Van Lier’s ecological approach examines the learning process holistically by looking at the behavior of teachers and learners. The author places emphasis on the interaction between the two as way of enhancing the use of language. This approach explores the interaction in social, physical and symbolic level. The Ecology and Semiotics of the Language Learning by Van Lier offers a detailed overview of the ecology of the learning of language. It encompasses various concepts such as semiotics, self, emergence and pragmatic effects of an ecological view regarding the use of language in the classroom. Also, Van Lier’s provides language educators with incisive insights into the ecological view of language. The author makes attempts at providing a new premise of approach to the learning and teaching of language. Initially, the teaching and learning of language comprised the use of computational metaphors. Leaners were required to comprehend language by relying on predetermined programs. But Van Lier proposes an ecological view of language that underscores the centrality of multilayered social interaction.
Theories of language
Van Lier begins his work by taking the reader to imagine a school without language in which opinions from teachers and students cannot be heard. He opines that language plays a central role in the learning process. According to Van Lier, language does the educating in any educational system (2). The significance of language in the learning process pervades all subjects. However, Van Lier uses the account of second language teaching as a springboard for the development of his book. The author’s choice for the second language is informed by the fact that communicators of second language usually confront ecological and sociocultural problems in their bid to master and articulate ideas in second language.
Van Lier refers to various theories of language various theories of language that help to explain the learning of language. These theories include nativist perspective and interactionist theory by Chomsky, (Chomsky, 1959). The proponents of the nativist perspective hold that people are programmed, biologically, to acquire knowledge. Since knowledge is a broad term that encompasses the acquisition of language, it follows that people can acquire language through their biological programing. This theory holds language acquisition device helps people to understand language. This device has basic rules of grammar that are common to each language. Van Lier then endeavors to integrate the aforementioned theories with his Interactionist Theory. By so doing, Van Lier comes into a conclusion that the learning of language is both ecological and social (42). The proponents of these theories argue that the learning of language takes place because of the propelling desire by children to communicate with one another.
Semiotics
Van Lier introduces the three elements of semiotics in the development of the book. These branches include semantics, syntactics and pragmatics. According to the author, semantics involves the study to know the meaning of words or word phrases; pragmatic endeavors to explain how words of a given language can be used and how their uses determine the semantics and syntactics while syntactics explain how knowledge of a language can developed from minimally-syntactical utterances.
However, in the event that the rock is missing, the individual would fail to cross over to the other side. In this regard, the rock in this allegory serves as an affordance because it triggers an interaction. The implications of this allegory in the teaching of language are that for second language learners to understand the language there must be an interaction between them and an affordance. There should be a bridge between the teaching and learning of the language to trigger the desired learning outcome (Van Lier 92). In this regard, the interactions of learners with their teachers and their environment serve as suitable affordance to the understanding of second language.
The self and language learning
Van Lier opines that the best way to learn language is through self-learning. There are various ways to achieve this outcome. He points out the use Assimil, an important self-language acquisition method that is popular in Europe (109). This method allows second language learners to acquire vocabularies of the new language while learning basic rules of grammar. Thus, it departs from the ordinary ways of learning language. It is indubitable that the conventional second language acquisition methods are replete with input, processing and outputs, typical of the working of computers. The learning of language occurs in an unpredictable social ecosystem (classroom). This ecosystem is prone to variety of influencing factors. According to Van Lier, language ceases to exist like an object, complete with pieces that make up its sum total. Instead, it focuses on understanding the learner as whole individual in a relatively chaotic classroom environment.
Language and learning pathways
In this section, Van Lier proposes the use of learning pathways in the teaching and learning of language. Pathways describe courses, programs and experiences that students can complete in the course of their education (141). Pathways allow students to earn grades. This method enables school teachers to gauge the level of understanding among students. The author observes that programs such as research projects, online classes and community services offer useful pathways for students to learn language.
Ecological linguistics
In this chapter, the author assesses the impact of language on the relationship among human beings with one another. Ecological linguistics also helps in understanding the relationship between humans and the environment (Van Lier 175). In this regard, the language should enhance effective relationships among human beings and the surrounding. Van Lier opines that the establishment of standards in the education system may not necessarily guarantee quality in education. In some cases, these standards may militate against the quality in education (178).
Ecological research
In his ecological perspectives of learning, Van Lier points out relationships, quality and agency as the main components of ecological research and its relationship with the learning of language. He describes these elements as larger ecological properties (Van Lier 198). The author equates the classroom environment to an ecosystem in which these three components of ecological research interact. This proposition is true because the three elements can best focus on the dynamics forces that occur in a normal classroom environment and their influence on the learning of language.
The element of quality is significant in the educational system. It is not a coincidence that Van Lier has mentioned it. However, he regrets that despite the centrality of quality in the learning process, the term is often neglected or structurally defined (212). He opines that an improvement in the standards may not imply and improvement in the quality of learning. He admits that the high sets of standards in an educational system often bypass an important notion of quality. Thus, the teaching and learning of language neglect the quality of educational experience and the well-being of students. In this regard, there is a need to move systematically to understand how quality can be assessed to ensure that the desired learning outcome is achieved. As a matter of fact, individuals interested in the teaching and learning of language, especially the teaching of second languages would find this book worthy of embrace.
Even though the author displays stunning insights, he is rather inconsistent in some sections of the book. He becomes informal in some chapters and dense in other. For example, semiotics explores new concepts that require the reader to be familiar with a wide gamut of literature.
Work Cited
Van Lier, Leo. The ecology and semiotics of language learning: A sociocultural perspective.
Vol. 3. Springer Science & Business Media, 2004. Web. Available at https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=m9QRBwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP7&dq=Van+Lier+L.+2004.+The+Ecology+and+Semiotics+of+Language+Learning.+A+Sociocultural+Perspective.&ots=TUAjpHIwtx&sig=ptRi1VhzPy-0V9LnzubieOGcGSI&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false
