Activity Analysis:  Introduction – why analyze an activity
 

One of the most important aspects of any hypothesis of second language learning is its application to specific methods in the classroom.  This can be done in several ways.  One is to use it to understand the process that the students are undergoing by applying the hypothesis to error analysis in order to figure out why they make the mistakes that they do.  However, while understanding the students is important for the teacher, the object of the enterprise is ultimately to increase their ability to understand and speak the target language, which requires going a step or two further.  Guidelines for designing activities and a framework for these activities (a curriculum) could possibly be more useful.  In order to do this, a thorough understanding of the dynamics of existing activities could serve as a foundation for future activities or more general methods.  The next section is an example of how teachers might use some of the principles of second language acquisition theory in a microanalysis of activities in their classrooms.
 

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