1. Krashen’s Monitor Model:
The 5 Hypotheses
By: Jennifer Cobos, Rachael McKinley, and Chelsea Bryant

2. Krashen Biography
Professor Emeritus at the University of
Southern California
Linguist, educational researcher, and activist
Has published more than 350 papers and books
Introduced the concept of 5 learning hypothses

3. The 5 Hypotheses
The 5 hypotheses are about the learning of a second language
The 5 hypotheses are as follows:
Acquisition Learning Hypothesis
Natural Order Hypothesis
Input Hypothesis
Monitor Hypothesis
Affective Filter Hypothesis

4. The Acquisition-Learning Hypothesis
Two Methods to Learning a
second language:
Learning
Acquisition

5. Learning
Conscious study of the language
According to Krashen, this does
not lead to fluent speaking
Ex: In China after multiple hours of
studying English grammar,
students were unable to engage
in meaningful conversation

6. Acquisition
Picking up language the way children naturally do
Subconscious
Ex: Picking up language through meaningful conversations
that they observe and eventually engage in

7. What does this mean?
The point of Krashen’s “Acquisition Learning”
hypothesis is to show that though alone neither
learning or acquisition are successful, when used
together they can produce real results in English
proficiency

8. The Monitor Hypothesis
“Conscious learning is available only as a "Monitor," which can
alter the output of the acquired system before or after the
utterance is actually spoken or written. It is the acquired system
which initiates normal, fluent speech utterances.”
• Internal grammar editor, or “Monitor”
• Implies that the ELL thinks about what they say or write, and has
the ability to “self-correct”

9. Example of the Monitor Hypothesis
I goed to the store…
I mean….
I went to the store.

10. The Monitor Hypothesis
Keys to Effective Monitoring
• Time
•
An ELL must have sufficient time to
think about and use rules
consciously
• Focus on grammatical form
•
Even with ample time, one may be
so involved in what they’re saying
they don’t think about how they’re
saying it
• Knowledge of rules
• Complex

11. The Monitor Hypothesis
Types of Monitor Users
• Under-user
•
•
Have not learned
Or, prefer not to use knowledge
• Over-user
•
•
Constantly monitoring
No fluency
• Optimal User
•
•
Uses Monitor when appropriate
Uses learning as a supplement to
acquisition

12. Natural Order Hypothesis
Language learners acquire
(rather than learn) the rules of a
language in a predictable
sequence
Acquisition of grammatical
structures follows a natural order

13. Teacher Application
Be aware that certain
structures of a language are
easier to acquire than others
Start by introducing language
concepts that are relatively
easy for learners to acquire
and then use scaffolding to
introduce more difficult
concepts

14. Input Hypothesis
Second language acquisition is the
direct result of learners’ understanding
the target language in natural
communication situations

15. Input Hypothesis cont.
learners progress in their knowledge of the language
when they comprehend language input that is slightly
more advanced than their current level
“i” is the language input
“+1” is the next stage of language acquisition

16. Four Parts to the Input Hypothesis
1. Relates to acquisition, not learning
2. We acquire by understanding language that
contains structure beyond our current level of
competence
3. When communication is successful, when the input
is understood and there is enough of it, i+1 will be
provided automatically
4. Production ability emerges. It is not taught directly.

17. The Affective Filter Hypothesis
“People acquire second languages when they obtain
comprehensible input and when their affective filters are low
enough to allow the input in [to the language acquisition device].”
• Addresses the relationship between social-emotional variables
and second language acquisition
• The goal is to have a weak affective filter (low anxiety).

18. The Affective Filter Hypothesis
• Low-anxiety learning
environment
• Motivation to learn
language
• Self-confidence
• Self-esteem
Most Important Affective
Variables

19. Lowering the Affective Filter
Get to know your
students
Lots of praise
Encourage all expressions
of English
Incentives
Interesting topics

20. Questions
1. How do you think a high-stress environment affects
an ELL trying to acquire a second language?
2. How do you think the population of other ELL
students (high versus low) affects the learning of
English in schools?
3. Can you describe three activities that promote
second language acquisition?

21. Conclusion
Krashen’s Monitor Model and 5
hypotheses are all a model of teaching
for the learning of a second language
They are all based off of the natural way
a first language is learned

22. Works Cited
Fortin, Katherine. (2009, Nov. 13) Teaching Foreign Languages: Make Your
Students Feel At Ease. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0B0KWqGMI
Krashen, S.D. (1981) Second Language Acquisition and Second Language
Learning, Pergamon Press, Inc. Retrieved from
http://sdkrashen.com/content/books/sl_acquisition_and_learning.pdf
Krashen, S.D. (1982) Principles and Practice in Second Language Acquisition,
Pergamon Press, Inc. Retrived from
http://www.sdkrashen.com/content/books/principles_and_practice.pdf
Peregoy, S. & Boyle, O. (2013) Reading, Writing, and Learning in ESL: A
Resource Book for Teaching K-12 English Learners (6th Ed). Upper Saddle River,
NY: Pearson Education, Inc.