The new challenge of teaching and learning foreign languages: the integration of theories

Abstract

This article establishes a relationship between two important authors, Lev Vigotsky and Stephen Krashen, whose theories contributed to the development of processes associated with foreign language training. In addition, this relationship is complemented by the structured stances in education in complex thought proposed by Edgar Morin. This review illustrates that the three approaches of these authors share characteristics which aim to build a learning experience immersed in context, whether linguistic, social or cultural. The three language learning paradigms stress the importance of creating learning environments where the foreign language can be used and shared in a social environment, so that better processes of foreign language acquisition may be generated, wherein both teachers and students are actors. Following on from the comparison of sources and a comparative education analysis, the conclusion of this article indicates the need to promote the social context of the real use of the language, to take into account the dynamism of the processes of thought and language and how these change at the same time as the individual develops and, finally, the inclusion of the affective component, both in the teaching practice and in the task of the student.