The review of cognitive Approach in language teaching

Cognitive ApproachAs the Audiolingual Method was on the decline in the 1960s and many shortcomings were found in it, the Cognitive Approach developed as an alternative, in response to the criticisms leveled against audiolingualism. The Cognitive Approach is approach to foreign language teaching which is based on the belief that language learning is a process which involves active method processes and not simply the forming of habits. It lays emphasis on the conscious acquisition of language as a meaningful system.The theoretical basis of cognitive approach has two parts: theory of language and theory of learning. At the first part, Language is characterized by rule-governed creativity. This is based on two concepts derived from Chomsky. Language is rule-governed and creative. Every normal human being has, somewhere in his brain, a set of grammar rules with which he can use to create an infinite number of sentences. Language is an intricate rule-governed system and a large part of language acquisition is the learning of this system. The Cognitive Approach lays emphasis on innate organizing principles in human perception and learning. Students should be allowed to create their own sentences based on an understanding of grammar rules. Chomsky created two lingui stic terms “language competence (linguistic competence)”and “language performance (linguistic performance)”. The former refers to knowledge of grammar rules, while the later refers to application of language. It is competence that a child gradually acquires, and it is this language competence that allows the child to be creative as a language user. The learning of a language skill can be deliberate; it becomes automatic through use. Meaningful performance (practice) rather than drill is the only way to master a language. The innate hypothesis that human knowledge develops from structures, processes, and ideas which are in the mind at birth has been used to explain how children are able to learn a language. Chomsky and others claimed that every normal being was born with a LAD (language acquisition device).At the second part, Chomsky believes that: children are born with special language learning abilities; they do not have to be taught language or corrected for their mistakes, but learn language by being exposed to it; and linguistic rules develop unconsciously. This process of acquiring the rules of one‟s mother tongue by being exposed to examples of the language, and by using the language for communication is called language acquisition. Cognitive psychology deals with the study of the nature and learning of systems of knowledge, particularly those processes involved in thought, perception, comprehension, memory and learning. In recent years cognitive psychology has been related to mentalist approaches to linguistics, which links language structure to the nature of human cognitive processes. In other words, learning must involve organization of material. Learning should be structured. Structure has given meaning to parts previously incomprehensible. Since meaning is understood not as a behavioral response, learning a language should be meaningful learning. In the early 1960s, the famous Swiss psychologist Piaget established his theory of cognitive development. Piaget considers that conceptual grows occurs because the child, while actively attempting to adapt to the environment, organizes actions into schemata through the processes of assimilation and accommodation. The schema theory is an important element in Piaget‟s theory. The expression was coined to describe “an active organization of past action.” It refers to the mental framework of past experiences, those things a person stores in his long-term memory. When a child is able to represent the world mentally, by means of memory, imagery or symbolic language, it is said to have internalized those experiences. This theory is one with is …action-based”, more concerned with the process of learning than what is learnt. The famousAmerican psychologist Brunner emphasizes active restructuring of knowledge through experience with the environment. He holds that learners should organize knowledge for themselves by using discovery method, rather than having materials prepackaged by the teacher. He believes that learning is most effectively achieved when learners are encouraged to engage in guided discovery. The discovery method takes a broad view of the education of the whole person, and it is one of the central elements of this the need to learn how to learn. The cognitive theory of learning as put forward by Ausubel emphasizes the role of expository or reception or learning. At the heart of Ausubel‟s theory are the concepts of “meaningful verbal learning and advance organizers”. To be meaningful, new materials must be related to existing knowledge. The teacher therefore has to find ways of associating the new materials with ideas or objects with which the learner are familiar. To help in this process, Ausubel recommends the use of advance organizers, by which he means some kinds of topical introduction to a lesson that orientates learners to the subject matter and relates new learning to what learners already know. The main function of advance organizers is to act as a bridge between what learners already know and what they need to know. Kelly made a clear distinction between meaningful and meaningless learning activities. Language learners are involved in an active process of making sense, of creating their own understanding of the world of language. In Kelly‟s sense, a meaningful activity is one that encourages this proces s of making sense, of fitting or mapping the new onto the old to create a new understanding. Diller formulates the four principles of cognitive are as follows: ①a living language is characterized by rule-governed creativity. This principle implies the teaching of a language as a consciously learnt system. ②the rules of grammar are psychologically real. The learning of a skill can be deliberate; it becomes automatic through use. ③man is specially equipped to learn languages. Learning language is a human characteristic. Language learning can occur at any time in life in a situation of meaningful use. ④a living language is a language in which we can think. Language is bound up with meaning and thinking. Learning a language involves learning to think in that language. Meaningful practice rather than drill is the only way this can come about.It is believed the knowledge of language rules form the learner‟s language foundation. By using the language rules as a base we can select the vocabulary to mean the things we want. The Cognitive Approach holds that knowledge of language rules facilitates learning. Language rules are taught deductively. Learners must learn the rules of the language before applying them. Competence comes before performance. The learning of grammar should be conducted in a functional way so that learners may apply what they have learnt to actual communicative situation. The Cognitive Approach insists that learning is based on understanding. Language learning is a creative process. The students can only perform after they have understood the system of the language. We can‟t imitate without activating a cognitive process. In a Cognitive Approach classroom, meaningful learning and meaningful practice are emphasized during the entire learning process. The Cognitive Approach utilizes all four skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing from the beginning of the language course. This agrees more with the nature of real communication, in which people seldom use one skill. In real life, communication is carried through all the possible channel: listening involves speaking, reading might involve writing. When a foreign language leaner can resort to all the possible target language resources, learning will be more effective. The Cognitive Approach holds that mistakes are unavoidable in the creative use of language. Students‟ mistakes are a necessary and natural phenomenon and a feature of the language as he progresses in the second language. Semigrammatical sentences should be acceptedas a normal stage towards native-like competence.Cognitive approach stresses on creativity and meaning. It lays emphasis on the conscious acquisition of language as a meaningful system. Language is characterized by rule-governed creativity and language learning is a creative process. Cognitive approach can help student more active use of mental power Language learning is a process which involves active mental processes. In Cognitive Approach, the learner is seen as an active participant in the learning process, using various mental strategies in order to sort out the system of the language to be taught. The Cognitive approach is Suitable for adult language learners, enjoyable and meaningful learning, and more effective learning by drawing on students‟ experience. Language is seen as an intellectual learning problem and it‟s learning is a mental process. In practice the Cognitive Approach involves more active use of the students‟ mental power, which is especially sui table for adult language learners. The students are learning meaningfully, and learning this way is more enjoyable because foreign language learners are not merely a mechanical language learning device. They have thoughts, cultural background, feeling experience, and so on. Meaningful learning draws on the student‟s experience, which will make learning more effective. Cognitive approach integrates all four skills, gives students‟ opportunity to develop functional and performance skills, and draws on the latest development of linguistics and psychology and FLT theories. It is more scientific. The greatest contribution of the Cognitive Approach is that it draws on the latest development of linguistics and psychology and studies foreign language teaching from the point of view of educational psychology, linguistic psychology and foreign language learning theories, hence makes it more scientific. The disadvantages are that selecting and preparing meaningful presentations is difficult. Cognitive approach depends too much on analysis and understanding and don‟t have a complete and systematic practical activities and procedures. It needs further research and development aiming at meaningful learning, teachers find it difficult to select and prepare meaningful presentations. And students who are slow to comprehend do not work successfully with the method because learning depends a lot on analysis and understanding. Another weak point is there are not yet complete and systematic practical activities and procedures for classroom use. And the rationale behind the method is still at its developmental stage. The method as a system is still not very complete and needs further research and development.Cognitive approach is usually used to teach native speakers to speak English in America, and it is useless to the second language learner in other country.。