Seminars on Language Development and Intercultural Teaching
Becoming a Better Language Learner
Memory
Memory-related strategies help link one item or concept with another but do not necessarily involve deep understanding
o Retrieve info in an orderly string (acronyms);
o Create language and retrieval w/sounds (rhyming);
o Images (pictures);
o Combination of sounds and images (key word method);
o Body movement (TPR);
o Mechanical means (flash cards);
o Location (on a page or blackboard)
Cognitive
Cognitive strategies enable the learner to manipulate material in direct ways
o Reasoning,
o Analysis,
o Note-taking,
o Summarizing,
o Synthesizing,
o Outlining,
o Reorganizing information to develop stronger schemas,
o Practicing in naturalistic settings,
o Practicing structures and sounds formally
Compensatory
Compensatory strategies help learners make up for missing knowledge
o Guessing from context,
o Using synonyms,
o Circumlocution,
o Gestures,
o Pause words
Metacognitive
Metacognitive strategies are used for managing the learning process overall
o Identifying one’s learning style preferences and needs,
o Planning for an L2 task,
o Gathering and organizing materials,
o Arranging a study space and schedule,
o Monitoring mistakes,
o Evaluating task success,
o Evaluating the success of any type of learning strategy
Affective
Affective strategies have to do with one’s attitude and feelings about learning
o Identify mood,
o Anxiety level,
o Talking about feelings,
o Rewarding good performance,
o Self-talk
Social
Social strategies help learners work with others and understand Target Culture as well as language
o Asking instructor questions for clarification,
o Asking for clarification of a confusing point,
o Asking for help,
o Talking with NS partner,
o Exploring cultural and social norms
