Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society

This paper describes an implemented tutoring system, designedto show various ways of converting a given meaning structureinto its corresponding surface expression. The system is meantto be a teaching tool for students who learn French as a foreignlanguage.Vihile showing various ways of converting a ijiven ineaning structure into its corresponding surface expression, the system helpsnot only to discover WHAT data to process but also MOW this information processing should take place. In other words, we are concerneiJ wii't Hrficiency in verbal planning (flexibility and economy of performance).Recognizing that the same result can be obtained by various methods, the student should find out which one is best suited tothe circumstances (what is known, task demands etc). Informational stato:5, lienoe tlie processor's needs, may vary to a great extent, as may his STRATEGIES or cognitive styles. In consequence,in order to become an efficient processor, the student has toacquire not only STRUCTURAL or RULE-KNOWLEDGE but also PROCEDURALKNOWLEDGE (skill).With this in mind we have designed three modules in order tofoster a reflective, experimental attitude in the learner, helping hln to discover insightfully the most efficient strategy.