The significance of the implicit vs. explicit distinction for language pedagogy
Rod Ellis
Rod Ellis reminded us that the main goal of second language instruction is to develop implicit knowledge-- because without it, you're a lousy communicator. Implicit language learning occurs without intentionality, without awareness (beyond the level of noticing) of what has been learned—or that it has been learned, or how. This is how children learn their first language and their caregivers/ language teachers are providing all the input they need—without explicitly teaching them anything. (That comes later, in school, when they intentionally, consciously, explicitly try to help students become aware of the rules of grammar they have intuitively learned.)
Ellis encouraged us to consider the extent it is possible to facilitate the (essential) implicit understanding of a second or foreign language and its relationship with explicit instruction. He feels that confidence in communicating comes from building up implicit knowledge and that the lack of access to it by adult learners outside the classroom must be offset by appropriate exposure to it inside, with students discovering implicit rules for themselves. With a combination of presentation and discussion, Ellis guided us from awareness-raising through brainstorming of ways to facilitate that, which went way late and spilled over into a nearby café.
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