Grounded cognition: Teaching through experiential learning

SONIA SUÁREZ CEPEDA; LILIAN ARZTIMUÑO

Santa Rosa, La Pampa, Argentina

Jornada; I Encuentro regiomal de profesores de inglés; 2016

Faculta de Ciencias Humanas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba

In this presentation we discuss the theoretical basis for the experimental project on Bilingualism, narrative and cognition which is currently being carried out at the University of La Pampa. We intend to observe, systematize and explain the lexical and grammatical patterns deployed by bilinguals to express spatial and time relations in the oral rendering of dynamic stimuli (audiovisual material) as well as the lexical and phonetic patterns bilingual speakers use to express emotions in stories. Both objectives aim at observing the impact of grounded cognition on the perception, encoding and retrieval of lexical information in L1 Spanish-L2 English bilinguals. On this basis, we assume that cognitive processes in lexical encoding are guided by experiential learning (grounded cognition) and stored in the brain areas that process visual and motor activities and linked to the area of mirror neurons activity for the simulation of virtual movement (Barsalou 2008, 2009; Rizzolatti 1989). The theories on grounded cognition propose that human interaction with the real world categories are captured, integrated and stored in the long term memory as a multimodal experience to be later retrieved as a unity (a virtual recreation) through the stimulation of any of the modalities involved during perception. As a hypothesis, we assume that cognition and thus any learning processes in L1 and L2 can be approached as the construction of meaning through the apprehension of multimodal experiences that can be accessed by the learner through a simulation process. This assumption has guided our experimental methodology which has been implemented in two pilot studies: one on motion verbs and the other on emotion lexis and phonetics In the implementation of both experimental pilot studies, we have designed a methodology that focuses on training teachers to deploy bodily language to deal with action verbs and signs of joy, sadness and anger. The material proposed includes the use of audio-visual extracts which help students at university level to recognize and ground vocabulary and vocal cues on real data. By means of embodiment and audio-visual input students are encouraged to incorporate lexis and phonetic features into their oral productions.