STYLES ANDSTRATEGIES

Process, Style and Strategy

Process:the most general conceptuniversal, such as generalization & attririonStyle:consistent tendencies or preferences within

anindividual that differentiate him from

anyone elseStrategies:specific methods of approaching a problemvary intraindividually

Learning Styles

Def. cognitive, affective and physiological…

predisposition to process information

* Learning styles mediate between emotion and

- cognition . - Physical, affective and cognitive domains

merge in LS.

- Significant LS in SLA:

1- Field Independence (FI)

Def. of field independence:The ability to perceive a particular item in a field

of distracting items.In general psychological terms field refers to a

setof thoughts, ideas or feelings

Field dependence (FD) = Field sensitivityIt depends on the total field, so the parts are not

easily perceived.Field sensitivity carries a positive connotation

Advantages of FI style:1- distinguish parts from a whole2- concentrate on something3- analyze separate variables without the

conta- mination of neighboring variables.

Too much FI = cognitive tunnel visionThus, the development of FD style has

positiveeffects : you perceive the whole picture

* Both FI and FD are necessary for most of the

cognitive & effective problems we face

Intelligence Factors

analytical attention-concentration

verbal comprehension

How are these factors related to FI/FD ?Only the 1st one is related to FI

• FI/FD develops in childhood but stable in adult- hood and a person tends to be dominant in one

mode or the other

FI/FD is socially determined

Authoritarian or agrarian= more FD personsDemocratic, industrialized, competitive= FI

person

Characteristics of FI persons1- more independent2- competitive and3- self-confident

Characteristics of FD1- more socialized2- derive their self-identity from persons

around3- more empathic and perceptive of the

feelings and thoughts of others

How does all this relate to SLL ?Two conflicting hypotheses have emerged1- in favor of FI2 in favor of FD

Studies in favor of FI proved:-FI is related to classroom learning that

involvesanalysis, attention to details, mastering drills-FI correlated positively & significantly with

lang. success in the classroom-FI is related to cloze test that requires

analysis-FI correlated to lang. success as measured

both bytraditional, analytic, paper & pencil test & by

oralInterviewFI = deductiveFD= inductive

Conclusions in favor of FD depend on anecdotal

or observational evidenceWhy ? Tests for FI but not FD. No

standardizedmeans of measuring FD

* FD persons are successful in learning the communicative aspects of a 2nd lang.

The paradox: How could FD and FI be equally

important ?

Both styles are important because we have twodifferent kinds of lang. learning.

1- natural face-to-face communication = FD2- familiar classroom activities = FI

This conclusion is supported by diff. studies- FI/D differentiates tutored from untutored SLL- FI/D differentiates child and adult lang. acqui.

- Logically & observationally FI/D is variable within one person depending on learning context

Some people might be highly FI and highly FD as

contexts vary.

The burden on the learner is to invoke the appropriate style for the context

The burden on the teacher is to understand the preferred style of each learner and to sow the

seeds for flexibility.

2- Left- and Right-Brain Functioning

Different functions for left/right hemispheres

(see table 5.1 + 1st parag.)

• Left and right hemispheres work together as a team, both involved in most neurological activity of the human brain.

• How is left-/right-brain functioning related to

2nd lang. learning & teaching ?

Left-brain-dominant= deductiveProduce separate words, gather the specifics

oflang., carry out sequences of operations and

deal with abstraction, classification ion, labeling & reorganization.

Right-brain-dominant=inductivedeal with whole images, generalization,

metaphors,emotional reactions & artistic expressions.

3- Ambiguity Tolerance

- Def.- Open-minded vs. close-minded

- Advantages of tolerant of ambiguity:- 1- free to entertain innovative

possibilities- 2- not disturbed by ambiguity &

uncertainty

* In 2nd language learning

Disadvantages of tolerance of ambiguity1- accepting every proposition2- not efficiently subsuming necessary facts3- preventing meaningful subsumption of

ideas e.g. linguistic rules.

Advantages of intolerance of ambiguity1- guard against the wishy-washiness2- close off avenues of hopeless possibilities3- reject entirely contradicting material4- deal with the reality of the system

Disadvantages of intolerance of ambiguity1- close the mind too soon2- the mind is too narrow to be creativeThis may be particularly harmful in SLL

* few research findings are available on this style

4- Reflectivity and Impulsivity

Reflectivity= systematicDef.Impulsivity= intuitiveDef.

R/I implications for language acquisition In child 1st lang. acquisition:1- reflective children make fewer mistakes in

reading/ impulsive are faster readers and master the psycholinguistic guessing game.

2- reflective = inductive reasoning

R/I in second language learning1- reflective= slower but more accurate in

reading2- reflection was weakly related to

performance on a proofreading task3- fast-accurate or good guessers are better

learners

In second language classroom learning & teaching

1- Tr. judge mistakes by impulsive learner too harshly

2- reflective learners require patience from Tr.

3- impulsive learners may go through a number of rapid transition of semigrammatical stages while reflective ones may remain longer at a particular stage

5- Visual and Auditory Styles

Visual learners = reading & studying charts, drawings, graphic information

Auditory learners = listening to lectures and audiotapes

Successful learners utilize both

* Cross-cultural differences