Cognitive Learning Theories

A. Background

As a reaction to Audio Lingual Method, Chomsky criticized the structural theory (1957). Then, in 1965 he was against the theory of language acquisution through driling. He believed that learning a language was not a  habit formation but a creative process, a rational and cognitive, not only a response for a stimulus.

According to Chomsky, students must be consciously faacilitated with grammatical rules. By using conscious understanding about the rules, the students will be able to produce a sentence pattern.

Cognitive Language theory is based on the linguistic transformational theory of Gestalt Psychology. This theory believes that learning a language is an internal process, mental activity of one individual. The students must be given opportunity to be active at using their mental abilities to achieve communicative language skills. The teacher should motivate the students to communicate.

B. Principles

• The frequency of contrast is more important than repetition.
• The more meaningful the materials are, the easier they will be apprehended.
• The material presented with visual aids will be easier to be studied.
• The full attention and concentration will ease the learning process.
• The learning process begins from competence to performance.
• The teaching learning process must be meaningful.

The language system is learned as a functional system that can be used in a communicative context.

C. Usual Classroom Techniques

• Start the lesson with what the students know.
• Help the students relate their knowledge to the new material.
• Avoid an unmeaningful lesson.
• Use graphic and schematic way to explain relation.
• Practice the written and spoken language by using aids.
• Choose the most appropriate situation.
• Apply a deductive procedure.
• Differentiete the student's background knowledge and his potency.
• Stress the use of functional grammatical patterns.
• Give opportunity to the students to be active.

D. Characteristics of a Cognitive Class

• Class procedure is stressed on comprehension and communicative competence.
• Group work and individual learning are developed.
• Much attention must be payed to vocabulary and less to pronunciation.
• Teacher is the facilitator of leaning.
• Mistakes are viewed as unavoidable products.
• Ideal objectives are fluency in using the language
• Students are required to use the language after comprehending basic structures.
• Use of native language and translation is allowed.

E. Audio Lingual Method (ALM) and Cognitive Learning Theories (CLT)

• Language is considered a collection of habits (ALM). Language is considered a highly integrated system of rules (CLT).
• Learning is basically a mechanical process of habit formation (ALM). Learning is basically the comprehension of the rules of language (CLT).
• Audio Lingual Method aims at performance and habit formation (ALM). Cognitive Learning Theories aims at the development of linguistic competence (CLT).
• Both comprehension and production depend on different sets of habits (ALM). The ultimate product of Language Acquisition Device (LAD) is on inernalized systems of rules which underline comprehension production (CLT).
• Imitation and memorization are necessaary elements for habit formation (ALM). Imitation and memorization are not synonymous with comprehension (CLT).
• Students should be engaged with practices most of the time (ALM). Practices can be done after discovering patterns (CLT).
• Drills should be practiced by various techniques until a control is achieved (ALM). The most important purpose of drilling is to acquint the students with the rules of language (CLT).
• Foreign language habits are formed most effectively by giving the right response (ALM). Student's mistakes are considered a necessary and natural phenomenon (CLT).
• Mistakes should be corrected directly (ALM). Correction is unnecessary if the student has conveyed the meaning (CLT).
• The sentences that the students use should be grammatical from the very begining (ALM). Semi grammatical sentences are accepted as a normal stage (CLT).
• Language is something you understand before reading and writing (ALM). Spoken and written language is a distinct representation of the same basic language system (CLT).
• The order of presentation and acquisition understanding, speaking, reading, and writing (ALM). Any of the four skills can be given predominance according to the aims (CLT).
• Grammar rules are summaries of behavior extrapolated inductively from language data and presented only after the students have acquired the linguistic behavior (ALM). Grammar is the underlying representation of the surface structure strings. The foreign language process is geared towards the acquisition of the rules (CLT).
• Meaning can be given only after the students have gained a complete and automatic control over the grammatical patterns (ALM). Meaning should never be subordinated to other considerations. Students should be able to attach meaning to the words and forms he is saying (CLT).
• Level of manipulation and of language elements that occur in fixed relationship should be the main concern of the teacher (ALM). Level of manipulation and of expression go together, the latter being the instification for the teaching of a second language (CLT).
• Language habits are not different in origin as character from any other sets of habits (ALM). Language Acquisition Devices is highly specific to language learning. It does not have any formal resemblance to any other aspects of human functioning (CLT).
• Children are molded by regularities and contingencies of their environments (ALM). Process of language learning is mainy determined by forces inside the child that he brings with him Language Acquisition Device (CLT).