¡Descarga Motivating Language Learners: Ten Commandments and the Role of Personality - Prof. Pladeva y más Apuntes en PDF de Idioma Inglés solo en Docsity! 1/4/14 Ten Commandments for motivating language learners (Dornyiei & Cizer, 1998) 1. Set a personal example with your own behaviour. 2. Create a pleasant atmosphere in the classroom. Self-motivating strategies: - Commitment control strategies (The learner makes sure that he maintains his goal on the learning). - Metacognitive control strategies (Strategies to improve the use of language). - Emotional control strategies. - Environmental control strategies (feelings of the peers, avoid negative friends). Teacher motivation: - Vocational practice. - Salaries. - Prestige. - Motivated Learners in the past. 3/4/14 Personality Affect. Affective relationship towards the L2. Learning and using a foreign language makes one vulnerable. How we approach L2 learning may also be influenced by our personality. Personality: - Stable traits or qualities in a person. - Dynamic moods related to the cognitive processing of emotions. - Predispositions that have been learned through social experience. Can certain personality types be more attached to/better at the study of foreign languages? The Big Five (Five-factor model of personality – FFM) Costa and McCrae (1992) – NEO Five Factor Inventor (NEOFFI) Used by Verhoeven and Vermeer (2002) Personality traits: - Emotional stability (when you’re not really moody). - Extraversion. - Agreeableness (easy-going, easy to talk to). - Conscientiousness. - Openness to experience. Is there a relationship between personality and attained L2 communicative competence? Are certain personality profiles associated with higher levels of L2 success? Verhoeven and Vermeer (2002): - 69 sixth-graders in the Netherlands. - Openness of experience was the personality factor that was most strongly associated with measures of communicative competence. - Extraversion and Conscientiousness. - Agreeableness and stability appeared to have no relationship. - Openness of experience is in fact related to lack of ethnocentrism and with international posture (motivation). Personality characteristics that may affect L2 learning Extroversion vs introversion - Extrovert learners tend to prefer communicative approaches to language learning, like group activities and so maximise the amount of input and the opportunities for output. Willingness to communicate (WTC). Self-esteem - Self-esteem and self-confidence tend to correlate with successful learning since they promote second language communication. Inhibition - Language ego is a hindrance to L2A. The process of making mistakes, learning from them and improving is inhibited by this language ego. Adaptive language ego lowers inhibition. Self-critical nature often entails inhibition. Certain teaching practices promote/lower inhibition. Risk-taking - “The ability to make intelligent guesses”. - Fear of risk-taking is present both in and out of classroom. - Teachers should create and affective environment: immediacy. Anxiety like to have clear instructions and to know exactly what they are doing. Not comfortable with consensus-building discussion. Implications: Every person, student or teacher, has a learning style; therefore, there is no particular teaching or learning method that can suit the needs of all learners. Learning styles are value-neutral; that is, no one’s style is better than others. Very little research has examined the interaction between different learning styles and success in L2 learning; however, students should be encouraged to “stretch” their learning styles so that they will be more empowered in a variety of learning situations. Can learning styles be used in any way to promote effectiveness in language teaching/learning? OF COURSE. “Learning styles mismatches are at the root of many learning difficulties” (Ehrman 1996:50). - Student’s learning style ≠ teacher’s teaching style (style war). - Student’s learning style ≠ syllabus. - Student’s learning style ≠ language task. - Student’s learning style ≠ beliefs about learning. - Student’s learning style ≠ learning strategy applied. - Student’s learning style ≠ student’s abilities (rare). Possible solutions for the mismatches: - Balanced teaching style that does not favour any particular learning style. - Learning style questionnaire to make students aware of the importance of learning styles. - Being aware of your own learning styles (as a teacher) and compare them to your students. - Style stretching: operate outside one’s preferred styles. - Teach students strategies that suits their styles. - (In an ideal world): streaming students according to styles and develop special syllabi. - Involve learnings in planning lessons and tasks: give them more control over their learning.
