TASK 1A. DEFINING CONCEPTS

CONCEPT OF LANGUAGE 
Language is the human ability to acquire and use a complex set of symbols which is developed spontaneously, without much effort or specific instruction given to a child or a person who deals with first language that is used for communication in a specific culture, obtained by all people in the same way, being vocal or visual in its use.

CONCEPT OF LEARNING  
Learning is the process of acquiring or getting knowledge of a subject or skill by study, experience or instruction, producing changes in a person through experience. It involves other concepts as perception, long and short term memory systems, recall, motivation, conscious and subconscious learning styles and strategies, and a reinforcement program.

CONCEPT OF TEACHING 
Teaching is guiding and facilitating learning, enabling the learner to learn, setting the conditions for learning. Teaching styles, approach, methods and classroom techniques will be developed based on how learners learn, that will match the content of subject with the learner´s need. The theory of teaching will be the theory of learning.

TASK 1B. UNDERSTANDING LANGUAGE

Constructivism as a school of thought

This paradigm appeared at the end of the twentieth century, supported by Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky. It integrates the linguistic, psychological and sociological paradigms studied before. with a special development on social interaction and construction of meaning.

Constructivism is viewed in two different branches:

·         The cognitive branch, which makes emphasis on the idea of learners making their own construction of reality. This means that learners are responsible for their individual learning as they discover and transform complex information. According to Piaget learning must deal with changes, self-generation, and construction supported by the knowledge learners had experience before.

·         The social branch develops the cognitive and emotional images of reality, based on a collaborative learning process. Vygotsky argues that children´s learning is built upon their social interaction with the environment. He highlighted the idea of a zone of proximal development seen in every learner´s actual development compared to what he can learn as he experience proper stimuli. Thus the ZPD becomes relevant to social constructivism, as it describes tasks which will enable learners to produce better results as they work in groups rather than working individually.

Vygotsky sets stages for learning based on the readiness of learners, very useful in the learning of a second language. He assured that social interaction is fundamental for cognitive development.

 Classroom examples

·         The teacher presents a classroom problem, and asks students to discuss their ideas based on their previous knowledge, finding a solution.

·         Ask students to read and discuss different view of a history and then allow them to make their own conclusions.

·         The teacher asks students to work in collaborative groups as they develop certain topics, with the use of ITC, in which they will present individual and group participations.

·         The teacher asks students to make journals where they can practice writing skills receiving feedback from the teacher.

 Comparing my personal learning to Vygotsky’s theory, it was only experienced during my ten and eleven grade by my English teacher as she organized the class in small groups where students were allowed to interact with one another based on the materials given by the teacher. Currently, at the UNAD´s virtual classroom we develop the cognitive and social branch studied in this theory, giving learners the opportunity to be responsible for their individual learning, as they interact with their companions in the collaborative groups building learning upon their social interaction.