Learning styles are a driving force that can determine how productive a classroom may be. Acknowledging the diversity of these preferences in your classroom may increase success. Oxford & Lavine (1993) share that a mismatch between teaching and student styles may create a war within the learning environment, which happens to be among the most frequent problems existing. How, then, should a teacher address this concern?
Strategy-based instruction (SBI) appears to tackle several issues at once. It takes learning styles and preferences into account and allows students to pull upon their strengths. Using checklists and other assessment tools, teachers can encourage good language-learning behaviors. According to Brown's "10 Commandments" for good language learning, found on p. 268 (2007), instructors and students have reminders that encourage the process. For teachers, these would include lowering inhibitions and processing error feedback. Students would then benefit from setting goals and making their mistakes work for them, in addition to their other suggestions.
We cannot discuss SBI without understanding that students need to be strategically invested in their language-learning process. This is perhaps the most powerful principle of learning that can merge into intrinsic motivation and autonomy. (Brown, 2007).
Have you adopted or are you considering adopting SBI in your language classroom? If so, how has it been beneficial? Please feel free to share your suggestions.
Brown, H. D. (2007). Teaching by principles: An interactive approach to language
pedagogy (3rd edition). White Plains, NY: Pearson Education.
Oxford, R. L., & Lavine, R. Z. (March 08, 1993). Teacher-Student
Style Wars in the
Language Classroom: Research Insights and Suggestions.
Adfl Bulletin, 23,
2, 38-45.
Image of Learning Styles retrieved from http://www. ccsf.edu
No comments:
Post a Comment