Download resource

Please enter your details to download this resource
Login
 

Enter your details to access this video

Or if you already have an account login to watch the video (if you don't you can register here).
Login
Download Language learning strategy document
Email share link LinkedIn share link Twitter share link Facebook share link
Approximate reading time: 1 minute

Language learning strategies are tools to facilitate language learning that should be adapted to suit the needs of each individual.

There aren't a set of language learning strategies that makes you a perfect language learner, each student learns differently. However, there are some guidelines on the strategies others have found successful that can be provided to students to help them make more effective use of their time studying.  It's important that students understand how they learn and what strategies are more effective than others.

Rebecca Oxford produces a fantastic book on Language Learning Strategies 'Language Learning Strategies, What every teacher should know.' She outlines a huge variety of language learning strategies and groups them under 'direct' and 'indirect' strategies. Direct strategies are those directly involved in the target languages e.g. memory or compensation strategies and indirect strategies are those that involve the business of language learning e.g. metacognitive or social language learning strategies.

It's important to highlight each language learning strategy you are teaching,  ask the learners to try to see if it works for them and not to get overwhelmed with the huge variety available. Focusing on a few specific language learning strategies that are likely to work for the learner. This is a language learning strategy in itself.

Here's a short questionnaire to support learners who are reflecting on the kinds of language learning strategies they might use (see link below).

It's useful to deliver a lesson or series of lessons on the types of language learning strategies available. We need to be explicit about the possible language learning strategy options available to learners and ensure that they have a go before committing to new ones.

References:

Oxford, R (1990) Language Learning Strategies, What every teacher should know, Heinle & Heinle

Download Language learning strategy document
Email share link LinkedIn share link Twitter share link Facebook share link

More articles from our blog

Girl online learning

Engaging EAL learners while learning remotely

Created: Mon 8th Mar 2021

In January 2021, we commenced another lockdown in the UK and put our recovery curriculum on hold. The question on most of our minds was immediately: "How will our EAL learners progress without the English academic and social interaction school provides, and which they need in order to flourish in their language learning journeys?"

Synthetic versus analytic (analytical) phonics

Created: Wed 11th May 2016

In the last edition, we considered the importance of not using a Whole Language approach in isolation as a primary method of literacy instruction, but rather ensuring that a systematic, skills-based approach is used to guarantee reading and writing progression for second language learners. This begs the question, which systematic approach should we use? The two systematic methods adopted by most practitioners for first language learners are the Analytical or Analytic Phonics approach or the Synthetic Phonics approach.

EAL Learners: Identifying dyslexia (and other SpLDs)

Created: Mon 29th Aug 2016

Sometimes our students who have English as an additional language seem to be having more difficulty than expected developing their language, and accessing the rest of the curriculum. Most teachers have become more aware of the signs of dyslexia (and other specific learning differences), but the overlap with the language learning process makes it much more complex to identify EAL learners who also have a SpLD.

Back to Blog