This article addresses the importance of some of the Vygotsky's postulates and how these constitute a strong epistemological basis to develop the autonomy of the language students foreign. For this, a study of its essence is made as a way for the student's training.
In this PsychologyOnline article, we will talk about The development of the autonomy of foreign languages students from Vygotsky's postulates
Index
- Introduction
- Theoretical framework
- State of the art in foreign language learning
- Student development
- Conclusions
Introduction.
Vygotsky's postulates in the teaching of foreign languages are of great importance for the current Cuban educational model these allow to give to the didactics of the teaching of foreign languages a solid and harmonious conceptual base. From his contributions, the command of the foreign language is conceived as an activity, which allows the subject to enjoy of a fuller life, by expanding its cultural universe, contributing to a broad spectrum of personality knowledge.
Taking off from this that communication is a type of human activity where the relationships of socialization and individualization between the different protagonists of the process of teaching-learning. Thus evidencing the relationship between society-education-culture from the learning of foreign languages. In the same way, the teaching-learning process of foreign languages must be based on the basis of the affective and the cognitive in harmonious unity to develop communicative potentialities in students.
Strategies for the student
Hence, the student must be oriented towards the active search for knowledge, through a system of activities that promote the search and exploration of knowledge from reflective positions, that stimulate the development of their thinking and their autonomy.
Hence, in the teaching-learning process of foreign languages, the development of students' autonomy based on the student's ability is essential. to act on the basis of own objectives and purposes, from the self-evaluation process which implies the selection and development of learning strategies that allow the student to advance towards higher stages of knowledge, which will result in an acceleration in the pace of learning the language languages foreign. Similarly the self-assessment and self-knowledge, which presupposes active, conscious, intentional, self-regulated learning and the involvement of the student in achieving greater or lesser success in the development of this learning.
It can be asserted then that the teaching-learning process of foreign languages the development of the autonomy of the students has a solid base in the contributions of Vygotsky's postulates. The one that contributes to the conception of a developer learning where the student has a leading role that breaks with the tendency to execute. In the same way that students are able to act with a high degree of autonomy, creativity, motivation, self-determination and reflection, depending on the acquisition of new knowledge of the language and culture, from the questioning of some questions such as: about what, how, why, why does he learn and how this learning is useful in his training.
Theoretical framework.
At present, the autonomous capacity to create and apply new knowledge is an indispensable requirement in the education and training of man. In the process of teaching-learning Of foreign languages, efforts are directed towards the consolidation of a culture that corresponds to the demands and demands of today's Cuban society. Which has been established from the conceptions of the study plans. Thus, conceiving a developing teaching-learning process in foreign languages requires the study of theoretical bases to contribute to this end.
For this we take the cultural-historical approach since the student of the foreign languages career in communication as a knowledge activity develops and forms his cultural heritage. At the same time, it constitutes an active entity in society but only in its relationship and exchange with others can it reach a broad level of development.
Hence, we consider that in the postulates enunciated by L.S. Vigotsky supports the development of the autonomy of students of foreign languages these are:
- Social determinism
- Genetic law of psychic development
- Zone of proximal development
Thus, when studying the essence of each of them, it will be evident how they constitute sustenance in order to develop the autonomy of the students of the foreign languages career.
According to R. Bell (p.9) taking up Vygotsky's work Acquisition and development… depends largely on the social environment in which the subject lives. Therefore, the human subject at birth inherits all phylogenic evolution, but the final product of his development will be a function of the characteristics of the social environment in which he lives. Sublime profession of love. (1997)
This approach shows us how, from the teaching-learning process of foreign languages, a close relationship between teaching, education and society. This is evidenced by a system of educational influences that help you understand the value of each act of learning beyond a communicative situation. That is, the possible contribution to his training as a professional who must fulfill certain functions as part of his social order.
Likewise, what was raised by Egea. M when he points out that “the education of the student's personality implies founding the direction of the system of influences educational activities in their training on the basis of: The recognition of the active character of the student as the subject of their training ” (Aegean. M, 2007. p. 85.)
State of the question in foreign language learning.
In the case of the teaching-learning process of foreign languages, the development of the The autonomy of the students is conditioned by some elements that characterize it and that reveal Its essence. Thus, when speaking of a student with a high level of autonomy, we refer not only to the student takes responsibility for their own learning process but knows how to set goals to starting from identify potentialities and limitations in that process.
The student must also be able to transfer knowledge and skills to new contexts. In addition to having and supporting evaluative and reflective criteria about others and about themselves.
In the same way, the recognition of the active character of the student as subject of its formation, which implies that both education and teaching should lead the development and training of the student from what he / she is capable of doing autonomously and self-regulating. What he can do under his own direction, in the activity he performs. In the ability to plan and anticipate social reality to transform it according to their cognitive, affective and professional needs. So that at the end of your training you will be able to make decisions and achieve full self-realization.
On this foundation stands the beginning of development that demands from foreign language teachers a high level of creativity and flexibility to be in tune with the concrete historical context.
The Genetic Law of Development, as part of L. S. Vigotsky (1982), in the autonomy learning It is a fact, considering that this is developed taking into account the intrinsic and extrinsic motivations of teachers in initial training of Foreign Languages. The learning of these goes from the social to the individual plane and it is evident that in the appropriation of a system of knowledge, habits and abilities that go from the interpsychological to the intrapsychological level. That is, what is approached from the academic and investigative components, is integrated and dynamic in the labor component and thus makes sense for their training as a language professional foreign.
It is then necessary, for the teaching of foreign languages, to determine which are the real needs that students have of learning to express himself in that language and in what contexts and situations he uses and / or will use them.
J. C. Richards (1995: 3) affirms that “man, both from the point of view of his historical development and of his individual development, cannot live and satisfy his needs without communicating with their peers (…) This means that since its origin the need for communication has been associated with the activity of man, it is formed and developed on the basis of the activity joint. "
It is clear with this statement that in the learning tasks of the foreign language class the work in groups and the content of these must reflect the activities that the students face, including that of the direction of the teaching-learning process.
In this sense, the foreign language class is tasked with preparing students to become capable personalities for an active and transformative participation in society. Therefore, the activity of studying foreign languages must be contextualized in such a way that it does not contradict the reality of the subject.
Thus, the class influences the formation of the student's personality, at the same time that it does so on society and allows the student to influence their own class and the society in which they develop. Taking off from this that from the development of autonomy, rotatedly said, the student must carry out knowledge of oneself at the same time as of others in a process of socialization from communication as an activity performing. This constitutes the end of the teaching-learning of foreign languages and its development depends on the degree of autonomy with that students achieve the performance in the activity which requires the assimilation and conscious acquisition and active. Always on the basis of the identification of the purpose of the activity that he carries out.
This purpose does not identify it in an isolated and spontaneous way but from a system of influences that contribute to its formation. At the same time they help you understand the value of each act of learning beyond a communicative situation. That is, the possible contribution to your training as a professional that it must fulfill certain functions as part of its social order.
Student development.
It can be asserted that the development of autonomy contributes to the training and development of the student, from the moment that it comes to have knowledge of its own cognitions and is able to regulate its own mental activity during the learning process. Thus evidencing another of the postulates, the Zone of Proximate Development (Vygostky 1988), refers to the cognitive stage of the student that can be transformed from the interaction with others.
According to Vygotskian assumptions, two levels of development are verified during learning: a current one that represents what the student knows and he knows how to do for himself and other potential, which represents what the student may be able to do from the help he receives from other individuals.
Correctly interpreting this concept is essential for a better understanding of autonomy. If we take into account that in the development of this, students can achieve a wealth of knowledge without teacher's help to solve the learning tasks from the use of their own strategies of learnings. Where he will have a leading role and will have to decide what resources he has, the implication and the responsibility based on his own learning. As well as the purpose of this for the exercise of the profession. So it is not only what he is able to learn but after how to transmit it.
In the process of teaching foreign language learning, the development of autonomy from this postulate is also conditioned by the use of the learning strategies as mediators in the learning process and, more than mediators offered by the environment as a scaffolding on which the student appropriates, once internalized, they become resources for self-determination at the same time it makes them be an active entity in their own development, and capable of learning to learn.
It is then necessary, for the teaching of foreign languages, to determine which are the real needs that students have of learning to express himself in that language and in what contexts and situations he uses and / or will use them.
Learning is a process that is always subject to change, where the level of development that the student has reached intervenes. teaching at the time that is happening and the objective and subjective needs presented by the people involved in this process. Hence, for this change to take place, it is imperative to attend to the development of students' autonomy.
Authors such as H. Holec (1981), D. Larsen-Freeman (2001), R. C. Allwright (1988), P. Benson and P. Voller (1997), L. Karlsson, F. Kjisik and J. Nordlund (1997), A. Wenden. (1998), A. Hoffman (1996), C. Hufeisen and Jessner. (2001), A. Chik. Y. Y. H. Lim (2003) and D. Little (2007) have addressed the issue of autonomy in foreign language learning. They agree that it implies the responsibility of the student for their own learning, self-evaluation and self-reinforcement of Likewise, they insist on the need to develop in students knowledge about their own processes of learning.
In the teaching-learning process of foreign languages, it presupposes a active, conscious, intentional, self-regulated learning as well as the involvement of the student in achieving greater or lesser success in the development of this learning. Similarly, the individualization of learning styles and strategies. As well as the ability to mobilize resources to new contexts of action.
The problem is that the way or how we learn depends on a complex system that works in different levels, which are all necessary to learn. That is, learning takes place through different internal processes of the person, depending on the content that is learned and the conditions in which the learning takes place.
All learning constitutes a reflection of reality by the student, and as such it occurs in the activity that he develops, for which he learns consciously, with active participation as well as in the appropriation of the content of the culture that makes him reflect, make an intellectual effort and a creative search for the knowledge. As a result, changes occur in the cognitive, affective and professional processes themselves.
It is therefore important in the teaching-learning process of foreign languages the postulates of Vygotsky, those who contribute to interpret phenomena such as the development of the autonomy of students. At the same time, the granting of a developer learning from an active-regulatory conception is resignified with these in order to develop the autonomy of students. This is achieved when the teacher mobilizes the intellectual forces of the students in order to achieve the specific objectives of teaching-learning foreign languages. Activation aims to designate the active, conscious and intentional nature of the intellectual processes and mechanisms on which it is sustained and the results it produces. Which will allow a acceleration in language acquisition foreign so that there will be a change in learning.
Regulation is achieved through the proposition to the student of a learning task that encourages the reflection and maturity metacognitive, which includes knowing what you want to achieve, how it is achieved, when and under what specific conditions the resources that are possessed must be applied to achieve it. What will result in linguistic and professional self-realization and self-reflection of their performance.
Conclusions.
As a summary, it can be asserted that:
- At present it is urgent to have elements that contribute to enriching the teaching-learning process of the foreign languages, hence the development of student autonomy is essential in this process as a way to promote the active and conscious role of the student as the protagonist of his own training and self-transformation process.
- The conception of a teaching-learning process that develops foreign languages needs to be supported by the postulates of the theory contributed by Vygotsky in order for substantial changes to occur in this process.
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