Theory: Information Processing in the Adaptive Control of
Thought Model. R.C. Anderson contributed this hypothesis.
Description of Theory: Anderson had a hypothesis that knowledge could be divided into two categories declarative (info learned quickly and stored in long term memory) and procedural knowledge (info learned by gradual process
and takes time). Intelligence is made up of gathering knowledge and all together it produces complex thinking.
This theory can be applied to the learner by an ELL student within a classroom can learn new units of parts of a language each day and they would be able to learn that information quickly but it would take the student a couple of years to become fluent in the
language.
Theory: Behaviorist theory. Contributor to the theory: B.F. Skinner
Description: This theory had the hypothesis that any human behavior could be learned or acquired through stimulus, response, and positive and negative reinforcement.
This theory can be applied to the classroom in that when a student is learning a foreign language the students can be rewarded for good behavior and when they get answers correct. The student could also learn behaviors when they respond to the teacher because they would be using response.
Theory: Language Acquisition Device by Noam Chomsky.
Description of Theory: People have an inate ability to acquire and learn a language and they are then able to use this language.
This theory can be applied to a learner who is learning two languages at once they are able to understand both languages and speak at an early age.
Theory: The Natural approach by Steven Krashen.
Description: Language
acquisition withiin the classroom should focus more on communication rather than error correction.
This theory can be applied within the classroom when students speak in L2. I plan to use this theory within my future classroom
Theory: Communicative approach that grew out of all of these
theories.
Description: The knowledge and language that students learn in L2 needs to be a kind that they can use in the real world
and in real world situations.
This theory can be applied in the classroom by students learning real dialogue and the students interacting and communicating in the target language.