Learner

characteristics
What are Learner Characteristics ?

 Learner characteristics are differences

between learners which influence
 their attitude to learning a language and how they
learn it,
 how they respond to different learning styles and
approaches in the classroom,
 how successful they are at learning a language.
What are the differences
included?
 The differences include:
 learner’s motivation,
 personality,
 language level,
 learning style,
 learning strategies,
 age,
 past language learning experience.
Key concepts
 Learning styles: personal, preferred ways to
take in, process and remember information
and skills.
 Learning styles relates to
 the physical sense we prefer to use to learn,
 our way of interacting with other people
(personality: extroverted/ introverted )
 our style of thinking = cognitive style (Right / Left
Brain Dominance) : Left brain Hemisphere:
controls language
Common learning styles
 Visual: learn best through seeing
 Auditory: learn best through hearing
 Kinaesthetic: learn best through using body
 Group: learn best through working with others
 Individual : learn best through working alone
 Reflective: learn best when given time to consider
choices
 Impulsive : learn best when able to respond
immediately
 Note: Learners with different learning styles learn in
different ways and need to be taught in different
ways.
Learning styles: which
statement best describe you
 I Don’t mind/ get embarrassed if people laugh at me when I speak.
 I feel confident/ quite uncertain about my ability to succeed in language
learning.
 I really enjoy working with other people in groups / I would much rather
work alone than with other people
 I like to try out new words, structures that I ‘m not completely sure of / I like
to use only language that I ‘m certain is correct
 I like to get the gist of what is said or written / I like to analyze the many
details of language and understand what is exactly said or written
 When I make mistakes, I try to use them to learn something about the
language/ it annoys me because that’s a symbol of how poor my
performance is
 I find ways to continue learning the language outside of the classroom / I
look to the teacher and the classroom activities for every I need to be
successful
Brain Dominance:
Are You Left Brain / Right Brain Oriented ?

 I remember names / faces

 I respond better to verbal instructions / demonstrated,
illustrated instructions
 I prefer talking, writing/ drawing, using objects
 I get easily distracted trying to read a book in noisy or
crowded places / I can easily concentrate on reading in
noisy places
 I ‘m good at paying attention to people’s
words/interpreting body language /
 I prefer open ended questions/ multiple choice tests
Key concepts (cont.)
 Learning strategies. The way chosen and used
by learners to learn language.
 They include ways to:
 identify what we need to learn,
 process new language,
 work with other people to learn
 Using the right strategy at the right time helps us
 learn the language better
 Become more independent / autonomous
Learning strategies
 Conclusion:
 Different learners use different strategies.
 The strategies that learners use successfully
depend on:
 their personality
 learning styles => there are no best strategies.
 Using strategies definitely
 makes learning more successful
 learners can be trained to use strategies.
Good language learners ---
 find their own way, taking charge of their learning
 are creative, experiment with language
 practice using language inside and outside the classroom
 learn to live with uncertainty and continue to talk or listen without
understanding every word
 make errors work for them and not against them
 use knowledge of L1 to learn L2
 use contextual cues to help them in comprehension
 learn to make intelligent guesses
 learn certain tricks that help to keep conversations going
Ten ‘commandments‘ for Good Language
Learning- Teacher’s Version

 Lower inhibitions
 Encourage risk taking
 Build self- confidence
 Develop intrinsic motivation
 Engage in cooperative learning
 Use right –brain processes
 Promote ambiguity tolerance
 Practice intuition
 Process error feedback
 Set personal goals
Learner’s Version
 Fear not
 Dive in
 Believe in yourself
 Seize the day
 Love your neighbor
 Get the BIG picture
 Cope with the chaos
 Go with your intuitive feeling
 Make mistakes work for you
 Set your own goals
Maturity
 Definition: maturity: becoming grown
up physically, mentally and
emotionally.
 Children, teenagers and adults have
different learning styles and therefore
learn in different ways. See p. 53
Past learning experience
 Teenage and adult learners may
 have learnt English before.
 be used to learning in a particular way and do not like
learning in a new way.
 welcome a change in method
 want to learn in the same way as they learnt before.
 Teachers need to
 discuss and explain their methods to learners who are
unhappy with new methods
 change their teaching to make their learners more
comfortable and confident in their learning.
Key concepts and the language
teaching classroom.
 Learners are not all the same. They do not all learn in
the same way.
 Some learner characteristics are more relevant to
teaching teenagers and adults than to teaching children.
 Learner characteristics can be found out by formal or
informal talk, observation, questionnaire
 Learner characteristics may not be fixed. Don’t think they
can only learn in a particular way.
 Learners can be trained to be aware of and use different
learning strategies.
 Teachers must vary how they teach to match the learner
characteristics of a range of learners.
Learner Needs
Types of learner needs
 personal needs:
 educational background, motivation. coming from age, gender, cultural
background, interests
 learning needs:
 coming from learning styles, past language learning experience,
learning gap, learning goals, learner autonomy, availability of
time.
 future professional needs:
 language requirements for employment, training or education.
 Meeting these learner needs is part of being a good
teacher.
 Different learners have different needs => they need to
be taught in different ways and learn different things in
the English classroom.
Examples of Courses in
English
 English for Banking
 English for Science and Technology
 English for Tourism
 Business English
 English for Survival.
 Academic English
In ESP courses, teaching points are not only the
language structure but also the functions the
learners need to perform in their jobs.
Key concepts and the language
teaching classroom
 Different English courses for different learning
needs:
 General English Courses, (EFL)
 Specific English Courses (ESP): academic,
professional
 To meet the future needs of learners: these
courses vary in
 length,
 frequency,
 class size,
 language skills focused on,
 types of English teaching methods and activities.
How to meet learner needs.
 Personal needs: choosing suitable
◦ materials, e.g.
 songs, games for young learners,
 reading for girls and activities for boys,
◦ topics, e.g.
 everyday activities for primary learners
 sports and hobby for secondary ones
 current issues for adult learners. :
◦ Pace:
 quick, fast if learners are able
 slower if they are less able.
◦ Activities, treatment of individual learners, skills…..
How to meet learner
needs(cont.)
 Learning needs: choosing suitable
◦ materials and topics, e.g.
 reading and grammar for public school students
 speaking and listening for students at foreign invested school.
◦ activities, e.g.
 more controlled / written activities than free / spoken ones.
◦ interaction patterns:
 more group work than pair work because of large class size and
limited time allocation
◦ Skills: reading > speaking, writing > listening
◦ level of language and skills: elementary, intermediate, advanced
◦ learning strategies: encourage risk taking, use right –brain
processes, ambiguity tolerance…