Relationship Between Psychological Theories and Recent Trends in Language Teaching: Some Observations

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‘ELT Voices - India’ International Journal for Teachers of English Volume 5, Issue 1, 8-11 (2015) ISSN: 2230-9136 (http://www.eltvoices.in)

Relationship between Psychological Theories and Recent Trends in Language Teaching: Some Observations

Dr. B. Sushma

G. Narayanamma Institute of Science and Technology (GNITS), Hyderabad, India. Corresponding email address [email protected]

Article reference: Sushma, B. (2015). Relationship between Psychological Theories and Recent Trends in Language Teaching: Some Ob- servations. ELT Voice - India, Volume, 5 (1), 8-11.

Abstract: As teachers of English, we often discover new methods and techniques of teaching to make our learners learn better. The role of the teacher has shifted from teaching to enabling learning. Learners learn under various conditions and their learning depends on various factors such as motivation, psychological conditions, family, peers and environment around them. Learners exhibit variations in their way of learning language. As such the teachers need to understand the psychology of their learners to make them free in expressing their thoughts, ideas confidently in the class which in turn enables them to get sufficient exposure to the language and gain proficiency. This paper concentrates on psychology for language teachers which helps the teachers gain insights into the way learners learn so that they can help them acquire an interest for learning and become independent learners. It focuses majorly on the relationship between psychological theories of language learning propounded by Cognitive psychologists such as Jean Piaget, Jerome Bruner, Lev Vygotsky; Humanist Psychologists such as Eric Erikson, Abraham Maslow, Combs, Carl Rogers; and the methods involved in teaching language.

Index Terms: Cognitivism, Methods of Language Teaching, Language Proficiency, Psychology, Psychological theories.

1. Introduction

There are many psychological theories that were propounded by Educational psychologists such as Jean Piaget, Jerome Bruner and Lev Vygotsky. Some of the important theories include:

a. Piaget’s theory of Cognitive development b. Bruner’s Discovery learning c. Vygotsky’s Social Constructivism

All these theories are related to language learning as well. All the three theories relate to cognitive development, i.e. thinking abilities in learners. The recent trends in language teaching include interactive methods, communicative/participatory modes, group work and pair work where learners become autonomous and are responsible for their own learning. Teachers act as facilitators by initiating discussions and motivating the learners. Learning happens through some activities and use of certain task-based and content-based materials. Learners have the innate tendency of thinking according to situations, analyzing and participating using their previous knowledge on the topic of discussion.

Piaget, a Swiss psychologist lists four factors that influence thinking in learners. Of these, social experience is one. Learn- ers learn by interaction with people around them. They interact using the ‘schemas’ which are a group of interrelated ideas, thoughts and memories. The same thing happens in today’s classes. According to Bruner, discovery learning is also essen- ELT Voices-India Volume 5, Issue 1, 2015 9

tial in language learning. Learning is not just accumulation of facts but meaning making too. Learners in present day classes try to discover meaning by analyzing the facts and ideas and construct new knowledge as well. Learners will know how to organize their learning and present it in a sequential manner. All this can be done when the teacher does the sca ffolding, giving instructions, input and directions in interactive classrooms. This concept of scaffolding and zone of proximal development is proposed by Vygotsky and the theory is known as Vygotsky’s theory of social interactionis m. Teachers have the liberty of developing or modifying the teaching materials according to the learning abilities of her students. According to all the three cognitivists, learning happens through social interactionism and this method is followed in the mo dern day language teaching methods.

1.1. Strands of thought that bring together Humanist and Cognitive psychologists

There are many strands of thoughts that bring together human psychologists and cognitive psychologists. The cogn itive psychologists are Piaget, Bruner and Vygotsky whereas the humanist psychologists are Eric Erikson, Abraham Maslow, Combs and Carl Rogers.

Humanist psychologists emphasize the role of human emotions, thoughts and feelings which shape human learning. The theory focuses on the development of a learner as a whole person than developing cognitive skills. Cognitive skills acquisi- tion is possible when the emotions of a learner are right. That means the mental state of the learner should be perfect and oriented towards learning. Piaget’as theory of cognitivism also suggests the inner working of the mind. Piaget focuses on the factors that shape the thinking in learners – one of them includes social experiences. If learners are exposed to social situations, their thinking patterns are affected greatly and language learning is possible.

There is a similarity between ‘Discovery learning’ and ‘Meaning Making’ i.e. Constructivism proposed by Bruner and even humanis m as learners introspect their learning and further improve their skills. According to Humanis m, through introspec- tion, human beings are able to articulate their own experiences. In Bruner’s theory, when learners interact more with the previous knowledge and experiences, they discover new concepts; new learning and this learning is directed towards meaning making. Through this they understand their learning capacities and levels. In humanism too, a total understanding of the physical, emotional, intellectual, social aspects help in mental maturity and evolving into human beings. It is like experiential learning reflecting upon one’s own thoughts and behaviours.

Lot of similarities are also seen in Vygotsky’s theory of social interactionis m and Humanis m. Vygotsky’s theory says learning occurs through interaction with others. The teacher provides ‘scaffolding’ to the learners. She also follows the ‘zone of proximal development’ and analyses what suits the learner and decides her material accordingly. The teacher is a counselor who interacts with her learners and finds out what their thoughts and feelings are about language learning; helps th em ana- lyze whether they are all able to learn, what the difficulties in language learning are according to them. Humanism also deals with the whole person responding to human needs.

Piaget proposes four stages of cognitive development in learners. They are a. sensorimotor (birth – 2 yrs) b. pre-operational (2-7 yrs) c. concrete operational (7-11 yrs) d. Formal Operational (11 yrs). Abraham Maslow, a humanist psychologist proposed a seven level hierarchy of needs starting from physiological needs, safety n eeds, belongingness and love needs, es- teem needs, needs to know and understand, Aesthetic needs, to Self – actualization which is at the highest level.

Piaget shows how children can do mental manipulations, hypothetic deductive reasoning, at formal opera tional level after eleven years. Abraham Maslow too focuses on ‘self-actualization’ or the realization of one’s own abilities and being inde- 10 Sushma. (2015). Relationship between Psychological Theories and Recent Trends in Language Teaching: Some Observations.

pendent as the needs in learners and this is the highest need. One has to depend on oneself rather than the others. Teacher’s assistance in the beginning level and later to independent leaners allows them to introspect their own capabilities and discover their learning. When all needs such as physical, emotional and intellectual needs are met, self -actualization stage is reached by the learners.

Carl Rogers, a humanistic psychologist focuses on the concepts of learner’s own self -worth, positive self-regard, trust in one’s own feelings and values and that teachers should also create an atmosphere of warmth and trust, a non-threatening atmosphere. According to Vygotsky’s theory of social interaction too and communicative approach, teacher provides a stress-free, anxiety free learning atmosphere where learners can realize their self-worth.

2. Approaches to Language Learning and Psychological Theories

The new approaches to Language teaching are Community Language Learning, Total Physical Response, Commun icative Language Teaching, Content-based/task-based and participatory approaches, Learning Strategy Training, Co-operative Learning and Multiple Intelligences. All these approaches, either totally or partially are based on the psych ological theories such as Behaviorism, Cognitivism or Humanism

In Community Language Learning, learners interact with the group members or the whole class i.e. students/community. This interaction makes them stress free and anxiety free and as such their mental states allow them to learn language better. The teacher is a counselor and knows, interacts with every student and motivates them. She/he values the feelings and opinions of the learners and though initially learners depend on the teacher for instruction and support, they later become autonomous/independent learners. Development is seen as a whole person and not just in cognitive abilities. Learners re- flect upon their own experiences and learning. This enables them to be better learners. In this method, a co mfort zone is set for pupils during the learning process. Looking at the various aspects and principles of Community language learning, we can say that this approach follows the Humanistic psychology method proposed by humanists like Erik Eri kson, Abra- ham Maslow, Combs and Carl Rogers.

Total Physical Response is another approach of Language Learning. In this method, the use of commands is the teaching technique. Action makes the meaning of the command clear. The teacher first performs the actions and then the students. This involves their total bodily movements and language learning is more effective when it is fun. It reduces stress in students. In this method, vocabulary and grammatical structures are given importance than other language areas. All psychological theories hold good over here. Bruner’s constructivism talks about iconic skills i.e. visual recog nition. When the teacher enacts, students see the actions and perform them later. The teacher selects the materials based on what a child can do alone and what a child can do with help. Hence the principle underlying this method is zone of proximal develo pment, a concept in Vygotsky’s theory of social interactionism. The theory of Humanism also holds good as the physical parts or the whole body responds to the instruction which helps them to learn better. All the anxieties are washed away with that and the mind is set free.

Communicative Language Teaching emphasizes communicative competence over linguistic competence. In this a pproach, students communicate with each other and they negotiate meaning through their thoughts and ideas. They take the respon- sibility of their own learning. More of discussions, games, role plays enable the students to interact a great deal with one another. The theory of cognitivism and Vygotsky’s theory of social interactionism hold good as learning occurs through interaction. Scaffolding is also done by the teacher by being a co-communicator and supporter. Bruner’s constructivism focuses on discovery learning and meaning-making. As they talk using the known language structures, think and make ELT Voices-India Volume 5, Issue 1, 2015 11

meaning, their cognitive skills are being used.

The goals of content-based/task-based/participatory methods is to enable learners use the content of subjects such as phys- ics, chemistry, sociology etc to learn the language. Students build on their previous knowledge of vocabulary, sentence structures, linguistic knowledge etc. The ability to read, write and think improves the language abilities in learners. I feel Humanism holds good for participatory approaches as students freely participate voicing their opinions and ideas on the give subject/topic of discussion. Vygotsky’s theory of social interactionism also applies well to the participatory approaches.

For Content-based/task based learning, cognitive theories are suitable. Piaget’s theory of cognitivism talks about sch e- mas/thought patterns, assimilation and adaptation where learners tend to related to what they already know and evolve new ideas, thoughts, language structures as well. They assimilate the linguistic content and adapt to the given task-based exer- cises.

3. Conclusion

Hence, the recent trends and approaches to language teaching also follow certain psychological theories of Behaviorism, Cognitivism and Humanism. All the approaches follow one or the other psychological theories, the ultimate aim being achieving communicative competence through language learning.

References:

[1] Biehler F. Robert and Jack Snowman (1997) Psychology Applied to Teaching. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. [2] Freeman Diane Larsen. (2000) Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching. New Delhi: Oxford University Press.

Author Bio Dr. B. Sushma works as an Assistant Professor of English in G. Narayanamma Institute of Technology and Science in Hy- derabad. She has put up over 12 years of experience in the teaching field. She has published over 7 researc h papers in various national journals and magazines. Her areas of interest include, Indian Diasporic Fiction, British Literature, American Literature, Language Skills, Soft Skills, Business Communication, Phonetics, Linguistics and Stylistics. She is a life mem- ber of ELTAI journal, India.