2.What is the main idea of the acquisition-learning hypothesis?

Krashen maintained that adult L2 learners have at their disposal two distinct and independent ways of developing competence in a second language:acquisition and learning.Acquisition is a subconscious process identical in all important ways to the process children utilize in acquiring their first language,and learning is a conscious process that results in knowledge about language.Acquisition comes about through meaningful interaction in a natural communication setting.Speakers are not concerned with form,but with meaning;nor is there explicit concern with error detection and correction.This contrasts with the language learning situation in which error detection and correction are central,as is typical the case in classroom settings,where formal rules and feedback provide the basis for language instruction.

Nontheless,for Krashen,it is not the setting per se,but conscious attention to rules that distinguishes language acquisition from language learning.In the natural setting,an adult can obtain formal instruction by asking informants about grammar and by receiving feedback from friends.Similarly,language can be acquired in the classroom when the focus in on communication---eg.through dialogues,role-playing,and other forms of meaningful interaction.

3.In what sense does foreign language teaching methodology help you in your professional development?

A foreign language teacher has to not only make his students understand the language,namely the pronunciation,vocabulary,grammar,etc.,he must also develop their communicative competence so that they can use the language they have learned correctly,appropriately and expressively in real situations.In order to do well this complicated job,the teacher needs to know,apart from a comprehensive knowledge of the language and the ability to use it,as many teaching methods and techniques as possible,and understand the underlying theories and principles,therefore he not only knows what to teach and how to do it,but also why he should do it in a certain way and how to solve problems when they arise.In this way he will have full confidence in doing his job well.