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Universidad Católica de la Santísima Concepción

Facultad de Educación

Pedagogía en Educación Media en Inglés.

Language Learning Profile

Nombre: Rocío Muñoz Jara.

María Lagos Lagos.

Course: ESL Methodology

Teacher: Maria Gabriela Sanhueza.

Concepcion, November 2014.

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Index

3. 4. - Theoretical Framework

5. - Student’s Language Background

6. - Written Diagnosis Test

- Analysis and assessment of specific diagnosis

7. - Planning a CALLA Lesson

8. 9. - Procedures

10. - Discussion and Conclusion

11. - References

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Theoretical Framework

For students learning and acquiring a second or foreign language can be difficult and

frustrating if they do not have the necessary tools and the key to successfully mastering all

the skills of the language itself. Therefore, the learning of a foreign or second language

depends upon the language learning styles and the strategies. Students` learning styles are,

according to Oxford (2003), the general approaches which are used with the purpose of

learn other subject or acquire a new language. On the other hand, learning strategies are

used by students to enhance their own learning. A conscious, active and purposeful self-

regulation of learning is accomplished by students when they choose strategies that fit with

their learning style and the L2 task at hand. Furthermore, cognitive, metacognitive,

memory-related, compensatory, affective and social are different kind of learning

strategies.

Rebecca Oxford (2003) defined learning strategies as specific techniques, behaviours, steps

or/and actions that students use at the moment of learning. Not only she makes an emphasis

on learning strategies, but also she emphasises the different learning styles which can be

based on personality, sensory preferences, thinking v/s feeling, beyond the stylistic comfort

zone, among others.

The importance of the language leaner strategies in the learning process of a second

language from the point of Steven McDonough`s view (2006) lies on the importance of

what the learner is going to learn from his own experience by using a strategy. On the other

hand, strategy is something that the learner has already use it and has the experience on it;

therefore, they are sure that they are going to get the right answer by using it. Moreover, if

the learner have reached that level is because it is a particular feature of himself called, his

own ´´learning persona``. Therefore, the use of learning strategies increases leaners`

motivation and they are more interested because they feel that they can be successful on the

tasks.

Finally, Chamot (2004) states that students can accomplish learning goals through thoughts

and actions; i.e., learning strategies. Most learning strategies could be unobservable

(selective attention) or observable (take notes); therefore, the only way to have knowledge

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about the strategies that students are using is through verbal report data in order to capture

mental processes (Cohen, 1998; O’Malley & Chamot, 1990; Rubin, 1975; Wenden, 1991,

as cited in Chamot 2004). Retrospective interviews, stimulated recall interviews,

questionnaires, written diaries and journals, and think-aloud protocols were used by

researchers in order to ask language learners to describe their learning processes and

strategies. Nevertheless, a questionnaire has been developed by Oxford (2003), Strategy

Inventory for Language Learning (SILL), as a tool in order to collect data in figures terms

of mostly foreign language learners (Cohen, Weaver. & Li, 1998; Nyikos & Oxford, 1993;

Olivares-Cuhat, 2002; Oxford, 1990; 1996; Oxford & Burry Stock, 1995; Wharton, 2000,

as cited in Oxford, 2003).

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Student´s language background

Student´s name and general information

Name: Luis Alberto Muñoz Jara.

School: CEAT (Subside School with Technical Formation).

Age: 16 years old.

Grade: Third grade.

Interests about the English language

Master the spoken and written language (fluency, pronunciation and

vocabulary).

Learn the correct structures in terms of grammar in the written language.

Achieve the correct level in order to access to better opportunities in the

professional area.

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Written diagnosis task

Describing my family and my holidays

In my family we is three people. We live in Concepcion in a fourteen years. My father

work for a company and my mother works in home. My sister is a student in the university.

Also I has two dog and two cats and two fish. Also I am a student of sixteen year old, I like

play video games, I like candies, I like play football and I dislike eat vegetables. In the

future I will be in company and will live in a big house. In december I will do PSU because

I like work as a engenire. In this summer I will go to Quillon with my family and my pet. In

there I will swim and go dance in the disco. Last I will visit my grandmother in Tome with

all my family.

Analysis and assessment of specific diagnosis

It can be observed that the learner has a notable deficiency in grammar. He has problems

with the structures of sentences, he omitted the ¨s¨ of the verbs in third person singular, and

there is no coherence between subjects and verbs, spelling mistakes, to name but a few. To

begin with, there are several problems related to sentence structures and grammar, but the

main problem that we identified was the lack of coherence among sentences resulting in a

description of his family not so understandable. We have decided to focus our teaching

strategy on the development of his ideas rather than grammar. In other words, we want him

to be able to communicate not to master grammatical rules. Having this as main purpose,

the strategy that we will teach will be brainstorm. This strategy will help our student to

connect his ideas coherently resulting in a good piece of writing.

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Planning a CALLA Lesson

Content objectives

Student will be able to describe his family using the structure of the simple present.

Student will be able to express his family´s dislikes/likes.

Student will be able to describe his family´s daily routine.

Language Objective

Write a composition about his family.

Learning strategies

Strategies objective: writing about any topic can be seen for students as a very

difficult task especially if they do not know what to say and how to connect their ideas.

That is why the use of brainstorming strategy will help students to list every idea that

they might have. This simple process will help them to be aware of what they know;

therefore, they can organize the information in a congruous way.

Materials: pictures of families, copybook.

Content area: English

Grade: 3rd medio.

Topic: Describing my family.

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Procedures

Preparation

Ask to the student about his family (orally), for example:

Where does your father work?

Does your mother work?

How many brothers and sisters do you have?

What does your brother/sister do?

Do you have any pet?

Presentation

Introduce the task and the strategy.

“You have provided me with a lot of information about your family, but how can you

remember all of this ideas when you have to write them down? So today we will use a

new strategy called brainstorming”

“Now I will show you some pictures and I want you to write down ideas related to the

pictures, they can be facts that you see from the pictures, or whichever ideas that you

can infer from the images. Remember that you do not have to describe the pictures, you

have to write down your ideas”

Teacher shows a wide variety of pictures with different kind of families and doing

different activities.

Practice

“Now you will do a brainstorm about your family, write down as many ideas as you

can about your family´s members``.

Student has to write down on his copybook all the ideas related to his family. As a

result, he will be able to organize and connect the ideas by using the strategy.

After having finished the brainstorm, the student will write a composition about his

family.

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Evaluation

After he finished his first drafts, he is going to present his composition to the teacher.

The student looks for suggestions about his production in order to improve his

composition. The student is continuing with the revision process until the final editing.

Teacher asks to the student: Was useful the strategy useful for you? Can you plan your

composition by using it? or Was difficult to use it?.

Expansion

Teacher provides to the student certain information about another family. Student has

to write a composition about this family by using the brainstorming strategy, following

the same process writing that was taught before.

Teacher checks how the student is activating his previous knowledge before he start to

write.

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Discussion and Conclusion

We can assume that these problems are result of an inadequate preparation from his high

school or due to a lack of motivation by the learner. Through this diagnosis test we clearly

observed the different problems that the learner has, mainly in terms of grammar. We got to

the conclusion that providing the student with strategies will help him to improve his

performances in the English language. However, the activities should be focus on his

interests; otherwise if he is not interested in the activities he is not going to exert himself.

Furthermore, our student needs the appropriate and continuous input in the English

language in order to improve his written and spoken language. In other words, the

implementation of strategies at the moment of teaching will enhance students’ learning and

understanding.

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References

Archibald, A. (2006). Learner Strategies: an interview with Steven McDonough.

Oxford University Press.

Chamot, A. (2004). Issues in Language Learning Strategy Research and Teaching.

Electronic Journal of Foreign Language Teaching 2004, Vol. 1, No. 1, pp. 14-26.

Oxford, R. (2003). Language Learning Styles and Strategies: an overview. Gala.