THE THEORISTS' VIEW OF LEARNING LANGUAGE
The acquisition of language is believed to happen in many ways, and is supported by several theorists' with their own theories, which explore the various ways in which we gain and develop language. Each theory possesses its own set of rules, observations and activities which allow us to look at, and to realize their influence on past and current teaching practices on children. The three main theories are behaviourist, cognitive and socio-cultural. Let's look at two of these.
BEHAVIOURIST THEORY
The concept of the behaviourist theory is based around operant conditioning- the process of attempting to modify behaviour through the use of positive or negative reinforcement using modelling behaviour. As a parent, you would engage in this activity consistently and not realise you are doing it. The act of demonstrating the phrase “thank you” to your child from a young age, then giving them the meal or toy after such language positively reinforces the encouragement of that phrase.
The behaviourist theory is advocated by Skinner and Pavlov. These theorists view the process of learning as a change in behaviour. This is promoted through modelling, behavioural objects, task-based and competency-based learning.
Burrhus Skinner promoted active learning through observable behaviour. He was convinced that for a student “to acquire knowledge, the student must engage in behaviour” (Skinner, 1961). This brought on the concepts of task-based learning, sensory learning and positive reinforcement. Skinner believed that positive reinforcement of a particular task is better than punishment, as the child becomes interested in partaking in tasks for reward, rather than avoiding the task to avoid punishment.
Skinner suggests that any skill can be taught through five steps:
1: Clearly specify the action or performance the student is to learn to do.
2: Break down the task into small achievable steps, going from simple to complex.
3: Let the student perform each step: reinforce correct actions positively.
4: Adjust so that the student is always successful until the goal is finally reached.
5: Transfer to intermittent reinforcement to maintain the student's performance.
Ivan Pavlov investigated the laws of conditioning, which paved the way for other theorists. He believed that learning is a process of reacting to external stimuli, and is best presented by operant conditioning with a reward system. He believed that to motivate children to behave well and work hard, a positive yet achievable reward system must be in place, so children gain self satisfaction after completing a task.
In literacy learning, behaviourists believe that the acquisition of a new behaviour is learnt through conditioning. They believe that the most effective way of achieving this is through modelling and using sensory tasks such as visual cues. Educators make children aware of what is expected of them and provide positive rewards in the form of games the children like to play, favourite stories and stickers. Children become aware of their learning and become motivated in the self-learning of different tasks they are interested in.
The Behaviourist theory therefore believes that a child who receives positive reinforcement for their efforts, is more likely to acquire new language faster than a child whose surroundings have minimal interaction or praise.
SOCIO-CULTURIST THEORY
This view of learning is based on the theories of Dewey (1964) and Vygotsky (1978). They concluded that knowledge is constructed through personal understanding from meaningful shared experiences. Learning is also distributed through a social network, and social meaning is created by each learner.
Like Skinner in the Behaviourist theory, Vygotsky of the Socio-cultural Theory, suggests that children are born with the capabilities to allow them to communicate. He states that children are active learners, and language is acquired in a social setting, and that children should be able to draw upon their own social and cultural surroundings to develop their literacy skills. He backs this up by reference to the “Zone of Proximal Development or ZPD”, which looks at the differences and ability of the child to succeed in their learning when alone, and when modeled and guided through a scaffolding approach by a “more experienced other”, (being an older peer, parent or teacher), to find the level of improvement that is reachable for that child.
John Dewey focused on the process of how we attain knowledge, and highlighted the “positive social value of education and the importance of educators.” (Hill,2012) He stated that children need to ask questions and seek answers in order to learn effectively. He also viewed the classroom as a community learning environment where children collaborate to learn together. He highlighted the importance of viewing the child as part of a society at home, which therefore promotes the importance of a positive relationship between parent or guardian and educator.
Lev Vygotsky shared a similar view of learning acquisition and put it into five main ideas:
1: Children actively construct knowledge; by being immersed in hands-on experiences and exploring ideas.
2: Learning leads to development; in that if children are left to explore and classify ideas, extended learning takes place.
3: Learning cannot be separated from its social context; in that peers assist and support the learning process by having a common goal, and this is a crucial factor in effective learning.
4: Language plays a central role in intellectual development: through internal and external language children refine thoughts which lead to a higher order of thinking.
5: The 'Zone of Proximal Development' is a concept that influences educators to 'scaffold' a child's learning so that they achieve success. This is done by first investigating what the child knows independently, and then establishing the level they can reach with assistance through scaffolding. (Hill, 2012. p. 4-5)
In literacy learning the teacher acts as a facilitator for the child to discover principles for themselves and to gain knowledge by working to solve problems. This is done through social-constructivism by applying the scaffolding approach to learning and the main principle of finding out what a child knows, then working out an appropriate plan of action to enhance their skills through the zone of proximal development.
BEHAVIOURIST THEORY
The concept of the behaviourist theory is based around operant conditioning- the process of attempting to modify behaviour through the use of positive or negative reinforcement using modelling behaviour. As a parent, you would engage in this activity consistently and not realise you are doing it. The act of demonstrating the phrase “thank you” to your child from a young age, then giving them the meal or toy after such language positively reinforces the encouragement of that phrase.
The behaviourist theory is advocated by Skinner and Pavlov. These theorists view the process of learning as a change in behaviour. This is promoted through modelling, behavioural objects, task-based and competency-based learning.
Burrhus Skinner promoted active learning through observable behaviour. He was convinced that for a student “to acquire knowledge, the student must engage in behaviour” (Skinner, 1961). This brought on the concepts of task-based learning, sensory learning and positive reinforcement. Skinner believed that positive reinforcement of a particular task is better than punishment, as the child becomes interested in partaking in tasks for reward, rather than avoiding the task to avoid punishment.
Skinner suggests that any skill can be taught through five steps:
1: Clearly specify the action or performance the student is to learn to do.
2: Break down the task into small achievable steps, going from simple to complex.
3: Let the student perform each step: reinforce correct actions positively.
4: Adjust so that the student is always successful until the goal is finally reached.
5: Transfer to intermittent reinforcement to maintain the student's performance.
Ivan Pavlov investigated the laws of conditioning, which paved the way for other theorists. He believed that learning is a process of reacting to external stimuli, and is best presented by operant conditioning with a reward system. He believed that to motivate children to behave well and work hard, a positive yet achievable reward system must be in place, so children gain self satisfaction after completing a task.
In literacy learning, behaviourists believe that the acquisition of a new behaviour is learnt through conditioning. They believe that the most effective way of achieving this is through modelling and using sensory tasks such as visual cues. Educators make children aware of what is expected of them and provide positive rewards in the form of games the children like to play, favourite stories and stickers. Children become aware of their learning and become motivated in the self-learning of different tasks they are interested in.
The Behaviourist theory therefore believes that a child who receives positive reinforcement for their efforts, is more likely to acquire new language faster than a child whose surroundings have minimal interaction or praise.
SOCIO-CULTURIST THEORY
This view of learning is based on the theories of Dewey (1964) and Vygotsky (1978). They concluded that knowledge is constructed through personal understanding from meaningful shared experiences. Learning is also distributed through a social network, and social meaning is created by each learner.
Like Skinner in the Behaviourist theory, Vygotsky of the Socio-cultural Theory, suggests that children are born with the capabilities to allow them to communicate. He states that children are active learners, and language is acquired in a social setting, and that children should be able to draw upon their own social and cultural surroundings to develop their literacy skills. He backs this up by reference to the “Zone of Proximal Development or ZPD”, which looks at the differences and ability of the child to succeed in their learning when alone, and when modeled and guided through a scaffolding approach by a “more experienced other”, (being an older peer, parent or teacher), to find the level of improvement that is reachable for that child.
John Dewey focused on the process of how we attain knowledge, and highlighted the “positive social value of education and the importance of educators.” (Hill,2012) He stated that children need to ask questions and seek answers in order to learn effectively. He also viewed the classroom as a community learning environment where children collaborate to learn together. He highlighted the importance of viewing the child as part of a society at home, which therefore promotes the importance of a positive relationship between parent or guardian and educator.
Lev Vygotsky shared a similar view of learning acquisition and put it into five main ideas:
1: Children actively construct knowledge; by being immersed in hands-on experiences and exploring ideas.
2: Learning leads to development; in that if children are left to explore and classify ideas, extended learning takes place.
3: Learning cannot be separated from its social context; in that peers assist and support the learning process by having a common goal, and this is a crucial factor in effective learning.
4: Language plays a central role in intellectual development: through internal and external language children refine thoughts which lead to a higher order of thinking.
5: The 'Zone of Proximal Development' is a concept that influences educators to 'scaffold' a child's learning so that they achieve success. This is done by first investigating what the child knows independently, and then establishing the level they can reach with assistance through scaffolding. (Hill, 2012. p. 4-5)
In literacy learning the teacher acts as a facilitator for the child to discover principles for themselves and to gain knowledge by working to solve problems. This is done through social-constructivism by applying the scaffolding approach to learning and the main principle of finding out what a child knows, then working out an appropriate plan of action to enhance their skills through the zone of proximal development.