Learning Theories and Language Teaching

Word list

Look at the list of words and try to memorise as many of the items as possible. Do not write any of them down.

Behaviourism

1. Learning as habit formation• Stimulus-Response-Reinforcement• repetition

2. Pattern practice (drills, etc.)

3. Learner as passive receiver of information

Mentalism

1. Behaviourism unable to account for creativity of language learning:• novel utterances• system-building

2. Learning as rule-governed activity (Chomsky)• habit formation vs. acquiring rules• stimulus triggers search for underlying

pattern• hypothesis-testing

The cognitive theory

1. Learning as a thinking process.

2. Learner as an active processor of information.

3. Problem-solving tasks, learning strategies, etc.

Affective theory1. Learning as an emotional process2. The cognitive-affective interconnection3. Motivation• Language, learner and learning

situation levels framework (Dornyei 2001: 18)

• Process model (ibid: 19 - 23)4. Authentic texts/tasks, small group-work,

etc.

Learning vs. acquisition (Krashen)

1.Learning as an unconscious process

2. “i + 1” (comprehensible input)

SEMINAR

What theory/theories of learning underlie each of the language teaching activities provided?

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