ELT Theory of Language Learning

1. THEORIES OF
LANGUAGE LEARNING
- HUMANISM -
• SITI NUR INSANIA BINTI IKHSAN
• NUR ATIKAH BINTI BAHARIN
• NUR MAIZATUL AKMAL BINTI ABD MALIK

2. DEFINITION
• trusts to the scientific method when it comes to understanding how
the universe works and rejects the idea of the supernatural.
In education: (human is self-growing)
An educator's primary responsibility is to create an environment in
which students can do their own growing. Humanistic educators have a
broad understanding of the knowledge that children acquire as they
grow, and highly value student's affective and social development as
well as their intellectual development. The goal of humanistic education
is to contribute to the development of energetic, positive, self-
respecting,caring human beings who can meet all challenges.

3. DIFFERENCES OF HUMANISM AND
OTHER THEORIES
• Behaviourism – determined by others
• Cognitivism – influenced by interaction with
other human beings, object, environment
• Social constructivism – learn from experiences

4. HUMANISTIC AND LEARNING
• Curran (1976): Counselling-Learning - Teachers
sit outside a circle of learners and help them
to talk about their personal and linguistic
problems.
• The students decide the 'curriculum’ and
teacher act as facilitator.
• Gattegno (1972): Silent Way approach - He
presented challenges for learners.

5. HUMANISTIC AND LANGUAGE
LEARNING
• Aware of the individual learners' 'developmental
readiness‘.
• Offer their students problems to solve.
• Allowing a combination of language learning
theories and their own experience.
• Aware of what motivates their students.
1. extrinsically motivated : tests and exams
2. intrinsically motivated : solution will be a reward
in itself

7. ADVANTAGES
1. Taking the Student’s Inner Thought into
Consideration.
Humanism believes that the student’s self-actualization and the
creative ability are their vital factor for their behaviour. In
conclusion, humanism considers the understanding of students’
inner thought and admits their difference in interests, needs,
experience and individual personality.

8. 2. Taking the Relationship Between Teachers and
Students and Teaching Style into Consideration.
Humanism psychologists are considering the question
like promoting the teachers to think the interpersonal
emotion and relation, self-concept and self-respect,
continuance of learning and so on. It promotes the
teachers to understand himself rather than the content
of textbook.

9. DISADVANTAGES
1. Emphasizing the Student’s Potential Unilaterally,
Ignoring the Effect of Environment and Education
The actual school will change their teaching aim, policy and model all the time
according to the social environment.
2. Emphasizing the Center Position of Students
Excessively, Influencing the Sufficiency of Education
and Teaching
considering the learner’s free activity as the center of teaching, it will ignore the
systemic logic of textbook and the teacher’s leading role, and it will influence the
quality of education and teaching

10. 3. Extending the Students’ Interests and Hobby
Excessively, Underestimating the Power of Society and
Education
Humanism teaching theory extends the students’
interests and hobby excessively and ignores the effect of good society and school
education.