Learning Language Theories

Editor's Notes

• #2: Explaining Second Language Learning • Contexts for Language Learning • Behaviorism • Innatism • Cognitive/developmental perspective • Information Processing • Connectionism • The Competition Model • The Sociocultural Perspective
• #3: Learning means bringing changes, by learning human enters new society and culture. When they learned new understanding, they perform on it. Otherwise, they lose it. As stated earlier, learning transfers changes (behaviorism) and creates new knowledge or increases information (cognitive skills). Education empowers our brain and beliefs, so it encourages our intellectual power to improve knowledge. Most important theories related to language learning. 1. Behaviorist, 2. Cognitive, 3. Constructivism, 4. Chomsky’s Universal Grammar 5. Schumann’s Acculturation / Orientation in a new culture, 6. Krashen’s Monitor Language Learning Theories
• #4: What, really, is education? What is its purpose? In the light of our answers to those questions, is education measurable, and if it is measurable does it make sense that the same measures would apply to everyone?
• #5: learning Measurable and relatively permanent change in behavior through experience, instruction, or study. Whereas individual learning is selective, group learning is essentially political its outcomes depend largely on power playing in the group. Learning itself cannot be measured, but its results can be. In the words of Harvard Business School psychologist Chris Argyris, learning is "detection and correction of error" where an error means "any mismatch between our intentions and what actually happens." 
• #6: learning a new language changes your brain - at any age We all know that learning a second language is a great, healthy thing to do for your brain, but new research has discovered that it actually changes both the structure and function of your brain network, regardless of whether you’re four, or 84.
• #7: "For students studying " "education or psychology, for teachers or prospective teachers, and for instructional designers or instructors." "A concrete guide to the science of learning, instruction, and assessment written in a friendly tone and presented in a dynamic format. " The underlying premise of "Applying the Science of Learning "is that educators can better help students learn if they understand the processes through which student learning takes place. In this clear and concise first edition text, educational psychology scholar Richard Mayer teaches readers how to apply the science of learning through understanding the reciprocal relationships between learning, instruction, and assessment. Utilizing the significant advances in scientific learning research over the last 25 years, this introductory text identifies the features of science of learning that are most relevant to education, explores the possible prescriptions of these findings for instructional methods, and highlights the essentials of evaluating instructional effectiveness through assessment. "Applying the Science of Learning "is also presented in an easy-to-read modular design and with a conversational tone making it particularly student-friendly, whether it is being used as a supplement to a core textbook or as a standalone course textbook.
• #8: Science of Learning Features: A concise and concentrated view of the field that covers the foundational ideas in learning, instruction, and assessment without overwhelming students or wasting words. A modular, multimedia approach organizes course material into two-page units with specific objectives, helpful graphics, and a welcoming design that helps readers organize and understand each concept. An emphasis on clear writing and concrete ideas makes learning easier for readers, especially by providing vocabulary definitions and specific examples. A personal and friendly tone instead of a formal, academic style make this book easier and more enjoyable to read. While few academic references clutter the text, key references and suggested readings are provided at the end of each section.
• #9: Language learning is a process. “How are languages learned?” How an individual learns and acquires a language has been long debated. There are a number of theories that came out to explain how languages are gained by a particular individual, and how these languages are being affected by either of the external and internal factors.
• #10: Learning means bringing changes, by learning human enters new society and culture. When they learned new understanding, they perform on it. Otherwise, they lose it. Learning means bringing changes (behaviorism ) and obtaining new knowledge or increasing more information (cognitive skills ). Education empowers our brain and beliefs, so it encourages our intellectual power to improve knowledge. Six theories related to language learning. 1. Behaviorist, 2. Cognitive, 3. Constructivism, 4. Universal grammar theory, 5. Schumann’s Acculturation / Orientation in a new culture, 6. Krashen’s Monitor
• #11: Behaviorism refers to the school of psychology founded by John B. Watson based on the belief that behaviors can be measured, trained, and changed. Behaviorism was established with the publication of Watson's classic paper "Psychology as the Behaviorist Views It" (1913). Behaviorism can perhaps be best summed up by the following quote from the famous psychologist John B. Watson. Watson is often considered the "father" of behaviorism: "Give me a dozen healthy infants, well-formed, and my own specified world to bring them up in and I'll guarantee to take any one at random and train him to become any type of specialist I might select -- doctor, lawyer, artist, merchant-chief and, yes, even beggar-man and thief, regardless of his talents, penchants, tendencies, abilities, vocations, and race of his ancestors."--John Watson, Behaviorism, 1930
• #12: Behavioristic Theory of Learning For decades, behavioristic & Skinnerian theory had a great impact on foreign language teaching methodology. It was believed that: Human behavior could be predicted and controlled Children come into this world with TABULA RASA, a clean slate bearing no pre-conceived notions about the world / language. Today, the primary theory is socio-constructivist—in which knowledge is understood to be importantly shaped by the context in which it is situated, and is actively constructed through social negotiation with others. On this understanding, learning environments should be where: • Constructive, self-regulated learning is fostered • The learning is sensitive to the context • It will often be collaborative
• #13: Today, the primary theory is socio-constructivist—in which knowledge is understood to be importantly shaped by the context in which it is situated, and is actively constructed through social negotiation with others. On this understanding, learning environments should be where: • Constructive, self-regulated learning is fostered • The learning is sensitive to the context • It will often be collaborative
• #14: The Theory of Universal Grammar Chomsky believed that it was more than a coincidence that the majority of human languages follow similar rules and patterns when it comes to grammar. He believed that, while differences exist between languages, the fact that they all share core common grammatical traits was not just a chance occurrence. So, how could languages from across the globe share core grammatical features? Innate Language
• #15: The final hypothesis in Krashen’s theory, the affective filter hypothesis, deals with motivation. Krashen believed that poor motivation would work like a filter that would block comprehensible input. A “high affective filter” would block out language input and make learning impossible. A “low affective filter” would allow input to come in and be processed by an “internal language processor” similar to Chomsky’s LAD. that knowledge that came from formal learning (e.g. an explicitly learned grammar rule) could only act as a “monitor” during slow, careful production (Monitor hypothesis). Think of the “Monitor” as a kind of “language policeman.” The L2 learner could, in some circumstances, use his or her Monitor to check the language he or she was producing. For example, a learner could use a consciously learned grammar rule about adding +s to third person present tense verbs (e.g. “He swims”) to find mistakes in his or her English.
• #16: Universal Grammar (UG) in relation to second language development Competence vs. Performance Krashen’s “monitor model”
• #17: Innatism is a philosophical and epistemological doctrine that holds that the mind is born with ideas/knowledge, and that therefore the mind is not a "blank slate" at birth, as early empiricists such as John Locke claimed. It asserts that not all knowledge is gained from experience and the senses.
• #18: Teachers who accept the no access hypothesis might feel that it is impossible for learners to acquire a second language naturally. On the other hand, teachers who believe the full access hypothesis might feel that learners can acquire language naturally if exposed to lots of communicative activities.
• #19: Cognitive strategies are one type of learning strategy that learners use in order to learn more successfully. These include repetition, organising new language, summarising meaning, guessing meaning from context, using imagery for memorisation. In the classroom Activities which can be described as cognitive strategies include making mind maps, visualisation, association, mnemonics, using clues in reading comprehension, underlining key words, scanning and self-testing and monitoring.
• #20: They are techniques that help the speaker and listener keep a conversation going to its natural and desired conclusion. They are skills that supplement the linguistic and sociolinguistic skills most texts focus on: grammar, vocabulary, and usage.
• #21: To understand the importance of communication strategies training, we should first examine the factors that influence understanding during conversation. These factors can be assigned to three categories as related to: the Speaker, the Environment, and the Listener.
• #22: The goal of Communication Strategies Training is to develop skills that will help us to handle difficult communication situations assertively and independently. Training is necessary because people with hearing loss and their families rarely develop effective communication and coping skills without training and practice.
• #23: Understanding the nature of the relationship between language and culture is central to the process of learning another language. In actual language use, it is not the case that it is only the forms of language that convey meaning. It is language in its cultural context that creates meaning: creating and interpreting meaning is done within a cultural framework. In language learning classrooms, learners need to engage with the ways in which context affects what is communicated and how.
• #24: A social interaction is an exchange between two or more individuals and is a building block of society. Social interaction can be studied between groups of two (dyads), three (triads) or larger social groups. By interacting with one another, people design rules, institutions and systems within which they seek to live.
• #26: What does each language theory emphasize? How will each language learning theory contribute to your teaching? What language theory did your teachers use to teach a foreign language? What language theory do you prefer? Why? Will you use one or multiple language theories? Why?
• #27: There is no agreement on a “complete” theory of second language acquisition yet. Each theoretical framework has a different focus and its limitations. Behaviorism: emphasizing stimuli and responses, but ignoring the mental processes that are involved in learning. Innatism: innate LAD, based on intuitions Information processing and connectionism: involving controlled laboratory experiments where human learning is similar to computer processing. Interactionist position: modification of interaction promotes language acquisition and development.