2015-08-21
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Individual differences depend in learner age, motivation, language aptitude and cognitive style. Learner age is always taken into consideration. E.g. adults are prone to language analysis and are more concentrated in their studies. They can exert significant effort in achieving the goal that they have in mind. Young learners will benefit more from flexibility of input and teaching activities. Their motor memory (active use of the language in games and physical activities) pays them a good service. Young learners prefer concrete operations with the language, performing “here-and-now” activities, doing “hands-on” tasks, participating in the task with affective involvement, doing “context-embedded” exercises. Young learners do what they like, hear and repeat, listen and act, play and do, perform and say/sing. Adults benefit from their general memory and background knowledge, well structured input and activities. They prefer to rely on a system of rules and concepts and value linguistic awareness as well as linguistic accuracy (Hammerly H. 1982. Synthesis In Second Language Teaching. Second Language Publications)
Exploratory task 2.1
Match the learner age and the attitudes to teaching
| Attitudes to teaching | Learner age |
| 1. Like stories with pictures 2. Enjoy activities with a challenging task 3. Like the teacher to be in control 4. Like the teacher to enter their private territory 5. Prefer efforts to fun 6. Like to conform to teacher demands 7. Take responsibilities 8. Expect seller-buyer relationship 9. Resource-user relationship | A/ Young learners B/ Teenagers C/ Adults |
(Attitudes to teaching are adapted from Ur. P. 1996. A Course in Language Teaching. CUP. P. 286-296)
