T S L 3 1 1 0 L I N K I N G T H E O R I E S T O P RA C T I C E

COGNITIVISM THEORY OF
LANGUAGE TEACHING
ANDLEARNING

GROUP 3

DEFINITION OF COGNITIVISM
Acco rd ing t o Merg el (1 998 ) co gn it iv ism is a co gn it ivi st
t h eo r y t h a t b as ed o n t h o u gh t pro ces s b eh in d t he
beh av io r.
I t m ea ns t h at t h e t h eo ry o ccu rs in s ide t h e l ea rn ers m in d
co ns cio us ly.
Mo reo ver, it f oc u ses o n h o w peo pl e t h i n k , h o w p eo p le
u n der st a nd , an d h ow peo p le k n o w.
Ho w p eop le t h ink is t h e t h eo ry st res ses i n h o w o ur w a y s o f
t hin k in g w i ll im pa ct t o t h e beh a v io r. H o w p eo p le
un der st a n d is t h e t h eo r y s h o w s t h e p eop les
u n der st an din g rela t ed t o o u t sid e w o r ld. Ho w p eo ple k n ow
is t h e t heo r y sh ow s h o w t h e peo pl e k n o w p heno m en o n
o u t si de t h e w o rl d. O f co u rs e, it deri ves f ro m t he pro cess
t h at h a p pen s in h u m a n m in d .

COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT IMPLIED IN

THE CLASSROOM (PIAGETS THEORY)
Teachers should carefully assess the current stage of
a child's cognitive development and onlyassign
tasks for which the child is prepared.
Teachers should maintain a proper balance between
actively guiding the child andallowing opportunities
for them to explore things on their own to
learnthrough discovery.

 Children should be encouraged to learn from each

other. Hearing others' views can helpbreakdown
egocentrism. It is important for teachers to
providemultiple opportunities for small group
activities.
Piaget believed that teachers should act as guides to
children's learning processesand that the curriculum
should be adapted to individual needs and
developmental levels.

EXAMPLES OF COGNITIVE GAMES

IN THE CLASSROOM
Cognitive games are designed to help stimulate
various regions of the brain.
These games are used to improve refl exes, help
people learn, promote critical thinking, and help
people learn diff erent patterns of association.
Cognitive games are helpful when used to learn a
foreign language and memorize new material.
Various learning techniques are used in the classroom
because there are various learning styles.

 SortingGames
Sorting games require individuals to utilize recognition and
reasoning.
Teachers can engage children in games in which the
childrensort itemsby various criteria, such as color, size,
texture,and other physical attributes of the items.
A more advanced approachto sorting is discussing how the
items are similar.
This process promotes critical thinking.

 Flash Cards
Flash cards can be used various tasks. This involves notecards
oreven scraps of paper in whichtwo parts of informationis written
on either side of the notecard.
Thesecan be as simple as having cards with a red dot on one side
and the word red on the other.
Flash cards are typically used in a classroom for drills or inprivate
study. These cards are used to aid memorization.Pre-made fl ash
cards are available for many subjects.
Teachers and students may also make homemade fl ash cards,
depending on how and what they are studying.

 Board Games
Teachersmayinclude board games in their classrooms
topromote cognitive development. Unlike computer and video
games, board games are tangible.
Children can manipulate diff erent pieces in the game.
Board gamescanbe implemented to enhance mathematical and
linguistic skills and enhance a child's abilityto understand and
follow directions.
Monopoly and Bingo are two examples of games that may be
considered in the classroom.