2-4: LANGUAGE drives learners’ THINKING
Language is the primary medium through which our thoughts develop and take shape. It allows learners to make sense of experience, organise their thoughts, and turn perception into understanding. Through language, we don’t just express our ideas – we build them. Learners use words to ask questions, form hypotheses, develop arguments, and reflect on their knowledge. In this way, language is not simply a tool for communication but a force that generates and directs thought.
Within the ERL Framework, language is seen as the key driver of cognition. It provides the symbols and structures that enable abstract reasoning, reflection, and problem-solving. Language helps organise mental activity, focus attention, and bridge the gap between intuitive impressions and analytical understanding. As learners work with language in different forms and contexts, they develop their ability to think critically, creatively, and logically.
This view is reflected in the ERL model’s two-tier structure and its eight analytical strands, which together explore how linguistic engagement supports cognitive growth in education. Through these strands, the ERL Association examines how language facilitates conceptual development, fosters metacognitive awareness, and transforms knowledge into a deeper understanding.
The statement “Language drives learners’ thinking” captures a central idea of the ERL approach: that cognition develops through language. Thinking is not a separate mental process, but something that unfolds through words and interaction. To understand how learners think, we therefore need to examine how language shapes and propels their thought.