
discourse such as school. Theoretical
understandings applied to language development
and learning in the context of schooling is done
by a range of techniques, learning cycles and
models. The ZPD, IRF and the many Scaffolding
techniques helps students to build new knowledge,
transform understandings and reflect on the
learning process itself.
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texts, in Literacies and Learners Current
Perspectives, D, Green R, Campbell (eds.)
Pearson Education Australia, Frenchs Forrest,
NSW, Australia. Louise Droga and Sally Humphry
2003 Grammer and Meaning An introduction for
Primary Teachers. Willet, J (1995) Becoming
First graders in an L2 Gunderson, L. (2000)
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