Berlitz Difference Key Ideas: How People Learn Languages

Our goal in language teaching is to help people develop skills where they can communicate genuinely,
spontaneously and accurately, in the situations where they need and want to use the language. If we want to
achieve this goal, we need to understand as much as possible about how people learn languages. Let’s start with
a case study.
John and Paul both work for the same multinational company and are part of a fast track management program.
English lessons are part of that program. Their future promotions depend on reaching a certain level of
proficiency in the language. So far, their situation is identical. Now, take a look at some of the differences in their
situations and perspectives as far as this English program is concerned.
Case Notes: Paul Case Notes: Johann
Paul’s lesson activities focus on speaking in the target Johann’s lesson activities focus on learning grammar and
language as much as possible. completing written exercises more than talking.
The class size is small – 4 in the group. The class is quite large – 15 in the group.
The group atmosphere is very cooperative. The atmosphere is quite individual and competitive.
Paul is naturally talkative – he sometimes worries that Johann is generally introverted – he doesn’t like
he talks too much in class! speaking out in front of a group.
He enjoys coming to class, and he gets on well with his He finds the classes rather stressful and doesn’t like
teacher and other students. his teacher very much.
He speaks English quite often within his team at work, He rarely gets a chance to hear or use English outside
and with friends from different countries. the two hours of lessons he has per week.
Language skills are highly rated in his culture, and his Language skills are not highly rated in his culture. His
friends and family are quite impressed by the language friends feel sorry for him that he has to take these
skills that he now has. classes after work every week.
He enjoys mixing with other cultures and sees English is He rather resents that his company’s corporate
a tool that he can use. language is now English not his native language.
He speaks some French, Spanish and Russian – he has English is the only language he can speak at all. He had
always liked languages. a few English lessons at school.
He finds it easy to see patterns in grammar and to He finds it hard to work out patterns in English
understand and retain new vocabulary. grammar, or to retain vocabulary.

In the last 30 years, there has been an enormous increase in research and literature on how people learn foreign
languages. One conclusion, as this case study illustrates, is that learning a foreign language is not a predictable
process: a multitude of learner-related and situation-related factors affect the process. There is no single answer
to the question, “How do adults learn languages?”
However, there is a lot that we DO know, and what we understand about the language learning process provides
a framework we can use to create the right conditions for language learning and to help our students be
successful.

Exposure and Input:

It’s clear that learners need exposure to the target language – you can’t learn a language if you never hear or see
anything in that language. However, just hearing or reading the language will not be enough in itself to trigger
learning. If you put a complete beginner in a room full of native speakers, what he hears is just noise. If you then
put him in a situation where what is going on is clear (e.g. in a shop), the language spoken is just above his level of
comprehension (a greeting + offer of help), and people are helping and encouraging him (pointing, gesturing,
repeating, smiling), then he probably will understand and even try out some words in the new language. The
same principles apply to an advanced learner hearing an interesting new idiom while talking to colleagues: the
new language he is exposed to is just above his current level of understanding, it is relevant and interesting for
him, and he’ll probably get a bit of help when he asks about it. This doesn’t mean he’ll produce the idiom 100%
correctly the first time he tries it out himself, but a friendly colleague is likely to point out any mistakes and he’ll
get it right the next time. This combination of providing interesting, relevant input that is just above the
learners’ current level of comprehension and helping the learner to understand and use the language is the first
part of our framework for helping students learn.
Noticing and Intake

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As children and adults learn languages, they form and test out hypotheses about how the language works: about
what words mean, about grammatical forms and patterns. Learning the language is a creative construction
process. The first step for learners to begin processing new features of the language is for them to notice and
take in those features. Learners will not take in ALL of the input that they receive – intake is a subset of input. As
instructors, we cannot entirely control what a learner notices and takes in – some language features won’t be
taken in by the learner at a certain point because the learner isn’t ready for them yet, or is busy working out
another feature of the language at that particular moment. However, we can use a very wide range of techniques
and activities to make language relevant, to introduce new language meaningfully, to highlight and review
features of grammar. This is the second part of our framework for helping students learn – using a range of
techniques to make new language salient, to help students notice, work out and review the features of the
language they are learning.

Using techniques to make the most of every precious minute that the student is exposed to the language in the
classroom is very important because adults have different learning situations compared with children. Adults are
unlikely to be in the same immersion situation – they are more likely to be exposed to the language a few times a
week. Unlike children who go through a lengthy silent period before starting to produce the sounds and words,
adults usually want or need to start speaking and using the language as a tool straight away. In addition, the
process of noticing features of the language, forming hypothesis and testing these out is complicated in adults by
interference from their native language. There will be a conscious or subconscious expectation in adults that the
sentence structure, vocabulary and grammar in the language they are learning should work in the same way as it
does in their native language.

Language Practice
Perhaps unexpectedly, the role of practice in successful language learning has been hotly debated throughout the
history of language teaching and in second language acquisition studies. Claims that practice and repetition are
the only things that matter have been countered by claims that formal practice makes very little difference to
learners’ ability to speak the language (see Behaviourism versus the theories of Krashen on Page 10). Recent
research suggests that practice IS very important, but is not enough in itself. Providing plenty of practice is a
way of intensifying learners’ exposure to particular sounds, expressions and structures. If learners hear sounds,
words and patterns frequently, rather than once or occasionally, they are more likely to notice and retain them.
Learners also need many different opportunities to experiment with the language they are learning. Language
learning is a process of forming and testing hypotheses, and practice provides opportunities for this. Each time
learners test out a sound, expression or pattern, they receive feedback that can help them close gaps in their
understanding and help them try again. Providing focused practice to help students notice, understand, test out
and become familiar with sounds, words, expressions and structure is the third part of our framework.

Interaction & Output

It should be no surprise that to learn to speak a language, you need opportunities to speak that language. Today,
EVERYTHING we understand about language learning highlights the importance of learners USING the language
to interact and communicate. This is the fourth part of our framework. Practice is not enough because speaking
means more than the safe repetition and production of routine, predictable statements and answers. Being
pushed to produce real, meaningful communication when interacting with others forces learners to try out
language and cope with the gaps in their knowledge, to try and fill those gaps, to struggle to make themselves
understood, and to get help from the person they are interacting with, or someone else. They are obliged to try
and produce more accurate and more appropriate language, so they are most likely to see their limits and try to
find better ways to express what they want to express. In a supportive learning environment, they will be open
and receptive to suggested improvements in how they can express themselves after they have tried to express
themselves meaningfully. The demand to say what they want to say in a comprehesible way pushes learners
forward in their development.

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Error Correction
If learners are experimenting with a new language, mistakes are inevitable. Mistakes are evidence of attempts to
work out the system. They are part of the process of working out how to pronounce unfamiliar sounds, how to fit
a new vocabulary item into a sentence, how to express a certain time frame using correct grammar. For
instructors, the goal of correction is to help students as they work out the system for themselves. Helpful
correction strategies make up the fifth part of our framework for successful language learning. Useful
correction can also help students bypass typical confusions they may experience between how their own
language works and how the target language works. We need a range of correction strategies to help learners fit
the language jigsaw together for themselves, rather than simply providing answers and finishing the jigsaw for
them.

Affective factors
The language classroom is a high-risk environment for any adult learner. Opportunities for practice and for
meaningful communication and interaction may be essential, but it also means making mistakes publicly -
something that no adult likes. The emotional state of the learner (also known as their affective state) influences
their success in taking in, processing and using language. This affective state can be influenced by a very wide
range of factors: their personality; how they feel in the group; their relationship with their instructor; the day they
had at work, etc. There are factors that we cannot control, but one of the most important aspects of the
instructor’s role is to create an environment that helps learners feel positive about the learning process, to
reduce anxiety and encourage learners to take risks. This is the sixth part of our framework for successful
language learning.

Learner Differences
We have already looked at the significance of individual differences between learners, through the John and Paul
Case Study. Understanding the effect that differences in motivation, situation, learning strengths and aptitude,
learning styles, learner strategies can have on success in learning is a major area of second language acquisition
research today. The importance of creating learner-centred lessons where we understand and are able to
respond helpfully to learners’ different learning situations, goals, strengths, preferences and needs is the
seventh part of our framework for successful language learning. The Readings on Motivation, Multiple
Intelligences and Learning Styles focus on these.

Learner Strategies
As we have already noted, one of the most significant differences between children learning their first language
and adults learning a foreign language is that children are immersed in the language for almost every waking hour
of their day, while adults are likely to spend a few hours per week exposed to the language they are trying to
learn. Some adults maximize this exposure, both inside and particularly outside class by using a range of
strategies that help them intensify or increase their exposure to the language—their opportunities to hear, use
and remember the language. They take control of their learning process. Other students don’t use the same
strategies, and take much less control, perhaps because they are unaware of what they can do and are more used
to being spoon fed during learning processes. The saying, “Give someone a fish, they’ll eat for a day - teach them
to fish, they’ll eat forever” applies for language teaching as well. By helping students become aware of the
strategies they can use to learn the language skills they need, and giving students more control of their own
learning, we can help them be more successful. This is the eighth part of our framework and you will focus on
this in the section of this reading on Learner Strategies.

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Significant Thinkers
So, who have some of the significant thinkers been in understanding how people learn languages?

BF Skinner and the Behaviourists. Behaviourism was a theory of learning that had a powerful influence on foreign
language teaching, It was the thinking force behind Audiolingualism (see Page 11). Behaviourists believed
imitation and practice were the primary processes in language learning: when children imitate language they hear
from adults, they receive praise and reinforcement, encouraging them to continue and form good language habits.
Behaviourists believed that language skills were acquired through imitation, rote learning and reinforcement. Their
best known proponent, BF Skinner, did not believe in the importance of meaning or communication of ideas as part
of language learning. Language was a habit, to be acquired like any habit. By the 1970s many researchers were
convinced that behaviourism did not provide an adequate explanation for second language acquisition. It perhaps
offers a reasonable explanation for how children or adults learn some regular aspects of language, but does not
provide a convincing overall explanation for how someone learns either their first or a second language.

Noam Chomsky is one of the most influential figures in linguistics. Writing in 1959, he challenged the learning
theories of the Behaviourists and put more focus on what was happening in someone’s head, questioning the role
of imitation as an explanation for language learning. According to Chomsky, all languages are underlined by the
same basic principles (Universal Grammar) and children are pre-programmed with an innate knowledge of UG, like
a language template, which guides them in working out and learning their first language(s) during the critical early
development period in their lives. Children don’t start with a blank slate and they don’t need to be taught: just as
with other biological functions such as eating and walking, they are innately ready to acquire language during the
first years of their lives, based on the template provided by Universal Grammar. The environment the child is in
makes only a limited contribution to the process. Chomsky’s focus was on first language learning, but many
researchers have investigated how this research could explain second language learning processes. Research in this
area focuses on whether Universal Grammar is the best way to understand how adults learn foreign languages, or
whether this no longer applies because the initial critical development has already passed.

Constructivism as a theory of learning has become widely accepted since the second half of the 20th century, and
has input from linguistic, psychological and sociological research areas. Constructivist ideas are very important in
our understanding of how people learn languages and how we can help them. According to constructivists,
language acquisition is similar to and influenced by acquisition of other skills of knowledge – it does not need to be
separated out as special or different. Both a person’s innate ability to learn and the learning environment are
important, not just their innate template or ability. There is a strong emphasis on learning through social
interaction and on working out, or construction of meaning. Two key thinkers are Piaget & Vygotsky. Piaget
argued that learning is a developmental process that involves the learner building on prior learning experiences and
constructing new knowledge and understanding. Vygotsky argued that children’s developing understanding is a
result of learning through social interaction: by interacting with people who know more, children are supported in
achieving and understanding more than they could alone. From wherever someone is in their learning, they have
the potential to move to a higher level of understanding or skill, with the right help. This zone between what
someone currently knows and what they could achieve with help is called the Zone of Proximal Development.

Stephen Krashen’s theories of second language acquisition were much talked about in the 1980s & 90s. Although
his research and many of his assertions have been questioned since, his theories have had a lasting impact on
understanding of how languages are learned. The most influential is Comprehensible Input: that language
acquisition occurs when people are exposed to language that is meaningful for them, and just above their current
level of understanding. His Affective Filter hypothesis also still fits with a lot of modern research into the influence
of psychological factors in someone’s ability to learn, e.g. the learner’s motivation, level of anxiety, attitudes, etc.
Krashen argued that someone’s ability to acquire the language is reduced or blocked if their affective filter is high: if
they are tense or anxious, if their motivation is low.
Less accepted now is Krashen’s strict differentiation between “acquisition” and “learning”. Krashen argued that
only the natural process of “acquisition” through exposure to the language, like a child, without conscious attention
to language forms will leads to the ability to recall and speak the language fluently. More conscious, formal
“learning” or practice would not produce this effect. Modern understanding is that both are important for adult
learners: both contribute to an adult’s developing ability to use the language.

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Berlitz Difference Key Ideas: Factors that affect learning - Motivation
When we talk about motivation, we mean the drive that leads people to make certain choices, to make efforts
and to keep going. A customer’s motivation to learn the target language, to actively participate in learning
activities and to take and create opportunities to use the language will be one of the most powerful influences on
whether or not that customer is actually successful.
We want to help our customers be successful, so we what does that mean for us?
We need to understand what is motivating our customers, what can positively or negatively affect their desire to
learn and keep learning, and we need to have a range of strategies to protect and positively influence student
motivation.
So, what do we know about student motivation? Take a look at this snapshot of different motivational factors
that may affect one of your learners at different points during his course with you.
He is having lessons with a
He has a powerful external group of colleagues from Two junior colleagues from his
motive. Skill in English is a different departments. It’s department are in the group.
condition for promotion in his good for company networking. One of them is very good, and
company. We call motivation The social side is important. quite arrogant. He HATES to
like this Instrumental. lose face in front of him.

He often holidays in Ireland He wasn’t good at languages in

and has friends there. He likes school. This bothered him – he
the way of life and would like likes to do well. It’s better if
to fit in there better. We call people think he’s not making
motivation like this Integrative. an effort than that he’s stupid.

His kids learn English at school. He enjoys some class activities,

It’s fun to help with homework e.g. working things out in a
and not feel stupid. Again, this small group. Then he really
instrumental motivation – a gets into it – especially if he is
means to an end. designated leader in the group.

He has a problem with one Class can be a high risk

teacher. Nothing they do environment. At school it was all
One teacher is great. He feels heads down, looking at the book.
seems relevant. He makes
relaxed and ready to speak out Now it’s all about speaking out.
more mistakes in those classes
and take risks. Everything they He doesn’t like making mistakes.
and has a feeling he can’t learn.
do seems relevant to his work
and to his interests.

These are just a few examples of factors that can influence the motivation to learn for ONE learner. Another
learner in another class will have a different set of initial motivations and experience a different range of feelings
during his or her course. In addition, over the sustained, long term effort which developing skills in a foreign
language will require, motivation is not constant. It ebbs and flows in complex ways in response to various
internal and external factors.
So, given how complex motivation is, what do we know? What can we do to help customers be successful? On
the left, read different aspects of motivation that we understand, based on the research in this field of the last 50
years. On the right, read examples of what we can do to promote, sustain, increase or protect learner motivation,
and what you will be finding out about and practicing during your instructor development program with Berlitz.

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For many of our customers, learning a We need to design customers’ courses
language is a means to an end. They have from the beginning to help them reach
goals they want to achieve: being able to their real life goals, and that we
talk to customers, earning a promotion, continually evaluate progress. You will
getting a new job, passing an exam, etc. learn how we do this during your course.

The end goals customers have are very We need to continually set sub goals
important when they are planning or first (proximal goals), create milestones,
starting their course, but they may be too evaluate progress and achievement and
long term to have an immediate congratulate students. You will learn how
motivating effect for each lesson. to set motivating goals during your course.

The teacher in any class has one of the Enthusiasm and interest are infectious. If
most powerful influences on motivation. you are enthusiastic about lesson
Research consistently shows that this is activities and about students’
true. Teacher enthusiasm and interest in participation, progress and success, you
students are two powerful factors. will motivate your students.

Learners are more motivated if their The more we learn about our students,
learning goals are personal, but learners the more we can find ways to personalize
don’t always choose their goals. This the lessons and make them relevant. We
happens in adult life as well as at school. also need to ensure that lesson activities
Sometimes the company sets the goal. are intrinsically interesting and fun.

The connection and sense of value a Because English is a global language now,
language learner has regarding the culture this integrative motivation may not be a
and society where the language is spoken big factor for all students, but encouraging
will often have a significant influence on varied experiences with the target
their desire to learn the language. language culture will motivate many.

Believing you CAN do something is one of The best way to give students a sense that
the drivers for motivation. If learners feel the CAN learn the language is to create
they can learn, they are motivated to try multiple experiences of success in every
and keep trying. If they don’t believe in lesson: managing a learning task;
their ability, their motivation decreases. successfully achieving a lesson goal, etc.

Learners make assumptions about their Regular moments of success are essential
likely future learning experiences and to help students have a sense of what
successes based on their past experiences. they CAN do. In addition, we want to
They may also use strategies that are good encourage use of any learning strategies
and bad based on those experiences. students have used effectively in the past.

Adults hate situations where their self If we are asking students to take risks as
worth is potentially challenged. They hate they try out and use new language, we
to lose face. Language learning is full of have to create a “safe” environment.
risky public situations as they try to Praise, positive correction, encouraging
understand and use new language. student collaboration all help with this.

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Berlitz Difference Key Ideas: Factors that affect learning - MI
When we hear the word “intelligence,” we probably think of IQ and traditional tests that measure a person’s logic
and language abilities. In his theory on Multiple Intelligences (MI), Howard Gardner argues that the brain has
several other, equally important, types of intelligence. The Multiple Intelligence theory focuses on real world
problem-solving and product-making—in other words, on what people can do well, their (natural or learned)
capabilities.
People differ in their strengths and combinations of intelligences, and each person has a unique profile of
intelligences that affects how they handle everyday tasks. Each individual therefore has distinct and special ways
of knowing and processing information. And very importantly, a person’s Multiple Intelligence profile is not
fixed—it changes and develops over time.

What implications do Multiple Intelligences have for language learning?

There is a link between motivation and capability. If we are asked to do something we know we can do, we are
more motivated to do it because we are confident that we will be successful. On the other hand, when we are
asked to do something that we are not good at, we may feel uncomfortable.
If, as instructors, we continually look out for what our students’ intelligences are, we can create situations and
provide activities that are geared toward the things that they can do and feel confident about. This allows
students to focus on and practice new language in what is for them a more comfortable environment.
Being aware that our students have different strengths and capabilities should also make us more flexible and
responsive as instructors. This will answer the question “Why?” that comes to your mind when you find that an
activity you tried with one student on Monday is not working with another student on Tuesday. Your Monday
student was perhaps very strong in the abilities required to complete that particular activity, while your Tuesday
student lacks those abilities and is frustrated. Using a different activity to teach the same language feature might
produce a much more successful and motivating result with your Tuesday student.
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We all remember having teachers who would only explain things in ONE way. If you didn’t understand and asked
for help, they would explain it again, in EXACTLY THE SAME WAY – and you probably didn’t understand the
second time round either. This is frustrating for both the learner and the teacher. Instead of this, what we want
to do is keep trying different approaches, while looking out for what our students are good at, the activities they
excel at, what they find most helpful.
Does this mean we should only do activities that suit our students’ current abilities? No. As in real life, students
will be confronted in the classroom with tasks that require them to use a variety of intelligences, not just the ones
they are strongest in. For our students to learn the language, there are also certain activities we NEED to include
in class. These activities help students develop the language skills they need. For example, getting students
talking in pairs and small groups may not suit learners who lack interpersonal skills, but these activities are
essential. Or, practice activities that focus on noticing and working out how to use a particular grammar point
may suit someone with high analytic or verbal/linguistic skills but may not suit someone who finds it difficult to
work out patterns and form generalizations about language – again, these types of activity are essential. So,
while we would never aim to limit classroom activities to ONLY those we have identified our students are
successful with, we can be sensitive and responsive as instructors and provide more support for activities that
students find more difficult. By doing so, we help students stretch and develop their capabilities.
Continually looking out for the different intelligences and abilities that your students have will allow you to
predict how students may respond to particular activities: who will find them interesting and enjoyable; and who
may find them challenging.
How can we use information about students’ Multiple Intelligences in the classroom? We can:
▪ ensure that we provide a rich mix of activity types so that the intelligences of each student are used at some
point during the lesson
▪ look out for and provide activities that utilize students’ intelligences
▪ be sensitive and provide additional support during activities that require strengths students do not possess
▪ allow more time for activities that require strengths and capabilities that students do not possess
▪ pair up students with different abilities to solve a problem, so that they can support each other

Questions to think about:

▪ Look at the chart on the previous page. What Multiple Intelligences do you think you possess?
▪ How do you think students with various intelligences would respond to the activities listed below?
reading out loud speaking for a group
pronunciation exercises labelling pictures
transforming sentences (e.g. changing tenses) doing a “charades” type of activity
classifying information in a chart listening activities
working in groups or doing role plays problem solving activities

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Berlitz Difference Key Ideas: Factors that affect learning - Learning Styles
In the previous reading, we looked at Multiple Intelligences as a factor that affects learning.
Since we know that different people have different abilities and are good at doing different things, it is natural to
assume that people also learn new things in different ways. These different ways of learning are known as
learning styles. The styles a person tends to use over others—the ways a person likes to learn—are referred to as
learning style preferences. Learning style preferences may be a result of natural abilities, cultural norms,
previous or present learning experiences, personality and other factors.
Research into learning styles is on-going. To date, over 20 different learning style aspects and dimensions have
been identified. For now we will focus on those that are most immediately important for language learning.
Why is being aware of learning styles and learning style preferences important? As we saw with Multiple
Intelligences, different learning style preferences affect the types of activities students respond well to. Knowing
about learning styles helps us understand certain student behaviors in the classroom.
How can we know what our students’ learning style preferences are? One way is through observation – noting
the types of activities individual students enjoy. Let’s look at a “typical” group of students.

Visual Vera Vera insists on writing down everything you say. She often asks you to
(Visual learners prefer charts, write new words and terms on the board. She reads role card
graphs, something to read). instructions carefully. You noticed her student book is highlighted in
different colors, and she has used color-coded tabs to mark pages in
her book. When others are speaking, she looks directly at them. She
likes activities involving pictures or videos.
Auditory Alex Alex rarely writes things down. When you give instructions, he
(Auditory learners prefer listening sometimes asks you to repeat them—or he’ll repeat them back to you
to lectures, conversations, to make sure he has understood. He sometimes looks away from
recorded materials when
others when speaking to them. He like to tell the class jokes and
learning).
stories he has heard. Sometimes you hear him humming to himself
when preparing for a role play or other activity. He likes listening
activities most.
Tactile / Kinesthetic Tony Tony seems very fidgety in class—like he can hardly wait for the break.
These learners prefer aids to He plays with his pen listening. He doodles in book during class, and it
learning that can be touched, seems like he’s not paying attention. He likes to get up and move
written or manipulated; they around during role play activities, but he doesn’t spend a lot of time
may language by drawing. reading role card instructions. He enjoys doing jigsaw-type activities
where you reassemble texts or sentences.
Introverted Inez Inez is the quietest person in the group; she prefers to listen to others.
Introverted learners prefer She pays very close attention in class, and often asks you questions
concentration on thought and during the breaks. You noticed she speaks more and better when
concepts; they like working on speaking to you alone than in the classroom. She likes individual or
their own; they have fewer, pair work activities much more than group discussions.
deeper interests; they gather
information before acting.
Extroverted Eric Eric loves to talk, and quickly made friends with everyone in the class.
Extroverted learners tend to He sometimes jumps in and interrupts others when they are speaking.
be active, interaction-oriented, In role play situations, he often takes the leading role. His fluency is
and outgoing; they prefer to better than his accuracy. He likes discussion activities the most.
work with others, in groups, in
teams; they have broad
interests; they often act first,
and reflect later

As you can probably see, there is some similarity between Multiple Intelligences and Learning Styles. In some
cases, if you know what students can do well (Multiple Intelligence) you can predict what type of learning style(s)
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they will probably prefer. And just as with Multiple Intelligences, it is important to remember that people do not
have only one learning style preference, but have a collection of preferences that they use and combine in order
to learn something new.

What implications do learning styles have for the learner-centered classroom? We need to be aware of style
preferences so that we can:

• provide a mix of activities which appeal to students with different learning style preferences
• present and practice new language in a variety of different ways, rather than using only one type of activity or
technique each time
• adapt activities, where necessary, to make them more appropriate for students with different learning style
preferences. (e.g. making a listening activity more accessible for visual or tactile learners)
• encourage “style stretching,” to make students more comfortable in a wider variety of language situations
• help students help each other by pairing up students who have different style preferences.

Finally, it is also important that we as instructors be aware of our own personal learning style preferences. Why?
Because the way we teach and the types of activities we choose to do in the classroom are strongly influenced by
our own learning style preferences. If we know this, we can consciously select activities that appeal to a broader
range of learning styles (not just our own). This will keep all students involved and participating in the classroom,
and will increase their motivation to learn.

Questions to think about:

• Look back at the learning styles noted in the chart on the previous page. What are your learning style
preferences? How could your own personal preferences affect what you do in the classroom? Could your style
preferences lead to any style conflicts in the classroom?

• Think about one type of classroom activity, then look back at the student profiles on the previous page. Which
students do you think would that activity appeal to? Which students might find the activity challenging? How
could you adapt the activity to make it more suitable for these students?

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 Berlitz Difference Key Ideas: Factors affecting Learning - Learner Strategies
Imagine the following scenario: you have been asked to give a speech at a friend’s wedding. Your friend is
marrying someone from a different country; that person’s family speak a different language. You want to do the
following things:

How am I going to learn Plan for Speech: How am I going to

and remember the 1. Greet guests and memorize the speech
greeting and goodbye? end speech in and manage nerves?
both languages.

2. Give the speech

without notes.
Ask a native speaker? Use key words?
Use Google Translate and Practice over and over?
Practice the pronunciation? Use pictures as reminders?
Record yourself and play back? What Strategies
could you use?
Try it out on multiple friends?
Work out useful mnemonics? Buy myself a treat afterwards?
Use picture / word Breathing exercises?
association?

People have used Learner Strategies for thousands of years – they are nothing new in themselves. Using learner
strategies means employing a range of different processes, steps and techniques to help ourselves learn faster,
more effectively, more enjoyably, more independently.
Read about the following two students you are teaching. Who do you think will learn English more quickly?

Student A listens to and mentally Student B waits to be asked

answers every question the questions in class - sometimes she
instructor asks, even if he is not drifts off in between. She feels
being asked the question. He uses overwhelmed by the amount of
card and word association systems vocabulary to learn. It is all “gone”
for learning new vocabulary. He by the following week. She is not
uses social networking websites to sure what to do – maybe she is just
have contact with native speakers. not good at languages.

In recent years Language Learning Strategies have become the focus of considerable research because it is
becoming clearer and clearer that these strategies can play a significant role in learners’ success. Research shows
that learners who employ a range of appropriate learning strategies will be more successful in achieving their
learning goals and will be more motivated to keep learning.
If we want our learners to be successful and motivated, we need to help them discover and use the Language
Learning Strategies that suit them best. How can we do this?

We need to be aware of We should be watching out We need to help them find

1 the range of strategies 2 for the strategies students 3 the range of strategies that
that CAN be used. ALREADY USE. will WORK BEST for them.

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 This diagram by Rebecca Oxford gives a good overview of the different types of language learning
strategies that exist. The connecting lines represent the fact that different strategies and strategy
groups can support each other. During your Instructor Qualification Program, you will be introduced
to a wide range of learning strategies and to ways of introducing these to your students.

Our customers are not “blank slates” as far learning strategies are concerned. Many or even all of
them will be using certain learning strategies already – for example, learning strategies that were the

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norm in the education system and culture they grew up in, or strategies they use because of their
own learning style preferences.
As we watch out for the strategies our customers are already using, we may identify overuse of
certain strategies and underuse of others. For example, students who focused heavily on grammar in
their previous language learning experiences may use various strategies to learn grammar rules and
exceptions, but underuse social strategies that help use of the language for communication. .
If we are know about the different strategies people CAN use, and watch out for the strategies our
students ARE using, we can help students become conscious of how they learn best. We can help
them enhance and expand their use of learning strategies.

As you read earlier, short and long term language goals and milestones are important motivational
and review events within a language course. Our Berlitz materials have been designed to create
opportunities for discussion and review with students, about their progress, their success. These

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milestones are the perfect opportunities to present learning strategies, review strategy use, suggest
strategies they could experiment with, review their experiences using previously suggested
strategies.
Milestones include: the end of a lesson activity; the end of a 40-minute unit; the end of the lesson;
the end of a chapter; the end of a level in our materials; a progress counselling session.
During your Instructor Qualification Program, you will learn how you can approach and review
learning strategies with your students using the milestones of their course.

Questions to think about:

▪ What learning strategies do you use?
▪ How do you give yourself a boost if you’re struggling to learn something? 12
▪ If you have something to learn, do you plan the process? Do you self-evaluate? How?