Discussant: Princess Angel Cañutal

PRINCIPLES AND THEORIES OF LANGUAGE ACQUISITION COGNITIVE VIEW

AND LEARNING: READING APPROACH
• Reader-centric approach (top-down),
APPROACH contrasting with the text-centric
traditional view.
• Approach describes the nature of the subject
matter to be taught. • Goodman’s presented reading as a
psycholinguistic game
• Approach is a set of correlative assumptions based
on the nature of language teaching and language • Schema theory, as described by
learning. Remelhart, plays a pivotal role in
interpretation. He also described
• Approach is axiomatic.
schemata as “building blocks of
Why Reading is Important in Language Acquisition and cognition”
Learning?
• Highlights the interactive and
1. Reading offers a wide range of vocabulary and constructive nature of comprehension.
grammar; it essentially supports and feeds the brain with
METACOGNITIVE VIEW
the correct language structure.
• There is no more debate on “whether
2. As learning is facilitated with learning cues, reading
reading is bottom-up, language-based
helps the brain to remember these language structures as
process or top-down, knowledge-based
the learner will connect an image to the world it
process.”
represents.
• Combines bottom-up and top-down
3. Readings improve and develop your communication
processes
skills; it helps you learn how to use the language creatively.
• Metacognition involves thinking about
4. Reading is important because it is an active skill that
one’s reading process (Block, 1992).
involves referencing, guessing, predicting, etc.
• It is about understanding and consciously
In conclusion, reading plays a pivotal role in language
considering the strategies, thoughts, and
learning because it enhances our vocabulary and grammar,
actions you use while reading.
boosts our memory, enhances and develops our
communication skills, and actively involves our brain in the STRATEGIC READERS ATTEMPT THE FOLLOWING:
learning process. Remember that when you read a book,
 Identify the purpose of the reading before reading
you’re not just reading; you’re actively nourishing your
language proficiency.  Identify the form or type of the text before
reading
The Three Main Theories of Reading  Thinking about the general character and features
of the form or type of the text
TRADITIONAL VIEW
 Projecting the author’s purpose for writing the
• Novice readers acquire a hierarchy of sub- text (while reading it)
skills for comprehension. (Dole et al,  Choosing, scanning or reading in detail
1991)  Making continuous predictions of what will occur
next, based on information obtained earlier, prior
• Readers are seen as passive recipients,
knowledge, and conclusions obtained within the
with meaning primarily residing in the
previous stages.
text.
 Summarize what they have read.
• It’s often referred to as ‘bottom-up’ or
‘outside in’ processing. (McCarthy, 1999)

• Criticized for over-reliance on formal

language elements.