The Cognitive and Affective Humanistic Approaches

The cognitive approach was in trend in the 1960s and the 1970s. The cognitive approach was heavily influenced by researchers in psychology and sociology. Developments in technology allowed scientists to run simulations and see images of the brain at work. This fueled the desire to know how language was processed in the brain, and how languages were learned.  Noam Chomsky, a famous researcher of the time, was known for his research in many disciplines including linguistics.

The cognitive approach is that it is not a classroom approach. Much of the research at this time was done in labs and not in classrooms and very few of the researchers were actually teachers themselves. People in this approach were more focused on the characteristics of the learners' brains than they were on specific materials or content. Similarly, these researchers did not examine any particular techniques or teaching methods. They focused more on the learner characteristics and strategies learners could use to improve their practice and recall of language information. 

 The cognitive approach concentrates on how the brain processes language and how language structures and knowledge are acquired and remembered.

In the late 60's and early 70's, cognitive scientists put language learning on the university map. Language studies began to be perceived as a serious discipline that could be researched and understood. Many universities established linguistics and language departments, and provided funding for investigative research. Much of this research focused on how the brain processes language and how language structures and knowledge are acquired and remembered (the cognitive approach). 

The approach depends on observing humans, collecting data on the errors that they make, to be able to predict their errors and how language work inside their heads. Thus, teachers can help students program their minds correctly. If they make a mistake teachers teach them the rule so they would evade making the mistake again. The approach also depends on giving feedback, and teaching and re-teaching students until they do not make mistakes anymore. It also depends on memorizing lists of vocabulary.

The cognitive approach depends on the scientific understanding of language learning. Noam Chomsky, the noted sociologist and cognitive scientist noted that people possess the ability to produce language that has never before been produced. The cognitive approach truly inspired people to learn how languages functioned and what rules were at play in each language. Linguistics departments all over the world, became avant garde. The human capacity for language is amazing. Scientists tried to study principles such as retrieval, semantic encoding, retention and transfer. 

 The approach  is flawed as people are not computers. The cognitive approach truly didn't become an actual teaching approach. Rather it was more a way to understand a learner than anything else. However it did inform learning in key ways and cognitive studies continue to this very day to help us understand key features about language learning strategies.

 Language learner strategies. Cognitive and meta-cognitive. 

One of the great concepts that is directly tied to the cognitive approach is that learners have both cognitive and meta-cognitive strategies that they use in order to learn. Teachers that study these strategies can understand learners. Different learning styles and then try to accommodate learners as a result. There are entire books, on learner strategies and entire disciplines devoted to the use of learner strategies effectively used in a classroom. These books help learners and teachers understand how to plan, organize, and monitor learning. 

In fact, it wouldn't be entirely incorrect to say that cognitive scientists helped us move away from teacher centered views about language learning, and closer to the student centered strategies. Cognitive theorists spend a lot of time discussing the process of practice and they break it down into key components like rehearsal. thinking of location and audience, and feedback.

Cognitive theorist recommend extensive practice especially practice that involves a clear understanding of the mental processes associated with practice. Language teachers need to give student feedback on their errors rather than punish students or ignore errors. Errors especially those that an entire group of learners makes help give an instructor information on mental process, thus by examining common errors, error types can be identified, examined, and then attempts to clarify those errors can be made. Errors help a teacher understand what rules should be explicitly taught.

Pre-reading and pre-listening activities

Recognizing that the mind does not just receive instruction all at once, cognitive scientists recommend activating background knowledge, using pre-reading and pre-listening activities.

The affective-humanistic approach

The affective-humanistic approach is almost exactly the opposite of the cognitive approach. In the early 1970s, people began to focus a lot on learners' feelings, and looking for ways to remove some of the barriers to language learning that many learners experienced in the classrooms of the past. The major focus was on making learners comfortable and providing a soothing learning experience. Teachers in this approach used plays and customs, told stories and played games with their students, respected the students' feelings and striving to make them feel comfortable. Some techniques from this approach included positive reinforcement, having students choose a new identity to get them out of their shells and encourage experimentation in the language, and being spontaneous and creative. Teachers often repeated reading and listening exercises multiple times, each time focusing on different aspects in combining these exercises with music or smells to unlock the subconscious mind. They often had students create using singing and dancing and games to help students free their minds.

In the late 1960s and the beginning of the 1970s, a great deal of emphasis was placed on the student's feelings. Rather than viewing language through a cognitive space, the affective humanistic approach focused on the value of human beings in society and culture. The approach emphasizes on how valuable the students are, and how they are all loved and are all equal.

Language learning takes place on two planes of consciousness. One is the conscious mind, the second is the subconscious mind.  The affective humanistic approach depends on having fun in learning. It depends on dancing, playing music, singing and enjoying every bit of the class. In this approach, several unique techniques that might have been used in methods ARE referred to as de-suggestapedia or the silent way. 

In de-suggestapedia, the concept is to help the students overcome their fear of language learning through an environment that would unlock the potential of their conscious and subconscious mind.

 

It is important to consider the effective part of language learning. As teachers  need to consider students' fear of risk taking and failure. So feelings are so important.  It is so scary for some students to learn a language. Students need a teacher to help them over come fear.

The effective humanistic approach brought music to a classroom. It brought color, food and story. It helped teachers  acknowledge their students feelings. 

 All in all, the effective humanistic approach brought much needed attention to the learner as a human being. No doubt there was a gap in our understanding of how learners interact with language content, and that there was a significant need to recognize potential psychological barriers to language learning. 


Some of the potential concepts from the affective humanistic approach that are still useful in today's modern language classroom are: teachers still show general concern for how students might feel within their classroom, the use of positive reinforcement, multiple concerts ( repetition in different interesting ways),dramatization, are really helpful.

As a  teacher I use both schools to help my students learn better. I think about their learning strategies; I use pre-listening and pre-reading activities; and I analyze their errors and give them feed-back. I also bring color, and fun to the class; acknowledge students' feeling, use positive reinforcement, multiple concert and dramatization.

In my classes I face hazards, but the end of term results show that I am on the right path.