Week 14 Reading reflection - Learning styles and strategies

This week's reading discusses the issue of second/foreign language learning from quite a different perspective: learners' learning styles and strategies.

According to the learning styles analyzed in the book, i categorize myself as a visual, extrovert, sensing-sequential, closure-oriented learner. However, before reading the chapter in the Apple book, i hardly had any idea of what my learning styles are except for the visual one, since i remember we did a survey on this matter during the first weeks of class. That's why i really like what the book says about the teacher's own awareness of his/her own learning styles, since they go a long way toward dictating his/her teaching style. Also, thanks to the reading i come to fully understand how important it is for language teachers to always keep in mind various learning styles of the students when designing classroom tasks/activities. Of course as teachers we can't cater for all of our students' need, but it always pays off to do as best as we can.

Another issue which captures my attention is whether or not to teach students learning strategies. In my experience as a foreign language learner, this is definitely useful and necessary. Such strategies as how to memorize new vocabulary and use them appropriately or using guessing abilities when reading, listening and speaking in a foreign language that I learned from my language teachers have been really beneficial to me. However, as indicated in the book, the teaching of learning strategies should not be made into a separate lesson, rather, it should be a small part which is well incorporated into the language lessons, so that learners can take it as a piece of advice rather than something they HAVE TO remember.