Title: What makes a good language learner
1What makes a good language learner?
- Hu Wenzhong(???)
- Beijing Foreign Studies
- University
2Nature of this talk
- This is not a commercial promotion.
- There are no grand promises.
- What were interested in is the plain truth how
students should learn.
3Outline of the talk
- What contributes to the outcome of learning a FL
- What are learning strategies
- Research on learning strategies
- A checklist for good language learners
- Conclusion
4Teaching
Learning
Outcome
Environment
(Adapted from Naiman et al.)
5The learner
Age, personality, motivation, attitude,
intelligence, language aptitude, past language
experience
6Teaching
Syllabus, Teaching material, Teaching
method, Activities, Teacher qualifications
7Environment
Opportunities for second language contacts and use
8Learning
Unconscious learning Conscious use of
learning strategies
9TEACHING
Syllabus, Teaching material, Teaching
method, Activities Teacher qualifications
LEARNER
LEARNING
OUTCOME
Unconscious processes Conscious use of
learning strategies
- Age, personality,
- motivation, attitude,
- intelligence, language aptitude, past language
experience
Proficiency in the use of the language
Opportunities for second language contacts and use
ENVIRONMENT
(Adapted from Naiman et al.)
10Studies have shown that
- other things being equal, learning strategies
play a significant role in determining the
outcome of learning.
11What are learning strategies(????)
- Learning strategies are learning processes which
are consciously selected by the learner. (Cohen
1990) - The techniques or devices which a learner may
use to acquire knowledge. (Rubin 1975) - Measures taken by the learner for effective study
(Wen )
12In learning vocabulary you could
- 1.read a dictionary from cover to cover
- 2.learn vocab through copying word lists
- 3.learn vocab through memorizing texts
- 4.learn vocab through extensive reading
13- Which method do you think is the best?
14So this is a talk on
15Background against which learning strategies
studies started
- The focus of research has shifted from teaching
to learning, from teaching methodology to
learning strategy.
16How learning strategies studies started
- Started in the mid-70s of the last century
- J. Rubin What the good language learner can
teach us published in TESOL Quarterly in 1975 - N. Naiman et al.The Good Language Learner
published in 1978 - Learning strategies have now become an important
part of second language acquisition research. - Research in China
17Naiman et als research
- The Adult Interview Study 34 successful and 2
unsuccessful learners selected for study - The Main Classroom Study 72 students from 12
classes of Grades 8,10 and 12 of schools in
Toronto and other areas methods used include
classroom observation and interview
18Final outcome research report
- N. Naiman et al.
- The Good Language Learner
-
- published by the Ontario Institute for
Studies in Education in 1978
19(No Transcript)
20Naiman and his colleagues conclusion
- The study has shown that some of the existing
stereotypes do not apply. For example, some
people believe that a good language learner has
to be musical, or have a high language aptitude
or an exceptionally good memory. The Adult
Interview Study indicated that these qualities
may not be essential. (p. 103)
213 case studies conducted by Naimans team
- In the age group 26-35
- Two are females and one male
- All three are successful language learners.
- They learned and maintained from 5 to 19
languages including Latin, German, French,
Swedish, Polish, Italian, Hebrew,Rumanian,
Icelandic, Spanish, Albanian, Greek, Russian,
Serbo-Croatian, Mohawk, Swahili, Gaelic,
Hungarian, Hittite, Japanese and Lithunian.
22Ms As story
- Born in Virginia, USA.
- Studied German and French at school.
- Went to France and stayed there for 3 years.
- Married a French linguist, who was bilingual in
French and German. - Spent a total of 2 years in Sweden.
- Went to Poland for 1 year.
- Settled in Quebec and spoke French at home.
23Ms As French learning experience
- Saw French movies every day.
- Read French newspapers and magazines.
- Monitored her own pronunciation and tried hard to
perfect it.
24Ms A recalled
- whatever you pick up, whether its one word or
two wordsuse iteven if it is wrong, try it out,
it doesnt matter.
25Ms Bs background
- Born in Nova Scotia of Canada
- Languages spoken at home English and Yiddish
- Languages she studied at school German and
French - Went to Italy for teacher training
26Ms B recalled
- I wasnt afraid anymore, I generated
sentencesif they werent correct, people around
me told me how to say it. I was on the look-out
for clues.
27Ms Bs experience
- Ms B pointed out that the immersion into an
Italian environment, and therefore the motivation
for having to learn to speak the language, were
the most significant factors.
28- Is there something we can learn from Ms A and Ms
B?
29Perhaps we could learn from them
- Their interest in foreign languages
- Their perseverance
- Their initiative
- Their use of the environment
- Their outgoing personality
30Professor Wens case study of two of her students
31Professor Wen Qiufangs research findings
32Wang Hong
- Im very active in class because I think this
is a good chance to practice speaking. I like to
talk with my fellow students and my teachers in
English. I also like to talk to myself in
English. Sometimes when I work in the kitchen I
speak English to myself.
33Li Hua
- I dont like to answer questions in class.
Sometimes even when I do know the answer, I still
feel reluctant to speak. I do not practise
outside class because there isnt such an
environment. Occasionally I talk to myself. When
I cannot remember an English word I use gestures
or simply do not speak at all.
34Wang Hong
- Wang Hong likes to reflect on the strategies she
has used. She evaluates her learning. When she
could not answer the teachers questions fluently
or got an unsatisfactory score, she would try to
find out why before she went to bed.
35Li Hua
- Im not clear what strategies Ive used. I just
preview, review, do my homework and memorize new
words. Thats all. Theres no strategy to speak
of.
36Professor Wens book
37(No Transcript)
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40What is common to the GLLs
- A strong interest in the foreign language
- Hard work
- Constantly checking on ones own progress and the
strategies used
41OMalley and Chamots classification
Learning strategies
metacognitive
meta
cognitive
social/affective
42Metacognitive strategies(?????)
- Advance organizers
- Directed attention
- Selective attention
- Self- management
- Advance preparation
- Self-monitoring
- Delayed production
- Self-evaluation
43Be a good manager of your studies
- You need to be a good planner.
- You need to use your attention wisely.
- You need to make preparations beforehand.
- You need to monitor your studies.
- You need to evaluate the methods you used.
44Cognitve strategies(????)
- Repetition
- Resourcing
- Translation
- Grouping
- Note-taking
- Deduction
- Recombination
45Cognitive strategies(????)
- Imagery
- Auditory representation
- Key word
- Contextualization
- Elaboration
- Transfer
- Inferencing
46Social/affective strategies(??/????)
- Cooperation
- Question for clarification
47Rebecca Oxfords classification
- Direct strategies
- Memory strategies
- Cognitive strategies
- Compensation strategies
- Indirect strategies
- Metacognitive strategies
- Affective strategies
- Social strategies
48Research findings by Li Jiongying
- The learning strategies Chinese students most
commonly use are memory strategies, cognitive and
metacognitive strategies. Next are compensation
strategies. The least commonly used strategies
are social/affective strategies. (Li 2003)
49A study of the differences between English majors
and non-English majors
- Subjects515 non-English majors and 317 English
majors at a university in Shandong - Questionnaire consists of two parts personal
information and 47 questions based on Oxfords
questionnaire. - Conducted in May 2002.
- Scores of each student for the six strategies and
the mean score of English majors and non-English
majors worked out.
50Differences between English majors and
non-English majors
51The research shows
- Non-English majors use fewer strategies than
English majors. - Non-English majors use memory strategies more
often than English majors. - Non-English majors need to improve their learning
strategies.
52Rubins list of strategies
- The GLL is a willing and accurate guesser.
- The GLL has a strong drive to communicate.
- The GLL is not inhibited.
- The GLL pays attention to form.
- The GLL practises.
- The GLL monitors his own speech and the speech of
others. - The GLL attends to meaning.
53Be a good guesser
- Guessing,in a way, is learning.
- You may make a wrong guess, but you learn in the
process. - You dont make wild guesses. You use your
previous knowledge to make an intelligent guess.
54Now look at this sentence
- Id like to close tonight with words from the
second inaugural address of Abraham Lincolna
great leader who knew a few things about healing
deadly divisions in this land. They are uncannily
appropriate tonight.
55Have a strong drive to communicate
- Talk to your fellow students, your teachers, your
foreign teacher or anyone who wishes to listen to
you. - Dont be afraid of making mistakes.
- If you have no one to talk to, talk to yourself.
56Dont be shy
- Take the initiative to communicate with people.
- Dont worry about your face.
- Learn to speak in public.
57Pay attention to both meaning and form
- Fluency and accuracy are both important, but at
the beginning you should not worry too much about
making mistakes. - Practise as much as you can.
- Watch what you say and write. Be a good monitor
of yourself.
58Be a thinking learner
- Find strategies suitable for yourself.
- Constantly reflect on your study and sum up your
experience. - Improve your strategies.
59Beiwais past experience
- Oral activities
- Speaking pairs and small group activities
- Reading aloud contest
- English evening
- Field work
- Summing up learning methods and exchange
experiences
60Now you can ask yourself the following questions
- Do you actively involve yourself in language
learning practice? - Do you make guesses when you come up against a
new language item? - Do you try to sum up rules yourself?
- Do you make conscious efforts to overcome your
shyness? - Do you seek opportunities to communicate with
others in English?
61Ask yourself the following questions
- Do you monitor your writing and speaking?
- Do you often use a dictionary and sometimes a
grammar book? - Do you sometimes sit down and reflect on your
learning experience? - Are you worried when theres something you dont
understand? - Are you afraid of making mistakes?
62If your answers to the first eight questions
are all positive and your answers to the last two
are in the negative, Im sure youre a good
language learner.
63 Thank you.