* I wrote this paper in 2014 when I was doing a master's in ELT
as a partial requirement to complete a course in SLA.
I still remember
the reaction of happiness produced by my youngest cousin when he reached the
babbling stage. Every member of the family got surprised and thought that he
was a genius and he was going to speak faster than the rest of the same-aged kids.
Later, at the age of two, my little cousin began to pronounce the first
compound sentences. Gradually those sentences became more accurate and his
speech was easily understood. He grew up being carefully treated by a caring
mother who paid close attention to his language acquisition process.
This anecdote made
me start reflecting upon second language acquisition itself and, how learners
complete a wide range of language tasks in varied ways. In most cases,
teachers do not take into account individual differences and it is assumed that
most extroverted learners are best language learners. However, in a
research study conducted by Ehrman (2008, pp. 61-71) she concluded that
the best language learners tend to have introverted personalities, they are
intuitive and they are logical and precise thinkers who can exercise
judgment. It suggests how important it is to recognize students’ attitudes
towards L2 learning. It also shows the advantages of being introverted,
intuitive and analytic towards language.
The following paper
is based on ideas taken from different authors and research studies that
address the topic of learning language styles. Moreover, as a strategy to
contextualize those ideas into English language teaching, personal insights
product of teaching experience will be pointed out as the essay is presented.
Also, easy activities that involve learning styles in the classroom will be explained.
To begin with, it is necessary to expose briefly some authors’ definitions of
learning styles.
Saville-Troike (2006, p. 87)
defines cognitive styles as the individuals’ preferred way of processing: i.e.
of perceiving, conceptualizing, organizing, and recalling information. For Larsen-Freeman & Long (1991, p. 192) cognitive style is defined as the
preferred way in which individuals process information or approach a task. As
can be evidenced, both concepts remark the paramount importance for learners
to take advantage of their favorite activities to succeed in learning. In terms
of language teaching, I believe teachers should guide their students to identify
suitable ways to fulfill a duty. Further, lessons should be more varied and
focused on providing a means to enhance learners’ language learning.
Reid (1995, pp. 10-15) claims that student styles are
value-neutral; that is, no one style is better than others. He also points out that students must be
encouraged to “stretch” their learning styles so that they will be more
empowered in a variety of learning situations. According to that, the learning
style that the student adopts does not interfere with their language learning.
On the contrary, it is a key aspect to be discovered, regulated and assimilated
by the individual. Students should bear in mind the best ways in which learn regarding make the most of it.
As pointed out by Dörneyei & Skehan (2003, p. 590) there is a specific
talent for learning foreign languages that have variations between learners. Their
work may be related to Robinson (2012) where he argues that
higher aptitude for second or foreign language learning predicts more
successful adaptation to instructed, or naturalistic exposure to the second
language (L2), as measured by demonstrably faster progress in learning and
proficiency. In my opinion learners’ aptitude towards language learning and leaning
styles should be taken as a group when English lessons are oriented in the EFL
classroom.
Regarding emotions Méndez & Peña (2013, pp. 109-124) conclude that
language learning is a process replete with negative and positive emotions,
thus appropriate management of students’ emotions is necessary for language
teachers to enable them to help their students make their emotions work for
them and not against them. I think that teachers’ role in the classroom
consists of leading their students to identify the characteristics they have as
language learners. Through TPR activities where students efficiently respond to
stimuli with their bodies, they might be capable of recognizing the effects of anxiety
when addressing any language task. A clear and easy form to deal with the topic
of anxiety in the EFL classroom appears as follows: Students are seated and
queued. A question is asked while a balloon is being inflated close to their
ears. Learners are asked to give respond to the question addressed in the least
time. Most students won’t probably answer the easiest questions. In contrast,
fewer groups will be likely to stay calm while executing the task.
Oxford (2003, pp. 3-8) suggests four dimensions of learning
styles. (1) Sensory preferences; referred to the physical, perceptual learning
channels with which the students are the most comfortable. Visual, auditory, kinesthetic and tactile
preferences to learn are framed in this first dimension. (2) Personality types,
it has also been called “the psychological type”. This second dimension was
divided into four strands: extraverted vs. introverted, intuitive-random vs.
sensing-sequential, thinking vs. feeling, closure-oriented/judging vs.
open/perceiving. (3) The desired degree of generality, in this third dimension,
global or holistic and analytic learners are included. (4) Biological
differences have to do with the way learners can learn according to the
times of day, the need for food or drink while learning; and the weather conditions,
sounds, and comfort they experience.
Gestures, mimics, and body language become effective strategies to be put into consideration by
learners when they try to communicate in L2. Teachers should also think of them
as ideas to be used in class with their students. Regarding previous entry, Gullberg
and McCafferty (2008) as cited by Gass, Behney, & Plonsky (2013, p. 296) assures that gesturing
may enhance the comprehensibility of utterances given that there is additional
input available to accompany verbal input. That is to say that gestures help
learners transfer and retrieve important information without being affected by
vocabulary shortage. A very useful activity to be applied in any EFL classroom
is called “guess the word”. It aims at encouraging students to guess a word
that a classmate tries to express using gestures and body language. Words are
avoided during the explanation. This activity fosters learners’ confidence and
provides them with other tools to transfer information regardless of the
vocabulary unknown.
As cited by Lightbown & Spada (2006, p. 59) When learners
express a preference for seeing something or spending more time in a language laboratory we should not assume that their ways of working are wrong, even if
they seem to be in conflict with the pedagogical approach we have adopted.
Instead, we should encourage learners to use all means available to them. I
think that this is the most common mistake English teachers make. We try to
frame students as a whole and individual differences are not considered.
Nowadays, teachers are asked to be in touch with technologies and a majority of
activities the teacher proposes should be based on ICT resources and computer-assisted language learning activities available on the internet.
In a research study carried out by Cuartas Alavarez (2014), he took into account a particular learning style. Students
made selective use of L1 to address the different topics within the current
English lessons. It was concluded that the selective use of L1 succeeded in
enhancing students’ English learning processes within the particular EFL
context in which this study took place, as well as in improving students’ class
performance, their levels of confidence, their language use, the classroom
environment, and the students’ attitudes toward learning English. As L1 cannot
be avoided in learners’ first language acquisition stages, the study clearly
suggests that the mother tongue is crucial to make comparisons, translations
and deep explanations while acquiring L2.
Bonilla (2012) affirms that teachers
should follow a dialogic process of building classroom strategies that favor
reflection, creativity and critical viewpoints of multiple aspects involved; a process that has to do with the permanent reflection in which emergent
situations can provoke adequate changes to improve any pedagogical
action. That explains why it is necessary to establish an efficient and
strongly founded the communicative approach with students in the class. Instead of imposing
a task, it is highly recommended to negotiate with students the activities they
would like to experience in class.
Also, students’ opinions are fundamental for them to
have a successful English learning process. Furthermore, Guevara & Ordoñez (2012) report that it is
necessary to encourage real communication from the start and to use students’
participation in pedagogical decision making. Taking into account their
interests and ideas is essential for them to learn that the foreign language
can be useful to communicate and that this can be interesting and enjoyable. I
think that lessons should be planned to have in mind the communicative approach.
Students need to be aware of the importance of communicating in English since
the early stages.
Even during the silent period, lessons must be planned
to make use of activities that provide students with input; as described by
Krashen (1982) states that the input
hypothesis is related to acquisition instead of learning. He also claims that we
acquire by understanding a language that contains structure a bit beyond our
current level of competence (i+1). This is done with the help of context or
extra-linguistic information.
Abella & Salinas (2006, pp. 124-125) carried out a case
study aimed to explore learning styles of low achievers; they found that activities
that involve the fun element for learning were part of the environment for
exploring learning styles. They also recognized that students’ differences were
fundamental for implementing class activities and these created a pleasant
learning environment. It was also affirmed that classes are full of students
with mixed abilities and ways of learning; teachers can take advantage of that
to plan more motivating classes. It clearly shows the role of
negotiation of strategies with students. Strategies based on their needs and
common interests should become the cornerstone of any lesson plan.
I believe
language instructors should be able to set a peaceful classroom environment that
motivates and lowers learners’ anxiety towards learning and interaction. This
empowers students towards their active participation in each stage of the class.
One of these strategies is the use of songs in the classroom. It appears to be
a great tool for learners with sensory preferences to internalize input. It is
evidenced in an action research study conducted by Chávarro & Losada (2013) they found that
students’ motivation improved when songs were used as a source of real
language. They also concluded that applying songs in the EFL classroom fosters
students’ acquisition of new words and encourages students to make use of the
target language. They applied the study in sixth-grade students at a public
school in Neiva, Huila, Colombia. The project was applied to 42 participants.
However, only six students were chosen as the sample. The results, findings, and
conclusions were formulated based on certain learners’ characteristics such as
motivation, anxiety and language proficiency.
On the other hand, new methods are being
implemented around the globe as an innovative mechanism to promote critical
thinking and raise awareness among students about common issues. Marsh (1994)
as cited in (Pérez, 2011)
refers CLIL (Content Language and Integrated Learning) to those situations where subjects, or parts of subjects, are
taught through a foreign language with dual-focused aims, namely the learning
of content, and the simultaneous learning of a foreign language'. CLIL methodology is likely to be a good resource to care for global
or holistic and analytic learners’ preferences. It involves culture, content,
context, and communication as a group of aspects needed to analyze language and
a subject taught in a foreign language. Muñoz-Luna (2014, pp. 167-180) in her investigation
found that the complete acquisition of linguistic communicative competence in
the L2 includes the mastery of several domains that cover extra-linguistic
issues and CLIL provides a meaningful environment in which to combine
linguistic and discipline-specific contexts. CLIL attempts to reinforce content
from subjects like chemistry, literature, Global perspectives, etc. English
language form and meaning are studied and reviewed while reflections about
other subjects are being developed.
After having gone
deeply into the topic of language learning styles, I can assure that the
research studies conducted in this field in Colombia are very limited. That is
the reason why I found it highly interesting and challenging. It comes up the need
to carry out an action research study, defined by Chamot, Barnhardt, & Dirstine (1998 ) as classroom-based
research conducted by teachers to reflect upon and evolve their
teaching. It is a systematic, documented inquiry into one aspect of teaching
and learning in a specific classroom. The purpose of teacher research is to
gain an understanding of teaching and learning within one’s classroom and to use
that knowledge to increase teaching efficacy/student learning.
The research study
will be oriented towards the field of learning styles in the EFL classroom to
promote the development of speaking skills in young adults. The research question
initially thought will be “how does the design and application of an English
language course syllabus based on language learning styles promote the
development of oral skills in English in first semester students of The Foreign
Languages-English Program at Universidad Surcolombiana?”
Students from
the first semester of the Foreign Languages-English Program at Universidad
Surcolombiana will be selected as the participants in this study. They are
chosen for compelling certain characteristics such as: as they are part of a
regional, public university, their birthplaces are varied. They come not only
form Neiva but from other different municipalities of the rural area of Huila.
Their accents are varied. Their likes are possible to be different, owing to
the context where they come from, and the schools where they previously
studied. There is also a common purpose in their major: they are highly
motivated to learn English as a foreign language. It also suggests that they
have different language learning styles. In fact, they surely need to be
informed about them. Surely, students need to identify their learning styles to
enhance their learning process.
The data
collection techniques will be (1) a general survey will be applied at the
beginning of the course. It will be designed to gather valuable information
related to students’ language strategies to learn English, likes and preferred
activities. (2) Lessons will be constantly observed by another English teacher who
will write reports where strengths and areas to consider during the application
of the course syllabus will be pointed out. After every application of the
project, both teachers (who apply and the observer) will meet to discuss,
socialize and recognize strengths and areas to work on. (3) Reflective teaching
diary, after each English lesson, the investigator will write a journal where
he will point out the development of the class, students’ participation,
strategies used and the possible difficulties or gaps experienced. (4) Oral interviews
will be conducted at the beginning and at the end of the course. The interviews
will be recorded to be carefully analyzed later by the investigator. It aims at
assessing learners’ English proficiency before and after the development of the
course. (5) Video-recordings will be daily filmed as an instrument to analyze
learner’s attitudes, interests, and participation in the class.
First, lessons
will be observed for one week and daily reports will be written. Then, a
general survey will be applied to students as a mean to recognize students’
likes and preferred activities to learn English. After that, the investigator
will plan a lesson including varied activities that cope with students learning
styles (singing along, describing big colorful pictures, acting and dancing,
guessing, matching, making predictions, analyzing though-provoking elementary
level text, and so on.) The lesson will be recorded and analyzed to reflect on
students’ performance while they were developing the tasks. Later, a course
syllabus will be designed according to the findings of the lesson and taking
into account the CEFR, the guidelines, and requirements from Universidad
Surcolombiana. During the action stage, six lessons will be recorded, tests
will be prepared and observation will be done. Finally, in the evaluation
stage, the instruments applied and the information gathered will be
triangulated to draw results, findings, conclusions and the pedagogical
implications of the study.
In sum, language
learning styles are preferred ways in which learners develop a task (Reid, 1995). There is also a talent
for learning foreign languages (Dörneyei & Skehan, 2003). For instance,
Oxford (2003) shows a very well
structured and defined classification of learning styles that frame learners
into four big groups, according to their sensory preferences, personality,
desires, and biological differences. Teachers are in charge of guiding learners
into the process of identifying their learning styles. Further, mixed groups
with different learning styles might work cooperatively to succeed (Abella & Salinas, 2006). Teachers also are
asked to plan lessons in which interesting and interactive strategies are used.
Communication should be the outcome. Finally, research on the field of
language learning styles is limited in Colombia. An action research study is
thought to be carried out.
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