Доклад на международной конференции, посвященной пятилетию Байкальской ассоциации учителей английского языка " BELTA" " Modalities in Learning and Teaching English"

It’s not a novelty that a particular level of any society’s development acquires an adequate choice of educational approaches, and that our former system of education was aimed at teaching the so- called average student.

I’d like to draw your attention to one of the most burning issues of up-to-date education, it’s the crossing point of psychology and teaching languages. And this article is devoted to different approaches to teaching a language according to students’ learning style

In fact, students learn in many ways—by seeing and hearing; reflecting and acting; reasoning, memorizing, visualizing. Teaching methods also vary. Some teachers prefer to lecture, others demonstrate or discuss; some focus on rules and others on examples; some emphasize memory and others understanding. How much a given pupil learns in a class is governed in part by that student’s native ability and prior preparation but also by the compatibility of his or her characteristic approach to learning and the teacher’s characteristic approach to teaching.

The ways in which an individual characteristically acquires, retains, and retrieves information are collectively termed the individual’s learning style. (Sue Davidoff and Owen van den Berg)

Learning styles have also been extensively discussed in the educational psychology literature by Richard M. Felder.According to him, there are many ways of looking at learning styles. Here are some of the classification systems that researchers have developed.

The first model is the classification according to functional brain asymmetry.

The next model is the classification according to modalities of getting information: students may prefer a visual (seeing), auditory (hearing), kinaesthetic (moving) way of learning.

Those who prefer a visual learning style...

• ...look at the teacher's face intently

• ...like looking at wall displays, books etc.

• ...often recognize words by sight

• ...use lists to organize their thoughts

Those who prefer an auditory learning style...

• ...like the teacher to provide verbal instructions

• ...like dialogues, discussions and plays

• ...solve problems by talking about them

Those who prefer a kinaesthetic learning style...

• ...learn best when they are involved or active

• ...find it difficult to sit still for long periods

• ...use movement as a memory aid

And the question is why is it really necessary for the teacher to know the way a student gets the information?

• The point is not to place all students into one or another style category and to teach each student exclusively according to his or her preferred style.

• And this goal could hardly be achieved. Rather, the goal is a balanced teaching style, in all classes at all levels. With the help of this experience teachers should come close to providing an optimal learning environment for most students in a class.

• Teaching styles are made up of the methods and approaches with which the teacher feel most comfortable. And it makes students more competent and the teacher self esteemed.

• Student learn better and more quickly if the teaching methods used match their prefered learning styles. As learning improves, so does self esteem. This has a further positive effect on learning.

• The student-teacher relationship can improve as the student is more successful and more interested in learning.

So, what teaching methods and activities suit different learning styles?

Visuals- use many visuals in the classroom: wall displays, posters, realia, cards, graphic organizers, tables and schemes, use different colors and shapes.

Write instructions as well as giving them verbally.

Auditory- use while-listening and reading activities, audio tapes and videos, storytelling, songs, memorization and drills, vibrations of your voice, give verbal instructions, set some closed tasks. Allow learners to work in pairs and groups.

Kinaesthetic - use physical activities, competitions, board games, role plays etc. Allow students to respond by drawing, demonstrate what you’d like them to do.

It’s worth mentioning the idea that serious mismatches may occur between the learning styles of students in a class and the teaching style of the instructor with unfortunate potential consequences. The students tend to be bored and inattentive in class, do poorly on tests, get discouraged, and may conclude that they are no good at the subject of the course and give up attempts of learning. Having said all that, we would add that these disclaimers do not limit the usefulness of this or any other model. Although it can be helpful for an instructor to know the distribution of learning styles in a class, the point is not to place all students into one or another style category and to teach each student exclusively according to his or her preferred style. And this formidable goal could hardly be achieved. Language instructors should come close to providing an optimal learning environment for most (if not all) students in a class.

To sum it up, it’s worth mentioning that if you vary the activities that you use in your lessons, you are sure to cater for learners with different learning styles at least some of the time.

REFERENCES

1. Allen, J.P.B., and S.P. Corder, eds. 1975. Papers in Applied Linguistics. London: Oxford University Press.

2. Barbe, W.B., R.H. Swassing, and M.N. Milone.1981. Teaching through Modality Strengths: Concepts and Practices.

3. Brown, R. 1978. “The Effects of Congruency Between Learning Styles and Teaching Styles on College Student Achievement.”College Student Journal

4. Felder, R.M., and L.K. Silverman. 1988. “Learning and Teaching Styles in

Engineering Education.” Engineering Education

5. Moody, R. 1988. “Personality Preferences and Foreign Language Learning.” The Modern Language Journal

6. Smith, L.H., and J.S. Renzulli. 1984. “Learning Style Preferences: A Practical Approach For Classroom Teachers.” Theory into Practice .