1. UNIT 13 LEARNER CHARACTERISTICS TKT COURSE

2. LEARNER CHARACTERISTICS The differences between learners which influence their attitude to learning a language and how they learn it. Learners are not all the same ! They do not all learn in the same way !

3. DIFFERENCES

• Learners motivation

• Personality

• Language level

• Learning style

• Age

• Past language learning experience

4. KEY CONCEPTS LEARNING STYLES

• The ways in which a learner naturally prefers to take in, process and remember information and skills.

• Visual

• Auditory

• Kinaesthetic

• Group

• Individual

• Reflective

• Impulsive

5. VISUAL Through seeing

6. AUDITORY Through hearing

7. KINAESTHETIC Through using the body

8. GROUP Working with others

9. INDIVIDUAL Through working alone

10. IMPULSIVE When able to respond inmediately

11. REFLECTIVE Time to consider choices

12. LEARNING STRATEGIES

• The ways chosen and used by learners to

• learn a language. Learners can be trained to become aware of and use different learning strategies.

• Repeting new words

• Experimenting

• Guessing the meaning

• Asking the teacher

• Recording themselves

• Practice with foreigners

• Using cards.

• The right strategy at the right time can help learners to be more independent

13. KEY CONCEPTS MATURITY

• Maturity involves becoming grown up physically, mentally and emotionally.

• Each group needs to be taught in a different way !

• CHILDREN TEENAGERS ADULTS

• Need to move Keep still for longer periods Keep still

• Concentrate for short periods Developing Long periods

• Learn through experience Begin to learn in abstract ways Abstract thinking

• Not able to control and plan Begin to control Able to contol

• their own behaviour

• Not afraid of making mistakes Worry about what others think Not so willing to

• or risks take risks

• Not aware of themselves and Sometimes uncomfortably aware Aware

• and their actions

• Pay attention to meaning Attention to meaning and form Same

• Limited experience of life Beginning to increase experience Have

14. KEY CONCEPTS PAST LANGUAGE LEARNING EXPERIENCE

• Some learners may be used to learning in a particular way and have definite ideas about how they learn best.

• Teachers need to be aware of how their learners have learnt previously and how they want to learn now; some teachers may also need to change their teaching to make the learner more comfortable and confident.

• It is not possible for the teacher of a big class to meet the learner characteristics of each one, but we can try to change to match the most we can.