++ Question 5

Can you pinpoint some theories of language learning and/or teaching underlying the application?

a) Behaviorism

- This application offers the basic concept of behaviorism that has a stimulus, a response and reinforcement. In reference to the Interactive activity from this application, we can take the Crossword Puzzle as an example whereby it offers a set puzzle, then the students will answer and if the answers are correct, they can proceed to next set of crossword puzzle. So, the basic features of Behaviorism are present in this application. Besides that, it also emphasis on repetition and drills as well as promotes immediate responses to the students.

b) Cognitivism

- Chitravelu (2005) stated that cognitivism is in contrast with behaviorism whereby it emphasis on the students and how they manage their knowledge. In this application, we can see that it encourages the students to find the information needed on their own without much help from the teacher. The teacher will be a modern teacher in a technology-based room if students are using this application when they learn the literary texts. Teacher will facilitate the process of teaching and learning to ensure that it takes place in a meaningful yet contextualized setting. The application itself encourages the students to be goal oriented. Thus, we can say that the application really supports student-centered learning as proposed by Cognitivists.

c) Notional-Functional Syllabus

- As we are bounded to the syllabus, we can’t deny that NFS is either consciously or sub-consciously has been implemented in this application. Even though the ‘planet’ of Internet is quite enormous, the application needs to be developed according to the syllabus that has been prepared by Curriculum Development Centre (CDC) of Ministry of Education. This is to ensure that the students will not run off the track that they are supposed to follow. If the students do not realize that they have a syllabus to follow, they might take it for granted.