Wednesday, July 20, 10:00 am -1:00pm Agenda 1.Thoughts/questions 2.Discussion of reading, “Learning Styles and Strategies: An Overview” 3.Looking at learning styles and strategies 4.Other learner characteristics 5.Language skills

Discussion: “Language Learning Styles and Strategies” by Rebecca Oxford

Questions: What are learning styles? What are learning strategies? What is your style? What are your strategies?

Learning styles are general approaches to learning global auditory visual analytic imaginative common sense Dynamic Do any of these words describe your learning style?

-- BREAK – 10 minutes

Activity: Learning Style Survey Complete the survey Find two classmates who have completed the survey, compare your results, discuss these questions: - What, if anything, surprises you? - Are some styles better than others? - How might your learning style affect your teaching?

Learning strategies are specific actions, behaviors, techniques that help us use all mental processes organize, evaluate learning remember more effectively compensate for missing knowledge manage emotions work with others

Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) Can be useful for: identifying students’ strategies choosing activities and materials planning lessons helping students learn new strategies

Activity: SILL Complete the inventory Be sure to draw the graph showing your strategy preferences

Lunch

Learning strategies, continued Activity: 1.With three classmates, compare your strategies graphs. 2.How are they similar and/or different? 3.Are there aspects of your culture, language, education that might explain the similarities? 4.Do you have different learning styles, personalities that might explain the differences?

Turkish learning strategies – what does the research show? Preferences are for compensating and for organizing and evaluating learning. Other strategies used less often Conclusion: All strategies should be taught Selma Deneme (2008). Language Learning Strategy Preferences of Turkish Students.

Questions for reflection Why is it important for us to understand something about our own styles and strategies as well as those of our students? How much control do we have over our students’ learning? Are we responsible for our students’ learning? What other factors affect learning?

Other learner characteristics Internal age/intellectual development personality motivation anxiety self-esteem experiences cognition native language/culture

External curriculum instruction culture and status motivation access to native speakers Adapted from

What do we know about language skills?

Activity: Discussion, small groups 1.Each group discusses questions related to one skill area 2.Each group reports a summary of its discussion to the class

Homework Respond to at least three of your group members’ reflections.