Chapter How to be a good learner Describing a good learner: difficult Learners of English are different in many aspects, so when examining the qualities of a good learner, it’s important to consider: their background (esp English language) learning experiences Age & level The importance of students’ motivation According to Garner & Lambert: (1) Integrative motivation: learning English to integrate into the culture of its speakers (2) Instrumental motivation: learning E as a means to an end (get promoted…) Integrative: powerful > instrument one Highly motivated Ss > less motivated one Ss’ motivation: not teacher’s responsibility Who is responsible for learning? Good learners are those who: take responsibility for their own learning don’t wait to be taught Teachers should try and encourage the practice of self-study (at home or selfaccess centers Characteristics of good classroom learners A willingness to listen A willingness to experiment A willingness to ask questions A willingness to think about how to learn A willingness to accept correction Teaching adult learners Their learning experience : good/bad Being more nervous- afraid of losing face Having a view of the importance of learning greater tolerance of serious learning Different levels Beginners: success as well as failure is easy to see, teaching: great fun & stimulating Intermediate students: success- not easy to perceive Ss have known a lot more challenging tasks Advanced students: knowing a lot of English not concentrating on grammar, but helping Ss use language with more subtlety, more responsibility for their own learning Teaching different levels Beginners: pronunciation practice, dialogues, rough-tuned language esp when giving instruction, grammar drills Higher levels: not concentrating on language for instruction, discussion, formal debate, essay writing learners’ levels affect teacher’s language for instructions & their choice of learning tasks in class ... Lambert: (1) Integrative motivation: learning English to integrate into the culture of its speakers (2) Instrumental motivation: learning E as a means to an end (get promoted…) Integrative: powerful