Cognitive Learning Processes in Language Learning

The teacher's role is to assist in the ongoing attempt to automatize language and facilitate the delicate interplay between focal attention to selected aspects of language for minor corrections/refinement, and peripheral attention for interpretation, negotiation of meaning, and conveying thoughts/feelings in interactive communication.

On the surface, teaching advanced students may appear easier as the teacher can let students' questions and self-generated curiosity take over. However, in reality, the students' independence must be cleverly channeled into classroom routines that benefit most students most of the time, which is no mean task.

A common occurrence in advanced level teaching is that the class runs away with itself, leaving the teacher with only a quarter or half of their planned activities fulfilled.

As students' competence in language continues to build, they can realize the full spectrum of processing, assigning larger and larger chunks of language to automatic cognitive modes. This allows them to gain confidence in putting formal language structures on the periphery to focus on meaning negotiation and communication.

As learners build competence, they progress from having to give focal attention to all aspects of language, to being able to assign larger chunks to automatic processing modes. This frees up attentional resources to focus more on meaning negotiation while keeping formal structures peripheral.

The passage implies that as learners gain more competence and independence, teachers are still needed to provide minor corrections, refinement, and 'tinkering' with aspects of language that still require focal attention.

Even in the first few days, learners can be encouraged to use the practiced language for genuinely meaningful purposes like exchanging personal information with classmates.

In the early stages of language learning, students have very few existing cognitive schemata or 'pegs' to rely on for comprehending and producing the new language. They have little to no automaticity with the language forms.

Beginner learners should be led one small step at a time, with adequate repetition of new material.

While focusing on language forms is necessary initially due to limited proficiency, instruction should also encourage a focus on meaningful purposes for using the new language from the start.

Automaticity with language forms can begin to develop as learners become immersed in using the limited language for meaningful tasks and purposes.

The primary goal of the teacher at the intermediate level is to help students continue to automatize the bits and pieces of language that might otherwise clutter the mind.

At the intermediate level, the temptation for learners to think in their L1 is lessened as they become accustomed to being weaned from L1 dependence.

The text highlights the importance of adjusting teaching approaches based on learners' proficiency levels, especially for beginners who require more scaffolding and meaningful practice to develop automaticity.

At the intermediate level, the teacher is no longer the only initiator of language, and students should be encouraged to ask questions, make comments, and negotiate certain options in learning where appropriate.

At the intermediate level, learner-centered work is now possible for more sustained lengths of time as students are able to maintain topics of discussion and focus.

At the intermediate level, meaningful communication in the L2 is increasing, thus stimulating subsumption of material in ways that were not possible at the beginning level.