OTHER THEORIES OF LANGUAGE LEARNING

1. CONSTRUCTIVISM THEORY OF LANGUAGE LEARNING

This model was ingrained in learning theories by Jean Piaget, Vygotsky, Gagne, and Dewy.
Constructivism has roots in psychology, philosophy, education, and sociology.

The theory is related to the procedures of assimilation and accommodation.

 Assimilation is where a learner absorbs new info and fits it into an existing schema.
 At the same time, accommodation utilizes the newly learned info to revamp an existing scheme.

Constructivism:

Constructive learning theory asserts that learners develop new ideas, meaning, and understanding by
integrating new information they have learned and acquired from new experiences with the earlier
knowledge gained from past experiences.

Constructivism is categorized into three:

 Cognitive constructivism, which is grounded on the workings of Jean

Piaget.
 Social constructivism, which is based on the work of Lev Vygotsky.
 Radical constructivism.

Principles
 The theory has several elements that outline it as a whole and how it affects
the students' learning. The following are the principles of constructivism:

1. Learning is a lively activity;

2. Motivation is the key to learning;
3. Knowledge is created;
4. Each brain is unique;
5. Learning is contextual;
6. Learning is a social activity;
7. Individuals learn to learn as they learn;
8. Learning exists in mind;
9. Knowledge is personal, and the brain is a parallel processor.

2. Cognitive Learning Theory

The cognitive theory of language acquisition was first proposed by the Swiss
psychologist Jean Piaget in the 1930s. Piaget believed that language learning
is closely linked to the maturation and development of the human brain. He
stated that exposure to the world allows a child's mind to develop, in turn,
allowing language to develop.

Characteristics of cognitive learning theory

The main principle of cognitive theory is the idea that children are born with a
limited cognitive ability that must develop over time. As the baby grows into a
toddler, then a child, then a teenager, their cognitive ability also increases due
to their life experiences. Cognitive theorists believe that with the development
of cognitive ability comes the development of language.

Cognitive ability = the core skills your brain uses to think, read, learn,
remember, reason, and pay attention.

In 1936, Piaget introduced his cognitive development theory and broke the
developmental process down into four stages:

 The Sensorimotor Stage

 The Preoperational Stage
 The Concrete Operational Stage
 The Formal Operational Stage

The four stages of cognitive development

Piaget's theory of cognitive development revolves around the central idea that
intelligence develops as children grow. Piaget believed that cognitive
development occurs as a child's mind evolves through a series of set stages until
they reach adulthood. Piaget named these 'the four stages of cognitive
development'.

Piaget's four stages of cognitive development are laid out in the table below:
 1. Sensorimotor stage

At this stage, children will learn predominantly through sensory experiences and
manipulating objects. Piaget suggested that children are born with basic 'action
schemas', such as suckling and gripping, and they use their action schemas to
comprehend new information about the world. In his book The Language and
Thought of the Child (1923), he also stated that a child's language functions in
two different ways:

Egocentric - At this stage, children are able to use language but don't
necessarily understand its social function. Language is based on children's own
experiences and they struggle to understand the thoughts, feelings, and
experiences of others.

Socialised - Children begin to use language as a tool to communicate with

others.

During the sensorimotor stage, children's language is very egocentric and they
communicate for themselves.

2. Preoperational stage

Children begin to develop symbolic thought and can create an internal

representation of the world via language and mental imagery. This means they
are able to talk about things beyond the 'here and now', such as the past, the
future, and others' feelings.

Piaget noted that, during this stage, children's language makes rapid progress
and the development of their mental schemas allows them to pick up many new
words quickly. Children will also begin to form basic sentences, moving away
from one-word utterances.

Instead of saying 'out', a child may begin to say 'mummy go out'. Children cannot
yet think logically and still have a very egocentric view of the world.

3. Concrete operational stage

Children begin to think more logically about concrete events and solve problems;
however, thinking is still very literal. According to Piaget, children's language
development at this stage highlights a change in thinking from illogical to logical
and egocentric to socialized.

4. Formal operational stage

The final stage of cognitive development involves increased logical thought and
the beginning of the ability to understand more abstract and theoretical
concepts. Teenagers begin to think more about philosophical, ethical, and
political ideas that require a deeper theoretical understanding.

3. CONNECTIVISM THEORY OF LANGUAGE LEARNING

INTRODUCTION

Connectivism was first introduced in 2005 by two theorists, George Siemens and
Stephen Downes. Siemens’ article Connectivism: Learning as a Network Creation
was published online in 2004 and Downes’ article An Introduction to Connective
Knowledge was published the following year.

CONNECTIVISM

Connectivism is a relatively new learning theory that suggests students should

combine thoughts, theories, and general information in a useful manner. It
accepts that technology is a major part of the learning process and that our
constant connectedness gives us opportunities to make choices about our
learning. It also promotes group collaboration and discussion, allowing for
different viewpoints and perspectives when it comes to decision-making,
problem-solving, and making sense of information. Connectivism promotes
learning that happens outside of an individual, such as through social media,
online networks, blogs, or information databases.

NODES AND LINKS

From this theory, two terms

 Nodes
 Links

That has been commonly used to describe how we gain and connect information
in a network.
In connectivism, students are seen as “nodes” in a network. A node refers to any
object that can be connected to another object, like a book, webpage, person,
etc. Connectivism is based on the theory that we learn when we make
connections, or “links,” between various "nodes" of information, and we continue
to make and maintain connections to form knowledge.

Principles of Connectivism

Connectivism builds on already-established theories to propose that technology

is changing what, how, and where we learn. In their research, Siemens and
Downes identified eight principles of connectivism.

Those main principles of connectivism are:

 Learning is a process of connecting.

 Learning is more critical than knowing.
 Nurturing and maintaining connections are needed for continual learning.
 The ability to see connections between fields, ideas, and concepts is a
core skill.
 Accurate, up-to-date knowledge is the aim of all connectivist learning.
 Decision-making is a learning process. What we know today might change
tomorrow. While there’s a right answer now, it might be wrong tomorrow
due to the constantly changing information climate.

Before these principles came on the scene, many theories positioned students
solely as receivers of information. However, connectivism supports the theory
that knowledge is distributed across networks where connections and
connectedness inform learning.