A one-page orientation for DELTA Module 1. Each row links to the notes where the theory does real work. The key-figure column is standard textbook attribution (Claude). Check dates against Lightbown & Spada, How Languages are Learned, or Mitchell, Myles & Marsden, Second Language Learning Theories.
| Family | Key figures | Core claim | Notes in vault |
|---|---|---|---|
| Innatist / UG | Chomsky; Krashen (Monitor Model, 1982) | Acquisition is driven by comprehensible input; learning ≠ acquisition | Krashen’s objections in Teaching is the management of attention and Focus on form vs focus on formS |
| Cognitive: noticing | Schmidt (1990, 2001); Robinson | Attention converts input to intake | Teaching is the management of attention · Focus on form vs focus on formS |
| Cognitive: skill acquisition | Anderson (ACT); DeKeyser (2007) | Declarative → procedural → automatic through practice | MARS-EARS - the EPI instructional sequence · The illusion of learning - correct answers are not acquisition |
| Cognitive: processability | Pienemann (1984, 1998) | Developmental stages constrain what is teachable | Teach grammar in processability order (Pienemann) |
| Input processing | VanPatten (1996, 2004) | Learners’ default processing strategies, so use structured input | Spaced retrieval is the best-supported technique |
| Interactionist | Long (1983, 1996); Swain (1985, 1995); Lyster & Ranta (1997) | Negotiation of meaning, pushed output and feedback drive development | Focus on form vs focus on formS · Output tasks after reading boost vocabulary retention |
| Usage-based / emergentist | N. Ellis (1998, 2002); Christiansen & Chater; Tomasello | Grammar emerges from frequency-weighted experience | Grammar emerges from usage (emergentism) · Fluency rests on memorised word-groups |
| Lexical | Pawley & Syder (1983); Lewis (1993); Wray (2002); Hoey | Language is largely prefabricated chunks | The Lexical Approach - grammaticalised lexis, read critically |
| Sociocultural | Vygotsky (1978); Wood, Bruner & Ross (1976); Lantolf | Learning is mediated in social interaction within the ZPD | Pitch tasks inside the ZPD and hand over support · Dogme ELT - materials-light, conversation-driven teaching |
| Behaviourist / CA | Skinner; Lado (1957) | Habit formation; L1 interference predicts errors | Errors are often developmental, not L1 transfer |
| Interlanguage / EA | Corder (1967); Selinker (1972) | Learner language is a rule-governed system | Errors are often developmental, not L1 transfer |
| Neuro | Ullman (declarative/procedural); Hickok & Poeppel | Brain systems behind lexis and grammar | Neuroscience of language processing - eleven claims and their limits |