Tuesday's Tip for Language Learning #30: Cognitive Styles
Excerpt from Think Yourself into Becoming a Language Learning Super Star
Cognitive Styles
A
few cognitive styles have bee referred to and defined earlier (or footnoted).
There are many kinds and systems of understanding cognition that have been
proposed over the past 3-4 decades. The one I use in this book is the E&L
Cognitive Style Construct (Ehrman & Leaver, 2002; Leaver, 2019). I have
chosen it principally because it encompasses many other systems—the reason it
was designed: to simplify the proliferating models floating around academic
programs.[1] For this book, it provides
an easy overview of styles because the E&L subordinates ten subscales[2] to two overarching
categories, which make it easier and simpler to use as a first-step instrument.
Cognition
refers to the way people process information. After perceiving new information
(through one or another sensory preference), a learner must process it,
encoding it for memory. The effectiveness of how that is done depends on how
strong the match is between a preferred cognitive style and the way the
encoding occurs.
The
categories, like the MBTI categories, are a continuum. One can be situationally
oriented and prefer one style under one set of circumstance and another under a
different set. Most people, though, have a clear, either weak or strong
preference for one of the poles of the continuum.
The
overarching categories of the E&L are called synopsis and ectasis, learners
being either synoptic or ectenic. Their processes differ as do their pace of
learning.
Synoptic learning
Synoptic
learners learn though osmosis. They see phenomena as composites and do not
consciously break down the language but acquire it through context via
induction.
What happens to synoptic learners when they study languages
At
early stages of study, they move swiftly because the demand for accuracy is not
high at early levels. Over time, though, they become “awfully fluent,” with
emphasis on the “awful” part, and often plateau just shy of the professional
proficiency level because of an abundance of grammatical and lexical mistakes.
The image I like to use for them is the hare, as in the tale of the hare and
the tortoise, in which the hare gets way out ahead and then goes to sleep from
boredom, and the tortoise wins. If you are a hare, flying through early stages
of language learner, beware of your tendency to over-guess and to approximate.
Initially, you will be rewarded for that. Later, you will be punished when you
have trouble getting up off your plateau.
How to take advantage of being a synoptic learner
If
you are a synoptic learner, consider becoming acquainted early on with
authentic materials. Regardless of how much or how little authentic material
you use in your course, authentic materials are what will move you faster to
your proficiency goal.
You
can find newspapers and podcasts on the Internet, movies on Amazon, and books
in the library. As for native speakers, you can find them in your community,[3] and if you don’t have
ready access to émigré groups, ask your teacher for an introduction.
Start
watching movies even at lower levels of proficiency. Watch them over and over,
understanding more each time. Watch them at the beginning of one month and
re-watch them at the end of the next month. Congratulate yourself with how much
more you understand after just two months. (Repeat as needed for self-confidence!)
You can also attend movies at a local theater if they are playing one in your
target language. It will be a different experience since you can watch it only
once (well, you could go back a few times, but that gets expensive). There you
may have the added benefit of running into native speakers with whom you can
discuss the movie.
Don’t
limit yourself to movies. Watch soap operas, interviews, game shows, news
broadcasts—whatever else you can find.
Place
some emphasis on interactive listening. Find ways to interact with native
speakers on a continuing basis. Attend lectures with them, play music with
them,[4] help them with their
needs, go where they go, and do what they do. You will learn more than language
from them; you will also learn their culture.
As
for reading, tie the topics to the content you are studying in your course, and
you will get double the benefit for your efforts. Aim for extensive reading (a
wide range of materials from a variety of different content areas), rather than
intensive reading (deep reading of one text or a limited number of texts).[5] You will likely get a
considerable amount of intensive reading experience in your course; doing more
outside the classroom may be of less benefit to you than using the time you
have to build breadth. As you reach higher levels of proficiency, you will need
that breadth. If you are already an advanced learner, you might want to make
yourself a reading list. In addition to novels and poetry, be sure to include a
wide range of genres—and don’t forget music.
see the forest, miss the
trees = synoptic learners
Ectenic learning
Ectenic
learners learn though deliberate pulling apart of the language; they see matter
as built of parts and go about learning consciously, analyzing the language
deductively, even preferring decontextualization.
What happens to ectenic learners when they study languages
At
early stages of study, they struggle as a sea of authentic language overwhelms
their need for details and accuracy. While the course may not demand accuracy
at lower levels, they do, and they continue some time in a “painfully accurate”
manner, with emphasis on the “painful” part. They do not sail onto a high
plateau like the synoptics; rather, they step up onto one small plateau after
another as they inch forward in proficiency. The image I like to use for them
is the tortoise; they keep going, one painful step at a time—and win the race.
Among very high achievers, those who reach near-native levels of proficiency,
in my experience and research, the tortoises (ectenics) are over-represented.[6] That may be explained by
the fact that at the higher proficiency levels, greater accuracy is required.
How to take advantage of being an ectenic learner
If
you are an ectenic learner, authentic materials, whether handled judiciously in
the classroom with lots of support or met in the wild, are likely to overwhelm
you, leaving you flustered, likely frustrated, not knowing where to start.
Certainly, you will need to prepare in advance if you want to hold your own in
the classroom and meet teacher expectations.
If
you know you will be watching a movie in class, see if you can find that movie
ahead of time and watch it at home. Try to get the script for the movie and
read that in advance, breaking down the language as you would for a reading
text. Analyze the script until you are sure you understand the general plot and
the characters, looking up words, expressions, grammar—whatever structural help
you need. Do not expect to understand every word; that is not necessary.
Understand enough to be able to follow the plot when watching the movie, which
will be easier with the visual props. Read a synopsis of the movie and a review
of it. Get to know everything you can about the movie before you watch it. If
you are watching it at home on DVD, watch it in segments, replaying as needed
to follow the plot. You will probably not be able to understand every word, and
do not try to. That may annoy you, but really, you do not pay attention to or
hear every word when you watch a movie in your own language. If you prepare in
this way, you will feel much more comfortable watching the movie in class. Go
to class prepared with notes, using the right expressions, that you can use to
discuss the movies. Don’t stop there, though. After the movie is shown in
class, watch it again at home—all the way through without stopping and see how
much more you understand. Do that again in two months; it will increase your
comfort and confidence.
You
can prepare to meet with native speakers in the same way. Determine what you
will be talking about—just some chit-chat, an event you will be attending
together, or some area in which you will be providing assistance. You can put
together preparatory notes with the kinds of expressions you think you will
need to accomplish your goal in meeting with the native speaker(s)—though you
will probably not want to pull them out in front of people![7]
To
prepare for authentic reading in class, look through the text at home in
advance if you have that opportunity. If you cannot read through it easily and
understand it from a first reading, then go after the text structurally. Break
the sentences into their key parts: subject, action, receiver of the action,
adding details once you understand the skeleton. If there are words that you do
not know, try to figure them out by breaking them apart or context. While the
latter tactic is not your forte, it is a good capability to build. Then, break
the text into paragraphs—think about what each paragraph adds to the message
and why it is there. Finally, outline the text as if you were an author
preparing to write it. After all that, read through the text again. Now, do you
understand it completely? With time, a general increase in proficiency, and
repetition of this approach, you will find that you are able to read many
articles through, understanding them the first time, like you do in your native
language. As an ectenic learner, you just have to build up to it.
see the trees, miss the
forest = ectenic learner
Both
synopsis and ectasis are needed in language learning. Take advantage of which
you are and, over time, deliberately build skills that help manage tasks of the
opposite type.
[1]
These other systems can be found in Kolb (2006), McCarthy (1987), Messick
(1976), and elsewhere—an Internet search will bring up a treasure trove of
them.
[2]
These subscales, not detailed in this book, can be found delineated in full in The
E&L Cognitive Style Construct: Supercharging Language Learning Success One
Mind at a Time (Leaver, 2019). The subscales are ten continua:
inductive-deductive, random-sequential, field independent-field dependent,
field sensitive-not field sensitive, impulsive-reflective, concrete-abstract,
leveling-sharpening, synthetic-analytic, global-local, and analogue-digital.
Some of the individual subscales can be exceptionally meaningful for specific
languages (e.g., Arabic, with which almost all digital learners struggle), so
becoming familiar with the subscales can be helpful.
[3] A
synoptic graduate school friend of mine spent much of his leisure time with
Russian-speaking immigrants. Nearly immediately upon graduation, he got a job
with Voice of America that is typically reserved for native speakers. He had
known no Russian before the age of 18. His course brought him linguistic
knowledge; his help to the émigré community brought him the help needed to
develop near-native proficiency.
[4]
When I, a staunch synoptic who can nonetheless manage an ectasis-based course
thanks to my linguistics background was in a basic Russian course, I joined the
extracurricular orchestra led by two native-speaker instructors. Over time, I
became quite good at playing the piccolo balalaika, a rare instrument. Both of
these instructors belonged to a semi-professional Russian orchestra and, being
in need of an instrument like the piccolo balalaika, invited me to join them.
We rehearsed every Wednesday evening at one of their homes. I got to meet their
families, join in professional discussion and kitchen talk, and no one ever
spoke English to me. On Saturdays, we played gigs in the émigré community:
weddings, parties, and other occasions. My language progressed in my course,
but it surged as a result of my orchestra participation. When I got the highest
score in my class, a remarkably near-perfect result on a proficiency test, I
brought the test score to the orchestra director and told him, “This is the
result of what you brought into my life.”
[5] In
extensive reading, you read for information and content; you pick up the
structure intuitively. In intensive reading, you begin with structure and build
meaning, based on the structure, finishing by understanding the content.
[6] If
you are interested in that research, check out Leaver (1986) and Leaver and
Shekhtman (2002).
[7] When I taught Russian, I would assign individual projects in which my students were to help native speakers with specific needs. I would meet with the students in advance to ensure that they had control of the basic language they would need for the task. Once, a young lady was going to take a pregnant native speaker to the doctor. We went over obstetrical terms relating to pregnancy and childbirth. My student was ready! Except, as it turns out, the woman was not pregnant and was going to the doctor for a D&C! With some of the basic medical terminology she had learned, my student managed to get through the doctor’s appointment without too much psychological scarring! In fact, she went on to help other immigrants, major in Russian and become a professional interpreter.
See more posts about/from this book.
See more posts about language learning.
See more Tuesday tips.
 |
Follow MSI Press on Twitter, Face Book, and Instagram.
Interested in publishing with MSI Press LLC?
Planning on self-publishing and don't know where to start? Our author au pair services will mentor you through the process.
Julia Aziz, signing her book, Lessons of Labor, at an event at Book People in Austin, Texas.
Want to communicate with one of our authors? You can! Find their contact information on our Authors' Pages.
Comments
Post a Comment