Cognitivism in Practice

In this weeks learning resources we are asked to explore Cognitive learning strategies and concepts for our students.  This is something that I rely on a lot in working with my students who are learning Spanish.  I do what I can to help them try and make the connections from learned ideas in their native language so that they can conceptualize what it is that I am trying to teach them.  There is an expression that I believe everyone has heard which is "Lost in Translation."  There are some many sayings that we say that just don't make sense in other languages, for example when I say, "I am going to go work out," we know it means that I am going to do exercise.  The translation of that in Spanish, "Voy a trabajar afuera, " which literally means, "I am going to work outside."  So with things like this in mind I try to have my kids make connections to things that they already know to so that they can avoid the pitfalls of translating things literally.  Something that my students love about Spanish is that they get refresher courses in Grammar.  I have to explain Grammar rules in both languages so that they can understand my lesson better.  They English teacher at one of my school complained to me because she said the students told her that they learned more about English in my Spanish class than in her class.  I do think that learning a language at an early age is easier then trying to pick one up later in life, simply because you do not have all these already learned notions in another language in your head.  I have found that it is easier for my students to learn a new language when they can connect similarities and differences in the two languages.