I have to say I'm learning a lot.  Its a LOT of work and I'm doing things i didn't know I would be doing but learning none the less.  I like that my classmates are posting other resources as they find them.  I've been keep a binder with all the resources in one spot.  As I find something that will benefit my future I print it and stick it in the binder.  I hadn't been doing this in the past and now I'm sorta mad at myself.  I have the stuff from my previous classes in notebooks and such at home but I think I'm going to purchase a few more binders and organize all my resources.  I've realized I have quite a bit of workable material at my disposal if I just give it some direction.

I have surfing the Internet and keep track of the links I find also.  What a HUGE surplus of information out there. 

My classes are starting to work off of each other.  I have been waiting for that.  As I am learning something in one class another class picks up on some of the material and expands on it.  I'm also keeping all of that in a notebook. 

I'm not a good test taker and the projects are more to my liking.  It is allowing me to accumulate a lot of information without the stress of memorization or pressure of testing.  I learn MUCH better by doing and using the information than just throwing it up on a formal exam. 

Here's to keepin on keepin on!!

I.  Speech Production Structures

A. Respiration: the air we use to speak (diaphragm)

B. Phonation: The respiratory muscles allow air to be forced under pressure through structures in the larynx. They obstruct the airflow from the lungs, causing the vibrations necessary for speech.

C. Resonation: The tone of the sound is affected by the size and shape of the resonating structures into which the air is expelled. The larger the resonating cavity, the lower the tone.

D. Articulation: The production of sound (how you pronounce it)

a. Place of articulation (where is sound is formed

b. Manner of articulation (how a sound is formed)

c. Voicing (whether the vocal cords are vibrated)

II. Central Nervous System

A. Peripheral Nervous System: Made up of the cranial and spinal nerves that carry sensory information to the brain while relaying motor information form the brain to the muscles of the body.

B.  Central Nervous System: Includes the brain and spinal cord. 

a. The hindbrain (consists of the structures of the brain stem)

b. The midbrain (consists of the structures that assist in relaying information to and from the brain and the visual and auditory nerves.

c. The forebrain/Cerebrum (largest part; divided into two hemispheres connected by the corpus collosum; Broca’s area and Wernicke’s area)

III. Cognitive Bases of Language Development

A. Distancing: involves the gradual movement away form actual physical experiences to symbolic or representational behavior

B. Object permanence: the idea that objects exit even when they are not being touched, tasted, or seen.

Chapter 4

I. Language Acquisition

A. Surface Structure: the starts and stops, the ungrammatical sentences, and the colloquial and slang expressions that are a part of the language and normal conversation.

B. 5 factors that influence language acquisition: linguistic environment, inherited abilities, individual’s experiences and opportunities for interaction, and child’s developing linguistic and cognitive abilities.

II. 5 Models

A. The Behavioral Model: This places a great deal of emphasis on the role of the environment in language acquisition. The child is seen as a relatively passive recipient of external influences- from parents, siblings, and others. Language is associated with learning a behavior (reward, punishment,)

B. The Linguistic (Nativist) Model: The child must be exposed to language. Children were doing more than memorizing chunks of language- they were also learning language rules.

a. Language Acquisition Device (LAD): consists of basic grammatical categories and rules that are common to all languages.

C. The Semantic-Cognitive Model: Children develop syntax because they already have something to talk about rather than because they have the grammar to express themselves.

D. The Pragmatic-Interactionist Model: The model places greatest emphasis on the communicative function of the language. Language development takes place as children learn to choose the linguistic form that will best express their communicative intent.

a. Information processing: provides a more complete picture of what happens during language interaction

b. Parallel/Simultaneous Processing: in the model there is a hierarchy of steps but with parallel processing. Several levels of analysis may take place simultaneously, this speeding up the system
E. The Information-Processing Model: Attempts to explain how learning takes place. They were originated as a way to develop machine-based learning. Later then were adapted to be applied to human learning.

Language Acquisition: personal note.

While our understanding of language acquisition is incomplete, this pursuit of understanding may be well worth the effort.

We still don’t understand how a child learns its first language, why some children have language disorders or how children and adults learn a second language. And, we still don’t understand what happens when a stroke or a disease such as Alzheimer’s seems to wipe out a person’s knowledge of language. Figuring out the process of language acquisition will not only help scientists answer these questions, but it will also help explain the basic features of learning and the human brain. 

Language Models

Who	Principals	Limitations	Intervention
Behavioral Model: B.F. Skinner	The behavioral theory of places a great deal of emphasis on the role of the environment in language acquisition. The behavior is reinforced (good).  Punishing the behavior (shut up).  Or ignoring the behavior.	The theory makes the wrong prediction about what children will learn – particularly the order of work acquisition.  A second problem for this theory is its difficulty in explaining the phenomenon of novel productions.  Young children have been found to use constructions that they have never heard previously. A third problem is that systematic observations of parents indicate that parents actually tend to ignore grammatical errors and are more concerned about the truth value of what their children say. Lastly children can usually understand sentences before they can produce them.	This theory has been a successful tool in the development of intervention approaches to enhance the language skills of many persons with significant language disorders.  Teachers choose specific, discrete language behaviors as the focus of instruction and through assessment, determine that the child has acquired the prerequisite skills.  Instruction continues until mastery of the skill is achieved.
Who	Principals	Limitations	Intervention
The Linguistic (Nativist) Model:  Chomsky	Language is innate (hence the nativist label). It is inborn in the human species – hardwired at birth.  Babies are born ready to learn language and possess a mechanism that Chomsky called the language acquisition device, which consists of basic grammatical categories and rules that are common to all languages.	This theory diminishes the role given to language input.  Language is not learned but develops due to the maturation of a genetic program for language learning.  A second problem stems from the theoretical underpinnings of the model itself.  The theory explains the acquisition of syntax, it does not account for the child’s acquisition of semantic, morphophonological or pragmatic rules. Finally the nativist theory poses a dilemma to those who are interested in helping children improve their language performance, as it seems to suggest that there is little hope for children experiencing difficulty with language.	The Nativist theory has made important contributions by addressing some of the most challenging questions about language learning and my advancing our knowledge about language and language acquisition.  This theory suggest using developmental guideline for instructional goals and that instruction should focus on rule learning.
Who	Principals	Limitations	Interventions
The Semantic-Cognitive Model:  Lois Bloom	Blooms concluded that semantics precedes syntax in child language acquisition. Children develop syntax because they have something to talk about rather than because they have grammar to express themselves.  The theory proposes that young children pay particular attention to the meanings of things.  Experience comes first, then the language follows.  Syntax develops as the result of the need to talk about more and more things or experiences.	The Semantic-cognitive theory gives little attention to the role of input language.  Some children attain the cognitive prerequisites for language but do not develop language skills. Therefore it may not be essential for cognitive development to precede language.	It has forced theorists to look beyond syntax and to consider other aspects of language development.  The notion is that when children are just at the edge of developing a new skill, experiences and instruction can help them take this step.
Who	Principals	Limitations	Interventions
Pragmatic-Interactionist Model: Searle, Dore and Halliday	Based on very simple observation, people talk in order to communicate. Communication precedes language. Language development takes place as children learn to choose the linguistic form that will best express their communicative intent.  Child-directed speech: Adults tend to alter their language in the presence of young children. These alterations include using shorter and less complex sentences, slowing the rate of their speech, using a more limited range of semantic functions and engaging in shorter conversations. This is scaffolding for language development.	One of the limitation of the pragmatic-interactionist model is in how it accounts for the acquisition of specific syntactic structures. Or why to almost all children follow the same sequence of language development at about the same time.	Many clinicians emphasize the importance of engaging children in communication- especially in repetitive, routine interactions.  Rather than breaking language down into small stimulation, stressing the wholeness of language and the essential role of communication in the essential role of communication in the language learning process. Children should be encouraged to interact with parents, peers, and teachers.
Who	Principals	Limitations	Interventions
Information Processing Model:	Attention drives the information-processing system. Attention enables you to discriminate information in short term memory and transfer and retrieve information from long term memory. Has helped in understanding the complexity of the relationship between cognition and language. It recognizes that the processing of complex information is rarely done in a step by stop manner. Parallel or simultaneous processing:  several levels of analysis may take place simultaneously thus speeding up the system..  Language structures emerge from the communicative functions that drive language acquisition.	Research evidence for the operation of the model in children is limited.  Most of the research thus far has been with adults or with theoretical language processing models.  The model does not appear to be able to account for the role of social interaction in language learning.	Some children may lack specific language skills and some may have differences or delays in cognitive processing that may interfere with their understanding and/or use of language.