Enhancing Language Learning through Strategy Instruction

1. Enhancing Language Learning through Strategy Instruction Zhou Yan zhouyan@teach.bfsu.edu.cn

2. The struggle for a better understanding • A couple of metaphors to help us understand the relationship between language teaching and strategy instruction: - rice topped with various sauces - a sailing boat on water

3. A good language learning strategy • Enables the students to learn the language faster and better just like a boat sails safer and faster on deep water. • When we see a plain-sailing boat in sight, we don’t usually realize the importance of the water.

4. Why do we run this workshop? • To raise our awareness of the importance of learning strategies in language teaching. • To share our experiences with you what can be done to enhance learning through strategy instructions.

5. Why don’t we give all straight lectures on SSBI? • Knowledge and use • Learning takes place in interactions experiences reflections

6. LL beliefs • Everyone is capable of learning a foreign language. • Everyone’s learning experience is valid and deserves attention and respect.

7. Effective learning takes place in a positive learning environment.

8. What is a positive learning environment? open supportive tolerant reflective

9. What to be expected from this workshop? • It’s more important to develop an awareness in strategic instruction than to remember some theories concerning SBI.

10. It’s more efficient to experience some strategy instructions than only to learn about them.

11. It’s more rewarding to develop some strategies appropriate for your students than to be told about how and when to use what strategies.

12. Learning and teaching style • We tend to teach the way we learn. • Our learning style will influence our teaching style.

13. Reflect: • Can we expect our students to be reflective, self-monitoring and use all the positive learning strategies when we don’t practice them ourselves?

14. Can we practice what we preach? • A rethinking of our beliefs in learning and teaching might be the first step to start understanding, appreciating, and practicing SSBI.

15. SSBI is only a means • to shift the focus of our attention from teaching to learning. • to move towards more efficient and autonomous learning.

16. What should we observe in the video? • Are strategy instructions integrated in the teaching of this text? • When? • How?

17. List • What are the strategies the teacher used in this session? • What are the strategies the students used in their exercises?

18. Have the objectives of this session been achieved? What have/have not? • Compare how you plan to teach this text with what she has done in teaching?

19. A Note of Thanks • To the three teachers who are willing to set themselves as targets for discussions, evaluations and criticism. • It takes great courage and strong commitment to teaching for them to be willing to do so.

20. Rooms for Group Discussions • Class 1: 301 • Class 2: 302 • Class 3: 303 • Class 4: 306 • Class 5: 307 • Class 6: 309

21. See you in 50 minutes!

22. Strengths

23. Room for improvement

24. Strengths • Teaching plan • Setting clear goals and reminding the goals as class develops; • Step by step prep. to reach the goal; • Good efforts to get students involved; Natural build-in of the strategy instructions… (reward, logical develop.)

25. Room for improvement • Evaluation of the session goal • Preparation for the oral summary • The most vocal person does most of the job • Could have got more student’s involvement

26. Thank you for your participation!