Connectionism

Connectionism is a term used to discuss how knowledge is constructed in the brain in the form of massively interconnected sub-networks that store information that can be accessed by other sub-networks (Waring). It is appealing because it assumes that we learn by trail and error in successive steps, incrementally and through exposure to input. This results in strengthening or weakening interconnections. It is always changing because as new information is added new interconnections are made. Usually the connectionist idea is related to second language learning on the lower-level of cognition, such as vocabulary acquisition.
As a teacher, I can use this concept to keep in mind connecting previous material to current, new ideas when teaching so the interconnections can be strong. I want my students to move the knowledge from their working memory to their long-term memory so it can be retrieved for use later. This adds a new dimension to teaching because it means there needs to be many visuals during lessons and good vocal modeling because the more the senses are involved the more likely they will remember the information. After learning about the variety of theories that are applied to language learning, I have come to realize that maybe it's taking the most attractive aspects of each and combining and manipulating them to fit the needs of the students present.