Reflective Essay 5
LEARNING STYLES AND STRATEGIES
According to Hecht-Valais (2011), “Learning strategies are complex procedures which are applied to various tasks. They may be represented as procedural knowledge acquired through cognitive, associative, and autonomous stages of learning.” Learning styles and strategies are used in schools widely every day. Schools are a miniature society where children from different background come together to read and learn. When put together in a class, it is apparent to have learners with varying levels of learner styles, where each individual has abilities with their own strengths and weaknesses. This gives the opportunity for learners to learn from each other.
As a teacher of English in the second language situation, I encounter challenges in areas like how to go about teaching learning strategies, and to find out the learner styles in the learners. Normally it takes quite a long time for me to assess the personality traits of individual learners, mainly due to having to deal with huge number of students. It is not so very easy in Bhutanese schools to inculcate in the leaner how to develop learning strategies relating to language learning and improvement. To be able to teach and learn language, first important thing is to have adequate facilities and resources. Teachers in Bhutan get less chance to update themselves professionally with the changing trends in language learning and teaching. This hampers the
19
motivational level and the scope of professional up gradation is virtually less. This gives birth to teachers lagging behind in the field of language learning and teaching. With limited knowledge in the area of language learning, the above mentioned problems hitherto is perceived as a hindrance to scaling the new heights in language instruction.
Despite the shortcomings, the New English curriculum in Bhutan views language teaching as a grouping of interrelated processes, in which students actively engage in meaningful learning activities. It also adheres to constructivist approach to teaching and learning, where learners are the key players, responsible of their own learning. Teachers need to act as facilitators and guide learners in this process. At the same time, as learners increasingly become aware of their own selves and of relationships with others, texts and teachers should encourage individual reflection that can ignite interest, discussion, group reflection, and a process that might lead to deeper understanding of the texts. Researchers have shown that children learn best if they can see the connections between the topic and their world. Students in the process of teaching language should be challenged to make connections to the text that they read. As children, they want to understand more about themselves and their place in the world. Such approaches are recursive and “especially important for language learning because they are tools for active, self directed involvement, which is essential for developing communicative competence" Oxford (in Lessard-Clouston-1997).
Meta-cognitive strategies are mostly used in writing strand, with focus on writing process (free writing), where preparation, planning, selecting the topic, self correcting, following process in stages are considered by the learner themselves. Anderson (as cited in Hecht –Valais -2011). While teaching language-learning styles I use more of sensory learning styles such as
20
Visual, auditory, kinesthetic and the cognitive learning styles where children use meaning, structure, and visual cues.
Children in my class enjoy activities that allow them to generate more than one solution for a problem, to be able to engage in hypothetical deductive reasoning contrary to fact reasoning, which often happens in questioning sessions using divergent pattern. According to Oxford, (in Lessard-Clouston -1997), “language learning strategies are crucial to know something about the individuals, their interests, motivations, learning styles, etc.” In order for the learners to enjoy learning English and to be able to sustain their interest in learning , I am of the opinion that due importance should be given while choosing the text in the curriculum. It has to be made among the different genres, contemporary nature of its language, gender sensitivity, opportunities for a learner centered approach, Bhutanese content, and reading that promote active learning experiences in our classes. I think the choices in the curriculum must also include texts that are based on board themes that form an integral part of a child‟s identity, community, and the world around them. “Motivation, gender, cultural background, attitudes and beliefs, and type of task.” are required while choosing a text in second language situation (Oxford 1994). In addition, language teaching should move from familiar to the unfamiliar, so that children can connect to this world and learn. Armstrong (as cited in Christison -1998) has said, “Each person possesses all eight intelligences, Intelligences can be developed. Intelligences work together in complex ways and there are many different ways to be intelligent.” I think small group discussion is an effective way of using oral language, listening, and speaking. Another benefit is the sharing of information, ideas, that permits students to build meaning together. Such an atmosphere can be comforting to students.
21
In conclusion, every child is capable of being a critical thinker. Therefore, teachers must value all student responses building on an atmosphere where all students feel their ideas are valued. Motivation, respecting individual difference, and consciously teaching of learning styles and language learning strategies are given due importance in learning language.
References
Christison, M.A. (1998). Applying multiple intelligences theory: In pre-service
and inservice TEFL ;education programs. In English teaching forum, 1998, vol. 36, no.2.Pdf Retrieved from ELC 688 Blackboard course:
http://blackboard.umbc.edu.
Hecht –Valais,T.(2011). E- teacher scholarship programme: Methods I, UMBC.
T Retrieved from ELC 688 Blackboard course:
http://blackboard.umbc.edu.
Lessard-Clouston, M. (1997). Language learning strategies: An overview for
L2 teachers. In The Internet TESL Journal, Vol. III, No. 12.html
Retrieved from ELC 688 Blackboard course:
http://blackboard.umbc.edu.
Oxford, R. (1994). Language learning strategies: An update. In Center
22
for Applied Linguistics.html
Retrieved from ELC 688 Blackboard course:
http://blackboard.umbc.edu
LEARNING STYLES AND STRATEGIES
According to Hecht-Valais (2011), “Learning strategies are complex procedures which are applied to various tasks. They may be represented as procedural knowledge acquired through cognitive, associative, and autonomous stages of learning.” Learning styles and strategies are used in schools widely every day. Schools are a miniature society where children from different background come together to read and learn. When put together in a class, it is apparent to have learners with varying levels of learner styles, where each individual has abilities with their own strengths and weaknesses. This gives the opportunity for learners to learn from each other.
As a teacher of English in the second language situation, I encounter challenges in areas like how to go about teaching learning strategies, and to find out the learner styles in the learners. Normally it takes quite a long time for me to assess the personality traits of individual learners, mainly due to having to deal with huge number of students. It is not so very easy in Bhutanese schools to inculcate in the leaner how to develop learning strategies relating to language learning and improvement. To be able to teach and learn language, first important thing is to have adequate facilities and resources. Teachers in Bhutan get less chance to update themselves professionally with the changing trends in language learning and teaching. This hampers the
19
motivational level and the scope of professional up gradation is virtually less. This gives birth to teachers lagging behind in the field of language learning and teaching. With limited knowledge in the area of language learning, the above mentioned problems hitherto is perceived as a hindrance to scaling the new heights in language instruction.
Despite the shortcomings, the New English curriculum in Bhutan views language teaching as a grouping of interrelated processes, in which students actively engage in meaningful learning activities. It also adheres to constructivist approach to teaching and learning, where learners are the key players, responsible of their own learning. Teachers need to act as facilitators and guide learners in this process. At the same time, as learners increasingly become aware of their own selves and of relationships with others, texts and teachers should encourage individual reflection that can ignite interest, discussion, group reflection, and a process that might lead to deeper understanding of the texts. Researchers have shown that children learn best if they can see the connections between the topic and their world. Students in the process of teaching language should be challenged to make connections to the text that they read. As children, they want to understand more about themselves and their place in the world. Such approaches are recursive and “especially important for language learning because they are tools for active, self directed involvement, which is essential for developing communicative competence" Oxford (in Lessard-Clouston-1997).
Meta-cognitive strategies are mostly used in writing strand, with focus on writing process (free writing), where preparation, planning, selecting the topic, self correcting, following process in stages are considered by the learner themselves. Anderson (as cited in Hecht –Valais -2011). While teaching language-learning styles I use more of sensory learning styles such as
20
Visual, auditory, kinesthetic and the cognitive learning styles where children use meaning, structure, and visual cues.
Children in my class enjoy activities that allow them to generate more than one solution for a problem, to be able to engage in hypothetical deductive reasoning contrary to fact reasoning, which often happens in questioning sessions using divergent pattern. According to Oxford, (in Lessard-Clouston -1997), “language learning strategies are crucial to know something about the individuals, their interests, motivations, learning styles, etc.” In order for the learners to enjoy learning English and to be able to sustain their interest in learning , I am of the opinion that due importance should be given while choosing the text in the curriculum. It has to be made among the different genres, contemporary nature of its language, gender sensitivity, opportunities for a learner centered approach, Bhutanese content, and reading that promote active learning experiences in our classes. I think the choices in the curriculum must also include texts that are based on board themes that form an integral part of a child‟s identity, community, and the world around them. “Motivation, gender, cultural background, attitudes and beliefs, and type of task.” are required while choosing a text in second language situation (Oxford 1994). In addition, language teaching should move from familiar to the unfamiliar, so that children can connect to this world and learn. Armstrong (as cited in Christison -1998) has said, “Each person possesses all eight intelligences, Intelligences can be developed. Intelligences work together in complex ways and there are many different ways to be intelligent.” I think small group discussion is an effective way of using oral language, listening, and speaking. Another benefit is the sharing of information, ideas, that permits students to build meaning together. Such an atmosphere can be comforting to students.
21
In conclusion, every child is capable of being a critical thinker. Therefore, teachers must value all student responses building on an atmosphere where all students feel their ideas are valued. Motivation, respecting individual difference, and consciously teaching of learning styles and language learning strategies are given due importance in learning language.
References
Christison, M.A. (1998). Applying multiple intelligences theory: In pre-service
and inservice TEFL ;education programs. In English teaching forum, 1998, vol. 36, no.2.Pdf Retrieved from ELC 688 Blackboard course:
http://blackboard.umbc.edu.
Hecht –Valais,T.(2011). E- teacher scholarship programme: Methods I, UMBC.
T Retrieved from ELC 688 Blackboard course:
http://blackboard.umbc.edu.
Lessard-Clouston, M. (1997). Language learning strategies: An overview for
L2 teachers. In The Internet TESL Journal, Vol. III, No. 12.html
Retrieved from ELC 688 Blackboard course:
http://blackboard.umbc.edu.
Oxford, R. (1994). Language learning strategies: An update. In Center
22
for Applied Linguistics.html
Retrieved from ELC 688 Blackboard course:
http://blackboard.umbc.edu
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