TKT Module 1 Revision: Learner characteristics
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You should only come here if you have completed a face-to-face course for TKT Module 1 or have done the Module 1 course on this site. |
The parts of the
answer which are underlined are things you
should know.
Examples are in black.
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Learner characteristics |
Make a note of your answer to the question and then click on the
to reveal the answer.
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How can our personalities affect how we learn a language? Give an example. |
People's
personalities can have
an effect on how they
react to challenges and to tasks in the classroom and
how they respond to other people.
For example: If someone is very shy, they will not be happy explaining something in front of the rest of the class but will be happier working in small groups. A very outgoing, sociable person will respond well to speaking tasks and not be shy to speak in front of the whole class. |
| How can our
previous learning experiences affect how we learn a
language? Give an example. |
How we have learned
things before can change
how we see activities and tasks in the classroom.
For example: Someone who has successfully learned a foreign language before turning attention to English will probably feel that whatever method worked in the past will work again. Such a learner may not be very responsive to any differences in approach. Most people's formal learning experiences happen in schools where the teacher's role is to be the voice of authority and the source of information. Changes to that may not be welcome by adults who want the teacher's role to continue as an authority. |
| How can our
cultural background affect how we learn a language? Give an example. |
Culture conditions
many of our responses to social situations.
For example: In some cultures making a mistake in public is considered shameful and learners with this cultural background may have difficulty taking any kind of public risk. Some cultures have very clear power structures and will expect the teacher to maintain distance and command. Other cultures have much narrower power differences and will expect a teacher to be friendly and approachable. |
| Explain why
there is no such thing as a visual learner. |
Learning styles theory has been
severely criticised
as pseudo-science.
Even if any of the many competing theories have some truth in them, no single style will be the only style that a learner has. We are all mixtures of styles and preferred learning approaches. |
| Here are some
learner characteristics. Identify which apply to
adults, which to teenagers and which to children. can use abstract ideas sometimes like to move around learn by doing not very self aware uncomfortably self aware self aware motivated by having fun like to move around have lots of experience need to move around sometimes unmotivated use abstract ideas self controlled usually well motivated |
Children:
learn by doing need to move around not very self aware motivated by having fun Teenagers: can use abstract ideas: the word 'can' implies that they don't always uncomfortably self aware like to move around sometimes unmotivated Adults: sometimes like to move around usually well motivated self aware have lots of experience use abstract ideas self controlled |
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That's the end.How did you do? |
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