|
 |
Learning Styles? | ||
Tags: Learner type | ||
Share with:
| ||
 Language Learning Forum : Learning Techniques, Methods & Strategies |  | |
| Arekkusu Hexaglot Senior Member Canada bit.ly/qc_10_lec Joined 5373 days ago 3971 posts - 7747 votes  Speaks: English, French*, GermanC1, Spanish, Japanese, Esperanto Studies: Italian, Norwegian, Mandarin, Romanian, Estonian | Message 1 of 42 07 March 2011 at 10:10pm | IP Logged | ||
|
What’s everyone’s opinion on the issue of different people having different learning styles?
My wife is taking private lessons together with our 12-year-old son and he’s just smoking her. As she’s struggling to find “the right answer”, as she puts it, to the teacher’s questions, he’s playing around with the material and making creative answers with ease. So much so that he’s bored and wants to quit, while she is very discouraged by this discrepancy. Same teacher, same method, but definitely very different results. And my son even achieves better results with less studying (if any). When I look at her in class, though, she’s constantly taking notes or spending what I’d consider to be an inordinate amount of time writing. My son takes little or no notes. When I tell her she should concentrate on the oral alone and write as little as possible, her immediate defence is that we have *gasp* different learning styles. I know the question is raised frequently on the site, but I`d like to get a general overview of everyone’s most compelling arguments on the subject. Personally, I tend to think that there are a few elements that contribute to success in language acquisition and that they are more or less the same for everyone. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Cainntear Pentaglot Senior Member Scotland linguafrankly.blogsp Joined 6003 days ago 4399 posts - 7687 votes Speaks: Lowland Scots, English*, French, Spanish, Scottish Gaelic Studies: Catalan, Italian, German, Irish, Welsh | Message 2 of 42 07 March 2011 at 11:31pm | IP Logged | ||
I agree with that statement. My view is that the whole idea of "learning styles" is defeatist. "Learning styles" theory says that we come into the class thinking one way, and we leave the class thinking the same way. Isn't that the exact opposite of learning? I believe in "learning strategies". Learning strategies are ways of dealing with new information, but crucially they can be learnt. Each new strategy we learn adds to our overall ability to learn, it broadens are palette and arms us with extra tools for learning. Is there an optimal learning strategy for a given subject? I think there is. Maths requires abstract reasoning and spatial awareness. Football needs physical fitness, coordination and spatial awareness. You can't same someone "isn't a spacial learner" and teach them maths or football -- you address their weaknesses to help them learn. I think it's the same with languages -- if someone doesn't have the appropriate strategies for learning languages, he/she has to develop them. It's no good pretending language is like history and trying to learn a language in the same way you would prepare for a Mediaeval Studies exam! 5 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Bao Diglot Senior Member Germany tinyurl.com/pe4kqe5 Joined 5758 days ago 2256 posts - 4046 votes Speaks: German*, English Studies: French, Spanish, Japanese, Mandarin | Message 3 of 42 08 March 2011 at 1:37am | IP Logged | ||
|
When I take notes while learning a new topic, it means that I will rely on the notes rather than on my memory. Simple as that.
And I waste half of the time on thinking about what I am going to write rather than what the teacher/tutor is saying. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Arthaey Groupie United States arthaey.com Joined 5038 days ago 97 posts - 155 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Spanish | Message 4 of 42 08 March 2011 at 1:44am | IP Logged | ||
|
For myself, if I only hear it, it's in one ear and out the other. If I write it down, then I can see it and actually
remember it. So I do think that this can be different between individuals. 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| skchi Groupie United States Joined 5737 days ago 57 posts - 86 votes Speaks: English* Studies: French | Message 5 of 42 08 March 2011 at 2:26am | IP Logged | ||
I'm the same way. I remember things much better when I write or read them. Not surprisingly, I find listening comprehension to be the most difficult part of language learning. Arekkusu - what are the few elements that you think contribute to success in language acquisition? Edited by skchi on 08 March 2011 at 2:33am 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| DaraghM Diglot Senior Member Ireland Joined 6143 days ago 1947 posts - 2923 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish Studies: French, Russian, Hungarian | Message 6 of 42 08 March 2011 at 3:20pm | IP Logged | ||
|
There are a number of factors which could be contributing to the difference,
1. If you son is in school, he's in more of a general learning mode. His memory is presently more trained to take in information. 2. If he's in school, he's probably learning or knows grammatical terms, that your wife has to remember or re-learn. 3. If you wife went to college, she probably adapted a note taking style which is slowing her down. She maybe treating the classes like lectures, and not like lessons. 4. If your son is learning another language, then this is a huge advantage. I assume he's no additional resources outside these classes. 5. While age isn't a significant factor, your son will have less established language patterns and is more malleable to new structures. This isn't a hurdle, but it may take you wife longer to overcome. I would advise your wife to take less notes, relax, and concentrate on the material as it's taught. She's probably worried she mightn't remember, but the more she understands as it's taught, the more she'll retain. Like Cainntear, I don't believe in learning styles but strategies. Edited by DaraghM on 08 March 2011 at 3:24pm 4 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| schoenewaelder Diglot Senior Member Germany Joined 5552 days ago 759 posts - 1197 votes Speaks: English*, French Studies: German, Spanish, Dutch | Message 7 of 42 08 March 2011 at 6:46pm | IP Logged | ||
|
I have always struggled to understand and follow spoken instructions (despite being otherwise reasonably intelligent and academically successful). Directions are also useless. Without a map, I'm lost.
My snap guess would be, (1) your son is a lot less inhibited then your wife, and (2) he has probably inherited some of your language aptitude. Oh no that can't be right, it's all hard work isn't it? Your wife must just be lazy. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Arekkusu Hexaglot Senior Member Canada bit.ly/qc_10_lec Joined 5373 days ago 3971 posts - 7747 votes Speaks: English, French*, GermanC1, Spanish, Japanese, Esperanto Studies: Italian, Norwegian, Mandarin, Romanian, Estonian | Message 8 of 42 08 March 2011 at 6:50pm | IP Logged | ||
I just forwarded your message to my wife. She'd like to know where you live. 11 persons have voted this message useful |
|  | 
Printable version
|
| Copyright 2024 FX Micheloud - All rights reserved No part of this website may be copied by any means without my written authorization. |
