Monday, October 6, 2008
Assigned Reading Reflection (Language Learner Characteristics/Oct.6/Week7)
It is clear that there is no certain definition of good language learner but some characteristics of learners’ are worth to know. Firstly, it can be concluded that intelligence is important in terms of language analysis and language rules but the role of communication and interaction is also important. Secondly, aptitude is defined as learning quickly and it is stated that the students with high aptitude might learn better than others it also explained that it had better to arrange classes according to various aptitude levels. It should be bear in mind that each individual is unique and has his/her own learning style this feature should be considered. Thirdly, it is claimed that personality plays an important role in language learning process. Anxiety grasp my interest here because I thought it always affects learning negatively but interestingly it is discussed that sometimes it affects learning positively, too. Motivation in the classroom is another interesting issue for me, in my opinion competitive leaning can be applied to young learners because they love competitions and cooperation is useful in adult education. Having a consensus is critically important in the sense of both learners’ and teachers’ belief. I think if the goal is being native like learner then the education should be started in early ages but if the goal is just communication and interaction then starting in early ages is not so much important. In the light of the discussion through the chapters I feel that I obtain lots of useful information about language learner characteristic.
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3 comments:
I think that it is better to start learning at an earlier age at any rate, purely because our cognitive abilities slow down with age, and the peak is reached circa 25, so it is definitely easier to master something (English or nuclear physics) at 20 than at 40.
I find it interesting that what makes a good language learner is so hard to pin down. Aptitude makes language learning easier for some, however desire to learn the language may compensate for this.
Wouldn't it be great if all language classes were arranged by aptitude? Unfortunately this is a pie in the sky plan.
I wonder if I am naive in thinking my students will be motivated because they will mostly be immigrant students. I would think that wanting to understand what is going on around them would be a big motivator. However, learning the language beyond just oral comprehension may be challenging.
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