| p>Are you having a hard time learning English? Well, it | | | | whole year and then, after one year, she opened her |
| might be because there is a mismatch between your | | | | mouth, and she spoke fluent Spanish. |
| learning style and the teaching methods being used in | | | | Some people are print learners. They learn by reading. |
| your ESL class. | | | | Most print learners can do very well in a traditional |
| Research has found that people learn in different | | | | classroom. They can learn to read and write a |
| ways, which are called "learning styles." Some people | | | | language very well this way. Some people are |
| learn by doing things (kinesthetic learners). If you are a | | | | interactive learners. They learn by talking with other |
| kinesthetic learner, you want a teacher who uses the | | | | people, or maybe just to themselves. These learners |
| Total Physical Response teaching method (TPR) or a | | | | would do well in a classroom where the teacher |
| similar method in her class (maybe active learning | | | | doesn't talk very much, but the students talk a lot and |
| through drama). In this kind of class, you would learn | | | | practice their English. |
| English by doing. You would perform actions and learn | | | | Many people think that you need to practice speaking |
| how to talk about those actions at the same time. | | | | a language in order to learn it, but that is not always |
| Some people learn by seeing (visual learners). | | | | true. It depends on your learning style. Some people |
| If you are a visual learner, you want a teacher who | | | | are shy and just want to listen to a language, and |
| uses a lot of pictures, diagrams and visual cues. For | | | | that's fine - that's the aural learner's learning style and |
| example, it is possible to teach grammar using visual | | | | they should be able to listen as long and as much as |
| cues instead of (or in addition to) traditional grammar | | | | they want, and they should never have to talk until |
| presentations. Instead of teaching grammatical terms | | | | they are comfortable doing so. And, of course, you |
| like "subject," "object," and "verb," some teachers use | | | | cannot learn to read and write a language well if all |
| colored blocks to represent grammatical units and to | | | | you ever do is speak it. I have had many students |
| demonstrate how the units can move and change. | | | | come to my ESL class speaking English very well, but |
| The blocks can also be given to the students so that | | | | they couldn't write it at all. |
| they can move them around and learn grammar that | | | | The important thing is just to find a good match |
| way, which helps the kinesthetic learners to learn | | | | between your purpose for learning English, your |
| grammar by doing - by moving the blocks around. | | | | learning style, and your teacher's teaching style. Some |
| Some people are aural learners; they learn by listening. | | | | teachers are very good at helping all of the different |
| These people can learn a language just by listening to | | | | kinds of learners; some teachers specialize in one kind |
| it. I have a friend who learned Spanish this way. She | | | | of teaching. Find out what your learning style is, and |
| went to Mexico and lived there for a year without | | | | then find a teacher who can help you. |
| ever speaking a word of Spanish. She listened for the | | | | |