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September 13, 2026

LEARNING THEORIES RESEARCH: COGNITIVE &

NEUROCOGNITIVE APPROACHES

Understanding the human mind, internal information processing, and active learning

Presented by: Group 9

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Cognitive Approach / Piaget

   1. Lev Vygotsky / Jerome Bruner

   2. David Ausubel / Cognitive Approach en English Teaching

   3. Neurocognitive Approach

COGNITIVE

APPROACH

WHAT IS IT?

CORE PRINCIPLES

KEY CONCEPTS

• Focus: Internal mental processes

  • Key areas: Perception, memory, attention & reasoning.

  • Versus Behaviorism: Studies the mind, not just observable behavior.

• Mind = Computer: Inputs data - processes it - creates output.

  • Active Construction: Knowledge is interpreted, not passively received.

• Schemas: Mental structures to store knowledge.

  • Main tools: Working memory, long - term memory & metacognition.

  • Learner Role: Active builder of knowledge.

JEAN PIAGET’S THEORY

• Swiss Psychologist: Pioneer in child cognitive development.

  • Core Discovery: Children don’t think like mini-adults; they reason differently through stages.

• Schemas: Mental building blocks of Knowledge.

  • Assimilation: Fitting new information into existing schemas.

  • Accommodation: Modifying schemas when new data doesn’t fit.

  • Equilibration: Balance between assimilation & accommodation.

WHO WAS JEAN PIAGET?

KEY CONCEPTS

DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES

• Sensorimotor: (0-2 yrs) - Learning through senses & actions.

  • Preoperational: (2-7 yrs) - Symbolic thinking & egocentrism.

  • Concrete Operational: (7-11 yrs) - Logical reasoning with concrete objects.

  • Formal Operational: (12+ yrs) - Abstract thinking & problem-solving

Russian psychologist and educational theorist.

Learning develops through social interaction and collaboration.

Learners build knowledge with the support of others.

Emphasized the role of language, culture, and social environment.

KEY CONCEPT:

Lev Vygotsky

Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)

The gap between what a learner can do independently and what they can achieve with guidance or support.

ZPD

→ What I can do alone

→ What I can do with help

→ What I cannot do yet

SCAFFOLDING

→ Temporary support

→ Guidance from a teacher or peer

→ Support decreases as the learner

becomes independent

A teacher provides vocabulary, sentence starters, and an example to help a student give a short presentation in English. The support is gradually removed.

ENGLISH TEACHING EXAMPLE:

VYGOTSKY: ZPD & SCAFFOLDING

HOW ARE THEY CONNECTED?

• Understand

  • Remember

  • Solve problems

COGNITION

Process information

METACOGNITION

Manage learning

• Plan

  • Monitor

  • Evaluate

Together:

Better learning + better decision-making

ESPACIO PARA EL VIDEO

GABRIELA VARGAS

Cognition:

Use repetition to learn vocabulary

Metacognition:

Check if you remember the words.

EXAMPLE

Adjustment:

Change your study method if necessary.

GAGRIELA VARGAS

• David Paul Ausubel (October 25, 1918 – July 9, 2008) was an American psychologist.

• The theory of meaningful learning is one of the most influential theories in education.

His theory focuses on how individuals acquire and organize knowledge in a meaningful way, allowing information to be retained over the long term.

DAVID PAUL AUSUBEL

When learning English verb tenses, students connect the new grammar with their daily routines and experiences.

• New knowledge connects with prior knowledge and relates to it in a way that generates new meaning.

• Prior knowledge helps students understand and retain new information.

• Learning becomes more meaningful when new information is connected to what students already know.

MEANINGFUL LEARNING

ENGLISH TEACHING EXAMPLE:

COGNITIVE APPROACH IN ENGLISH TEACHING

The Cognitive Approach helps students actively process, organize, and remember information.

EXAMPLES:

🧠 Vocabulary: Grouping new words by topic or meaning.

📝 Grammar: Connecting grammar rules with real-life situations

📖 Reading: Identifying main ideas and organizing information.

💬 Comprehension: Connecting new information with prior knowledge.

COGNITIVE STRATEGIES FOR LEARNING ENGLISH

• Chunking: Grouping information into smaller units to make it easier to remember.

  • Rehearsal: Repeating words or phrases to strengthen memory.

  • Elaborative Interrogation: Asking “why?” and “how?” to understand information more deeply.

Example:

Students group new vocabulary into categories such as food, transportation, and school to make it easier to remember.

Key idea:

Cognitive strategies help students process, understand, organize, and remember English more effectively.

Key Ideas:

• 🧠 Learning involves different brain processes.

  • 🔄 Practice strengthens neural connections.

  • 🎯 Attention and memory are important for learning.

  • 🗣️ Language learning involves several interconnected brain areas.

The Neurocognitive Approach explains language learning by considering how the brain processes, stores, and retrieves information.

Approach

NEUROCOGNITIVE APPROACH

It is mainly associated with speech production, language organization and grammar.

BROCA'S AREA 🗣️

Located in the temporal region.

It is mainly associated with understanding spoken and written language.

WERNICKE’S AREA 👂

🎧 Listening

🗣️

Speaking

📚 Vocabulary

📖

Reading

🧠

Memory & attention

HOW CAN WE APPLY IT?

• Focus: The mind

  • Studies: Mental processes

  • Key processes: Attention, memory, language, reasoning

  • Main question: How do we process information?

KEY DIFFERENCES

COGNITIVE APPROACH🧠

NEUROCOGNITIVE APPROACH🧠

• Focus: The brain

  • Studies: Brain and neural processes

  • Key elements: Brain areas, neural circuits, biological processes

  • Main question: How does the brain support cognition?

Learning is an active mental process in which students organize and use information.

Learning involves mental processes and changes in brain activity as new information is processed.

HOW DO THEY EXPLAIN LEARNING?

Cognitive Approach

Neurocognitive Approach

APPLICATION TO ENGLISH TEACHING

• Active learning

  • Connect new and previous knowledge

  • Organize information

  • Use memory and attention

COGNITIVE APPROACH

NEUROCOGNITIVE APPROACH

• Repetition and practice

  • Attention and memory

  • Engage language-related brain processes

  • Multisensory learning

Example:

Students connect new vocabulary with words they already know.

Example:

Students practice new vocabulary through listening, speaking, and repetition.

THANK YOU!

Understanding how students learn helps us teach better.