COGNITIVE PRINCIPLES OF LANGUAGE LEARNING

This article represents an attempt to draw together findings from a range of language learning in order to formulate a set of general principles for language pedagogy. These principles address such issues as the nature of language leaning competence (as formulaic and rule-based knowledge), the contributions of both focus on meaning and on form, the need to develop both implicit and explicit foreign language knowledge, the roles of input, output and interaction in learning, the importance of catering to individual differences in learners. The principles draw on a variety of theoretical perspectives and are offered as ‘provisional specifications' for learning-centered language pedagogy.