SIGNIFICANCE OF LANGUAGE LEARNING STRATEGIES IN ELT
UNNIKRISHNAN KALAMULLATHIL
RESEARCH SCHOLAR, RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CENTRE
BHARATHIAR UNIVERSITY COIMBATORE
Abstract
Learner strategies, as conscious actions in learning and using a second or a foreign language, are one of the variable factors that have profound effects on how individual learners approach language learning and how successful they are. The more we learn about learner strategies, the more we gain a sense of the complex system of language learning and teaching. This paper aims at emphasizing the importance of language learning strategies in English language learning and teaching. It criticallyreviews previous research on learner strategies and the implications of learnerstrategies for language teaching will be addressed. It also takes into account the teacher's role in strategy training and poses questions for further research on language learning strategies.
Key words:learner strategies,strategies training, strategies-based instruction,
A number of similarities and differences exist in the way different people learn a language. The language learners vary in terms of factors such as: aptitudes, demographic variables, affective variables, learning styles, and learning strategies when they start learning the second language. These variables have great influence in the way a learner learns a language and how successful it is. A teacher can make teaching more effective by understanding more about these variables. Understanding the individual differences in language learning will also enables a teacher to improvise teaching methods. This paper focuses on one of these learner variables factors and its significance in English language teaching. This factor is Learnerstrategies.
The Definitions
Tarone (1983) defined a learning strategy as "an attempt to develop linguistic and sociolinguistic competence in the target language -- to incorporate these into one's interlanguage competence" (p. 67). Wenden and Rubin (1987:19) define learning strategies as "... any sets of operations, steps, plans, routines used by the learner to facilitate the obtaining, storage, retrieval, and use of information." Stern states that (1992:261), "the concept of learning strategy is dependent on the assumption that learners consciously engage in activities to achieve certain goals and learning strategies can be regarded as broadly conceived intentional directions and learning techniques." Oxford gives this helpful definition “...language learning strageties -- specific actions, behaviours, steps, or techniques that students (often intentionally) use to improve their progress in developing L2 skills. These strageties can facilitate the internalization, storage, retrieval, or use of the new language. Strategies are tools for the self-directed involvement necessary for developing communicative ability”. (Oxford, 1992/1993) The cognitive model of learning indicates that learning is an active, dynamic process in which learners select information from their environment, organize the information, relate it to what they already know, retain what they consider to be important, use the information in appropriate contexts, and reflect on the success of their learning efforts.( Chamot and O‟Malley 1994)
The classifications
Cohen (2003) provided four main strategy classification schemes. The firstclassification is by goal either to learn a language or to use a language. The secondclassification is by language skill, which includes the receptive skills of listening andreading and the productive skills of speaking and writing, and also skill-related strategies that cut across all four skill areas, such as vocabulary learning. The thirdclassification is by function as explained in detail by Oxford (1990) as four functionalgroups of language learning strategies: cognitive, metacognitive, affective, or social.
Can strategies be taught?
According to the theories and the previous intervention research, the answer isyes. As mentioned earlier, strategies, like the complex skills of language learning, canbe learned through formal instruction and repeated practicing. According to socialinteractionist theory, learner’s knowledge of strategies can be developed through theprocess of scaffolding (Chamot and O‟Malley 1994). Through scaffolding, the teacheravoids giving direct instruction but facilitates learners to choose the strategies inlearning and using a second language.
In addition, the previous research results (Oxford 1990; Victori and Lockhart1995; Cohen and Weaver 1998) concerning possible benefits of strategies traininghave been generally positive in terms of language learning performances and attitudesimprovement among language learners. Oxford (1990) suggested that even in ordinarylanguage classrooms, it is possible for teachers to help their students learn strategiesthat will make learning more effective and often more fun. In response to thecriticisms about the effectiveness of the strategies training, Chamot and Rubin (1994cited Cohen 1994) pointed out that it is not a particular strategy that leads to improvedperformance, but rather the effective management of a repertoire of strategies.Therefore, the strategies training should provide the learners with a repertoireof strategies which they can choose the strategies that they feel comfortable to usewith a specific task. The training program should also train the learners how to selectstrategies that match their needs and goals, and the nature of the task. As Bialystok (1990 cited Cook 2001) suggested|, “strategy-training helps the student to be aware ofstrategies in general rather than teaches specific strategies. The training assumes thatconscious attention to learning strategies is beneficial. This is not the same asclaiming that the strategies themselves are beneficial. Strategy-training in a senseassumes that strategies are teachable” (p.131).
Importance of Language Learning Strategies in Language Learning and Teaching
Williams and Burden (1997, p.164), suggested that “individuals will choose touse certain strategies if they have a clear purpose for using them and they feel thataccomplishing a particular task has value to them personally.” This means that the roleof teachers in learner training, rather than teaching how to use particular strategies, isto help individuals to discover and develop those strategies that are most significantand personally relevant to them.
Language learning strategies are good indicators of how learners approach tasks or problems encountered during the process of language learning. In other words, language learning strategies, while no observable or unconsciously used in some cases, give language teachers valuable clues about how their students assess the situation, plan, select appropriate skills so as to understand, learn, or remember new input presented in the language classroom. According to Fedderholdt (1997:1), the language learner capable of using a wide variety of language learning strategies appropriately can improve his language skills in a better way. Metacognitive strategies improve organization of learning time, self-monitoring, and self-evaluation. Cognitive strategies include using previous knowledge to help solve new problems. Socioaffective strategies include asking native speakers to correct their pronunciation, or asking a classmate to work together on a particular language problem. Developing skills in three areas, such as metacognitive, cognitive, and socioaffective can help the language learner build up learner independence and autonomy whereby he can take control of his own learning. Lessard-Clouston (1997:3) states that language learning strategies contribute to the development of the communicative competence of the students. Being a broad concept, language learning strategies are used to refer to all strategies foreign language learners use in learning the target language and communication strategies are one type of language learning strategies. It follows from this that language teachers aiming at developing the communicative competence of the students and language learning should be familiar with language learning strategies. As Oxford (1990:1) states, language learning strategies
"... are especially important for language learning because they are tools for active, self-directed movement, which is essential for developing communicative competence." Besides developing the communicative competence of the students, teachers who train students to use language learning strategies can help them become better language learners. Helping students understand good language learning strategies and training them to develop and use such good language learning strategies can be considered to be the appreciated characteristics of a good language teacher.
Strategies training and language teaching
Traditionally, language curricula have tended to concentrate on teachingknowledge and skills, and have neglected to teach learners how to learn. Learnertraining in second or foreign language teaching is a new way of teaching learnersexplicitly the techniques of learning, and an awareness of how and when to usestrategies to enable them to become self-directed (Williams and Burden 1997). Insummary, learner training integrated in second or foreign language teaching subsumes(1) explicit or implicit strategies training, and (2) language teaching;The teaching and learning goals of learner training in language teaching areboth external and internal goals (Cook 2001); the students are expected to be able touse language inside and outside the classroom, and they will develop their quality asautonomous language learners. To achieve these goals, new roles of language teachersand learners have been suggested.Language learning tasks have an important role in strategies training as theycan be used to encourage the learners to ask themselves the fundamental questionssuch as; What do I want to achieve? Which strategies shall I use to achieve the goals?Do I know what I am doing and why I am doing it in this way? Williams and Burden(1997) referred to this questioning as metacognitive reflection, or the reflection onlearning, themselves as learners, as well as on the feeling and emotions involved.They also suggested that teachers should start with the simple tasks, moving towardsmore complex tasks which require learners to select their own strategies and evaluatetheir own level of success.
The Teacher's Role in Strategy Training
The language teacher aiming at training his students in using language learning strategies should learn about the students, their interests, motivations, and learning styles. The teacher can learn what language learning strategies students already appear to be using, observing their behavior in class. Do they ask for clarification, verification or correction? Do they cooperate with their peers or seem to have much contact outside of class with proficient foreign language users? Besides observing their behavior in class, the teacher can prepare a short questionnaire so that students can fill in at the beginning of a course to describe themselves and their language learning. Thus, the teacher can learn the purpose of their learning a language, their favorite / least favorite kinds of class activities, and the reason why they learn a language. The teacher can have adequate knowledge about the students, their goals, motivations, language learning strategies, and their understanding of the course to be taught. It is a fact that each learner within the same classroom may have different learning styles and varied awareness of the use of strategies. The teacher cannot attribute importance to only one group and support the analytical approach or only give input by using the auditory mode. The language teacher should, therefore, provide a wide range of learning strategies in order to meet the needs and expectations of his students possessing different learning styles, motivations, strategy preferences, etc. Therefore, it can be stated that the most important teacher role in foreign language teaching is the provision of a range of tasks to match varied learning styles.
In addition to the students, the language teacher should also analyze his textbook to see whether the textbook already includes language learning strategies or language learning strategies training. The language teacher should look for new texts or other teaching materials if language learning strategies are not already included within his materials.
The language teacher should also study his own teaching method and overall classroom style. Analyzing his lesson plans, the language teacher can determine whether his lesson plans give learners chance to use a variety of learning styles and strategies or not. The teacher can see whether his teaching allows learners to approach the task at hand in different ways or not. The language teacher can also be aware of whether his strategy training is implicit, explicit, or both. It should be emphasized that questioning himself about what he plans to do before each lesson and evaluating his lesson plan after the lesson in terms of strategy training, the teacher can become better prepared to focus on language learning strategies and strategy training during the process of his teaching
Conclusion
Learner strategies are tools that learners choose to use to assist their languagelearning and language use. They are one of the variable factors that differentiatesuccessful from less successful language learners. All language learners, needless to say, use language learning strategies in the learning process. Since the factors like age, gender, personality, motivation, self-concept, life-experience, learning style, excitement, anxiety, etc. affect the way in which language learners learn the target language, it is not reasonable to support the idea that all language learners use the same good language learning strategies or should be trained in using and developing the same strategies to become successful learners.
The results from the studies help inform language teachers how to train the less successful learners to become more successful in language learning. For the strategies training to be effectively implemented, the students should have positive attitudes toward the target language and language learning. They should be encouraged to be aware of the learning strategies they already use and become more responsible for their efforts in learning and using the target language.
References:
Bialystok, E. (1990). Communication Strategies: A Psychological Analysis of Second Language Use. Oxford: Basil Blackwell.
Chamot, A.U. and O‟malley, J.M., 1994. The CALLA handbook: implementing the
cognitive academic language learning approach. Reading: MA Addison-Wesley.
Cohen, A.D., 1996. Second language learning and use strategies: clarifying
the issues. Minnesota: Center for advanced research on language acquisition,
University of Minnesota.
Cohen, A.D., 1998. Strategies in learning and using a second language. London:
Longman.
Cohen, A.D., 2003. Strategy training for second language learners. Minnesota:
Center for advanced research on language acquisition, University of Minnesota.
Cohen, A.D. and Weaver, S.J., 1998. Strategies-based instruction for second language
learners. In: Renandya, W.A. and Jacobs, G.M., eds. Learners and language learning.
Singapore: SEAMEO Regional Language Centre, 1-25.
Cook, V., 2001. Second language learning and language teaching, 3rd edition. New
York: Oxford University Press.
Lessard-Clouston, M. (1994). Challenging student approaches to ESL vocabulary development. TESL Canada Journal, 12(1), 69-80.
Oxford, R., 1990. Language learning strategies: what every teacher should know.
Massachussetts: Heinle and Heinle.
Oxford, R. (1992/1993). Language learning strategies in a nutshell: Update and ESL suggestions. TESOL Journal, 2(2), 18-22.
Oxford, R. and Crookal, D., 1989. Research on language learning strategies: methods,
findings, and instructional issues. The modern language journal, 73 (4), 404-419.
Stern, H.H. (1992). Issues and Options in Language Teaching. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Tarone, E. (1983). Some thoughts on the notion of 'communication stategy'. In C. Faerch & G. Kasper (Eds.), Strategies in Interlanguage Communication (pp. 61-74). London: Longman.
Victori, M. and Lockhart, W., 1995. Enhancing metacognition in self-directed
language learning. System, 23(2), 223-234.
Wenden, A., & Rubin, J. (Eds.). (1987). Learner Strategies in Language Learning. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Williams, M. and Burden, R.M., 1997. Psychology for language teachers: a social
constructivist approach. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.