First of
all I would like to start with a definition that I found in an interesting
book. (Individual differences in L2
acquisition, Survey). That book is about the learning strategies that
learners need to learn a L2.
“Learning
strategies are the particular approaches or techniques that the learners employ
to try to lean to L2.”(Survey, 1997, p. 76).
It said
that the learning strategies can be of two different types, it can be mental
(for example using the context and focus on leaning new words also using the
linguistic context) and behavioral (saying and repeating new words in order to
help the students to remember them).
Learners use the different kinds of learning
strategies when they think they are able to solve some problems. Survey gives
two different kinds of learning strategies, cognitive strategies and
metacognitive strategies.
“Cognitive
strategies are those that are involved in the analysis, synthesis, or
transformation of learning materials. An example is ‘recombination’” (Survey,
p. 77, 1997)
“Metacognitive
strategies are those involved in playing, monitoring and evaluating learning.
An example is selective attention.” (Survey, p. 77, 1997)
(Survey,
1997)
I would
like highlight another important aspect, which is to know the different kinds
of strategies that are used by students while learning a L2. Some studies
investigated and also have tried to find answers to the question: how do ‘good
language learners´ try to learn L2?
Some of
the characteristics that define successful language learner are:
- - Pay attention to both form and meaning.
- - The student should be very active.
Language
learning strategies were
defined by Oxford (1990) as “specific actions taken by the learners to make
learning easier, faster and more enjoyable, more self-directed, more effective
and more transferable to new situations”(p.8)
Oxford had
created a term, in which it joins different strategies of learning, and it was
known as Strategy Inventory for Language
and Leaning (SILL). Later Oxford divided in six categories which were:
memory, cognitive, compensation, metacognitive, affective and social.
During
the last years of the eighties different authors worked on language learning
strategies, like Rubin and Wenden. Also in the nineties, O´Malley and Chamot
did the same.
When the
XX century began, educational psychologists decided to ditch the term strategies for self- regulation.
Self- regulation, which is the involvement or participation of the
students in their own learning. Also including factors like cognition,
metacognition, motivation and also includes environmental and behavioral
variables that are used by students to develop their own learning.
Students use the learning strategies to
understand and solve their problems. Learning strategies are the key for a
person to learn and to use the information.
Often students who do not use good and suitable
learning strategies have bad outcomes at school because they learn passively.
The goal of Learning strategy instruction is to make the students learn how to
be more active, how to solve problems and be successful.
We can find other different kinds of strategies.
For example there are reading strategies that help students to know what is the
meaning of the word that they are reading at the same time that they learn new
vocabulary. Doing this, they also understand the structure of text. Some of
these strategies are strategies for studying and remembering information,
others for writing and others for motivation.
(The University of Kansas, 2009)
To sum
up, I would emphasize that learning strategies can be very useful for teachers,
especially for those who teach a second language, so I think it is essential to
develop learning strategies.
Learning
strategies also are very useful for the students inasmuch as it can determine
whether if they get good results or if they are able to achieve the goal that
had been raised. When I said good results I mean that they understand the
concepts and effective learning to occur not if the students get good marks.
Definitely,
the successful development and evolution of a student depends on many things
but one of the most important are the strategies used in the learning process
but we must not forget that it is equally important teaching strategies
employed.
REFERENCES
Books:
-
Survey (1997), Individual
differences in L2 acquisition. Oxford University Press.
-
Griffiths, C. (2008), Lessons From Good Language
Learners. Cambridge
University Press.
Web:
-
Pearson Hall, J. (2009). The
University of Kansas. Learning Strategies. Retrieved from:
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