Multimedia Foreign Language Teaching And Learning: A Cognitive Perspective

With the rapid changes brought about by globalization and technological development, new changes have taken place in the English teaching profession. The application of multimedia in foreign language learning is one of the most striking changes. The rapid development of educational technology promotes the integration of educational technology into teaching and learning, this problem becomes the focus of higher education reform. How to teach foreign language effectively with multimedia? This problem has attracted a great deal of attention of researchers and language teachers, but multimedia foreign language teaching and learning has received relatively a little of attention. This thesis assumes that teachers and scholars only recognize the architecture of multimedia learning perfectly, they can facilitate multimedia foreign language teaching and learning.A major part in this thesis is applying the cognitive theory of multimedia learning theory to explaining multimedia foreign language learning. Plass and Jones, integrated model incorporates elements of the cognitive theory of multimedia learning (CTML) and elements of an interactionist perspective of second language acquisition. The process of multimedia learning can be viewed as information acquisition or as knowledge construction. The possible learning outcomes are no learning (as indicated by poor retention and poor transfer performance), rote learning (as indicated by good retention and poor retention performance), and meaningful learning (as indicated by good retention and transfer performance). Meaningful learning outcomes depend on the cognitive activity of the learner during learning rather than learner's behavioral activity during learning. Multimedia messages that are designed in light of how the human mind works are more likely to lead to meaning learning than those that are not. A cognitive theory of multimedia learning assumes that the human information processing system includes dual channels for visual/pictorial and auditory/verbal processing, that each channel has limited capacity for processing, and that active learning entails carrying out a coordinated set of cognitive processes during learning. The five steps in multimedia learning are selecting relevant words from the present text or narration, selecting relevant images from the presented illustrations, organizing the selected words into a coherent visual verbal representation, organizing the selected images into a coherent visual presentation, and integrating the visual and verbal presentations and prior knowledge. The processing of pictures occurs mainly in the visual/pictorial channel and the processing of spoken words occurs mainly in the auditory /verbal channel, but the processing of printed words takes place initially in the visual/pictorial channel and then moves to the auditory/verbal channel.Why should we advocate multimedia foreign language teaching and learning? This thesis discusses three justifications that based the integrated model of foreign language acquisition with multimedia. First, the question is about comprehensible input and comprehensible output. Comprehensible input and comprehensible output play an important role in foreign language teaching and learning. Krashen's comprehensible input theory describes optimal input for learning as having four characteristics. Comprehensible output is a concept unique to foreign language acquisition that describes the need for the use of language in meaningful contexts to develop the learner's communicative competence. Second, Limited-Capacity Assumption and Cognitive Load Theory offer justifications in multimedia foreign language teaching and learning. Mayer assumes that each channel has limited processing capacity, and it is important to know just how much information can be processed in each channel. Cognitive load theory and the instructional principles it has generated are all based on the assumption concerning human cognitive architecture. There are three categories of cognitive load discussed in the cognitive load theory: extraneous, intrinsic, and germane cognitive load. Third, the dual-channel assumption. The dual-channel assumption is that human being possesses separate information processing channels for visually represented material and auditorily represented material.In summary, multimedia foreign language teaching and learning offers a potentially powerful way for people to learning things that would be very difficult to grasp from words alone. This thesis demonstrates the potential benefits of teaching and learning that involves the structured integration of words and pictures. Research in multimedia foreign language teaching and learning is in its infancy. The major challenges are to create a useful base of empirical research and cognitive theory. The ultimate goal should be grasp foreign language perfectly through facilitating integration of foreign language teaching and leaning with modern cognitive theories.