LN306 a brief overview of psychological perspectives on learning relevant to language teaching.

1. Learning
Is it all in the mind?
Lessons from psychology.

2. Behaviourism
 Skinner (1957)
 Positive reinforcement to program learning

3. Cognitive approaches to learning
Information
processing
Constructivism
A continuum:
e.g. Working memory,
Baddely,2007 e.g. problem solving skills,
Puchta & Williams, 2011)

4. Socio-cultural perspectives
 Vygotsky:
 Scaffolding: learning takes place with support from others
 ZPD: Zone of Proximal Development
Ecological and Complexity perspectives:
Gibson (1979) individuals must be understood in their real world context
Larsen-Freeman (2012) learners as part of complex, dynamic systems

5. References
 Baddeley, A. (2007). Working memory, thought and action. Oxford:OUP.
 Gibson, J. (1979). The ecological approach to visual perception. Boston,MA:
Houghton Mifflin.
 Larsen-Freeman, D. (2012). Complex, dynamic systems: A new transdisciplinary
theme for applied linguistics?. Language teaching, 45 (2). 202-214.
 Puchta, H., & Williams, M. (2001). Teaching young learners to think.
Innsbruck:Helbling Languages.
 Skinner, B.F. (1957). Verbal behaviour. New York,NY: Appleton