Cognitive Dimension

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The cognitive dimension comprises various challenges for CLD students acquiring a new language. Some key challenges involve not only the cognitive dimensions, but also the sociocultural and linguistic dimensions. The bilingual teachers must understand these challenges of their students face in order to meet the unique and individual needs of the language learners. The cognitive challenges consist of the interrelationships between the cognitive and sociocultural dimensions. Acquisition of a second language interrupts a child’s cognitive development in the first language. Moreover, students’ learning styles are different, influenced chiefly through socialization along with cognitive development in the home culture. I remember that…show more content…
In my culture, I was taught to be respectful, through bowing down my head without eye contact. In American culture, if you talk to someone without looking at his eyes, you are not respectful. Being a bilingual teacher, it is very important to be cross-culturally sensitive and be aware of students’ learning styles. The other cognitive challenges emphasize the interrelationship between the cognitive and the linguistic dimensions. Transformative learning starts when the students can use linguistic with nonlinguistic representations to express what they know whilst explaining what they have been learning. For example, there is the ongoing debate about phonics versus whole language approach. Research indicates that second language learners acquire a new language successfully with literacy instruction focusing word meaning rather than the phonemic structure…show more content…
Therefore the cognitive processes are proactive, dynamic, involving informative selection, organization and contextualization. The learning strategies of each individual may be varied, but the outcome should be the same. That is, where goal-driven activities are implemented these need to attain targeted learning results. According to Chamot and O’Malley, there are three types of learning strategies: cognitive, metacognitive, or social/affective. Cognitive learning strategies involve the mental or physical manipulation of the material to be learned. The strategies are resourcing, grouping, note taking, plus elaboration. Teachers model, rehearse then support the students via the use of learning strategies in the classroom. Social/affective learning strategies interconnect the cognitive and the sociocultural dimensions of the biography. These strategies consider two levels of process: the individual level compared to the interactive level. For example, using self-talk strategy is one means to increase self-confidence at the individual level. Correspondingly, asking a question for clarification would be classified under the interactive level. Learners should ideally work with others cooperatively. Finally, the metacognitive learning strategies solely connect to the students and their own cognitive processes. The learning

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