Definition: According to Menezes (2009), this term was developed by Gibson (1986), in a comparison with the interaction between living things in an ecosystem, specifically talking about both the animal and his environment which complement and interact all the time with each other. In the context of learning an L2, the concept of affordance has to do with the possibilities you have to learn L2 and the opportunities you have to do such thing. In other words, it has to do with the relation between the environment and the learner and how he gathers information from a diverse range of sources. Some people can learn from a simple coke label, but some people simply cannot see it as a learning tool. Metaphorically speaking, the resources are there for everyone, with the potential, but their effects are individual because each person sees it in a different way.
This is an example of the biological affordance. One is estimulated by the environment and have to decide what to do with what one sees.
Comment: It is a very subjective concept, since each student or each teacher can see things differently, even in a classroom with the explanations of the teacher. Some people need more things to effectively learn, while others can successfully “walk in a rocky field”. The concept of affordance can also be very close to the concept of practicality, which is the practical side of teaching/learning – if the teaching/learning process is not affordable, it cannot be successful.
References:
MENEZES, Vera. Propiciamento (affordance) e autonomia na aprendizagem de língua inglesa In: LIMA, Diógens Cândido. Aprendizagem de língua inglesa: histórias refletidas. Vitória da Conquista: Edições UESB, 2010. Disponível em: http://www.veramenezes.com/affordance.pdf. Acesso em: 02 jul. 2010
GENESEE, Fred. UPSHUR, John A. Classroom based evaluation in second language education.
More Sources:
Categorization of Affordances, by Jiajie Zhang
http://acad88.sahs.uth.tmc.edu/courses/hi6301/affordance.html
Affordances, by Mads Soegaard
http://www.interaction-design.org/encyclopedia/affordances.html
No comments:
Post a Comment