Theories in

LANGUAGE
LEARNING/ACQUISITION
(Cognitive Learning Theory)
 2.
Cognitive
THEORY
 Cognitive Theory
❑Learning results from
internal mental
activity and not from
externally imposed
stimuli
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 Cognitive Theory
❑ The learner comes with
knowledge, skills
and related experiences
to the learning situation

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 Role of Learners
◦ Active participant in the
learning process, using
various strategies to process
and construct their personal
understanding of the
content to which they are
exposed 5
Key Figures

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 Jean Piaget
❑ Constructed models of
child development and the
learning process
❑ Identified 4
developmental stages and
the cognitive processes
associated with each of
them 8
Developmental Stages

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Developmental Stages

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 Implications

❑ Learners should be
assigned tasks that are
age and stage
appropriate.
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Three fundamental
processes of intellectual
growth:
1. Accommodation
2. Assimilation
3. Equilibration

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Three fundamental processes

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Three fundamental processes

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Three fundamental processes

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Implications in the Classroom
❑ Learning is the process of
relating new information
with what was previously
learnt

❑Learning is cumulative.
increasing or increased in
quantity, degree, or force by
successive additions.

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 Benjamin Bloom
❑ Bloom’s Taxonomy
-identifies and describes, in
hierarchical order, the
cognitive processes involved
in learning

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Implications for Teaching

❑ Use verbs aligned to the

taxonomy to plan lessons
that would ensure that
learners’ cognitive
skills develop from
LOTS to HOTS.

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 Jerome Bruner

❑ Development of conceptual
understanding, cognitive skills and
learning strategies rather than the
acquisition of knowledge

❑ Bruner (1966) was concerned with

how knowledge is represented and
organized through different modes of
thinking (or representation).

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Modes of Representation

In his research on the cognitive

development of children, he proposed
three modes of representation:

❑ Enactive representation (action-based)

❑ Iconic representation (image-based)
❑ Symbolic representation (language-
based)

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Modes of Representation

Enactive Level

– learning takes place via

direct manipulation of
objects and materials

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Modes of Representation
Iconic Level

– objects are represented by

visual images and are
recognized for what they
represent
This may explain why, when we are learning a new subject,
it is often helpful to have diagrams or illustrations to
accompany the verbal information.
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Modes of Representation
Symbolic Level

– This is where information is stored

in the form of a code or symbol.
Language is used to represent
thoughts and experiences

In the symbolic stage, knowledge is stored primarily as

words, mathematical symbols, or in other symbol systems,
such as music.
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 ❑ The aim of education should be to create
autonomous learners (i.e., learning to learn).

❑ For Bruner (1961), the purpose of education is

Implications not to impart knowledge, but instead to facilitate
a child's thinking and problem-solving skills
for which can then be transferred to a range of
Teaching situations. Specifically, education should also
develop symbolic thinking in children.

❑ In 1960 Bruner's text, The Process of Education

was published. The main premise of Bruner's text
was that students are active learners who
construct their own knowledge.
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Implications for Teaching

❑ Providing opportunities
for learners to be actively
engaged in making
sense of the language
input, through meaningful
tasks

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Implications for Teaching
❑ Providing opportunities
for learners to develop
the ability to analyze
the language, make
generalizations about
rules, take risks in trying
out the language, and to
learn from errors
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 David Ausubel

❑ Ausubel believes that learning

of new knowledge relies on
what is already known.

That is, construction of knowledge begins with our

observation and recognition of events and objects
through concepts we already have. We learn by
constructing a network of concepts and adding to
them.

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 David Ausubel
❑ Concept map , developed by
Ausubel and Novac, is an
instructional device that uses this
aspect of the theory to allow
instruction of material to learners;
❑ It is a way of representing
relationships between ideas,
images, or words. 32
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 David Ausubel

❑ Made a distinction
between
meaningful learning
and rote learning
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 Meaningful Rote
Learning Learning

❑ relatable to ❑ the material to be

what one learnt is not
already knows so integrated /
it can be easily subsumed into an
integrated in existing cognitive
one’s existing structure but learnt
cognitive as isolated pieces
structure of information
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 ❑ The teacher has to
enhance the
Implications meaningfulness of
for new material to
Teaching increase the chances of
its being anchored to
what is already known
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 ❑ The teacher has to
enhance the
Implications meaningfulness of
for new material to
Teaching increase the chances of
its being anchored to
what is already known
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A cognitive theory of learning sees
second language acquisition as a
conscious and reasoned thinking
process, involving the deliberate use
of learning strategies.

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This explanation of language learning
contrasts strongly with the
behaviorist account of language
learning, which sees language
learning as an unconscious, automatic
process.

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 END
Any questions?

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