Here are suggested answers to the Think About It items in this chapter of the Online Learning Center website.

1. Are all input or comprehension-based activities structured input activities? Explain.



Teacher’s Note: Response should include the following:


• No. Just because an activity is input or comprehension based does not make it a structured input activity.
• Structured input activities by definition are activities that are designed to correct an incorrect input processing strategy. Therefore, in order for an input activity to be a structured input activity, the learner’s processing problem must first be identified.

2. Research on Processing Instruction demonstrates that learners can learn grammatical information in the absence of explicit information. Structured input activities alone appear to be sufficient to have an impact on test results. What about traditional instruction that involves mechanical, meaningful, and communicative drills? Do you think learners would be able to learn grammatical information from doing these drills alone without any explicit information? Explain.



Teacher’s Note: Response should be similar to the following:


• Most probably not. Structured input activities are developed with learners’ processing strategies in mind and are designed to force learners to make correct form-meaning connections. Thus, explicit information is not necessary. Learners are already making correct form-meaning connections by doing the activities.
• Activities in traditional instruction are not designed with learners’ processing strategies in mind and do not push learners to make form-meaning connections. Furthermore, drills are output-oriented and not input-oriented. When the activities do not push learners to make correct form-meaning connections, learners must rely on other resources such as explicit information in order to perform well on tests or to do the activities themselves.

3. Why is it crucial to “keep the learner’s processing strategies in mind” when we design structured input activities? Explain.



Teacher’s Note: Response should include the following:


• “Keeping learners’ processing strategies in mind” is what distinguishes structured input activities from other types of input or comprehension based activities.
• If an activity is not designed with learners’ processing strategies in mind, then it is not a structured input activity.