Form Focus Teaching and Learning: a Return or a New Start?

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to discuss some fundamental issues in relation to the teaching and learning of the formal aspects of a foreign language, notably English as a foreign or second language, as well as to suggest an instructional option which is supported by sociocultural theory (Vygotsky, 1978). The argumentation covers problems with the conceptualization of recent terms used to refer to form focus in contrast to meaning focus; some methodological options to deal with form from an information processing model perspective as a starting point for delivering instruction (Ellis, 1998); the reasons for form-focused instruction; the realm of grammar; and form focus teaching and learning tendencies in the light of a sociocultural theory of learning through the concept of “languaging” (Swain, 2006).