Galyna Mikhnenko
National Technical University of Ukraine
„Kyiv Polytechnic Institute”
Language learning strategies as a language teaching and learning tool
An old proverb states: “Give a man a fish and he eats
for a day. Teach him how to fish and he eats for a lifetime”. Applied to the
language teaching and learning field, this proverb might be interpreted to mean
that if students are provided with answers, the immediate problem is solved.
But if they are taught the strategies to work out the answers for themselves,
they are empowered to manage their own learning. Good teaching involves more than communicating
the content of one's discipline; a good teacher also needs both to motivate
students to continue learning and to teach them the skills and strategies
needed for continued learning.
R. Oxford describes learning strategies as “specific
actions taken by the learner to make learning easier, faster, more enjoyable,
more self-directed, more effective, and more transferable to new situations”
[3]. A given strategy is neither good nor bad; it is
essentially neutral until the context of its use is thoroughly considered. A strategy is useful if
the following conditions are present: (a) the strategy relates well to the
foreign language task at hand, (b) the strategy fits the particular student’s
learning style preferences to one degree or
another, and (c) the student employs the strategy effectively and links it with
other relevant strategies [4]. Thus, if there is harmony between the
student (in terms of style and strategy preferences) and the combination of
instructional methodology, then the student is likely to perform well, feel
confident, and experience low anxiety.
Yet students
are not always aware of the power of consciously using foreign language
learning strategies for making learning quicker and more effective [2]. Skilled
teachers help their students develop an
awareness of learning strategies and enable them to use a wider range of
appropriate strategies.
Six major groups of language learning strategies have been identified by
Oxford [3]. The researcher classified learning strategies into six groups: 1) memory
strategies, which relate to how students remember language; 2) cognitive
strategies, which enable the learner to manipulate the language material through
reasoning, analysis, note-taking, summarizing, synthesizing, reorganizing
information, practicing in naturalistic settings, and practicing structures and
sounds formally; 3) compensation strategies, which enable students to
make up for limited knowledge, e.g.,
guessing from the context in listening and reading; using synonyms and
“talking around” the missing
word; 4) metacognitive strategies, relating to how students manage their
own learning, e.g., identifying their own learning style preferences and needs, planning for an foreign language task,
gathering and organizing materials, arranging a study space and a schedule,
monitoring mistakes, and evaluating task success and evaluating the success of
any type of learning strategy; 5) affective strategies, relating
to students’ feelings, such as identifying one’s mood and anxiety level,
talking about feelings, rewarding oneself for good performance; 6) social
strategies, which involve learning by interaction with others, e.g., asking questions to get verification, asking
for help in doing a task, talking with a native-speaking conversation partner,
exploring cultural and social norms.
These six categories (which underlie the Strategy
Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) used by Oxford and others for a great
deal of research in the learning strategy field) were further divided into
direct strategies (those which directly involve the target language such as
reviewing and practising) and indirect strategies (such as planning,
co-operating and seeking opportunities).
Modern researchers [4] claim
that language teachers can and should conduct strategy instruction in their
classrooms. For some teachers it might be better to start with small strategy
interventions, such as helping readers learn to analyze words and guess
meanings from the context. Other teachers might want to move rapidly into strategies-based
instruction, such as the model of Cognitive Academic
Language Learning Approach (CALLA) [1], which includes explicit strategy instruction, content area instruction, and
academic language development.
It is important to mention that learning
strategies which students use should change as their learning stage
changes. Students need to know which strategies they use and monitor
whether they are using the proper strategies for their goal. From this
perspective, using metacognitive strategies is especially crucial for students.
English learning in our global society will
apparently be a lifetime process for students, certainly
continuing after their graduation. Thus, teaching English will play the much
more important role of building the foundations of education for life, rather
than of only providing a means of passing examinations or
fulfilling a requirement. In this context, the students
have to be autonomous learners as learning a foreign language
without good guidance is similar to sailing without a good map. Learning
strategies are the tools for students to be self-reliant. In open
seas, learning can sometimes be lonely, severe, and
difficult. Tolerance of ambiguity,
controlling their emotions, planning or evaluating their learning - these strategies will be much
more important in the 21st century. In conjunction with other
techniques, learning strategies may well prove to be an extremely useful
addition to a language learner’s tool kit. Hopefully,
the tools will work to broaden the
ability to have a good command of English, which is the dream of most Ukrainians.
References:
1. Chamot, A.U., & O’Malley, J.M . Implementing the Cognitive Academic Language Learning
Approach (CALLA). In R. Oxford (Ed.), Language
Learning Strategies Around the World: Cross-cultural Perspectives. - Manoa:
University of Hawaii Press, 1996. –
P.167-174.