PART 1: THE PRACTICE OF PROCESSING INSTRUCTION

There have been considerable changes in terms of second language instruction. Much of this has been undoubtedly the shift from the explicit focus on language itself (i.e. grammar, phonology and vocabulary) to an emphasis (implicit focus) on the expression and comprehension of meaning through language. Behind this shift is the belief that L2 learners can develop greater second language communicative abilities through the kind of instruction that is more similar to the naturalistic environment (Krashen, 1982). Traditional methods such as the grammar–translation method, and the Audio-Lingual Methodology were very rule-based. In traditional methodologies, grammar teaching in the L2 classrooms included the paradigmatic presentation of grammatical rules, which was followed by mechanical practice of the rules (e.g. drills), and then by a series of meaningful and communicative drills (see Paulston, 1972).

With the advent of the communicative language teaching approach, comprehensible and simplified input was considered the main ingredient for acquisition. According to a communicative approach to language teaching, we should provide focus on form (see Long, 1991, for a definition of ‘focus on form’ and ‘focus on forms’) and this practice should be meaning-based and tied to input or communication. When learners produce language it should be for the purpose of expressing some kind of meaning. Learners make use of the targeted forms through activities that involve communication and negotiation of meaning.

However, as suggested by VanPatten (1993), communication and comprehension do not necessarily trigger the processing of input. Focus on input should take into consideration how learners process input. Learners have limited capacity for processing, and they find it arduous to attend to linguistic forms at the same time as they are trying to comprehend someone else’s speech or become involved in more interactive activities. Output practice as argued by Lee and VanPatten (1995, 2003) may help learners in becoming more fluent but does not necessarily bring changes in learners’ developing system.