The document outlines a presentation on sociocognitive approaches to second language acquisition. It discusses key concepts of sociocognitivism such as alignment, learning as internalization and reconstruction, and language being used for social action. It then summarizes a study that used video analysis to examine the interaction between a Japanese student and her aunt during an English homework session. The presentation concludes that cognitivism needs revising to account for social aspects of language learning and that SLA teaching should focus on one-on-one alignment between teachers and students.

1. Alignment and Interaction
in a Sociocognitive Approach
to SLA – Modern Language
Journal, Vol. 91, No. 2 (2007)
Eric Heiden
Universität Potsdam
Institut für Anglistik/Amerikanistik
Seminar “Foundations of Second Language
Acquisition”
Potsdam, den 02.01.2012

2. outline
◦ I. sociocognitivism and
alignment
◦ II. example of a holistic study
◦ III. conclusions
◦ IV. sources
© Eric Heiden, Potsdam 2012 2

3. sociocognitivism
- L2 development = process of
internalization and
reconstruction
- new assumptions:
- language is learned in a social
world / form of social action
- claim: the social, physical and
cognitive are part of the same
process
© Eric Heiden, Potsdam 2012 3

4. alignment
- means by which humans adapt to the
world
- default process by which humans
survive
- getting experience in flexible models,
strategies, networks and perspectives
- ALIGNMENT = LEARNING
© Eric Heiden, Potsdam 2012 4

5. the study
video analysis of two main participants:
- Ako (14 y old Japanese girl, EFL for 8
years, private junior high school
Tokyo)
- Tomo (Ako„s aunt and home teacher,
instructor for English education at a
University)
- doing homework together
© Eric Heiden, Potsdam 2012 5

6.  how should we work with the material?
 on which aspects would you focus on?
© Eric Heiden, Potsdam 2012 6

7. Atkinson, Churchill, Nishino,
Okada would regard:
 sociocognitive ◦ framing and footing
affordances: ◦ coordinated interaction
◦ contextualizing cues
◦ tools (literacy tools like books,
pens, etc) ◦ involvement
◦ role and identity (for example ◦ co-author- and co-membership
whether they‟re experts, ◦ joint attention
teachers, family members)
◦ interactional routines
◦ social situations (politeness,
speech acts) ◦ affordances
◦ experiences (historical ◦ communities of practice
trajectories  education anf ◦ zone of proximal development
cultural experiences) ◦ social convergence
◦ memory for action and cultural ◦ indexicality
models
◦ investment
 ADDITIONALLY: all the ◦ attention
language oriented disciplines
◦ task engagement
(focused on several
concepts) ◦ integrative motivation
◦ speech accommodation ◦ social and psychological distance
© Eric Heiden, Potsdam 2012 7

8. conclusions
- implications for research:
- cognitivism needs to be revised
- implications for SLA teaching:
- focus on alignment  best way for teaching: 1-1
relation between teachers and students
© Eric Heiden, Potsdam 2012 8

9. sources:
 Atkinson, Dwight, Churchill, Eton, Nishino, Takako,
Okada, Hanako, Alignment and Interaction in a
Sociocognitive Approach to Second Language
Acquisition, The Modern Language Journal, Vol. 91, No.
2, publ. by Blackwell Publishing, 2007, JSTOR, pp. 169-
188. web.
-date of access- 17/12/2011-
Ellis, Nick, Collins, Laura, Input and Second Language
Aqcuisition: The Roles of Frequency, Form and
Function – Introduction to the Special Issue, , The
Modern Language Journal, Vol. 93, No 3,
 publ. by Blackwell Publishing, 2009, JSTOR, pp. 329-
335. web.
-date of access-Heiden, Potsdam 2012
© Eric
17/12/2011- 9