Teaching Spanish with

Learning Theories AppliedAN ONLINE CLASS THAT WILL HELP STUDENTS RETAIN SPANISH

Overview

This is an overview for a theoretical online Spanish I class for high school

students. The following presentation describes some assignments and class

activities, that would be assigned to the students, that have learning theories

applied.

Learning Theories Discussed

Behaviorism

Cognitivism

Experiential Learning

Heutagogy

Humanism

With an emphasis in cognitivism

Behaviorism

Spanish Speakers World Seekers: an online class game where students explore Latin countries and emerge in activities

Task: Students will be given specific repeated instructions, to complete, on Spanish Speakers World Seekers (SSWS)

As students pass by and encounter patrons, they will be given instructions on things to say

Ex: SSWS will tell students to say (type) hi and ask different patrons how they're doing, in Spanish

Each time students answer correctly, they get a reward

Behaviorism Described

Through repetition and contiguity in time and place, students will become familiar with common terms and phrases in Spanish

Repetition will be shown through the instructions of the game and the responses of the learners –students

Contiguity in time and place will be show in similar situations

Immediate feedback will be given to students when they respond correctly

Through a rewards system, students will learn behavior. Whenever students follow an instruction and succeed in it, they will be given a reward, such as money, airfare, or a new friend

Cognitivism

Assignment: Students will be assigned to pick their favorite English movie to

watch in Spanish

Lesson: Every now and then, students will be assigned to watch Spanish

video lessons, created by the teacher

Assignment: Students will be provided with mnemonics to learn

3 of 9 of Robert Gagne’s Events of Instruction

Watching their favorite English movie in Spanish will stimulate recall of prior

learning for students because they will form connections, using their former

knowledge of the movie

Spanish lesson videos, assigned to watch every now and then, will present

stimulus material for students because videos are engaging and are not a form of instruction that will be frequently used

Being provided with mnemonics will provide learner guidance because

students will be given learning material that is easy to intake

Cognitivism in Language

“Cognitivism arose within the psychology as behaviorism proved to be

inadequate to explain much of human learning, notably language

learning (Chomsky, 1967).”

Cognitivism involves a need to understand a process. In this case, Spanish

Cognitvism – Computer Metaphor

Computer Metaphor: “The human mind is like a computer” (Martinez, 36)

Transfer of Information is one way that the human mind is like a computer

“Human minds continuously transform information, in particular by

inference–extending what is known to draw new conclusions.” This can

also be noted in the favorite movie assignment

Cognitivism – Working with working

memory

Working memory (a.k.a. short memory) has a limited capacity. Because of

this, too much information provided can be overwhelming for students,

therefore forgotten

“…new information should be paced and structured so that it does not

overwhelm the working memory capacity of the learner” (Martinez, 42)

Goal: Get working memory into long-term memory

Mnemonics are one way to get working memory into long-term memory in

a fun way!

Cognitivism – Dual-Coding Theory

Assignment: Students will be assigned to create their own alphabet and

choose imgages that pertain to the letter

Ex: For the letter M, they can include a picture of an apple because

apple is “mansana” in Spanish

The dual-coding theory explains the how the mind associates words with

mental

Experiential Learning

Assignment: Students will be assigned to watch a Spanish film and then

write a review in English on their experience. There is no right or wrong

answer

Students will write everyday in their daily journal app, in Spanish, for

practice and progression. They can write out vocabulary terms or a

sentence, if that’s all they know at first, but the goal is to get them to

become comfortable writing in Spanish

Experiential Learning Described

The basic notion of experiential learning is that learning is grounded in

experience

Transformation of experience Internal processes Active Knowledge

Future Actions

“First comes an experience. Then the learner naturally observes and

reflects on that experience” (Spector, 72)

The experimental writing assignments give students the freedom to

approach the assignment the way they want. This allows for reflection and

allows for students to get the groove of writing in Spanish and develop

their own writing style

Experiential Learning Four-Cycle Theory

Experience

Observation & Reflection

Concept & Rule Formulation

Transfer to New Situations

Heutagogy

Final Project: Students will work in their assigned study groups to write and

act in a short film

Requirements:

• The film must have a storyline and be no longer than 15 minutes

• Each student must showcase Spanish speaking abilities and contribute to

the screenplay

• One screenplay must be submitted to the instructor

Heutagogy Described

Students are presented with the material to succeed, but it’s up to them

on how they work with it

Limited instructions give the students to approach the assignment in the

way they understand it and want

This opens the doors for creativity

Humanism

Activity: On the first day of class, students will meet in person and be

divided into study groups of three people each. The teacher will choose

these groups and notify these groups on when they have to meet

The study groups will give students a sense of belongingness

“Humanism is a perspective that focuses on the value of the individual and

personal freedom” (Spector, 70).

Humanism Argues for the primacy of the individual and individual needs

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Maslow’s Pyramid Described

By having their belongingness needs met, students will be more

encouraged to advance their learning by reaching out for help when they

need it and making plans to study with classmates

Meeting their belongingness needs will help them meet their self-esteem

needs, which will help them meet their self-actualization needs

When students meet their self-actualization needs, they will realize they are

capable of learning fluent Spanish

Works Cited

Spector, J. Michael. Foundations of Educational Technology: Integrative Approaches and Interdisciplinary Perspectives. New York: Routledge, 2012. Print.

Donohue, Patricia. “Learning Theories.” ITEC 0800-01 Theoretical Foundations of Instructional Technologies. San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA. 23 September 2014. Class lecture.

Behaviorism Video. iLearn/Behaviorism Video. San Francisco State University, n.d. Web. 23 Sept. 2014

The Chang School. Gagne’s Nine Events of Instruction. Ryerson University. 1-4

Martinez, Michael E. (2008) The Cognitive Architecture. Irvine, CA. Pearson. 36-49

Cognitivism Video. iLearn/Cognitivism Video. San Francisco State University, n.d. Web. 3 Dec. 2014

+Class notes from the semester!

Images Cited

Sutton, Jim. Ad Guy in Free Shirt - Free Clip Art. Digital image. JimsGraphix.

N.p., 2010. Web. 3 Dec. 2014.

Girl Clipart 4. Digital image. FrPic. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Dec. 2014.

<http://frpic.com/girl-clipart/>.

Smiley. Digital image. Wikipedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Dec. 2014.

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smiley>.

Cycle image. Digital image. Flea Life Cycle. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Dec. 2014.

<http://www.ripfleas.co.uk/flea-life-cycle/>.