defintion of learning styles

« Learning styles refer to any individual’s prefered ways of going out about learning.it is generally

considered that one’s learning style will result from personality variables, invariables, including

psychological and cognative make-up, socio-cultural backround, and educational experience »

• « Learning styles refer to an individual’s natural habitual, and preferred way of absorbing, processing, and retaining new information and skills. These learning styles persist,regardless of teaching methods and content areas. »

What are the types of learning styles?

Visual learners

• learn through seeing....• These learners need to see the teacher’s body langauge

and facial expression to fully understand the content of a lesson.they tend to prefer sitting at the front of the calssroom to avoid visual obstruction(e.g peolpe’s head). They may think in pictures and learn best from visual displays including: daigrams,illustrated text books, overhead transperencies, videos,flipcharts and hand-outs.during a lecture or classroom discussion, visual learners often prefer to take detailed notes to absorb the information.

Auditory learners

• Learn through lsitening….• They learn best through verbal

lectrues,discussions,talking through to what others have to say.Auditory learenrs interupt underlying meanings of speech throughlistening to tone voice, pitch,speed and nuances.Written information may have little meaning untill it is heard.These learners often benifit from raeding text aloud and using a tape recorder.

Tactile/ kinesthetic learners

• Learn through moving,doing and touching…

• Tactile/kinesthetic persons learn best from through a hands-on approach, acitivity exploring the physical world around them.They may find it hard sit still for long periods and may become distracted by their need for activity and exploration

Learning strategy training

• defintion:

Strategies are learners’ deliberate

actions to make learning easier, faster,

more enjoyable, more self-directed,

more effective, and more transferable

to new situations” (Oxford, 1990: 8)

• In 1970’s Rubin invesitgated what ‘ good language learners’ did to facilitate.from this investigation, she indentified some of their learinig strategies, ‘the techniques or devices which a learner may use to acquire knowledge.

• Language educators realised that simply regonizing to the process was not sufficient.so,in order to maximize their potential and contribute to their autonomy,language learners needed training in learning strategies.

The teacher’s role.• The role of the teacher(1)

• Find out students’ strategies used before and the strategies

proved to be successful or less successful

• The role of the teacher (2)

• Help expand the students’ repertoire of strategies

• The role of the teacher (3)

• Provide the students with opportunities to practice• The role of the teacher (4)

• Encourage the students to monitor and evaluate their strategy

use

Cooperative learning

Cooperative or collaberative learning essentailly involves students learning from each other in groups.but it is not the group configuration that makes cooperative learning distinctive; it is the way that students and teachers work together that is important.In cooperative learning, teachers teach students collaverative or social skills so that they can work together more effecteviley.Indeed, cooperation is not only way of learning, but also a theme to be communicated about and studied.

experience

obsevation principles

Prior to the lesson the teacher has been reading the students’ learning journals, where the students regularly write about what and how they are learning.the teacher has also been interviewing the students

The students’ proir knowledge and learning experience should be valued and built upon.

obsevation principle

The teacher decides to have the students work on the strategey of advance organization.

Studying certain learning staretgies will contribute to academic success.

obsevation principle

The teacher models the use of the strategy using a think-loud demonstration.

the teacher’s job is not only to teach language,but to teach learning

obsevation principle

The students evaluate their success in learning the strategy. They modify the strategy to meet their own learning needs.They share their innovations with their classmates.

Students need to become independent,self-regulated learners.self-assessment contributes to learner autonomy.

obsevation principle

The teacher asks the students to try out the new strategy on a diffrent reading they choose for homework that night.

An important part of learning a strategy is being able to transfer it.i,e use it in diffrent situation.

Cooperative or collaberative learning essentailly involves students learning from each other in groups.but it is not the group configuration that makes cooperative learning distinctive; it is the way that students and teachers work together that is important.In cooperative learning, teachers teach students collaverative or social skills so that they can work together more effecteviley.Indeed, cooperation is not only way of learning, but also a theme to be communicated about and studied.

obsevation principle

The vocabulary lesson will be done in cooperative groups.Each student is to help the other students learn the new vocabulary words.

Students are encouraged to think in term ’positive interdependence’

obsevation principle

The students ask which groups they should form.The teacher tells them to stay in the same goups they have been in this week.

In cooperative learning, students often stay together in the same groups for a peroid of time so they can learn how to work better together.

obsevation principle

The teacher gives the students the criteria for judging how well they have performed the task they have been given.There are consequences for the group and the whole class.

The efforts of an individual help not only thhe individual to be rewarded, but also the others in the class.

obsevation principle

The students are to work on the social skill of encouraging others.

Social skills such as acknowledging another’s contribution, asking others to contribute, and keeping the conversation calm need to taught explicitly.

obsevation principle

The students appear to be busy working in their groups.There is much talking in the groups.

Language acquisition is facilitated by students interacting in the target language.

obsevation principle