Motivate Students to Succeed by Teaching Effective L2Learning Strategies Dr. Karen CODY 10 April 2015

PARTICULARITY To advance a context-sensitive, location-specific pedagogy based on the local linguistic, sociocultural, and political particularity of that specific class.

PRACTICALITY To enable and encourage the L2 teacher to recognize, voice, and validate his/her personal theory of ‘practice’.

POSSIBILITIES To tap the sociopolitical consciousness brought into the classroom by all participants.

MACROSTRATEGIES 1. Maximize learning opportunities. 2. Minimize perceptual mismatches. 3. Facilitate negotiated interaction. 4. Promote learner autonomy. 5. Foster language awareness.

6. Activate intuitive heuristics. 7. Contextualize linguistic input. 8. Integrate language skills. 9. Ensure social relevance. 10. Raise cultural consciousness.

Oxford’s Strategy System DIRECT STRATEGIES Memory Cognitive Compensation INDIRECT STRATEGIES Metacognitive Affective Social

Teachers can: Negotiate Share Encourage Help Create Respect Counsel

Learners can: Identify learning strategies and styles “Copy” successful learners Evaluate language performance Find language learning outside of class Get feedback Collaborate Talk with competent speakers

Introduction to VARK Do You Know How You Learn? Although we have known for centuries about the different modes, this inventory, initially developed in 1987 by Neil Fleming, Lincoln University, New Zealand, was the first to systematically present a series of questions with help-sheets for students, teachers, employees, and others to use in their own way. Once you know about VARK, its power to explain things around you will be a revelation. For more information about VARK, visit the VARK web site:

A few Specific Strategies 1. Repeat the questions or cues in your mind as you listen, even if they are not directed at you. 2. Find out what others are doing and try that. Experiment. Different activities require different strategies. Use what works for your particular learning style to work on your weaknesses 3. Several short study sessions are more productive than one long one. 4. Study every day, and study aloud. 5. If you don’t understand, get help right away. That grammar point does not go away in the next chapter, and will probably form the basis of the next grammar point!! Meet your instructor early in the semester and have a short discussion of your personal experience and expectation in the class. 6. Come to every class, the more prepared the better; you can’t practice if you’re not there. 7. Exploit every opportunity for extra credit.

Student Self-Evaluation Attended class_____ Arrived on time_____ Went to office hours_____ Worked aloud_____ Practiced DAILY_____ Memorized new vocab_____ Reviewed old vocab_____ Reviewed verbs_____ Reviewed grammar points_____

Completed and checked homework_____ Completed and checked lab activities_____ Actively participated in class_____ Made progress toward personal goals_____ Made progress toward course goals ________

The study of a foreign language is valuable because it offers a sense of a relevant past, both cultural and linguistic liberalizes one's experience (helps expand one's view of the world) balances content and skills (rather than content versus skills) contributes to the creation of a student's personality encourages critical reflection on the relation of language and culture, language and thought; fosters an understanding of the interrelation of language and human nature contributes to cultural awareness or literacy (such as knowledge of original texts) contributes to achievement of national goals, such as economic development or national security expands one's opportunities for meaningful leisure activities (such as travel, reading, or viewing foreign language films) develops the intellect (includes learning how to learn)

improves one's knowledge of the native language (through comparison and contrast with the foreign language) exposes the learner to modes of thought outside the native language builds practical skills (for purposes such as travel or commerce or as a tool for other disciplines) preserves (or fosters) a country's image as a cultured nation teaches and encourages respect for other peoples enables the transfer of training (such as learning of a second foreign language) serves as a point for integration of many areas of study permits access to information unavailable in English Alan C. FRANTZ in Seventeen Values of Foreign Language Study in ADFL Bulletin, 28, no. 1 (Fall 1996):