To understand what learning is, some theories have been advanced to explain

it. These theories are: Behaviorism, Cognitivism and Interactionism.

To Behaviorism, learning is due to stimulus and responses. To Skinner, a person

learns through repetitions and imitations. Imitation is selectively. That selection of
what to imitate is based in something new what is begun to be understandable.
The environment plays an important role in this position, allowing children to
continue imitating and practicing their learning. So, imitation and practice helps
children to create habits of correct language use. To Behaviorists the
environment shapes childrens language behavior. Environment is seen as a
source of all what a child needs to know. Learner is passive, does not take part
on the learning construction. Only receives information. Teachers motivate a
facilitate learning, keeping students active. Teachers provides stimulus (lesson
plan well thought), should use lot of practice and repetition, and positive
reinforcement (rewards).

Cognitivism theory defines learning as a change in mind, is a process to

receive, store and apply knowledge. It results from the internal mental activity.
To Chomsky children are biologically programmed for language which is
developed in the same way as other biological functions .Apart from that, he
considered that children should be exposed to language in order to be able to
speak. The teachers role is to assist learners helping and encouraging them.
Learners are active participants in their learning process, processing and
constructing their personal understanding of the content. Learner is an active
thinker, explainer and questioner.

Interactionism view states that learning is through interaction with people and
environment .Learning is from the inside and the outside of a person. Children
learn from experience (more experience, better acquisition children have) and
from other people through the social interaction where language is all around.
To Vygotsky language emerged from social interaction (with adults and other
children) which gives children the origins of language and thought.

Based in what I have understood, Learning is a process, in which a person

acquires, accommodates, assimilates, constructs and reconstructs knowledge,
in this case language. That process varies depending on the way how a person
is exposed to learning and under what conditions is related to language
learning situations.