ANDRESSA BRIGHENTE

MATCHING STYLES AND METHODS

aneffectivepartnership

Research paper presered to obtain the

degree in the SpecializationCourse in

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SupervIsor Prafessora Rossana Clno Uba

CURITffiA2002

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SUMMARY

31 INTRODUCTION

2 LEARNING STYLES

21 THE PHYSICAL COMPONENTS

5

7

22 THE AFFECTIVE COMPONENTS 7

23 THE SENSORY MODALITIES 8

24 THE COGNITIVE STYLES 10

43 ROLE-PLAYS WITH TEXTS AND DIALOGUES

44 TPR GESTURES AND BODY LANGUAGE

45 DEBATES

46 INDUCTIVE AND DEDUCTIVE EXPLANATION 27

47 MUSIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS AND RHYTHM 28

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25

26

48 MOVIES AND VIDEOS

5 CONCLUSION

REFERENCES

APPENDIX

ii

1 INTRODUCTION

Second and foreign language teaching have been 01 focus over the last

decades and many different theories infiuenced by the development in the fields of

Ilinguistics and psychology onglnated vanous methods and apP10aches

Considering this fact it is frequently asked which method is the best and the

most effective one Along the years researchers and teachJs have been trying

many methods isolated but each time they are overshadowed by the defeats and

gaps found in those methods Researchers insist on finding a miraculous method

which would fit every learner Methods such as Audio-lingual Desuggestopedia

Language Teaching come from different approaches each one with specific

Community Language Learning Total Physical Response (TPR) and Communicative

characteristics and techniques Each method has its strengths and weaknesses

Irelativists believe but they are not equally sUited for all sltualtons (Freeman 1986

Ip182) There is no perfect method in which different learners obtain full knowledge

of the language

In order to solve this problem a new concept has been mentioned method

sinergistics (Rodgers 2000) which consists in combining ellments of various

methods discovering those practices which best support effeCi~e learning Course

books usually follow one specific methodology but teachers can adapt and cover the

gaps with other techniques so that they achieve more effective teiching

related~~~~rh~~nl a~~ ~e r~ ~ e

s

Briggs (1976)Torrance (1980) Kolb (1984) Keirsey amp Bates r988) MacCarthy

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4

preferences They learn In different and unique ways and that fact should not e

neglected ILearners use different strategies and perceptions lhile in contact with

another language Talking to several people it is noticed learners not only have

I f different needs and alms but also develop unique ways to perceive In ormation

I especially when learning a foreign language Some prefer to practice a lot In pairs or

groups some need to see the grammar rules written on th1 board others need

some time to absorb what they have learned Teachers must Ie aware of students

learning styles so that they can understand and overcome the problems usually

faced in class lTeaching a second foreign language is a challenge to eachers all over the

world but if they are conscious of their students learning ltYleS they will use

different and specific practices and techniques to cover those Ibarning preferences I

anslng learners Interest and motivation and accelerating the learning process

Moreover if teachers recognize their students preferences andi associate them with

effective techniques within different methodologies (method sinergistics) students

will learn better It is important to point out that in this ~per practices and

techniques are used as synonyms IThe purpose of this paper is to recognize select and analyze some learning

slyles methods and approaches in order to provide an oveJew The paper also

addresses suggestions on how teachers can combine those Irarning preferences

and effective practices in each method using the communicative approach as basis

and apply them in the classroom

2 LEARNING STYLES

First it is necessary to define what learning styles re There are many

definitions but it can be simplified by saying that they are di1erent approaches or

ways of learning Betty Lou Leaver (1998 p23) mentions whatt the best definition

which is the one suggested by Keefe (1979) Learning styles are characteristic

cognitive affective and physiological behaviors that serve as relatively stable

indicators of how learners perceive interact with and respond to the learning

environment Keefe (1991) describes learning styles aJ both a students

characteristic and an instructional strategy in other words thJy are how a student

Reiff (apud Hood 1995 p 1) claims that styles influence how students learn how

learn and likes to learn and the cognition the context and the content of learning

teachers teach and how they interact The three aspects are linked and must be

conSidered If a student has one way to learn and the teacher has a different one to

teach the learning process will probably be obstructed compr

1enSlonof Individual

differences and learning preferences can proVide teachers Ith the theory and

knowledge upon which to base decIsions (Hood 1995 p 2) AnalYZing how

students react to various stimuli teachers can establish the best procedures to be

used to instruct and help in the learning process There is no success in an

educational program if it does not consider the individual neeis of students and

personal preferences in perceiving organizing and retaining information

Planning lessons fitting the learning styles will be one bf the solutions for

students failure or non-improvement

Active leaming is better than passive and teachers are needed t1 organize stimulate an

direct learning especially if it gets the learner involved in problem ~IVing and all the realistic

communicative tasks that are now being used We don1 need to retum to the days when

teaching interfered with learning but we do need teachers who explain when explanation is

needed who give active input when it is necessary and helpful Jnd who always take the

responsibility for giving their students the means with which they can develop the skills and

Realistically a teacher cannot be expected to have a different lesson for

every person in the classroom however lessons can reflect an understanding of

I ndvdualdifferences by appropriately Incorporating strategies for a variety of stylesmiddot

(Hood 1995) A lesson can be adapted to fit individual needs JithOut compromising

the whole group and the teaching itself

On the other hand some researchers claim the opposite Researchers suchI

as Rector and Henderson (apud Hood 1995) have discovered that there are factors

knowledge they need (Lindsay 2001 p14)

which influence a students achievement such as the nature of the concept to be

taught the time available and the students characteristics Th~ir research showed

that applying different strategies resulted in no relevant differe~ce in improvement

Even so it is claimed that by identifying learning styles anld applying suitable

strategies teachers can help the students to overcome the diffibutties in learning a

foreign language

According to some authors (Leaver 199B Hood 1995) there are some

Iaspects or diVISions of learning styles to be conSIdered

1the phYSiological

components the affective components the sensory modalities and the cognitive

styles

21 THE PHYSIOLOGICAL COMPONENTS

The physiological components include sex-related differences nutrition

health biorhythms and reactions to the physical environmentl Examples of these

factors are the preferences for studying in a quiet room or with the IV on with bright

~~ ~i~e O~hcrO ~ ~u~t~h11~smponents and may

2 2 THE AFFECTIVE COMPONENTS

The affective components include personality and em01ional characteristics

related to the areas of persistence responsibility motivation and peer interaction

(Reiff 1992 apud Hood 1995 p2 ) The affective compone~ts play an important

role in the learning process Many times teachers face problem~ related to students

personality and interaction These problems are all over the dassrooms students Iwho are Introvert and dont speak In dass others who are extrvert and do not let

anybody talk students who hate working in large groups or being exposed in front of

the class students who are self-reliant and others who relyi too much on the

teacher They can all be part of the same class and teachers must be aware of these

differences and try to give support 10each of them By observTg teachers can be

successful in determining what type of students they have and create mechanisms to

deal with them

23 THE SENSORY MODALITIES

Learning modalities are the sensory channels or pat1ways through which

individuals give receive and store information (Hood 1995 p2) The sensory

Imodalities are divided in visual auditory and motor (Leaver 1986)

Visual learners are the ones who have the ability to perlive the visual They

need to visualize to understand the content of a lesson It is as if they have a movie

camera in their minds They take in what they hear or read and translate it into

images in their brains When visuals want to remember wha they have learned

they simply glance upwards and look at the image that they have stored in their

minds There are two subdivisions (Leaver 1986) in this category verbalists and

I Imaglnatlsts They both use the visual sense but verbalists create mental Images

using words in other words they picture the words in their minds while imaginatists

think of pictures to retain information They have vivid imaginatibn These two kinds

I of students usually learn better from visual aids such aSalsloagrams Illustrated

textbooks Videos handouts pictures and movies They pay attention to

brightness Size color contrast and other visual features

In a classroom the Visual learner performs very well because all testing IS

conducted in a written format The visual students easily fit i~to most classroom

standards such as sitting quietly writing neatly and organiling materials well

Teachers working with visual students can exploit puzzle bUildirg reading writing

sketching painting using pictures maps and charts to illustrate the learning point

By observation teachers can spot who visual students arel They usually sit at

the front of the classroom they like to underline important inforlation usually with

colorful highlighters they try to draw or write while learning and they also prefer that

the teacher use the board flipcharts or pictures while teaching1

Auditory learners acquire new information through sound (Leaver 1998

p26) They need to listen to other people and to themselves to lunderstand and learn

better They also talk about what to do when they learn They take more advantage

There are two subdivisions of auditory learners the aural who learn by

of verbal lectures than written information

listening to others and the oral who need to talk and hear therSelVeS Things both

types pay attention to are tone of voice pitch speed rhythm and other nuances

Auditory students are usually spotted in class due to their performance They like to

Ispeak about and repeat what they learn and they eaSily do that They are often fast

at grasping information through listening and songs Amonb the three sensory

modalities (visual auditory and motor) the auditory is the mostltalkative and has the

most difficulty in writing Activities which are more effective Wlth auditory students

are any involving listening and speaking such as storytellinb oral explanations

debates and music IMotor learners learn better by exploring the physical W011daround them they

learn through movement There are again two subdivisions kinesthetic and

mechanical The kinesthetic learn better when they ~usethe gross motor muscles~

(Leaver 1998 p26) which means jumping dancing rUnningwhile learning the

mechanical use the fine motor muscles (idem p26) in other words they prefer for

instance to cut out pictures and write down in order to learn IThrough interaction with the environment around them they are able to

remember and process information This kind of student is eas~ to identify because

they seldom keep sitting still for long periods and if they haT to they easily get

Idistracted They also gesture when speaking they are poor lisleners and they lose

interest in long speeches They need direct involvement in what they are learning

10

According to research carried on by OMIT (Douglas Mawson In1stitute of Technology

in South Australia) forty percent of students are mainly kinesthetic learners

The teacher can work with dancing body language miming role plays

expressing emotions through the body activities which need to walk around find

clues cut out magazines and glue

24 THE COGNITIVE STYLES

The cognitive styles are the information processing ha its of an individual

These represent a persons typical modes of perceiving thinking remembering and

I problem solving ( Keefe apud Hood 1995 p2 ) There are mar categories for this

division of learning styles but only the most easily found will be described in this

research paper The categories chosen to be analyzed are deductive and inductive

impulsive and reflective IThe deductive and inductive styles are related to the way students work out

grammar explanations rules and examples IDeductive learners are the ones who love studying the rules They need to

have the explanation and after they understand the mechaniJm they go for the

examples If the teacher skips the explanation the students lsuallY get confused

and frustrated

Inductive learners are the ones who handle having the examples first quite

well because they like to work out the rules by themselves T~ey do not need the

teacher to explain everything If the teacher does so they get bted easily When it

I II

happens students can stop listening doodle start working on their own or doing

something else IImpulsive and reffective styles are related to the spf)ed and manner of

processing a response to a cognitive stimulus IImpulsive learners think and respond nearly simultaneously (Leaver 1998

fi L hmiddot h d tp43) They are the ones who always finish the activities Irst anu raise t elr an sa

I donce when the teacher asks a question or even when the question IS not complete

yet Sometimes they do not even know the answer Their resp+ses are usually less

accurate This kind of student likes competitions such as quiz shows or miming

The reflective think first then respond showing more [involved and deeper

levels of thinking (idem p43) For this reason their answers are more accurate but

usually incomplete They take more time to answer and this is taken as a

1 d fl dlsadvantage because In a classroom where there are Impulsive an re ectlve I

students the reflective ones are consIdered slow Teachers take thiS charactenstlc

as lack of intelligence and tend to isolate or give up the studentslwho are reflective

Teachers can identify impulsive and reffective students by observing them inI

class Impulsive learners usually ask their classmates to be faster when completing

a task and they are also the ones who speak before any other in class while

reflective learners participate less in discussions and are the la~t ones to raise their

hands to answer a question IIn fact identifying the learning styles in a group is not an easy task mainly

because an individual can develop more than one style For exJmPle a learner who

is recognized as being visual may have a second and strong pfeference like being

kinesthetic and may develop a third one as well It is not all fixed Teachers can not

be led to believe that only one rule exists mainly because therb are many different

Iaspects involving learning It must be taken into consideration that personality

outside pressure and fears are also part of each leamers baLground and usually

affect the way they learn IWhen teachers decide to work with learning styles they lought to select some

of them otherwise teachers can feel frustrated either by analyzing the large amount

12

of data or by choosing among various techniques to cover III of the preferences

found in a group of students

The best way to recognize students preferences is by observation StudentsI

tend to show or say how they learn especially for the learning styles mentioned

previously So observing them will be enough But if the tealers for any reason

can not identify the styles or are not sure about the results they can use

questionnaires or some activities to support them There are multiple-choice

questionnaires writing tasks group and individual activities developed with the

purpose of complementing the discovery of students preferences (see appendix B)

After having collected all the information about the students the next step is

to select methods and approaches which can contribute to the IJarners development

in association with their learning preferences According to Rod Ellis (1997)

learners with differing kinds of ability may be able to achieve similar levels of

success providing that the type of instruction enables theJ to maximize their

strengths

3 THE COMMUNICATIVE APROACH AND METHODS

31 AN OVERVIEW

Teachers and researchers have been asking themselves what the best

I approach or method would be to teach their students Many attempts were made InI

the past to find the perfect method These attempts resulted in various theories Iwhich are slill being used In schools around the world but they are far from being the

perfect ones According to Freeman (1986 p182) each met~od presents efficient

techniques which can be exploited in class but she claims thatla particular method

cannot be a prescription for success for everyone ~ IIt has been proved that working with one method ray not fill all the

necessities in a group of students as the group is not always homogeneous A

method generally emphasizes one specific approach that may be suitable or not for

the students Our routines need re-thinking and uP-datind but good ways of

teaching - those that help the learning process - should not be rejected (Lindsay

2001 p 15) Leaver (1998 p 128) asserts that methbds should not be

straightjackets for either teachers or students pedagogical demagoguery has no

of each teachers arsenal in the struggle to win the style war

place in a free country Methods and techniques that comprise them should be part

In order to identify which practices are useful for each learning styles it is

important to review some of the methods and their principles It is necessary to point

out that only some methods were chosen the ones which teac1ers can work with in

the same class The Communicative Approach has an important role as it is the

basis for the application of the different selected techniques

32 THE COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH

The Communicative Approach (CA) focuses on communication and

interaction For this reason meaning is more important than fOl The activities dealt

with in class are task-based involving information sharing negotiation usage of real

and meaningful contexts authentic materials and functions Students must interact in I

many different situations In classes where this approach IS the basIs translation 15

not allowed Students learn by working in pairs or groups throlgh cooperation and

errors are not always corrected to avoid impeding fluency Tre teacher must be

attentive to students needs in order to provide help when it is necessary Role-plays

games problem solving and activities involving informatio~ gap choice and

feedback are some of the tasks used in the CA

33 METHODS

The methods to be analyzed in this paper are

The Grammar-Translation Method

The Direct Method

The Audio-Lingual Method

Desuggestopedia

Community Language Learning

Total Physical Response (TPR)

331 The Grammar-Translation Method

15

The Grammar Translation Method was first called the Classical Method used

to teach the classical languages latin and Greek It was apdlied in order to help

students read foreign language literature It was believed t~at foreign language

Ilearning would help students grow Intellectually no matter If they used the language

m~ Classes which are based on the Grammar Translation jethod are teacher-

centered and focus on reading and writing Students try to Td equivalents and

similarities between l1 and l2 l1 is permitted and learners have to memorize lists

of vocabulary It is also based on deductive grammar learning

332 The Direct Method

The Direct Method received its name from the fact tha meaning is to be

conveyed directly in the target language with the help of demonstration and visual

aids Therefore translation is not allowed Nowadays its goal of inltruction is to learn

how to use a foreign language to communicate lTeachers work with direct association real contexts I sing topics and

exposure speaking inductive grammar and self-correction hey also exploit

pictures and realia to contextualize and associate better

16

3 3 3 The Audio Lingual Method

IThe Audio Lingual Method IS an oral-based approacr method based on

Structurahsm and BehavIorism Skinner IS the best-known representative of this

method It is believed that the best way to acquire the target language is through

conditioning Teachers help learners to respond to stimuli using shaping and

reinforcement They think learners create and form new habits demanded to become

speakers of the target language So this method uses drills tb teach grammatical

sentence patterns focusing on oral rather than written ProductiOh

Stressing habit formation dialogues drills repetition verbal and nonverbal

stimuli and inductive learning are some of the techniques used In it The classes are

teacher-centered and it is recommended to work only with the target language Error

334 Desuggestopedia

must be avoided because they lead the students to bad habits

Desuggestopedia comes from an affective-humanistic approach in which the

main focus is on students feelings It is believed that people Jstablish barriers and

limitations when starting to learn a language These barriers make learners not use

the total mental capacity leading them to fail A solution to change this scenario is to

I desuggest students from setting up these limitations Desuggestopedla IS a method

in which a mixture of fine arts and music has an important rOlk in making learners

feel relaxed and consequently they will learn without being awJre of the process

The classes are teacher-centered in a very friendly environment DialoguesI

texts vocabulary lists role-plays different identities colorful posters musical

f 0 t dInstruments painting and baroque musIc are part 0 a esugges ope 18

17

class

335 Community Language Learning

Translation and comparison between L1 and L2 are allowed

Community Language Learning is based on the counselTg-learning approach

created for adult teaching Students must be considered as whole persons Whole-

person learning means that teachers consider not only their sLdents intellect but

I I h Ialso have some understanding of the relationship among students fee lngs P YSlca

reactions instinctive protective reactions and desire to learn (Freeman 1994 p

89)

The course is topic-based and learners provide the topics Teachers work with

translation group work recording transcription reflection obselation listening and Ifree conversation Students work collaboratlvely having the teacher as a counselor

Teacher uses chunks of words Sharing learning experiences i1 part of the process

Students take responsibility for their learning therefore it is a self-directed method

336 Total Physical Response

Total Physical Response is part of the comprehension approach In this

approach language learning starts with understanding and thtn producing Only

when the students have internalized the target language process will they start

speaking It is also grammar-based and structuralist It involtes comprehension

before production focusing on meaning rather than form then 6rammar and lexis

The classes are teacher-centered and the teacher provides i~perative sentences

I 18

and drills for the students to perform A good TPR class should make the use of

action gestures and tone of voice This method is claimed to Ilreducestress in the

learning process TPR is based in the wayan infant learns its native language First

students should just listen and understand how the language is Iused and after they

going to be accurate but it will improve gradually

have internalized it they will automatically produce it At first he language is not

Students must be exposed to the target language The eacher must be as

expressive as possible so they can use pictures to help

4 THE PARTNERSHIP

19

After analyzing and selecting the learning styles and t~le methods sUitable

techntques need to be selected and combined with learners pre erences

In this paper It IS suggested that classes be based a the Communicative

Approach The reason is that many coursebooks used in languige schools in Brazil

In order to provide effective activities for each of the learning styles the

nowadays are based on this approach

methods were analyzed and some of the techniques were chosen Not all the I practices were selected because It IS clear that the methods have similarities and

contrasts and it is necessary to be sensible when working with ~ethod sinergistics

As there is no perfect method that integrates and accommodJtes all the learning

styles a selection of useful ideas should be made

There are some techniques and activities below which can be effective in any

11 I I mutl- earning-stye class If prepared and used carefully and appropriately

41 GAMES

Games are mainly part of the Communicative APproach] but they can be

adapted to suit most of the methods the Grammar-Translation Method TPR The

Language Learning

Audio-Lingual Method the Direct Method Desuggestopedia and Community

Games may be applied to all the learning styles Teachers can use ready-

made games or create their own Some games are suggested in the chart that

follows

20

GAME lEARNING STYLES APPROACHMETHODSSpelling competition and

Iscrabbles Visual e motor GTM

Crosswords and word searchers Visual and reflective I GTM

Visual auditory motor and

IBingo inductive CAAlM

Miming Visual motor impulsive I CA TPR DMVocabulary categories and stop Visual and impulsive I GTMD

Can you name Auditory impulsive reflective(categories) and visual GTM

Build up a word Visual motor and reflective GTM

Betting game Visual inductive reflective and(correction of mistakes) auditory DM

Song game Auditory and motor CAD

Reflective motor visual andFind the murderer auditory DM Cll

Quiz Impulsive motor and auditory DMCA

Drill game Auditory impulsive and inductive AlM

Find the target Motor and auditory TPR Cll

Build up the picture Motor reflective and visual TPRCll

Most of the games are well known but there are lme for which an

explanation of the procedures is needed Bingo is an activity thbt is found in many

different ways Teachers may work with bingo to review some JocabUlary students

have learned or review structures To play bingo students have td read their words in

the cards listen to the selected word and mark the options which have been called

Vocabulary categories is a competition which is played by two teams the

students have to write down as many words in the category aSJhey can Teachers

make cards with different categories written on them Students Irite the words on a

paper or on the board The winner is who has the most words There are two

0 I vanatons for this kind of game ne IS the game stop and the other IS can you

name The former is played individually using just paper anld pencil Students

write down pre-selected categories and put them in columns One student calls out a

~~

I 11Ililr(CA- bullbullbilr u

letter and everybody has to write one word for each category rtil they comple

of the categories As soon as one student completes them he says stop and the I

other students stop wntlng In a group they call out the answer For each different

answer students score 10 points and for the same answers they score 5 points The

C I dwinner ISthe one who gets the most pOintsat the end an you name ISplaye

in two groups Students receive a sheet of paper with some dategOrieS(Example

Can you name 3 things you can open and close) Then they dlcide in their groups

what words to write in the categories After that one group h1asto discover what

words the other group selected in one minute and Vice-versa The winner is the

group which discovers more words IBuild-up a word is another well-known game which is basically spelling and

thinking The teacher writes letters of the alphabet in small carbs and places them

SI

face down on the floor tudents one-by-one have to turn over a card until any of

I hthem can bUild up a word When students notice that a word In be bUild up t ey

~ank eaI~em in front of them to form a war The winner is the

The betting game is usually played in pairs Students receIve a sheet of paper

with sentences The sentences may be right or wrong Students analyze them and

decide if they are right or wrong correcting the wrong ones The1 they bet from $10

to $100 on their answers If they correct the sentence in the right way they will win

the amount they bet but if their correction is wrong they will lokie the money The

winner is the pair who wins the most money at the end

The song game is played in two groups with students in line The first

students in each line listens to a line of a song using headphones lnd has to whisper

it in his neighbors ear This students whispers to the next until t~e last listens to it

Then this student has to go to the board and write the sentrce Students keep

dOingthe activity until the song finishes For thiSreason the SOlg should not be long

and fast After the song finishes the teacher analyzes the sentences correcting

I where It IS necessary and sconng when there IS no mistakes The winner IS the

group which has less mistakes

Find the murderer is a game with clues Students haVj to discover who is

the murderer following the clue cards they have In order to 10 the task students

have to read the clues and interact with their group to link them and find out who is

the criminal

The drill game is also very well known The teacher starts saying a sentence

to be completed by one student Example I went to the supermarket and I

boughLchocolate breadcake Students take turns comPleting the sentence

without repeating the words The students who do not say a wori within the time limit

or repeat a word are out of the game The winner is the student who remains until

22

game

the end of the game Vocabulary and grammar structures can be exploited in this

Two efficient examples of quiz are like torta na caraand topa tudo por

dinheiro two TV programs in SBT The former consists in arSWering questions

about a topic or general vocabulary Two teams play against each other and who

rings the bell first has the right to answer The winner is the teamwhich scores more

pOintsThe latter consists in watching a sequence of a movie wHich is full of details

and after that answer questions based on these details The gale is also played in

teams and the competitors win fake money for each right ansler they give The

winner is the team which gets the largest amount of money

23

picture and they have to impersonate the people in the pictures organizing

the pair or trio which gets to the target first

Build up a picture is a competition played in groups Students receive a

themselves as the people in the picture Only one or two students from each group

can see the picture and have to give directions to the others t+ry to build it up The

winner is the group which gets the closest to the picture organization

These techniques which can be found in the Direct Method the

42 PICTURES GRAPHS REALIA AND POSTERS

Communicative Approach and Desuggestopedia are very useful for visual motor

inductive and deductive learners I

Visual students exploit everything they can see and if it is colorful or real they

will internalize the information better As they picture things in Itheir minds teachers

should use images numbers or words to help them showing Pi1cturesto start a class

presentation or to make students produce language based on them Teachers ought

Ito use the board and provide handouts to explain grammar ports Teachers should

also guide students to underline important information with cOlorul highlighters

Motor students need to do things so they can make Itheir own posters or

graphs about a topic or a grammar explanation working in pairs or groups They I also match or classify Information which can be vocabulary 0 anything related to a

topiCand place it in posters These learners also like to work with realia It is very

24

guess Students are blindfolded and they have to taste smell or touch the items in

order to guess what they are

For inductive and deductive learners the usage of pictures graphs or posters

may be useful if exploited in the right way Inductive students ban be provided with

1

visual material to try to work out examples of a structure Whit deductive students

receive the structure itself in colorful charts to make it more memorable

43 ROLE-PLAYSWITH TEXTS AND DIALOGUES

Role-plays and dialogues are present in the comiunicative Approach

Desuggestopedia and the Audio-Lingual Method They may be applied to motor

For example students read a text or the script of a dialogue (visual)

auditory visual inductive and reflective learners

exchange ideas with their peers (auditory reflective and inductive) prepare a

1 presentation and perform It (motor auditory and Inductive) ThiS ISthe main skeletonI

of a role-play and teachers can adapt or vary some elements Scenano clothes

Jaccessones and sound effects are usually Included In thiSactlvl[Y

Creating identities is another good activity The students close their eyes

and listen to a very soft song (classical or baroque) The tealer makes questions

Ilike What IS your name Where do you live What do you do etc and the

students answer them mentally but their answers should + an invention They

should create different people with their profiles After that thy talk to partners and

Introduce themselves uSing thelf new Identities Then In a group they can create a

story uSing the new characters and perform It For thiS activit the learning styles

that will take more advantage are reflective

25

and

kinesthetic

44 TPR GESTURES AND BODY LANGUAGE

The use of imperative gestures and body language are part of Total Physical

Response and the Communicative Approach These techniques are very useful for

visual kinesthetic and inductive students When teachers make any gestures they

Iare helping the visual students When they ask students to use body language or

TPR they are helping kinesthetic students IAn effective example is miming Kinesthetic students like performing for the

others to guess and impulsive learners love trying to discover Jhat is being mimed

So teachers can exploit grammar structures like present continLus and vocabulary

this way A good example is to divide the group in two teiams and place two

~sOolr~thaah~tht~ecs ~~derb ~hO~

teams have to mime It to help their partners guess the word IWhen teachers provide tasks uSingTPR kinesthetic students do better They

can perform and understand what IS being asked Inductive Istudents also learn

betier uSingTPR because they Internalize the examples and hOr to use them while

performing or providing imperatives for the other students to perform For instance

while teaching prepositions teachers may present Ihem and lSk the students to

follow directions John stand behind Mary Ann put yourself nixt to John and so

on unlil you have involved all the studenls Then teachers In vary selecting a

26

some of the structures which may be explored

student to give the directions Directions actions prepositions d conditionals are

45 DEBATES

Debates are part of the Communicative Approach and the Direct Method ThisI

activity works well for visual reflective auditory impulsive an motor learners The

students need time to prepare the arguments and at this mOlent visual refiective

and mechanical work better because they have to write dOWl the ideas and think

about the topic Auditory and kinesthetic students can also participate Auditory

students will discuss the ideas orally and the kinesthetic will classify good and bad

arguments At the moment of speaking all of them will be pr+ared to discuss and

state their point-of-view but auditory kinesthetic and impulsive learners will probably

do better in this task They have to move around the room be fast-talking and use

the right words An interesting way of applying this idea is to prsent a sequence of a

n~ ~c~sn ao~~ aar~cte~~t~l~~~~~se

Then they start the trial defending and accusing the man Twol students are chosen

to be the JudgesAt the end of the activity the students watch the final trial to check

what the verdict was In this activity there is time to prepare lanalyze and discuss

information there is visual and auditory support and there is movement during the

trial itself with which motor students feel comfortable I

It is necessary to divide the group so that the students rre organized to use

different abilities for instance a reflective with an impulsive arnd a mechanical or a

27

improve their abilities through contact with their peers

visual with an auditory and a kinesthetic working together This way students

46 INDUCTIVEAND DEDUCTIVE EXPLANATION

Inductive grammar explanation comes from the iirect Method the

Communicative Approach the Audio-Lingual Method and TiR while deductive

grammar explanation comes from the Grammar-Translation Method Both deductive

and inductive explanations are necessary to be used because t1eaChers usually find I Inductive and deductive students In the same class So It ISsuggested to work with

inductive exposition first for the students to try to find out the ~Ies by themselves

Then teachers may write the grammar rules on the board and elplain them or even

better provide handouts with the explanation so that students Iho really need this

I support WIll internalize the information more easily Teachers can also assign

help the deductive ones

inductive and deductive students to work together The inductive ones will eventually

Another relevant aspect is about oral and written eXPlinations Teachers

should combine them with deductive and inductive explanation Ii teachers adapt the

grammar explanations in this way they will support not only inductive and deductive

students but also visual auditory and motor ones For examfle after students

discuss the examples (auditory and inductive) the teacher hanr clothes-line from

one side to the other side of the classroom and hangs cards with examples or rules

(one word in each card) for visual support and for deductive studehts Then they ask

motor students to help build up other examples

47 MUSIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS AND RHYTHM

28

Music is part of Desuggestopedia the Direct Method amd the Audio-Lingual

For visual students teachers should work with the lyrics and create activities

Method and teachers may adapt it to many different purposes

based on them Example students read the lyrics of a song and have to write a letter

giving advice to the person in the song Another task which works for mechanical

S I Istudents too ISto draw a story based on the Iyncs tudents are placed In a CIrCe

backs to the center and each of them has a piece of paper The~ listen to the teacherI

tell a story line by line and draw it passing the paper to the classmate beside him

each time the teacher pauses At the end they listen to a song and discover that it is

the story they have drawn Putting the lines of a song in the i9ht order is another

possibility and it also works for reflective learners Teachers cut lout the lyrics in parts

and while students listen to the song they have organize it in the correct order

For motor students teachers should combine songj with the usage of

Igestures demonstrallng feelings or reconstructing the scene from the content of the

song For this activity students listen to the song and read the lyrics Then they

work in groups to elaborate how they will perform it After that ~ey listen to the song

again and at this time they have to perform while the song is Jeing played

Another possibility is to give each student a line of a song and they have to

put it in order by moving around and forming a line according ti the song sequence

The student who has the first line stands at the beginning of theII line the student with

the second line stands next and so on

For auditory students teachers can fully exploit music jey should work with

rhythm and musical instruments One example is when students use rhythms and

29

melody to help them memorize grammar structures rules or vocabulary Students

can also use instruments with the same purpose When teaching verbs that are

h II dfollowed by infinitive or gerund students can create t elf own me 0 y or even a song

to memorize them ITeachers sometimes should play music in the background while students

write a composition or complete a task It helps auditory students concentrate betterI

Furthermore teachers should use songs frequently because It stimulates them to

1learn more vocabulary to Internalize structures and to keep their Interest high

Movies and videos are activities which are part of the Communicative

48 MOVIES AND VIDEOS

Approach and the Direct Method

For visual learners movies and videos provide input they are visual aids

Students can exploit a frame or a scene describing it or describing the characters I Teachers may use videos to reinforce or present structures or tOPICSFor example

students watch a scene or a video about how the British people live their habits the

meals etc to present cultural aspects of their people

For reflective learners movies and videos are used to provide input

concerning a topic to be discussed later Reflective students watch some parts of a

movie in class or at home and then have a discussion in the )rlloWing class This

technique is also a good way to work with self-correction Anoter suggestion is to

have students record a video performing a sketch or just speaking Then they

watch it and analyze their performances observing their strong and weak aspects of

them

30

For inductive learners movies and videos are good sources of real examples

Teachers can exploit either the sound or the subtitles Teachers may ask students to

watch the video and write down examples of simple present or kst ask questions to

make students use the structure exploring the video ITeachers can prepare a quiz for impulsive and motor learners The students

are divided in two teams and watch a scene or sequence of a movie Then they take

turns answering the questions prepared by the teacher a1d based on visual

elements or characters lines of the sequence Whenever a tear answers correctly

it wins fake money The winner is the team which gets the largest amount of money

For auditory students teachers should use science fiction or horror movies

but just the sound The screen should be black or covered withla piece of cloth and

students listen to the sound writing what is happening desCribi1gthe situation After

completing the activity students watch the sequence and compare it with their

stories Another idea is to select a scene with a dialogue and 1rit9 some questions

about it numbering them eg 1 to 6 Then the teacher cuts paper squares and write

the numbers of the questions on them Each number is writlen on two or three

Isquares so that the teacher has two numbers 1 three numbers 2 three numbers 3

I and so on The teacher covers the screen With the paper squares In order to prevent

students to watch the scene Then students listen and answer the questions orally

The teacher should take out the numbered squares correspondent to the questions

students answer correctly enabling them to see the whole scenJ

Kinesthetic students will enjoy preparing a performance ~ased on a movie or

the teacher can record them role playing a task for example being a reporter or a

news announcer They can also use a movie to explore contrasts and similarities

and make a chart about them

5 CONCLUSION

31

What has been discussed in this paper is for certain only the first step to find

a good and effective way to teach and learn a foreign language However something

that must be kept in mind is that learners all over the world hale their own needs

preferences and perceptions related to learning Teachers lust be trained to

perceive these differences and to take advantage of them Tlchers should plan

I middotmiddotf hmiddotlessons to match students learning styles while encouraging them to dlversl y t air

learning style preferences IAs for the controversy that using learning styles is or is rot beneficial for the

learning process it can not be harmful for either the teacher or the students just

because if they are consciously involved in the process this involvement may be

part of teachers and students own improvement as learners rt only for language

purposes but also for learning strategies development and it fay bring significant

results at the end Unquestionably all this process is time consuming but valid

Teachers can adapt the ideas to their environment and I time availability A

suggestion for teachers who are beginners in this area is to Rroceed carefully and

step-by-step This field is wide so teachers ought not to usJ activities for all the

learning styles and methods at once otherwise it will beCOle very complex and

difficult to control

Teachers are not expected to use all the activities proposed in this paper in

every class Teachers can provide them little by little wher the students need

support There are many strategies to help students develop ieir weaknesses It is~~ middot- middot ~l~00 0I

I

32

T h h Id h kSomething that must be aVOidedISto Individualize too much eac ers s au c ec

h d 11 If Ithe average of the group It IS easier to deal Wit an Stl e ectlve

IAmong all the theones concerning learnmg the most feasible way to solve

the style conflicts in a class is adapting the material Most teachrs have a textbook

to be followed and it usually includes a methodology So it is rportant to present

materials with a different focus to attend each learning preference

IOnly presenting a mulh-style class ISnot enough If a teacher decides to work

I I Th hWith these suggestions heshe has to think about evaluation as we 1 e teae er

must provide various ways of assessing not only written and I oral tests but also

other ways of measuring what students learn and in which the other styles are also I Involved Students can be evaluated while working In small gIOUPSperforming or

debating through journals among other suggestions

It is clear that teachers can not be paSSiveThey have to work exhaustively if I they want to help their students to fully develop They should also be open-minded In

relation to old methods present methods and brand-new one1sThey may be all

significant and helpful I

There are many approaches and methods nowadays aid probably there is

one coming out right now Each of them has been created to slve the problems in

the learning and teaching process but they may not be able to Researchers are still

trying to find a better way to teach or why not the prefect formLa It is complicated

to say not to follow a method I

In conclusion whatever teachers decide to apply in class they just need to

keep in mind that the students interests are the priority and theJ must be syntonized

with the teachers own beliefs respecting each ones paL and information

processing

REFERENCES

II

Bras G R de C (1998) Bnncando e aprendendo com logOS sensonals RIo deJaneiro Sprint I

Ellis R (1997) Second Language AcqUisition Oxford Oxford University Press

Guimaraes R (1997) Teaching Ught Teaching Bette~ a handI book for languageteachers Sao Paulo Senae

Hood K (1995) Exploring Learning Styles and Instruction The University ofGeorgia (Department of Mathematics Education) Retrieved 08072002 fromhttp lIwllson coe uga eduEMT705EMT705 Hood html I

Larsen-Freeman D (1986) Techmques and pnnclples In language teaching (2 ed)Oxford Oxford University Press I

~~nLp (9)s~~n~ t~9)0~n~a~ a~~Jd Oxford

University Press ILindsay P (JuI12001)SWingsof the Pendulum New Routes 14 pp 12-15

Richards J amp Rodgers 1 (2001) Approaches and Methods In Language Teaching(2 ed) Cambridge Cambridge University Press I

Rodgers T (Apr2000) Methodology in the new millenium English Teaching forum382 pp2-12 I

Rodgers S T (2001) Language Teaching Methodology ERIG Clearinghouse onLanguages and Linguistics Washington DC 20016-1859 Retrieved03052002 from hUpllwwwcalorgericclldigesUrodgershtml

Skehan P (1998) A cognitive approach to language learning 010rd OxfordUniversity Press

SUMMARY

31 INTRODUCTION

2 LEARNING STYLES

21 THE PHYSICAL COMPONENTS

5

7

22 THE AFFECTIVE COMPONENTS 7

23 THE SENSORY MODALITIES 8

24 THE COGNITIVE STYLES 10

43 ROLE-PLAYS WITH TEXTS AND DIALOGUES

44 TPR GESTURES AND BODY LANGUAGE

45 DEBATES

46 INDUCTIVE AND DEDUCTIVE EXPLANATION 27

47 MUSIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS AND RHYTHM 28

bullbullbullbullbullbullbullbullbullbullbullbullbullbullmiddotbullbullbull11middotmiddotmiddotmiddotmiddotmiddotmiddot bullbullbullbullbullbullbull 34

25

26

48 MOVIES AND VIDEOS

5 CONCLUSION

REFERENCES

APPENDIX

ii

1 INTRODUCTION

Second and foreign language teaching have been 01 focus over the last

decades and many different theories infiuenced by the development in the fields of

Ilinguistics and psychology onglnated vanous methods and apP10aches

Considering this fact it is frequently asked which method is the best and the

most effective one Along the years researchers and teachJs have been trying

many methods isolated but each time they are overshadowed by the defeats and

gaps found in those methods Researchers insist on finding a miraculous method

which would fit every learner Methods such as Audio-lingual Desuggestopedia

Language Teaching come from different approaches each one with specific

Community Language Learning Total Physical Response (TPR) and Communicative

characteristics and techniques Each method has its strengths and weaknesses

Irelativists believe but they are not equally sUited for all sltualtons (Freeman 1986

Ip182) There is no perfect method in which different learners obtain full knowledge

of the language

In order to solve this problem a new concept has been mentioned method

sinergistics (Rodgers 2000) which consists in combining ellments of various

methods discovering those practices which best support effeCi~e learning Course

books usually follow one specific methodology but teachers can adapt and cover the

gaps with other techniques so that they achieve more effective teiching

related~~~~rh~~nl a~~ ~e r~ ~ e

s

Briggs (1976)Torrance (1980) Kolb (1984) Keirsey amp Bates r988) MacCarthy

I~Mmbullbull1- moo om -~ rI~

I b

4

preferences They learn In different and unique ways and that fact should not e

neglected ILearners use different strategies and perceptions lhile in contact with

another language Talking to several people it is noticed learners not only have

I f different needs and alms but also develop unique ways to perceive In ormation

I especially when learning a foreign language Some prefer to practice a lot In pairs or

groups some need to see the grammar rules written on th1 board others need

some time to absorb what they have learned Teachers must Ie aware of students

learning styles so that they can understand and overcome the problems usually

faced in class lTeaching a second foreign language is a challenge to eachers all over the

world but if they are conscious of their students learning ltYleS they will use

different and specific practices and techniques to cover those Ibarning preferences I

anslng learners Interest and motivation and accelerating the learning process

Moreover if teachers recognize their students preferences andi associate them with

effective techniques within different methodologies (method sinergistics) students

will learn better It is important to point out that in this ~per practices and

techniques are used as synonyms IThe purpose of this paper is to recognize select and analyze some learning

slyles methods and approaches in order to provide an oveJew The paper also

addresses suggestions on how teachers can combine those Irarning preferences

and effective practices in each method using the communicative approach as basis

and apply them in the classroom

2 LEARNING STYLES

First it is necessary to define what learning styles re There are many

definitions but it can be simplified by saying that they are di1erent approaches or

ways of learning Betty Lou Leaver (1998 p23) mentions whatt the best definition

which is the one suggested by Keefe (1979) Learning styles are characteristic

cognitive affective and physiological behaviors that serve as relatively stable

indicators of how learners perceive interact with and respond to the learning

environment Keefe (1991) describes learning styles aJ both a students

characteristic and an instructional strategy in other words thJy are how a student

Reiff (apud Hood 1995 p 1) claims that styles influence how students learn how

learn and likes to learn and the cognition the context and the content of learning

teachers teach and how they interact The three aspects are linked and must be

conSidered If a student has one way to learn and the teacher has a different one to

teach the learning process will probably be obstructed compr

1enSlonof Individual

differences and learning preferences can proVide teachers Ith the theory and

knowledge upon which to base decIsions (Hood 1995 p 2) AnalYZing how

students react to various stimuli teachers can establish the best procedures to be

used to instruct and help in the learning process There is no success in an

educational program if it does not consider the individual neeis of students and

personal preferences in perceiving organizing and retaining information

Planning lessons fitting the learning styles will be one bf the solutions for

students failure or non-improvement

Active leaming is better than passive and teachers are needed t1 organize stimulate an

direct learning especially if it gets the learner involved in problem ~IVing and all the realistic

communicative tasks that are now being used We don1 need to retum to the days when

teaching interfered with learning but we do need teachers who explain when explanation is

needed who give active input when it is necessary and helpful Jnd who always take the

responsibility for giving their students the means with which they can develop the skills and

Realistically a teacher cannot be expected to have a different lesson for

every person in the classroom however lessons can reflect an understanding of

I ndvdualdifferences by appropriately Incorporating strategies for a variety of stylesmiddot

(Hood 1995) A lesson can be adapted to fit individual needs JithOut compromising

the whole group and the teaching itself

On the other hand some researchers claim the opposite Researchers suchI

as Rector and Henderson (apud Hood 1995) have discovered that there are factors

knowledge they need (Lindsay 2001 p14)

which influence a students achievement such as the nature of the concept to be

taught the time available and the students characteristics Th~ir research showed

that applying different strategies resulted in no relevant differe~ce in improvement

Even so it is claimed that by identifying learning styles anld applying suitable

strategies teachers can help the students to overcome the diffibutties in learning a

foreign language

According to some authors (Leaver 199B Hood 1995) there are some

Iaspects or diVISions of learning styles to be conSIdered

1the phYSiological

components the affective components the sensory modalities and the cognitive

styles

21 THE PHYSIOLOGICAL COMPONENTS

The physiological components include sex-related differences nutrition

health biorhythms and reactions to the physical environmentl Examples of these

factors are the preferences for studying in a quiet room or with the IV on with bright

~~ ~i~e O~hcrO ~ ~u~t~h11~smponents and may

2 2 THE AFFECTIVE COMPONENTS

The affective components include personality and em01ional characteristics

related to the areas of persistence responsibility motivation and peer interaction

(Reiff 1992 apud Hood 1995 p2 ) The affective compone~ts play an important

role in the learning process Many times teachers face problem~ related to students

personality and interaction These problems are all over the dassrooms students Iwho are Introvert and dont speak In dass others who are extrvert and do not let

anybody talk students who hate working in large groups or being exposed in front of

the class students who are self-reliant and others who relyi too much on the

teacher They can all be part of the same class and teachers must be aware of these

differences and try to give support 10each of them By observTg teachers can be

successful in determining what type of students they have and create mechanisms to

deal with them

23 THE SENSORY MODALITIES

Learning modalities are the sensory channels or pat1ways through which

individuals give receive and store information (Hood 1995 p2) The sensory

Imodalities are divided in visual auditory and motor (Leaver 1986)

Visual learners are the ones who have the ability to perlive the visual They

need to visualize to understand the content of a lesson It is as if they have a movie

camera in their minds They take in what they hear or read and translate it into

images in their brains When visuals want to remember wha they have learned

they simply glance upwards and look at the image that they have stored in their

minds There are two subdivisions (Leaver 1986) in this category verbalists and

I Imaglnatlsts They both use the visual sense but verbalists create mental Images

using words in other words they picture the words in their minds while imaginatists

think of pictures to retain information They have vivid imaginatibn These two kinds

I of students usually learn better from visual aids such aSalsloagrams Illustrated

textbooks Videos handouts pictures and movies They pay attention to

brightness Size color contrast and other visual features

In a classroom the Visual learner performs very well because all testing IS

conducted in a written format The visual students easily fit i~to most classroom

standards such as sitting quietly writing neatly and organiling materials well

Teachers working with visual students can exploit puzzle bUildirg reading writing

sketching painting using pictures maps and charts to illustrate the learning point

By observation teachers can spot who visual students arel They usually sit at

the front of the classroom they like to underline important inforlation usually with

colorful highlighters they try to draw or write while learning and they also prefer that

the teacher use the board flipcharts or pictures while teaching1

Auditory learners acquire new information through sound (Leaver 1998

p26) They need to listen to other people and to themselves to lunderstand and learn

better They also talk about what to do when they learn They take more advantage

There are two subdivisions of auditory learners the aural who learn by

of verbal lectures than written information

listening to others and the oral who need to talk and hear therSelVeS Things both

types pay attention to are tone of voice pitch speed rhythm and other nuances

Auditory students are usually spotted in class due to their performance They like to

Ispeak about and repeat what they learn and they eaSily do that They are often fast

at grasping information through listening and songs Amonb the three sensory

modalities (visual auditory and motor) the auditory is the mostltalkative and has the

most difficulty in writing Activities which are more effective Wlth auditory students

are any involving listening and speaking such as storytellinb oral explanations

debates and music IMotor learners learn better by exploring the physical W011daround them they

learn through movement There are again two subdivisions kinesthetic and

mechanical The kinesthetic learn better when they ~usethe gross motor muscles~

(Leaver 1998 p26) which means jumping dancing rUnningwhile learning the

mechanical use the fine motor muscles (idem p26) in other words they prefer for

instance to cut out pictures and write down in order to learn IThrough interaction with the environment around them they are able to

remember and process information This kind of student is eas~ to identify because

they seldom keep sitting still for long periods and if they haT to they easily get

Idistracted They also gesture when speaking they are poor lisleners and they lose

interest in long speeches They need direct involvement in what they are learning

10

According to research carried on by OMIT (Douglas Mawson In1stitute of Technology

in South Australia) forty percent of students are mainly kinesthetic learners

The teacher can work with dancing body language miming role plays

expressing emotions through the body activities which need to walk around find

clues cut out magazines and glue

24 THE COGNITIVE STYLES

The cognitive styles are the information processing ha its of an individual

These represent a persons typical modes of perceiving thinking remembering and

I problem solving ( Keefe apud Hood 1995 p2 ) There are mar categories for this

division of learning styles but only the most easily found will be described in this

research paper The categories chosen to be analyzed are deductive and inductive

impulsive and reflective IThe deductive and inductive styles are related to the way students work out

grammar explanations rules and examples IDeductive learners are the ones who love studying the rules They need to

have the explanation and after they understand the mechaniJm they go for the

examples If the teacher skips the explanation the students lsuallY get confused

and frustrated

Inductive learners are the ones who handle having the examples first quite

well because they like to work out the rules by themselves T~ey do not need the

teacher to explain everything If the teacher does so they get bted easily When it

I II

happens students can stop listening doodle start working on their own or doing

something else IImpulsive and reffective styles are related to the spf)ed and manner of

processing a response to a cognitive stimulus IImpulsive learners think and respond nearly simultaneously (Leaver 1998

fi L hmiddot h d tp43) They are the ones who always finish the activities Irst anu raise t elr an sa

I donce when the teacher asks a question or even when the question IS not complete

yet Sometimes they do not even know the answer Their resp+ses are usually less

accurate This kind of student likes competitions such as quiz shows or miming

The reflective think first then respond showing more [involved and deeper

levels of thinking (idem p43) For this reason their answers are more accurate but

usually incomplete They take more time to answer and this is taken as a

1 d fl dlsadvantage because In a classroom where there are Impulsive an re ectlve I

students the reflective ones are consIdered slow Teachers take thiS charactenstlc

as lack of intelligence and tend to isolate or give up the studentslwho are reflective

Teachers can identify impulsive and reffective students by observing them inI

class Impulsive learners usually ask their classmates to be faster when completing

a task and they are also the ones who speak before any other in class while

reflective learners participate less in discussions and are the la~t ones to raise their

hands to answer a question IIn fact identifying the learning styles in a group is not an easy task mainly

because an individual can develop more than one style For exJmPle a learner who

is recognized as being visual may have a second and strong pfeference like being

kinesthetic and may develop a third one as well It is not all fixed Teachers can not

be led to believe that only one rule exists mainly because therb are many different

Iaspects involving learning It must be taken into consideration that personality

outside pressure and fears are also part of each leamers baLground and usually

affect the way they learn IWhen teachers decide to work with learning styles they lought to select some

of them otherwise teachers can feel frustrated either by analyzing the large amount

12

of data or by choosing among various techniques to cover III of the preferences

found in a group of students

The best way to recognize students preferences is by observation StudentsI

tend to show or say how they learn especially for the learning styles mentioned

previously So observing them will be enough But if the tealers for any reason

can not identify the styles or are not sure about the results they can use

questionnaires or some activities to support them There are multiple-choice

questionnaires writing tasks group and individual activities developed with the

purpose of complementing the discovery of students preferences (see appendix B)

After having collected all the information about the students the next step is

to select methods and approaches which can contribute to the IJarners development

in association with their learning preferences According to Rod Ellis (1997)

learners with differing kinds of ability may be able to achieve similar levels of

success providing that the type of instruction enables theJ to maximize their

strengths

3 THE COMMUNICATIVE APROACH AND METHODS

31 AN OVERVIEW

Teachers and researchers have been asking themselves what the best

I approach or method would be to teach their students Many attempts were made InI

the past to find the perfect method These attempts resulted in various theories Iwhich are slill being used In schools around the world but they are far from being the

perfect ones According to Freeman (1986 p182) each met~od presents efficient

techniques which can be exploited in class but she claims thatla particular method

cannot be a prescription for success for everyone ~ IIt has been proved that working with one method ray not fill all the

necessities in a group of students as the group is not always homogeneous A

method generally emphasizes one specific approach that may be suitable or not for

the students Our routines need re-thinking and uP-datind but good ways of

teaching - those that help the learning process - should not be rejected (Lindsay

2001 p 15) Leaver (1998 p 128) asserts that methbds should not be

straightjackets for either teachers or students pedagogical demagoguery has no

of each teachers arsenal in the struggle to win the style war

place in a free country Methods and techniques that comprise them should be part

In order to identify which practices are useful for each learning styles it is

important to review some of the methods and their principles It is necessary to point

out that only some methods were chosen the ones which teac1ers can work with in

the same class The Communicative Approach has an important role as it is the

basis for the application of the different selected techniques

32 THE COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH

The Communicative Approach (CA) focuses on communication and

interaction For this reason meaning is more important than fOl The activities dealt

with in class are task-based involving information sharing negotiation usage of real

and meaningful contexts authentic materials and functions Students must interact in I

many different situations In classes where this approach IS the basIs translation 15

not allowed Students learn by working in pairs or groups throlgh cooperation and

errors are not always corrected to avoid impeding fluency Tre teacher must be

attentive to students needs in order to provide help when it is necessary Role-plays

games problem solving and activities involving informatio~ gap choice and

feedback are some of the tasks used in the CA

33 METHODS

The methods to be analyzed in this paper are

The Grammar-Translation Method

The Direct Method

The Audio-Lingual Method

Desuggestopedia

Community Language Learning

Total Physical Response (TPR)

331 The Grammar-Translation Method

15

The Grammar Translation Method was first called the Classical Method used

to teach the classical languages latin and Greek It was apdlied in order to help

students read foreign language literature It was believed t~at foreign language

Ilearning would help students grow Intellectually no matter If they used the language

m~ Classes which are based on the Grammar Translation jethod are teacher-

centered and focus on reading and writing Students try to Td equivalents and

similarities between l1 and l2 l1 is permitted and learners have to memorize lists

of vocabulary It is also based on deductive grammar learning

332 The Direct Method

The Direct Method received its name from the fact tha meaning is to be

conveyed directly in the target language with the help of demonstration and visual

aids Therefore translation is not allowed Nowadays its goal of inltruction is to learn

how to use a foreign language to communicate lTeachers work with direct association real contexts I sing topics and

exposure speaking inductive grammar and self-correction hey also exploit

pictures and realia to contextualize and associate better

16

3 3 3 The Audio Lingual Method

IThe Audio Lingual Method IS an oral-based approacr method based on

Structurahsm and BehavIorism Skinner IS the best-known representative of this

method It is believed that the best way to acquire the target language is through

conditioning Teachers help learners to respond to stimuli using shaping and

reinforcement They think learners create and form new habits demanded to become

speakers of the target language So this method uses drills tb teach grammatical

sentence patterns focusing on oral rather than written ProductiOh

Stressing habit formation dialogues drills repetition verbal and nonverbal

stimuli and inductive learning are some of the techniques used In it The classes are

teacher-centered and it is recommended to work only with the target language Error

334 Desuggestopedia

must be avoided because they lead the students to bad habits

Desuggestopedia comes from an affective-humanistic approach in which the

main focus is on students feelings It is believed that people Jstablish barriers and

limitations when starting to learn a language These barriers make learners not use

the total mental capacity leading them to fail A solution to change this scenario is to

I desuggest students from setting up these limitations Desuggestopedla IS a method

in which a mixture of fine arts and music has an important rOlk in making learners

feel relaxed and consequently they will learn without being awJre of the process

The classes are teacher-centered in a very friendly environment DialoguesI

texts vocabulary lists role-plays different identities colorful posters musical

f 0 t dInstruments painting and baroque musIc are part 0 a esugges ope 18

17

class

335 Community Language Learning

Translation and comparison between L1 and L2 are allowed

Community Language Learning is based on the counselTg-learning approach

created for adult teaching Students must be considered as whole persons Whole-

person learning means that teachers consider not only their sLdents intellect but

I I h Ialso have some understanding of the relationship among students fee lngs P YSlca

reactions instinctive protective reactions and desire to learn (Freeman 1994 p

89)

The course is topic-based and learners provide the topics Teachers work with

translation group work recording transcription reflection obselation listening and Ifree conversation Students work collaboratlvely having the teacher as a counselor

Teacher uses chunks of words Sharing learning experiences i1 part of the process

Students take responsibility for their learning therefore it is a self-directed method

336 Total Physical Response

Total Physical Response is part of the comprehension approach In this

approach language learning starts with understanding and thtn producing Only

when the students have internalized the target language process will they start

speaking It is also grammar-based and structuralist It involtes comprehension

before production focusing on meaning rather than form then 6rammar and lexis

The classes are teacher-centered and the teacher provides i~perative sentences

I 18

and drills for the students to perform A good TPR class should make the use of

action gestures and tone of voice This method is claimed to Ilreducestress in the

learning process TPR is based in the wayan infant learns its native language First

students should just listen and understand how the language is Iused and after they

going to be accurate but it will improve gradually

have internalized it they will automatically produce it At first he language is not

Students must be exposed to the target language The eacher must be as

expressive as possible so they can use pictures to help

4 THE PARTNERSHIP

19

After analyzing and selecting the learning styles and t~le methods sUitable

techntques need to be selected and combined with learners pre erences

In this paper It IS suggested that classes be based a the Communicative

Approach The reason is that many coursebooks used in languige schools in Brazil

In order to provide effective activities for each of the learning styles the

nowadays are based on this approach

methods were analyzed and some of the techniques were chosen Not all the I practices were selected because It IS clear that the methods have similarities and

contrasts and it is necessary to be sensible when working with ~ethod sinergistics

As there is no perfect method that integrates and accommodJtes all the learning

styles a selection of useful ideas should be made

There are some techniques and activities below which can be effective in any

11 I I mutl- earning-stye class If prepared and used carefully and appropriately

41 GAMES

Games are mainly part of the Communicative APproach] but they can be

adapted to suit most of the methods the Grammar-Translation Method TPR The

Language Learning

Audio-Lingual Method the Direct Method Desuggestopedia and Community

Games may be applied to all the learning styles Teachers can use ready-

made games or create their own Some games are suggested in the chart that

follows

20

GAME lEARNING STYLES APPROACHMETHODSSpelling competition and

Iscrabbles Visual e motor GTM

Crosswords and word searchers Visual and reflective I GTM

Visual auditory motor and

IBingo inductive CAAlM

Miming Visual motor impulsive I CA TPR DMVocabulary categories and stop Visual and impulsive I GTMD

Can you name Auditory impulsive reflective(categories) and visual GTM

Build up a word Visual motor and reflective GTM

Betting game Visual inductive reflective and(correction of mistakes) auditory DM

Song game Auditory and motor CAD

Reflective motor visual andFind the murderer auditory DM Cll

Quiz Impulsive motor and auditory DMCA

Drill game Auditory impulsive and inductive AlM

Find the target Motor and auditory TPR Cll

Build up the picture Motor reflective and visual TPRCll

Most of the games are well known but there are lme for which an

explanation of the procedures is needed Bingo is an activity thbt is found in many

different ways Teachers may work with bingo to review some JocabUlary students

have learned or review structures To play bingo students have td read their words in

the cards listen to the selected word and mark the options which have been called

Vocabulary categories is a competition which is played by two teams the

students have to write down as many words in the category aSJhey can Teachers

make cards with different categories written on them Students Irite the words on a

paper or on the board The winner is who has the most words There are two

0 I vanatons for this kind of game ne IS the game stop and the other IS can you

name The former is played individually using just paper anld pencil Students

write down pre-selected categories and put them in columns One student calls out a

~~

I 11Ililr(CA- bullbullbilr u

letter and everybody has to write one word for each category rtil they comple

of the categories As soon as one student completes them he says stop and the I

other students stop wntlng In a group they call out the answer For each different

answer students score 10 points and for the same answers they score 5 points The

C I dwinner ISthe one who gets the most pOintsat the end an you name ISplaye

in two groups Students receive a sheet of paper with some dategOrieS(Example

Can you name 3 things you can open and close) Then they dlcide in their groups

what words to write in the categories After that one group h1asto discover what

words the other group selected in one minute and Vice-versa The winner is the

group which discovers more words IBuild-up a word is another well-known game which is basically spelling and

thinking The teacher writes letters of the alphabet in small carbs and places them

SI

face down on the floor tudents one-by-one have to turn over a card until any of

I hthem can bUild up a word When students notice that a word In be bUild up t ey

~ank eaI~em in front of them to form a war The winner is the

The betting game is usually played in pairs Students receIve a sheet of paper

with sentences The sentences may be right or wrong Students analyze them and

decide if they are right or wrong correcting the wrong ones The1 they bet from $10

to $100 on their answers If they correct the sentence in the right way they will win

the amount they bet but if their correction is wrong they will lokie the money The

winner is the pair who wins the most money at the end

The song game is played in two groups with students in line The first

students in each line listens to a line of a song using headphones lnd has to whisper

it in his neighbors ear This students whispers to the next until t~e last listens to it

Then this student has to go to the board and write the sentrce Students keep

dOingthe activity until the song finishes For thiSreason the SOlg should not be long

and fast After the song finishes the teacher analyzes the sentences correcting

I where It IS necessary and sconng when there IS no mistakes The winner IS the

group which has less mistakes

Find the murderer is a game with clues Students haVj to discover who is

the murderer following the clue cards they have In order to 10 the task students

have to read the clues and interact with their group to link them and find out who is

the criminal

The drill game is also very well known The teacher starts saying a sentence

to be completed by one student Example I went to the supermarket and I

boughLchocolate breadcake Students take turns comPleting the sentence

without repeating the words The students who do not say a wori within the time limit

or repeat a word are out of the game The winner is the student who remains until

22

game

the end of the game Vocabulary and grammar structures can be exploited in this

Two efficient examples of quiz are like torta na caraand topa tudo por

dinheiro two TV programs in SBT The former consists in arSWering questions

about a topic or general vocabulary Two teams play against each other and who

rings the bell first has the right to answer The winner is the teamwhich scores more

pOintsThe latter consists in watching a sequence of a movie wHich is full of details

and after that answer questions based on these details The gale is also played in

teams and the competitors win fake money for each right ansler they give The

winner is the team which gets the largest amount of money

23

picture and they have to impersonate the people in the pictures organizing

the pair or trio which gets to the target first

Build up a picture is a competition played in groups Students receive a

themselves as the people in the picture Only one or two students from each group

can see the picture and have to give directions to the others t+ry to build it up The

winner is the group which gets the closest to the picture organization

These techniques which can be found in the Direct Method the

42 PICTURES GRAPHS REALIA AND POSTERS

Communicative Approach and Desuggestopedia are very useful for visual motor

inductive and deductive learners I

Visual students exploit everything they can see and if it is colorful or real they

will internalize the information better As they picture things in Itheir minds teachers

should use images numbers or words to help them showing Pi1cturesto start a class

presentation or to make students produce language based on them Teachers ought

Ito use the board and provide handouts to explain grammar ports Teachers should

also guide students to underline important information with cOlorul highlighters

Motor students need to do things so they can make Itheir own posters or

graphs about a topic or a grammar explanation working in pairs or groups They I also match or classify Information which can be vocabulary 0 anything related to a

topiCand place it in posters These learners also like to work with realia It is very

24

guess Students are blindfolded and they have to taste smell or touch the items in

order to guess what they are

For inductive and deductive learners the usage of pictures graphs or posters

may be useful if exploited in the right way Inductive students ban be provided with

1

visual material to try to work out examples of a structure Whit deductive students

receive the structure itself in colorful charts to make it more memorable

43 ROLE-PLAYSWITH TEXTS AND DIALOGUES

Role-plays and dialogues are present in the comiunicative Approach

Desuggestopedia and the Audio-Lingual Method They may be applied to motor

For example students read a text or the script of a dialogue (visual)

auditory visual inductive and reflective learners

exchange ideas with their peers (auditory reflective and inductive) prepare a

1 presentation and perform It (motor auditory and Inductive) ThiS ISthe main skeletonI

of a role-play and teachers can adapt or vary some elements Scenano clothes

Jaccessones and sound effects are usually Included In thiSactlvl[Y

Creating identities is another good activity The students close their eyes

and listen to a very soft song (classical or baroque) The tealer makes questions

Ilike What IS your name Where do you live What do you do etc and the

students answer them mentally but their answers should + an invention They

should create different people with their profiles After that thy talk to partners and

Introduce themselves uSing thelf new Identities Then In a group they can create a

story uSing the new characters and perform It For thiS activit the learning styles

that will take more advantage are reflective

25

and

kinesthetic

44 TPR GESTURES AND BODY LANGUAGE

The use of imperative gestures and body language are part of Total Physical

Response and the Communicative Approach These techniques are very useful for

visual kinesthetic and inductive students When teachers make any gestures they

Iare helping the visual students When they ask students to use body language or

TPR they are helping kinesthetic students IAn effective example is miming Kinesthetic students like performing for the

others to guess and impulsive learners love trying to discover Jhat is being mimed

So teachers can exploit grammar structures like present continLus and vocabulary

this way A good example is to divide the group in two teiams and place two

~sOolr~thaah~tht~ecs ~~derb ~hO~

teams have to mime It to help their partners guess the word IWhen teachers provide tasks uSingTPR kinesthetic students do better They

can perform and understand what IS being asked Inductive Istudents also learn

betier uSingTPR because they Internalize the examples and hOr to use them while

performing or providing imperatives for the other students to perform For instance

while teaching prepositions teachers may present Ihem and lSk the students to

follow directions John stand behind Mary Ann put yourself nixt to John and so

on unlil you have involved all the studenls Then teachers In vary selecting a

26

some of the structures which may be explored

student to give the directions Directions actions prepositions d conditionals are

45 DEBATES

Debates are part of the Communicative Approach and the Direct Method ThisI

activity works well for visual reflective auditory impulsive an motor learners The

students need time to prepare the arguments and at this mOlent visual refiective

and mechanical work better because they have to write dOWl the ideas and think

about the topic Auditory and kinesthetic students can also participate Auditory

students will discuss the ideas orally and the kinesthetic will classify good and bad

arguments At the moment of speaking all of them will be pr+ared to discuss and

state their point-of-view but auditory kinesthetic and impulsive learners will probably

do better in this task They have to move around the room be fast-talking and use

the right words An interesting way of applying this idea is to prsent a sequence of a

n~ ~c~sn ao~~ aar~cte~~t~l~~~~~se

Then they start the trial defending and accusing the man Twol students are chosen

to be the JudgesAt the end of the activity the students watch the final trial to check

what the verdict was In this activity there is time to prepare lanalyze and discuss

information there is visual and auditory support and there is movement during the

trial itself with which motor students feel comfortable I

It is necessary to divide the group so that the students rre organized to use

different abilities for instance a reflective with an impulsive arnd a mechanical or a

27

improve their abilities through contact with their peers

visual with an auditory and a kinesthetic working together This way students

46 INDUCTIVEAND DEDUCTIVE EXPLANATION

Inductive grammar explanation comes from the iirect Method the

Communicative Approach the Audio-Lingual Method and TiR while deductive

grammar explanation comes from the Grammar-Translation Method Both deductive

and inductive explanations are necessary to be used because t1eaChers usually find I Inductive and deductive students In the same class So It ISsuggested to work with

inductive exposition first for the students to try to find out the ~Ies by themselves

Then teachers may write the grammar rules on the board and elplain them or even

better provide handouts with the explanation so that students Iho really need this

I support WIll internalize the information more easily Teachers can also assign

help the deductive ones

inductive and deductive students to work together The inductive ones will eventually

Another relevant aspect is about oral and written eXPlinations Teachers

should combine them with deductive and inductive explanation Ii teachers adapt the

grammar explanations in this way they will support not only inductive and deductive

students but also visual auditory and motor ones For examfle after students

discuss the examples (auditory and inductive) the teacher hanr clothes-line from

one side to the other side of the classroom and hangs cards with examples or rules

(one word in each card) for visual support and for deductive studehts Then they ask

motor students to help build up other examples

47 MUSIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS AND RHYTHM

28

Music is part of Desuggestopedia the Direct Method amd the Audio-Lingual

For visual students teachers should work with the lyrics and create activities

Method and teachers may adapt it to many different purposes

based on them Example students read the lyrics of a song and have to write a letter

giving advice to the person in the song Another task which works for mechanical

S I Istudents too ISto draw a story based on the Iyncs tudents are placed In a CIrCe

backs to the center and each of them has a piece of paper The~ listen to the teacherI

tell a story line by line and draw it passing the paper to the classmate beside him

each time the teacher pauses At the end they listen to a song and discover that it is

the story they have drawn Putting the lines of a song in the i9ht order is another

possibility and it also works for reflective learners Teachers cut lout the lyrics in parts

and while students listen to the song they have organize it in the correct order

For motor students teachers should combine songj with the usage of

Igestures demonstrallng feelings or reconstructing the scene from the content of the

song For this activity students listen to the song and read the lyrics Then they

work in groups to elaborate how they will perform it After that ~ey listen to the song

again and at this time they have to perform while the song is Jeing played

Another possibility is to give each student a line of a song and they have to

put it in order by moving around and forming a line according ti the song sequence

The student who has the first line stands at the beginning of theII line the student with

the second line stands next and so on

For auditory students teachers can fully exploit music jey should work with

rhythm and musical instruments One example is when students use rhythms and

29

melody to help them memorize grammar structures rules or vocabulary Students

can also use instruments with the same purpose When teaching verbs that are

h II dfollowed by infinitive or gerund students can create t elf own me 0 y or even a song

to memorize them ITeachers sometimes should play music in the background while students

write a composition or complete a task It helps auditory students concentrate betterI

Furthermore teachers should use songs frequently because It stimulates them to

1learn more vocabulary to Internalize structures and to keep their Interest high

Movies and videos are activities which are part of the Communicative

48 MOVIES AND VIDEOS

Approach and the Direct Method

For visual learners movies and videos provide input they are visual aids

Students can exploit a frame or a scene describing it or describing the characters I Teachers may use videos to reinforce or present structures or tOPICSFor example

students watch a scene or a video about how the British people live their habits the

meals etc to present cultural aspects of their people

For reflective learners movies and videos are used to provide input

concerning a topic to be discussed later Reflective students watch some parts of a

movie in class or at home and then have a discussion in the )rlloWing class This

technique is also a good way to work with self-correction Anoter suggestion is to

have students record a video performing a sketch or just speaking Then they

watch it and analyze their performances observing their strong and weak aspects of

them

30

For inductive learners movies and videos are good sources of real examples

Teachers can exploit either the sound or the subtitles Teachers may ask students to

watch the video and write down examples of simple present or kst ask questions to

make students use the structure exploring the video ITeachers can prepare a quiz for impulsive and motor learners The students

are divided in two teams and watch a scene or sequence of a movie Then they take

turns answering the questions prepared by the teacher a1d based on visual

elements or characters lines of the sequence Whenever a tear answers correctly

it wins fake money The winner is the team which gets the largest amount of money

For auditory students teachers should use science fiction or horror movies

but just the sound The screen should be black or covered withla piece of cloth and

students listen to the sound writing what is happening desCribi1gthe situation After

completing the activity students watch the sequence and compare it with their

stories Another idea is to select a scene with a dialogue and 1rit9 some questions

about it numbering them eg 1 to 6 Then the teacher cuts paper squares and write

the numbers of the questions on them Each number is writlen on two or three

Isquares so that the teacher has two numbers 1 three numbers 2 three numbers 3

I and so on The teacher covers the screen With the paper squares In order to prevent

students to watch the scene Then students listen and answer the questions orally

The teacher should take out the numbered squares correspondent to the questions

students answer correctly enabling them to see the whole scenJ

Kinesthetic students will enjoy preparing a performance ~ased on a movie or

the teacher can record them role playing a task for example being a reporter or a

news announcer They can also use a movie to explore contrasts and similarities

and make a chart about them

5 CONCLUSION

31

What has been discussed in this paper is for certain only the first step to find

a good and effective way to teach and learn a foreign language However something

that must be kept in mind is that learners all over the world hale their own needs

preferences and perceptions related to learning Teachers lust be trained to

perceive these differences and to take advantage of them Tlchers should plan

I middotmiddotf hmiddotlessons to match students learning styles while encouraging them to dlversl y t air

learning style preferences IAs for the controversy that using learning styles is or is rot beneficial for the

learning process it can not be harmful for either the teacher or the students just

because if they are consciously involved in the process this involvement may be

part of teachers and students own improvement as learners rt only for language

purposes but also for learning strategies development and it fay bring significant

results at the end Unquestionably all this process is time consuming but valid

Teachers can adapt the ideas to their environment and I time availability A

suggestion for teachers who are beginners in this area is to Rroceed carefully and

step-by-step This field is wide so teachers ought not to usJ activities for all the

learning styles and methods at once otherwise it will beCOle very complex and

difficult to control

Teachers are not expected to use all the activities proposed in this paper in

every class Teachers can provide them little by little wher the students need

support There are many strategies to help students develop ieir weaknesses It is~~ middot- middot ~l~00 0I

I

32

T h h Id h kSomething that must be aVOidedISto Individualize too much eac ers s au c ec

h d 11 If Ithe average of the group It IS easier to deal Wit an Stl e ectlve

IAmong all the theones concerning learnmg the most feasible way to solve

the style conflicts in a class is adapting the material Most teachrs have a textbook

to be followed and it usually includes a methodology So it is rportant to present

materials with a different focus to attend each learning preference

IOnly presenting a mulh-style class ISnot enough If a teacher decides to work

I I Th hWith these suggestions heshe has to think about evaluation as we 1 e teae er

must provide various ways of assessing not only written and I oral tests but also

other ways of measuring what students learn and in which the other styles are also I Involved Students can be evaluated while working In small gIOUPSperforming or

debating through journals among other suggestions

It is clear that teachers can not be paSSiveThey have to work exhaustively if I they want to help their students to fully develop They should also be open-minded In

relation to old methods present methods and brand-new one1sThey may be all

significant and helpful I

There are many approaches and methods nowadays aid probably there is

one coming out right now Each of them has been created to slve the problems in

the learning and teaching process but they may not be able to Researchers are still

trying to find a better way to teach or why not the prefect formLa It is complicated

to say not to follow a method I

In conclusion whatever teachers decide to apply in class they just need to

keep in mind that the students interests are the priority and theJ must be syntonized

with the teachers own beliefs respecting each ones paL and information

processing

REFERENCES

II

Bras G R de C (1998) Bnncando e aprendendo com logOS sensonals RIo deJaneiro Sprint I

Ellis R (1997) Second Language AcqUisition Oxford Oxford University Press

Guimaraes R (1997) Teaching Ught Teaching Bette~ a handI book for languageteachers Sao Paulo Senae

Hood K (1995) Exploring Learning Styles and Instruction The University ofGeorgia (Department of Mathematics Education) Retrieved 08072002 fromhttp lIwllson coe uga eduEMT705EMT705 Hood html I

Larsen-Freeman D (1986) Techmques and pnnclples In language teaching (2 ed)Oxford Oxford University Press I

~~nLp (9)s~~n~ t~9)0~n~a~ a~~Jd Oxford

University Press ILindsay P (JuI12001)SWingsof the Pendulum New Routes 14 pp 12-15

Richards J amp Rodgers 1 (2001) Approaches and Methods In Language Teaching(2 ed) Cambridge Cambridge University Press I

Rodgers T (Apr2000) Methodology in the new millenium English Teaching forum382 pp2-12 I

Rodgers S T (2001) Language Teaching Methodology ERIG Clearinghouse onLanguages and Linguistics Washington DC 20016-1859 Retrieved03052002 from hUpllwwwcalorgericclldigesUrodgershtml

Skehan P (1998) A cognitive approach to language learning 010rd OxfordUniversity Press

1 INTRODUCTION

Second and foreign language teaching have been 01 focus over the last

decades and many different theories infiuenced by the development in the fields of

Ilinguistics and psychology onglnated vanous methods and apP10aches

Considering this fact it is frequently asked which method is the best and the

most effective one Along the years researchers and teachJs have been trying

many methods isolated but each time they are overshadowed by the defeats and

gaps found in those methods Researchers insist on finding a miraculous method

which would fit every learner Methods such as Audio-lingual Desuggestopedia

Language Teaching come from different approaches each one with specific

Community Language Learning Total Physical Response (TPR) and Communicative

characteristics and techniques Each method has its strengths and weaknesses

Irelativists believe but they are not equally sUited for all sltualtons (Freeman 1986

Ip182) There is no perfect method in which different learners obtain full knowledge

of the language

In order to solve this problem a new concept has been mentioned method

sinergistics (Rodgers 2000) which consists in combining ellments of various

methods discovering those practices which best support effeCi~e learning Course

books usually follow one specific methodology but teachers can adapt and cover the

gaps with other techniques so that they achieve more effective teiching

related~~~~rh~~nl a~~ ~e r~ ~ e

s

Briggs (1976)Torrance (1980) Kolb (1984) Keirsey amp Bates r988) MacCarthy

I~Mmbullbull1- moo om -~ rI~

I b

4

preferences They learn In different and unique ways and that fact should not e

neglected ILearners use different strategies and perceptions lhile in contact with

another language Talking to several people it is noticed learners not only have

I f different needs and alms but also develop unique ways to perceive In ormation

I especially when learning a foreign language Some prefer to practice a lot In pairs or

groups some need to see the grammar rules written on th1 board others need

some time to absorb what they have learned Teachers must Ie aware of students

learning styles so that they can understand and overcome the problems usually

faced in class lTeaching a second foreign language is a challenge to eachers all over the

world but if they are conscious of their students learning ltYleS they will use

different and specific practices and techniques to cover those Ibarning preferences I

anslng learners Interest and motivation and accelerating the learning process

Moreover if teachers recognize their students preferences andi associate them with

effective techniques within different methodologies (method sinergistics) students

will learn better It is important to point out that in this ~per practices and

techniques are used as synonyms IThe purpose of this paper is to recognize select and analyze some learning

slyles methods and approaches in order to provide an oveJew The paper also

addresses suggestions on how teachers can combine those Irarning preferences

and effective practices in each method using the communicative approach as basis

and apply them in the classroom

2 LEARNING STYLES

First it is necessary to define what learning styles re There are many

definitions but it can be simplified by saying that they are di1erent approaches or

ways of learning Betty Lou Leaver (1998 p23) mentions whatt the best definition

which is the one suggested by Keefe (1979) Learning styles are characteristic

cognitive affective and physiological behaviors that serve as relatively stable

indicators of how learners perceive interact with and respond to the learning

environment Keefe (1991) describes learning styles aJ both a students

characteristic and an instructional strategy in other words thJy are how a student

Reiff (apud Hood 1995 p 1) claims that styles influence how students learn how

learn and likes to learn and the cognition the context and the content of learning

teachers teach and how they interact The three aspects are linked and must be

conSidered If a student has one way to learn and the teacher has a different one to

teach the learning process will probably be obstructed compr

1enSlonof Individual

differences and learning preferences can proVide teachers Ith the theory and

knowledge upon which to base decIsions (Hood 1995 p 2) AnalYZing how

students react to various stimuli teachers can establish the best procedures to be

used to instruct and help in the learning process There is no success in an

educational program if it does not consider the individual neeis of students and

personal preferences in perceiving organizing and retaining information

Planning lessons fitting the learning styles will be one bf the solutions for

students failure or non-improvement

Active leaming is better than passive and teachers are needed t1 organize stimulate an

direct learning especially if it gets the learner involved in problem ~IVing and all the realistic

communicative tasks that are now being used We don1 need to retum to the days when

teaching interfered with learning but we do need teachers who explain when explanation is

needed who give active input when it is necessary and helpful Jnd who always take the

responsibility for giving their students the means with which they can develop the skills and

Realistically a teacher cannot be expected to have a different lesson for

every person in the classroom however lessons can reflect an understanding of

I ndvdualdifferences by appropriately Incorporating strategies for a variety of stylesmiddot

(Hood 1995) A lesson can be adapted to fit individual needs JithOut compromising

the whole group and the teaching itself

On the other hand some researchers claim the opposite Researchers suchI

as Rector and Henderson (apud Hood 1995) have discovered that there are factors

knowledge they need (Lindsay 2001 p14)

which influence a students achievement such as the nature of the concept to be

taught the time available and the students characteristics Th~ir research showed

that applying different strategies resulted in no relevant differe~ce in improvement

Even so it is claimed that by identifying learning styles anld applying suitable

strategies teachers can help the students to overcome the diffibutties in learning a

foreign language

According to some authors (Leaver 199B Hood 1995) there are some

Iaspects or diVISions of learning styles to be conSIdered

1the phYSiological

components the affective components the sensory modalities and the cognitive

styles

21 THE PHYSIOLOGICAL COMPONENTS

The physiological components include sex-related differences nutrition

health biorhythms and reactions to the physical environmentl Examples of these

factors are the preferences for studying in a quiet room or with the IV on with bright

~~ ~i~e O~hcrO ~ ~u~t~h11~smponents and may

2 2 THE AFFECTIVE COMPONENTS

The affective components include personality and em01ional characteristics

related to the areas of persistence responsibility motivation and peer interaction

(Reiff 1992 apud Hood 1995 p2 ) The affective compone~ts play an important

role in the learning process Many times teachers face problem~ related to students

personality and interaction These problems are all over the dassrooms students Iwho are Introvert and dont speak In dass others who are extrvert and do not let

anybody talk students who hate working in large groups or being exposed in front of

the class students who are self-reliant and others who relyi too much on the

teacher They can all be part of the same class and teachers must be aware of these

differences and try to give support 10each of them By observTg teachers can be

successful in determining what type of students they have and create mechanisms to

deal with them

23 THE SENSORY MODALITIES

Learning modalities are the sensory channels or pat1ways through which

individuals give receive and store information (Hood 1995 p2) The sensory

Imodalities are divided in visual auditory and motor (Leaver 1986)

Visual learners are the ones who have the ability to perlive the visual They

need to visualize to understand the content of a lesson It is as if they have a movie

camera in their minds They take in what they hear or read and translate it into

images in their brains When visuals want to remember wha they have learned

they simply glance upwards and look at the image that they have stored in their

minds There are two subdivisions (Leaver 1986) in this category verbalists and

I Imaglnatlsts They both use the visual sense but verbalists create mental Images

using words in other words they picture the words in their minds while imaginatists

think of pictures to retain information They have vivid imaginatibn These two kinds

I of students usually learn better from visual aids such aSalsloagrams Illustrated

textbooks Videos handouts pictures and movies They pay attention to

brightness Size color contrast and other visual features

In a classroom the Visual learner performs very well because all testing IS

conducted in a written format The visual students easily fit i~to most classroom

standards such as sitting quietly writing neatly and organiling materials well

Teachers working with visual students can exploit puzzle bUildirg reading writing

sketching painting using pictures maps and charts to illustrate the learning point

By observation teachers can spot who visual students arel They usually sit at

the front of the classroom they like to underline important inforlation usually with

colorful highlighters they try to draw or write while learning and they also prefer that

the teacher use the board flipcharts or pictures while teaching1

Auditory learners acquire new information through sound (Leaver 1998

p26) They need to listen to other people and to themselves to lunderstand and learn

better They also talk about what to do when they learn They take more advantage

There are two subdivisions of auditory learners the aural who learn by

of verbal lectures than written information

listening to others and the oral who need to talk and hear therSelVeS Things both

types pay attention to are tone of voice pitch speed rhythm and other nuances

Auditory students are usually spotted in class due to their performance They like to

Ispeak about and repeat what they learn and they eaSily do that They are often fast

at grasping information through listening and songs Amonb the three sensory

modalities (visual auditory and motor) the auditory is the mostltalkative and has the

most difficulty in writing Activities which are more effective Wlth auditory students

are any involving listening and speaking such as storytellinb oral explanations

debates and music IMotor learners learn better by exploring the physical W011daround them they

learn through movement There are again two subdivisions kinesthetic and

mechanical The kinesthetic learn better when they ~usethe gross motor muscles~

(Leaver 1998 p26) which means jumping dancing rUnningwhile learning the

mechanical use the fine motor muscles (idem p26) in other words they prefer for

instance to cut out pictures and write down in order to learn IThrough interaction with the environment around them they are able to

remember and process information This kind of student is eas~ to identify because

they seldom keep sitting still for long periods and if they haT to they easily get

Idistracted They also gesture when speaking they are poor lisleners and they lose

interest in long speeches They need direct involvement in what they are learning

10

According to research carried on by OMIT (Douglas Mawson In1stitute of Technology

in South Australia) forty percent of students are mainly kinesthetic learners

The teacher can work with dancing body language miming role plays

expressing emotions through the body activities which need to walk around find

clues cut out magazines and glue

24 THE COGNITIVE STYLES

The cognitive styles are the information processing ha its of an individual

These represent a persons typical modes of perceiving thinking remembering and

I problem solving ( Keefe apud Hood 1995 p2 ) There are mar categories for this

division of learning styles but only the most easily found will be described in this

research paper The categories chosen to be analyzed are deductive and inductive

impulsive and reflective IThe deductive and inductive styles are related to the way students work out

grammar explanations rules and examples IDeductive learners are the ones who love studying the rules They need to

have the explanation and after they understand the mechaniJm they go for the

examples If the teacher skips the explanation the students lsuallY get confused

and frustrated

Inductive learners are the ones who handle having the examples first quite

well because they like to work out the rules by themselves T~ey do not need the

teacher to explain everything If the teacher does so they get bted easily When it

I II

happens students can stop listening doodle start working on their own or doing

something else IImpulsive and reffective styles are related to the spf)ed and manner of

processing a response to a cognitive stimulus IImpulsive learners think and respond nearly simultaneously (Leaver 1998

fi L hmiddot h d tp43) They are the ones who always finish the activities Irst anu raise t elr an sa

I donce when the teacher asks a question or even when the question IS not complete

yet Sometimes they do not even know the answer Their resp+ses are usually less

accurate This kind of student likes competitions such as quiz shows or miming

The reflective think first then respond showing more [involved and deeper

levels of thinking (idem p43) For this reason their answers are more accurate but

usually incomplete They take more time to answer and this is taken as a

1 d fl dlsadvantage because In a classroom where there are Impulsive an re ectlve I

students the reflective ones are consIdered slow Teachers take thiS charactenstlc

as lack of intelligence and tend to isolate or give up the studentslwho are reflective

Teachers can identify impulsive and reffective students by observing them inI

class Impulsive learners usually ask their classmates to be faster when completing

a task and they are also the ones who speak before any other in class while

reflective learners participate less in discussions and are the la~t ones to raise their

hands to answer a question IIn fact identifying the learning styles in a group is not an easy task mainly

because an individual can develop more than one style For exJmPle a learner who

is recognized as being visual may have a second and strong pfeference like being

kinesthetic and may develop a third one as well It is not all fixed Teachers can not

be led to believe that only one rule exists mainly because therb are many different

Iaspects involving learning It must be taken into consideration that personality

outside pressure and fears are also part of each leamers baLground and usually

affect the way they learn IWhen teachers decide to work with learning styles they lought to select some

of them otherwise teachers can feel frustrated either by analyzing the large amount

12

of data or by choosing among various techniques to cover III of the preferences

found in a group of students

The best way to recognize students preferences is by observation StudentsI

tend to show or say how they learn especially for the learning styles mentioned

previously So observing them will be enough But if the tealers for any reason

can not identify the styles or are not sure about the results they can use

questionnaires or some activities to support them There are multiple-choice

questionnaires writing tasks group and individual activities developed with the

purpose of complementing the discovery of students preferences (see appendix B)

After having collected all the information about the students the next step is

to select methods and approaches which can contribute to the IJarners development

in association with their learning preferences According to Rod Ellis (1997)

learners with differing kinds of ability may be able to achieve similar levels of

success providing that the type of instruction enables theJ to maximize their

strengths

3 THE COMMUNICATIVE APROACH AND METHODS

31 AN OVERVIEW

Teachers and researchers have been asking themselves what the best

I approach or method would be to teach their students Many attempts were made InI

the past to find the perfect method These attempts resulted in various theories Iwhich are slill being used In schools around the world but they are far from being the

perfect ones According to Freeman (1986 p182) each met~od presents efficient

techniques which can be exploited in class but she claims thatla particular method

cannot be a prescription for success for everyone ~ IIt has been proved that working with one method ray not fill all the

necessities in a group of students as the group is not always homogeneous A

method generally emphasizes one specific approach that may be suitable or not for

the students Our routines need re-thinking and uP-datind but good ways of

teaching - those that help the learning process - should not be rejected (Lindsay

2001 p 15) Leaver (1998 p 128) asserts that methbds should not be

straightjackets for either teachers or students pedagogical demagoguery has no

of each teachers arsenal in the struggle to win the style war

place in a free country Methods and techniques that comprise them should be part

In order to identify which practices are useful for each learning styles it is

important to review some of the methods and their principles It is necessary to point

out that only some methods were chosen the ones which teac1ers can work with in

the same class The Communicative Approach has an important role as it is the

basis for the application of the different selected techniques

32 THE COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH

The Communicative Approach (CA) focuses on communication and

interaction For this reason meaning is more important than fOl The activities dealt

with in class are task-based involving information sharing negotiation usage of real

and meaningful contexts authentic materials and functions Students must interact in I

many different situations In classes where this approach IS the basIs translation 15

not allowed Students learn by working in pairs or groups throlgh cooperation and

errors are not always corrected to avoid impeding fluency Tre teacher must be

attentive to students needs in order to provide help when it is necessary Role-plays

games problem solving and activities involving informatio~ gap choice and

feedback are some of the tasks used in the CA

33 METHODS

The methods to be analyzed in this paper are

The Grammar-Translation Method

The Direct Method

The Audio-Lingual Method

Desuggestopedia

Community Language Learning

Total Physical Response (TPR)

331 The Grammar-Translation Method

15

The Grammar Translation Method was first called the Classical Method used

to teach the classical languages latin and Greek It was apdlied in order to help

students read foreign language literature It was believed t~at foreign language

Ilearning would help students grow Intellectually no matter If they used the language

m~ Classes which are based on the Grammar Translation jethod are teacher-

centered and focus on reading and writing Students try to Td equivalents and

similarities between l1 and l2 l1 is permitted and learners have to memorize lists

of vocabulary It is also based on deductive grammar learning

332 The Direct Method

The Direct Method received its name from the fact tha meaning is to be

conveyed directly in the target language with the help of demonstration and visual

aids Therefore translation is not allowed Nowadays its goal of inltruction is to learn

how to use a foreign language to communicate lTeachers work with direct association real contexts I sing topics and

exposure speaking inductive grammar and self-correction hey also exploit

pictures and realia to contextualize and associate better

16

3 3 3 The Audio Lingual Method

IThe Audio Lingual Method IS an oral-based approacr method based on

Structurahsm and BehavIorism Skinner IS the best-known representative of this

method It is believed that the best way to acquire the target language is through

conditioning Teachers help learners to respond to stimuli using shaping and

reinforcement They think learners create and form new habits demanded to become

speakers of the target language So this method uses drills tb teach grammatical

sentence patterns focusing on oral rather than written ProductiOh

Stressing habit formation dialogues drills repetition verbal and nonverbal

stimuli and inductive learning are some of the techniques used In it The classes are

teacher-centered and it is recommended to work only with the target language Error

334 Desuggestopedia

must be avoided because they lead the students to bad habits

Desuggestopedia comes from an affective-humanistic approach in which the

main focus is on students feelings It is believed that people Jstablish barriers and

limitations when starting to learn a language These barriers make learners not use

the total mental capacity leading them to fail A solution to change this scenario is to

I desuggest students from setting up these limitations Desuggestopedla IS a method

in which a mixture of fine arts and music has an important rOlk in making learners

feel relaxed and consequently they will learn without being awJre of the process

The classes are teacher-centered in a very friendly environment DialoguesI

texts vocabulary lists role-plays different identities colorful posters musical

f 0 t dInstruments painting and baroque musIc are part 0 a esugges ope 18

17

class

335 Community Language Learning

Translation and comparison between L1 and L2 are allowed

Community Language Learning is based on the counselTg-learning approach

created for adult teaching Students must be considered as whole persons Whole-

person learning means that teachers consider not only their sLdents intellect but

I I h Ialso have some understanding of the relationship among students fee lngs P YSlca

reactions instinctive protective reactions and desire to learn (Freeman 1994 p

89)

The course is topic-based and learners provide the topics Teachers work with

translation group work recording transcription reflection obselation listening and Ifree conversation Students work collaboratlvely having the teacher as a counselor

Teacher uses chunks of words Sharing learning experiences i1 part of the process

Students take responsibility for their learning therefore it is a self-directed method

336 Total Physical Response

Total Physical Response is part of the comprehension approach In this

approach language learning starts with understanding and thtn producing Only

when the students have internalized the target language process will they start

speaking It is also grammar-based and structuralist It involtes comprehension

before production focusing on meaning rather than form then 6rammar and lexis

The classes are teacher-centered and the teacher provides i~perative sentences

I 18

and drills for the students to perform A good TPR class should make the use of

action gestures and tone of voice This method is claimed to Ilreducestress in the

learning process TPR is based in the wayan infant learns its native language First

students should just listen and understand how the language is Iused and after they

going to be accurate but it will improve gradually

have internalized it they will automatically produce it At first he language is not

Students must be exposed to the target language The eacher must be as

expressive as possible so they can use pictures to help

4 THE PARTNERSHIP

19

After analyzing and selecting the learning styles and t~le methods sUitable

techntques need to be selected and combined with learners pre erences

In this paper It IS suggested that classes be based a the Communicative

Approach The reason is that many coursebooks used in languige schools in Brazil

In order to provide effective activities for each of the learning styles the

nowadays are based on this approach

methods were analyzed and some of the techniques were chosen Not all the I practices were selected because It IS clear that the methods have similarities and

contrasts and it is necessary to be sensible when working with ~ethod sinergistics

As there is no perfect method that integrates and accommodJtes all the learning

styles a selection of useful ideas should be made

There are some techniques and activities below which can be effective in any

11 I I mutl- earning-stye class If prepared and used carefully and appropriately

41 GAMES

Games are mainly part of the Communicative APproach] but they can be

adapted to suit most of the methods the Grammar-Translation Method TPR The

Language Learning

Audio-Lingual Method the Direct Method Desuggestopedia and Community

Games may be applied to all the learning styles Teachers can use ready-

made games or create their own Some games are suggested in the chart that

follows

20

GAME lEARNING STYLES APPROACHMETHODSSpelling competition and

Iscrabbles Visual e motor GTM

Crosswords and word searchers Visual and reflective I GTM

Visual auditory motor and

IBingo inductive CAAlM

Miming Visual motor impulsive I CA TPR DMVocabulary categories and stop Visual and impulsive I GTMD

Can you name Auditory impulsive reflective(categories) and visual GTM

Build up a word Visual motor and reflective GTM

Betting game Visual inductive reflective and(correction of mistakes) auditory DM

Song game Auditory and motor CAD

Reflective motor visual andFind the murderer auditory DM Cll

Quiz Impulsive motor and auditory DMCA

Drill game Auditory impulsive and inductive AlM

Find the target Motor and auditory TPR Cll

Build up the picture Motor reflective and visual TPRCll

Most of the games are well known but there are lme for which an

explanation of the procedures is needed Bingo is an activity thbt is found in many

different ways Teachers may work with bingo to review some JocabUlary students

have learned or review structures To play bingo students have td read their words in

the cards listen to the selected word and mark the options which have been called

Vocabulary categories is a competition which is played by two teams the

students have to write down as many words in the category aSJhey can Teachers

make cards with different categories written on them Students Irite the words on a

paper or on the board The winner is who has the most words There are two

0 I vanatons for this kind of game ne IS the game stop and the other IS can you

name The former is played individually using just paper anld pencil Students

write down pre-selected categories and put them in columns One student calls out a

~~

I 11Ililr(CA- bullbullbilr u

letter and everybody has to write one word for each category rtil they comple

of the categories As soon as one student completes them he says stop and the I

other students stop wntlng In a group they call out the answer For each different

answer students score 10 points and for the same answers they score 5 points The

C I dwinner ISthe one who gets the most pOintsat the end an you name ISplaye

in two groups Students receive a sheet of paper with some dategOrieS(Example

Can you name 3 things you can open and close) Then they dlcide in their groups

what words to write in the categories After that one group h1asto discover what

words the other group selected in one minute and Vice-versa The winner is the

group which discovers more words IBuild-up a word is another well-known game which is basically spelling and

thinking The teacher writes letters of the alphabet in small carbs and places them

SI

face down on the floor tudents one-by-one have to turn over a card until any of

I hthem can bUild up a word When students notice that a word In be bUild up t ey

~ank eaI~em in front of them to form a war The winner is the

The betting game is usually played in pairs Students receIve a sheet of paper

with sentences The sentences may be right or wrong Students analyze them and

decide if they are right or wrong correcting the wrong ones The1 they bet from $10

to $100 on their answers If they correct the sentence in the right way they will win

the amount they bet but if their correction is wrong they will lokie the money The

winner is the pair who wins the most money at the end

The song game is played in two groups with students in line The first

students in each line listens to a line of a song using headphones lnd has to whisper

it in his neighbors ear This students whispers to the next until t~e last listens to it

Then this student has to go to the board and write the sentrce Students keep

dOingthe activity until the song finishes For thiSreason the SOlg should not be long

and fast After the song finishes the teacher analyzes the sentences correcting

I where It IS necessary and sconng when there IS no mistakes The winner IS the

group which has less mistakes

Find the murderer is a game with clues Students haVj to discover who is

the murderer following the clue cards they have In order to 10 the task students

have to read the clues and interact with their group to link them and find out who is

the criminal

The drill game is also very well known The teacher starts saying a sentence

to be completed by one student Example I went to the supermarket and I

boughLchocolate breadcake Students take turns comPleting the sentence

without repeating the words The students who do not say a wori within the time limit

or repeat a word are out of the game The winner is the student who remains until

22

game

the end of the game Vocabulary and grammar structures can be exploited in this

Two efficient examples of quiz are like torta na caraand topa tudo por

dinheiro two TV programs in SBT The former consists in arSWering questions

about a topic or general vocabulary Two teams play against each other and who

rings the bell first has the right to answer The winner is the teamwhich scores more

pOintsThe latter consists in watching a sequence of a movie wHich is full of details

and after that answer questions based on these details The gale is also played in

teams and the competitors win fake money for each right ansler they give The

winner is the team which gets the largest amount of money

23

picture and they have to impersonate the people in the pictures organizing

the pair or trio which gets to the target first

Build up a picture is a competition played in groups Students receive a

themselves as the people in the picture Only one or two students from each group

can see the picture and have to give directions to the others t+ry to build it up The

winner is the group which gets the closest to the picture organization

These techniques which can be found in the Direct Method the

42 PICTURES GRAPHS REALIA AND POSTERS

Communicative Approach and Desuggestopedia are very useful for visual motor

inductive and deductive learners I

Visual students exploit everything they can see and if it is colorful or real they

will internalize the information better As they picture things in Itheir minds teachers

should use images numbers or words to help them showing Pi1cturesto start a class

presentation or to make students produce language based on them Teachers ought

Ito use the board and provide handouts to explain grammar ports Teachers should

also guide students to underline important information with cOlorul highlighters

Motor students need to do things so they can make Itheir own posters or

graphs about a topic or a grammar explanation working in pairs or groups They I also match or classify Information which can be vocabulary 0 anything related to a

topiCand place it in posters These learners also like to work with realia It is very

24

guess Students are blindfolded and they have to taste smell or touch the items in

order to guess what they are

For inductive and deductive learners the usage of pictures graphs or posters

may be useful if exploited in the right way Inductive students ban be provided with

1

visual material to try to work out examples of a structure Whit deductive students

receive the structure itself in colorful charts to make it more memorable

43 ROLE-PLAYSWITH TEXTS AND DIALOGUES

Role-plays and dialogues are present in the comiunicative Approach

Desuggestopedia and the Audio-Lingual Method They may be applied to motor

For example students read a text or the script of a dialogue (visual)

auditory visual inductive and reflective learners

exchange ideas with their peers (auditory reflective and inductive) prepare a

1 presentation and perform It (motor auditory and Inductive) ThiS ISthe main skeletonI

of a role-play and teachers can adapt or vary some elements Scenano clothes

Jaccessones and sound effects are usually Included In thiSactlvl[Y

Creating identities is another good activity The students close their eyes

and listen to a very soft song (classical or baroque) The tealer makes questions

Ilike What IS your name Where do you live What do you do etc and the

students answer them mentally but their answers should + an invention They

should create different people with their profiles After that thy talk to partners and

Introduce themselves uSing thelf new Identities Then In a group they can create a

story uSing the new characters and perform It For thiS activit the learning styles

that will take more advantage are reflective

25

and

kinesthetic

44 TPR GESTURES AND BODY LANGUAGE

The use of imperative gestures and body language are part of Total Physical

Response and the Communicative Approach These techniques are very useful for

visual kinesthetic and inductive students When teachers make any gestures they

Iare helping the visual students When they ask students to use body language or

TPR they are helping kinesthetic students IAn effective example is miming Kinesthetic students like performing for the

others to guess and impulsive learners love trying to discover Jhat is being mimed

So teachers can exploit grammar structures like present continLus and vocabulary

this way A good example is to divide the group in two teiams and place two

~sOolr~thaah~tht~ecs ~~derb ~hO~

teams have to mime It to help their partners guess the word IWhen teachers provide tasks uSingTPR kinesthetic students do better They

can perform and understand what IS being asked Inductive Istudents also learn

betier uSingTPR because they Internalize the examples and hOr to use them while

performing or providing imperatives for the other students to perform For instance

while teaching prepositions teachers may present Ihem and lSk the students to

follow directions John stand behind Mary Ann put yourself nixt to John and so

on unlil you have involved all the studenls Then teachers In vary selecting a

26

some of the structures which may be explored

student to give the directions Directions actions prepositions d conditionals are

45 DEBATES

Debates are part of the Communicative Approach and the Direct Method ThisI

activity works well for visual reflective auditory impulsive an motor learners The

students need time to prepare the arguments and at this mOlent visual refiective

and mechanical work better because they have to write dOWl the ideas and think

about the topic Auditory and kinesthetic students can also participate Auditory

students will discuss the ideas orally and the kinesthetic will classify good and bad

arguments At the moment of speaking all of them will be pr+ared to discuss and

state their point-of-view but auditory kinesthetic and impulsive learners will probably

do better in this task They have to move around the room be fast-talking and use

the right words An interesting way of applying this idea is to prsent a sequence of a

n~ ~c~sn ao~~ aar~cte~~t~l~~~~~se

Then they start the trial defending and accusing the man Twol students are chosen

to be the JudgesAt the end of the activity the students watch the final trial to check

what the verdict was In this activity there is time to prepare lanalyze and discuss

information there is visual and auditory support and there is movement during the

trial itself with which motor students feel comfortable I

It is necessary to divide the group so that the students rre organized to use

different abilities for instance a reflective with an impulsive arnd a mechanical or a

27

improve their abilities through contact with their peers

visual with an auditory and a kinesthetic working together This way students

46 INDUCTIVEAND DEDUCTIVE EXPLANATION

Inductive grammar explanation comes from the iirect Method the

Communicative Approach the Audio-Lingual Method and TiR while deductive

grammar explanation comes from the Grammar-Translation Method Both deductive

and inductive explanations are necessary to be used because t1eaChers usually find I Inductive and deductive students In the same class So It ISsuggested to work with

inductive exposition first for the students to try to find out the ~Ies by themselves

Then teachers may write the grammar rules on the board and elplain them or even

better provide handouts with the explanation so that students Iho really need this

I support WIll internalize the information more easily Teachers can also assign

help the deductive ones

inductive and deductive students to work together The inductive ones will eventually

Another relevant aspect is about oral and written eXPlinations Teachers

should combine them with deductive and inductive explanation Ii teachers adapt the

grammar explanations in this way they will support not only inductive and deductive

students but also visual auditory and motor ones For examfle after students

discuss the examples (auditory and inductive) the teacher hanr clothes-line from

one side to the other side of the classroom and hangs cards with examples or rules

(one word in each card) for visual support and for deductive studehts Then they ask

motor students to help build up other examples

47 MUSIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS AND RHYTHM

28

Music is part of Desuggestopedia the Direct Method amd the Audio-Lingual

For visual students teachers should work with the lyrics and create activities

Method and teachers may adapt it to many different purposes

based on them Example students read the lyrics of a song and have to write a letter

giving advice to the person in the song Another task which works for mechanical

S I Istudents too ISto draw a story based on the Iyncs tudents are placed In a CIrCe

backs to the center and each of them has a piece of paper The~ listen to the teacherI

tell a story line by line and draw it passing the paper to the classmate beside him

each time the teacher pauses At the end they listen to a song and discover that it is

the story they have drawn Putting the lines of a song in the i9ht order is another

possibility and it also works for reflective learners Teachers cut lout the lyrics in parts

and while students listen to the song they have organize it in the correct order

For motor students teachers should combine songj with the usage of

Igestures demonstrallng feelings or reconstructing the scene from the content of the

song For this activity students listen to the song and read the lyrics Then they

work in groups to elaborate how they will perform it After that ~ey listen to the song

again and at this time they have to perform while the song is Jeing played

Another possibility is to give each student a line of a song and they have to

put it in order by moving around and forming a line according ti the song sequence

The student who has the first line stands at the beginning of theII line the student with

the second line stands next and so on

For auditory students teachers can fully exploit music jey should work with

rhythm and musical instruments One example is when students use rhythms and

29

melody to help them memorize grammar structures rules or vocabulary Students

can also use instruments with the same purpose When teaching verbs that are

h II dfollowed by infinitive or gerund students can create t elf own me 0 y or even a song

to memorize them ITeachers sometimes should play music in the background while students

write a composition or complete a task It helps auditory students concentrate betterI

Furthermore teachers should use songs frequently because It stimulates them to

1learn more vocabulary to Internalize structures and to keep their Interest high

Movies and videos are activities which are part of the Communicative

48 MOVIES AND VIDEOS

Approach and the Direct Method

For visual learners movies and videos provide input they are visual aids

Students can exploit a frame or a scene describing it or describing the characters I Teachers may use videos to reinforce or present structures or tOPICSFor example

students watch a scene or a video about how the British people live their habits the

meals etc to present cultural aspects of their people

For reflective learners movies and videos are used to provide input

concerning a topic to be discussed later Reflective students watch some parts of a

movie in class or at home and then have a discussion in the )rlloWing class This

technique is also a good way to work with self-correction Anoter suggestion is to

have students record a video performing a sketch or just speaking Then they

watch it and analyze their performances observing their strong and weak aspects of

them

30

For inductive learners movies and videos are good sources of real examples

Teachers can exploit either the sound or the subtitles Teachers may ask students to

watch the video and write down examples of simple present or kst ask questions to

make students use the structure exploring the video ITeachers can prepare a quiz for impulsive and motor learners The students

are divided in two teams and watch a scene or sequence of a movie Then they take

turns answering the questions prepared by the teacher a1d based on visual

elements or characters lines of the sequence Whenever a tear answers correctly

it wins fake money The winner is the team which gets the largest amount of money

For auditory students teachers should use science fiction or horror movies

but just the sound The screen should be black or covered withla piece of cloth and

students listen to the sound writing what is happening desCribi1gthe situation After

completing the activity students watch the sequence and compare it with their

stories Another idea is to select a scene with a dialogue and 1rit9 some questions

about it numbering them eg 1 to 6 Then the teacher cuts paper squares and write

the numbers of the questions on them Each number is writlen on two or three

Isquares so that the teacher has two numbers 1 three numbers 2 three numbers 3

I and so on The teacher covers the screen With the paper squares In order to prevent

students to watch the scene Then students listen and answer the questions orally

The teacher should take out the numbered squares correspondent to the questions

students answer correctly enabling them to see the whole scenJ

Kinesthetic students will enjoy preparing a performance ~ased on a movie or

the teacher can record them role playing a task for example being a reporter or a

news announcer They can also use a movie to explore contrasts and similarities

and make a chart about them

5 CONCLUSION

31

What has been discussed in this paper is for certain only the first step to find

a good and effective way to teach and learn a foreign language However something

that must be kept in mind is that learners all over the world hale their own needs

preferences and perceptions related to learning Teachers lust be trained to

perceive these differences and to take advantage of them Tlchers should plan

I middotmiddotf hmiddotlessons to match students learning styles while encouraging them to dlversl y t air

learning style preferences IAs for the controversy that using learning styles is or is rot beneficial for the

learning process it can not be harmful for either the teacher or the students just

because if they are consciously involved in the process this involvement may be

part of teachers and students own improvement as learners rt only for language

purposes but also for learning strategies development and it fay bring significant

results at the end Unquestionably all this process is time consuming but valid

Teachers can adapt the ideas to their environment and I time availability A

suggestion for teachers who are beginners in this area is to Rroceed carefully and

step-by-step This field is wide so teachers ought not to usJ activities for all the

learning styles and methods at once otherwise it will beCOle very complex and

difficult to control

Teachers are not expected to use all the activities proposed in this paper in

every class Teachers can provide them little by little wher the students need

support There are many strategies to help students develop ieir weaknesses It is~~ middot- middot ~l~00 0I

I

32

T h h Id h kSomething that must be aVOidedISto Individualize too much eac ers s au c ec

h d 11 If Ithe average of the group It IS easier to deal Wit an Stl e ectlve

IAmong all the theones concerning learnmg the most feasible way to solve

the style conflicts in a class is adapting the material Most teachrs have a textbook

to be followed and it usually includes a methodology So it is rportant to present

materials with a different focus to attend each learning preference

IOnly presenting a mulh-style class ISnot enough If a teacher decides to work

I I Th hWith these suggestions heshe has to think about evaluation as we 1 e teae er

must provide various ways of assessing not only written and I oral tests but also

other ways of measuring what students learn and in which the other styles are also I Involved Students can be evaluated while working In small gIOUPSperforming or

debating through journals among other suggestions

It is clear that teachers can not be paSSiveThey have to work exhaustively if I they want to help their students to fully develop They should also be open-minded In

relation to old methods present methods and brand-new one1sThey may be all

significant and helpful I

There are many approaches and methods nowadays aid probably there is

one coming out right now Each of them has been created to slve the problems in

the learning and teaching process but they may not be able to Researchers are still

trying to find a better way to teach or why not the prefect formLa It is complicated

to say not to follow a method I

In conclusion whatever teachers decide to apply in class they just need to

keep in mind that the students interests are the priority and theJ must be syntonized

with the teachers own beliefs respecting each ones paL and information

processing

REFERENCES

II

Bras G R de C (1998) Bnncando e aprendendo com logOS sensonals RIo deJaneiro Sprint I

Ellis R (1997) Second Language AcqUisition Oxford Oxford University Press

Guimaraes R (1997) Teaching Ught Teaching Bette~ a handI book for languageteachers Sao Paulo Senae

Hood K (1995) Exploring Learning Styles and Instruction The University ofGeorgia (Department of Mathematics Education) Retrieved 08072002 fromhttp lIwllson coe uga eduEMT705EMT705 Hood html I

Larsen-Freeman D (1986) Techmques and pnnclples In language teaching (2 ed)Oxford Oxford University Press I

~~nLp (9)s~~n~ t~9)0~n~a~ a~~Jd Oxford

University Press ILindsay P (JuI12001)SWingsof the Pendulum New Routes 14 pp 12-15

Richards J amp Rodgers 1 (2001) Approaches and Methods In Language Teaching(2 ed) Cambridge Cambridge University Press I

Rodgers T (Apr2000) Methodology in the new millenium English Teaching forum382 pp2-12 I

Rodgers S T (2001) Language Teaching Methodology ERIG Clearinghouse onLanguages and Linguistics Washington DC 20016-1859 Retrieved03052002 from hUpllwwwcalorgericclldigesUrodgershtml

Skehan P (1998) A cognitive approach to language learning 010rd OxfordUniversity Press

I b

4

preferences They learn In different and unique ways and that fact should not e

neglected ILearners use different strategies and perceptions lhile in contact with

another language Talking to several people it is noticed learners not only have

I f different needs and alms but also develop unique ways to perceive In ormation

I especially when learning a foreign language Some prefer to practice a lot In pairs or

groups some need to see the grammar rules written on th1 board others need

some time to absorb what they have learned Teachers must Ie aware of students

learning styles so that they can understand and overcome the problems usually

faced in class lTeaching a second foreign language is a challenge to eachers all over the

world but if they are conscious of their students learning ltYleS they will use

different and specific practices and techniques to cover those Ibarning preferences I

anslng learners Interest and motivation and accelerating the learning process

Moreover if teachers recognize their students preferences andi associate them with

effective techniques within different methodologies (method sinergistics) students

will learn better It is important to point out that in this ~per practices and

techniques are used as synonyms IThe purpose of this paper is to recognize select and analyze some learning

slyles methods and approaches in order to provide an oveJew The paper also

addresses suggestions on how teachers can combine those Irarning preferences

and effective practices in each method using the communicative approach as basis

and apply them in the classroom

2 LEARNING STYLES

First it is necessary to define what learning styles re There are many

definitions but it can be simplified by saying that they are di1erent approaches or

ways of learning Betty Lou Leaver (1998 p23) mentions whatt the best definition

which is the one suggested by Keefe (1979) Learning styles are characteristic

cognitive affective and physiological behaviors that serve as relatively stable

indicators of how learners perceive interact with and respond to the learning

environment Keefe (1991) describes learning styles aJ both a students

characteristic and an instructional strategy in other words thJy are how a student

Reiff (apud Hood 1995 p 1) claims that styles influence how students learn how

learn and likes to learn and the cognition the context and the content of learning

teachers teach and how they interact The three aspects are linked and must be

conSidered If a student has one way to learn and the teacher has a different one to

teach the learning process will probably be obstructed compr

1enSlonof Individual

differences and learning preferences can proVide teachers Ith the theory and

knowledge upon which to base decIsions (Hood 1995 p 2) AnalYZing how

students react to various stimuli teachers can establish the best procedures to be

used to instruct and help in the learning process There is no success in an

educational program if it does not consider the individual neeis of students and

personal preferences in perceiving organizing and retaining information

Planning lessons fitting the learning styles will be one bf the solutions for

students failure or non-improvement

Active leaming is better than passive and teachers are needed t1 organize stimulate an

direct learning especially if it gets the learner involved in problem ~IVing and all the realistic

communicative tasks that are now being used We don1 need to retum to the days when

teaching interfered with learning but we do need teachers who explain when explanation is

needed who give active input when it is necessary and helpful Jnd who always take the

responsibility for giving their students the means with which they can develop the skills and

Realistically a teacher cannot be expected to have a different lesson for

every person in the classroom however lessons can reflect an understanding of

I ndvdualdifferences by appropriately Incorporating strategies for a variety of stylesmiddot

(Hood 1995) A lesson can be adapted to fit individual needs JithOut compromising

the whole group and the teaching itself

On the other hand some researchers claim the opposite Researchers suchI

as Rector and Henderson (apud Hood 1995) have discovered that there are factors

knowledge they need (Lindsay 2001 p14)

which influence a students achievement such as the nature of the concept to be

taught the time available and the students characteristics Th~ir research showed

that applying different strategies resulted in no relevant differe~ce in improvement

Even so it is claimed that by identifying learning styles anld applying suitable

strategies teachers can help the students to overcome the diffibutties in learning a

foreign language

According to some authors (Leaver 199B Hood 1995) there are some

Iaspects or diVISions of learning styles to be conSIdered

1the phYSiological

components the affective components the sensory modalities and the cognitive

styles

21 THE PHYSIOLOGICAL COMPONENTS

The physiological components include sex-related differences nutrition

health biorhythms and reactions to the physical environmentl Examples of these

factors are the preferences for studying in a quiet room or with the IV on with bright

~~ ~i~e O~hcrO ~ ~u~t~h11~smponents and may

2 2 THE AFFECTIVE COMPONENTS

The affective components include personality and em01ional characteristics

related to the areas of persistence responsibility motivation and peer interaction

(Reiff 1992 apud Hood 1995 p2 ) The affective compone~ts play an important

role in the learning process Many times teachers face problem~ related to students

personality and interaction These problems are all over the dassrooms students Iwho are Introvert and dont speak In dass others who are extrvert and do not let

anybody talk students who hate working in large groups or being exposed in front of

the class students who are self-reliant and others who relyi too much on the

teacher They can all be part of the same class and teachers must be aware of these

differences and try to give support 10each of them By observTg teachers can be

successful in determining what type of students they have and create mechanisms to

deal with them

23 THE SENSORY MODALITIES

Learning modalities are the sensory channels or pat1ways through which

individuals give receive and store information (Hood 1995 p2) The sensory

Imodalities are divided in visual auditory and motor (Leaver 1986)

Visual learners are the ones who have the ability to perlive the visual They

need to visualize to understand the content of a lesson It is as if they have a movie

camera in their minds They take in what they hear or read and translate it into

images in their brains When visuals want to remember wha they have learned

they simply glance upwards and look at the image that they have stored in their

minds There are two subdivisions (Leaver 1986) in this category verbalists and

I Imaglnatlsts They both use the visual sense but verbalists create mental Images

using words in other words they picture the words in their minds while imaginatists

think of pictures to retain information They have vivid imaginatibn These two kinds

I of students usually learn better from visual aids such aSalsloagrams Illustrated

textbooks Videos handouts pictures and movies They pay attention to

brightness Size color contrast and other visual features

In a classroom the Visual learner performs very well because all testing IS

conducted in a written format The visual students easily fit i~to most classroom

standards such as sitting quietly writing neatly and organiling materials well

Teachers working with visual students can exploit puzzle bUildirg reading writing

sketching painting using pictures maps and charts to illustrate the learning point

By observation teachers can spot who visual students arel They usually sit at

the front of the classroom they like to underline important inforlation usually with

colorful highlighters they try to draw or write while learning and they also prefer that

the teacher use the board flipcharts or pictures while teaching1

Auditory learners acquire new information through sound (Leaver 1998

p26) They need to listen to other people and to themselves to lunderstand and learn

better They also talk about what to do when they learn They take more advantage

There are two subdivisions of auditory learners the aural who learn by

of verbal lectures than written information

listening to others and the oral who need to talk and hear therSelVeS Things both

types pay attention to are tone of voice pitch speed rhythm and other nuances

Auditory students are usually spotted in class due to their performance They like to

Ispeak about and repeat what they learn and they eaSily do that They are often fast

at grasping information through listening and songs Amonb the three sensory

modalities (visual auditory and motor) the auditory is the mostltalkative and has the

most difficulty in writing Activities which are more effective Wlth auditory students

are any involving listening and speaking such as storytellinb oral explanations

debates and music IMotor learners learn better by exploring the physical W011daround them they

learn through movement There are again two subdivisions kinesthetic and

mechanical The kinesthetic learn better when they ~usethe gross motor muscles~

(Leaver 1998 p26) which means jumping dancing rUnningwhile learning the

mechanical use the fine motor muscles (idem p26) in other words they prefer for

instance to cut out pictures and write down in order to learn IThrough interaction with the environment around them they are able to

remember and process information This kind of student is eas~ to identify because

they seldom keep sitting still for long periods and if they haT to they easily get

Idistracted They also gesture when speaking they are poor lisleners and they lose

interest in long speeches They need direct involvement in what they are learning

10

According to research carried on by OMIT (Douglas Mawson In1stitute of Technology

in South Australia) forty percent of students are mainly kinesthetic learners

The teacher can work with dancing body language miming role plays

expressing emotions through the body activities which need to walk around find

clues cut out magazines and glue

24 THE COGNITIVE STYLES

The cognitive styles are the information processing ha its of an individual

These represent a persons typical modes of perceiving thinking remembering and

I problem solving ( Keefe apud Hood 1995 p2 ) There are mar categories for this

division of learning styles but only the most easily found will be described in this

research paper The categories chosen to be analyzed are deductive and inductive

impulsive and reflective IThe deductive and inductive styles are related to the way students work out

grammar explanations rules and examples IDeductive learners are the ones who love studying the rules They need to

have the explanation and after they understand the mechaniJm they go for the

examples If the teacher skips the explanation the students lsuallY get confused

and frustrated

Inductive learners are the ones who handle having the examples first quite

well because they like to work out the rules by themselves T~ey do not need the

teacher to explain everything If the teacher does so they get bted easily When it

I II

happens students can stop listening doodle start working on their own or doing

something else IImpulsive and reffective styles are related to the spf)ed and manner of

processing a response to a cognitive stimulus IImpulsive learners think and respond nearly simultaneously (Leaver 1998

fi L hmiddot h d tp43) They are the ones who always finish the activities Irst anu raise t elr an sa

I donce when the teacher asks a question or even when the question IS not complete

yet Sometimes they do not even know the answer Their resp+ses are usually less

accurate This kind of student likes competitions such as quiz shows or miming

The reflective think first then respond showing more [involved and deeper

levels of thinking (idem p43) For this reason their answers are more accurate but

usually incomplete They take more time to answer and this is taken as a

1 d fl dlsadvantage because In a classroom where there are Impulsive an re ectlve I

students the reflective ones are consIdered slow Teachers take thiS charactenstlc

as lack of intelligence and tend to isolate or give up the studentslwho are reflective

Teachers can identify impulsive and reffective students by observing them inI

class Impulsive learners usually ask their classmates to be faster when completing

a task and they are also the ones who speak before any other in class while

reflective learners participate less in discussions and are the la~t ones to raise their

hands to answer a question IIn fact identifying the learning styles in a group is not an easy task mainly

because an individual can develop more than one style For exJmPle a learner who

is recognized as being visual may have a second and strong pfeference like being

kinesthetic and may develop a third one as well It is not all fixed Teachers can not

be led to believe that only one rule exists mainly because therb are many different

Iaspects involving learning It must be taken into consideration that personality

outside pressure and fears are also part of each leamers baLground and usually

affect the way they learn IWhen teachers decide to work with learning styles they lought to select some

of them otherwise teachers can feel frustrated either by analyzing the large amount

12

of data or by choosing among various techniques to cover III of the preferences

found in a group of students

The best way to recognize students preferences is by observation StudentsI

tend to show or say how they learn especially for the learning styles mentioned

previously So observing them will be enough But if the tealers for any reason

can not identify the styles or are not sure about the results they can use

questionnaires or some activities to support them There are multiple-choice

questionnaires writing tasks group and individual activities developed with the

purpose of complementing the discovery of students preferences (see appendix B)

After having collected all the information about the students the next step is

to select methods and approaches which can contribute to the IJarners development

in association with their learning preferences According to Rod Ellis (1997)

learners with differing kinds of ability may be able to achieve similar levels of

success providing that the type of instruction enables theJ to maximize their

strengths

3 THE COMMUNICATIVE APROACH AND METHODS

31 AN OVERVIEW

Teachers and researchers have been asking themselves what the best

I approach or method would be to teach their students Many attempts were made InI

the past to find the perfect method These attempts resulted in various theories Iwhich are slill being used In schools around the world but they are far from being the

perfect ones According to Freeman (1986 p182) each met~od presents efficient

techniques which can be exploited in class but she claims thatla particular method

cannot be a prescription for success for everyone ~ IIt has been proved that working with one method ray not fill all the

necessities in a group of students as the group is not always homogeneous A

method generally emphasizes one specific approach that may be suitable or not for

the students Our routines need re-thinking and uP-datind but good ways of

teaching - those that help the learning process - should not be rejected (Lindsay

2001 p 15) Leaver (1998 p 128) asserts that methbds should not be

straightjackets for either teachers or students pedagogical demagoguery has no

of each teachers arsenal in the struggle to win the style war

place in a free country Methods and techniques that comprise them should be part

In order to identify which practices are useful for each learning styles it is

important to review some of the methods and their principles It is necessary to point

out that only some methods were chosen the ones which teac1ers can work with in

the same class The Communicative Approach has an important role as it is the

basis for the application of the different selected techniques

32 THE COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH

The Communicative Approach (CA) focuses on communication and

interaction For this reason meaning is more important than fOl The activities dealt

with in class are task-based involving information sharing negotiation usage of real

and meaningful contexts authentic materials and functions Students must interact in I

many different situations In classes where this approach IS the basIs translation 15

not allowed Students learn by working in pairs or groups throlgh cooperation and

errors are not always corrected to avoid impeding fluency Tre teacher must be

attentive to students needs in order to provide help when it is necessary Role-plays

games problem solving and activities involving informatio~ gap choice and

feedback are some of the tasks used in the CA

33 METHODS

The methods to be analyzed in this paper are

The Grammar-Translation Method

The Direct Method

The Audio-Lingual Method

Desuggestopedia

Community Language Learning

Total Physical Response (TPR)

331 The Grammar-Translation Method

15

The Grammar Translation Method was first called the Classical Method used

to teach the classical languages latin and Greek It was apdlied in order to help

students read foreign language literature It was believed t~at foreign language

Ilearning would help students grow Intellectually no matter If they used the language

m~ Classes which are based on the Grammar Translation jethod are teacher-

centered and focus on reading and writing Students try to Td equivalents and

similarities between l1 and l2 l1 is permitted and learners have to memorize lists

of vocabulary It is also based on deductive grammar learning

332 The Direct Method

The Direct Method received its name from the fact tha meaning is to be

conveyed directly in the target language with the help of demonstration and visual

aids Therefore translation is not allowed Nowadays its goal of inltruction is to learn

how to use a foreign language to communicate lTeachers work with direct association real contexts I sing topics and

exposure speaking inductive grammar and self-correction hey also exploit

pictures and realia to contextualize and associate better

16

3 3 3 The Audio Lingual Method

IThe Audio Lingual Method IS an oral-based approacr method based on

Structurahsm and BehavIorism Skinner IS the best-known representative of this

method It is believed that the best way to acquire the target language is through

conditioning Teachers help learners to respond to stimuli using shaping and

reinforcement They think learners create and form new habits demanded to become

speakers of the target language So this method uses drills tb teach grammatical

sentence patterns focusing on oral rather than written ProductiOh

Stressing habit formation dialogues drills repetition verbal and nonverbal

stimuli and inductive learning are some of the techniques used In it The classes are

teacher-centered and it is recommended to work only with the target language Error

334 Desuggestopedia

must be avoided because they lead the students to bad habits

Desuggestopedia comes from an affective-humanistic approach in which the

main focus is on students feelings It is believed that people Jstablish barriers and

limitations when starting to learn a language These barriers make learners not use

the total mental capacity leading them to fail A solution to change this scenario is to

I desuggest students from setting up these limitations Desuggestopedla IS a method

in which a mixture of fine arts and music has an important rOlk in making learners

feel relaxed and consequently they will learn without being awJre of the process

The classes are teacher-centered in a very friendly environment DialoguesI

texts vocabulary lists role-plays different identities colorful posters musical

f 0 t dInstruments painting and baroque musIc are part 0 a esugges ope 18

17

class

335 Community Language Learning

Translation and comparison between L1 and L2 are allowed

Community Language Learning is based on the counselTg-learning approach

created for adult teaching Students must be considered as whole persons Whole-

person learning means that teachers consider not only their sLdents intellect but

I I h Ialso have some understanding of the relationship among students fee lngs P YSlca

reactions instinctive protective reactions and desire to learn (Freeman 1994 p

89)

The course is topic-based and learners provide the topics Teachers work with

translation group work recording transcription reflection obselation listening and Ifree conversation Students work collaboratlvely having the teacher as a counselor

Teacher uses chunks of words Sharing learning experiences i1 part of the process

Students take responsibility for their learning therefore it is a self-directed method

336 Total Physical Response

Total Physical Response is part of the comprehension approach In this

approach language learning starts with understanding and thtn producing Only

when the students have internalized the target language process will they start

speaking It is also grammar-based and structuralist It involtes comprehension

before production focusing on meaning rather than form then 6rammar and lexis

The classes are teacher-centered and the teacher provides i~perative sentences

I 18

and drills for the students to perform A good TPR class should make the use of

action gestures and tone of voice This method is claimed to Ilreducestress in the

learning process TPR is based in the wayan infant learns its native language First

students should just listen and understand how the language is Iused and after they

going to be accurate but it will improve gradually

have internalized it they will automatically produce it At first he language is not

Students must be exposed to the target language The eacher must be as

expressive as possible so they can use pictures to help

4 THE PARTNERSHIP

19

After analyzing and selecting the learning styles and t~le methods sUitable

techntques need to be selected and combined with learners pre erences

In this paper It IS suggested that classes be based a the Communicative

Approach The reason is that many coursebooks used in languige schools in Brazil

In order to provide effective activities for each of the learning styles the

nowadays are based on this approach

methods were analyzed and some of the techniques were chosen Not all the I practices were selected because It IS clear that the methods have similarities and

contrasts and it is necessary to be sensible when working with ~ethod sinergistics

As there is no perfect method that integrates and accommodJtes all the learning

styles a selection of useful ideas should be made

There are some techniques and activities below which can be effective in any

11 I I mutl- earning-stye class If prepared and used carefully and appropriately

41 GAMES

Games are mainly part of the Communicative APproach] but they can be

adapted to suit most of the methods the Grammar-Translation Method TPR The

Language Learning

Audio-Lingual Method the Direct Method Desuggestopedia and Community

Games may be applied to all the learning styles Teachers can use ready-

made games or create their own Some games are suggested in the chart that

follows

20

GAME lEARNING STYLES APPROACHMETHODSSpelling competition and

Iscrabbles Visual e motor GTM

Crosswords and word searchers Visual and reflective I GTM

Visual auditory motor and

IBingo inductive CAAlM

Miming Visual motor impulsive I CA TPR DMVocabulary categories and stop Visual and impulsive I GTMD

Can you name Auditory impulsive reflective(categories) and visual GTM

Build up a word Visual motor and reflective GTM

Betting game Visual inductive reflective and(correction of mistakes) auditory DM

Song game Auditory and motor CAD

Reflective motor visual andFind the murderer auditory DM Cll

Quiz Impulsive motor and auditory DMCA

Drill game Auditory impulsive and inductive AlM

Find the target Motor and auditory TPR Cll

Build up the picture Motor reflective and visual TPRCll

Most of the games are well known but there are lme for which an

explanation of the procedures is needed Bingo is an activity thbt is found in many

different ways Teachers may work with bingo to review some JocabUlary students

have learned or review structures To play bingo students have td read their words in

the cards listen to the selected word and mark the options which have been called

Vocabulary categories is a competition which is played by two teams the

students have to write down as many words in the category aSJhey can Teachers

make cards with different categories written on them Students Irite the words on a

paper or on the board The winner is who has the most words There are two

0 I vanatons for this kind of game ne IS the game stop and the other IS can you

name The former is played individually using just paper anld pencil Students

write down pre-selected categories and put them in columns One student calls out a

~~

I 11Ililr(CA- bullbullbilr u

letter and everybody has to write one word for each category rtil they comple

of the categories As soon as one student completes them he says stop and the I

other students stop wntlng In a group they call out the answer For each different

answer students score 10 points and for the same answers they score 5 points The

C I dwinner ISthe one who gets the most pOintsat the end an you name ISplaye

in two groups Students receive a sheet of paper with some dategOrieS(Example

Can you name 3 things you can open and close) Then they dlcide in their groups

what words to write in the categories After that one group h1asto discover what

words the other group selected in one minute and Vice-versa The winner is the

group which discovers more words IBuild-up a word is another well-known game which is basically spelling and

thinking The teacher writes letters of the alphabet in small carbs and places them

SI

face down on the floor tudents one-by-one have to turn over a card until any of

I hthem can bUild up a word When students notice that a word In be bUild up t ey

~ank eaI~em in front of them to form a war The winner is the

The betting game is usually played in pairs Students receIve a sheet of paper

with sentences The sentences may be right or wrong Students analyze them and

decide if they are right or wrong correcting the wrong ones The1 they bet from $10

to $100 on their answers If they correct the sentence in the right way they will win

the amount they bet but if their correction is wrong they will lokie the money The

winner is the pair who wins the most money at the end

The song game is played in two groups with students in line The first

students in each line listens to a line of a song using headphones lnd has to whisper

it in his neighbors ear This students whispers to the next until t~e last listens to it

Then this student has to go to the board and write the sentrce Students keep

dOingthe activity until the song finishes For thiSreason the SOlg should not be long

and fast After the song finishes the teacher analyzes the sentences correcting

I where It IS necessary and sconng when there IS no mistakes The winner IS the

group which has less mistakes

Find the murderer is a game with clues Students haVj to discover who is

the murderer following the clue cards they have In order to 10 the task students

have to read the clues and interact with their group to link them and find out who is

the criminal

The drill game is also very well known The teacher starts saying a sentence

to be completed by one student Example I went to the supermarket and I

boughLchocolate breadcake Students take turns comPleting the sentence

without repeating the words The students who do not say a wori within the time limit

or repeat a word are out of the game The winner is the student who remains until

22

game

the end of the game Vocabulary and grammar structures can be exploited in this

Two efficient examples of quiz are like torta na caraand topa tudo por

dinheiro two TV programs in SBT The former consists in arSWering questions

about a topic or general vocabulary Two teams play against each other and who

rings the bell first has the right to answer The winner is the teamwhich scores more

pOintsThe latter consists in watching a sequence of a movie wHich is full of details

and after that answer questions based on these details The gale is also played in

teams and the competitors win fake money for each right ansler they give The

winner is the team which gets the largest amount of money

23

picture and they have to impersonate the people in the pictures organizing

the pair or trio which gets to the target first

Build up a picture is a competition played in groups Students receive a

themselves as the people in the picture Only one or two students from each group

can see the picture and have to give directions to the others t+ry to build it up The

winner is the group which gets the closest to the picture organization

These techniques which can be found in the Direct Method the

42 PICTURES GRAPHS REALIA AND POSTERS

Communicative Approach and Desuggestopedia are very useful for visual motor

inductive and deductive learners I

Visual students exploit everything they can see and if it is colorful or real they

will internalize the information better As they picture things in Itheir minds teachers

should use images numbers or words to help them showing Pi1cturesto start a class

presentation or to make students produce language based on them Teachers ought

Ito use the board and provide handouts to explain grammar ports Teachers should

also guide students to underline important information with cOlorul highlighters

Motor students need to do things so they can make Itheir own posters or

graphs about a topic or a grammar explanation working in pairs or groups They I also match or classify Information which can be vocabulary 0 anything related to a

topiCand place it in posters These learners also like to work with realia It is very

24

guess Students are blindfolded and they have to taste smell or touch the items in

order to guess what they are

For inductive and deductive learners the usage of pictures graphs or posters

may be useful if exploited in the right way Inductive students ban be provided with

1

visual material to try to work out examples of a structure Whit deductive students

receive the structure itself in colorful charts to make it more memorable

43 ROLE-PLAYSWITH TEXTS AND DIALOGUES

Role-plays and dialogues are present in the comiunicative Approach

Desuggestopedia and the Audio-Lingual Method They may be applied to motor

For example students read a text or the script of a dialogue (visual)

auditory visual inductive and reflective learners

exchange ideas with their peers (auditory reflective and inductive) prepare a

1 presentation and perform It (motor auditory and Inductive) ThiS ISthe main skeletonI

of a role-play and teachers can adapt or vary some elements Scenano clothes

Jaccessones and sound effects are usually Included In thiSactlvl[Y

Creating identities is another good activity The students close their eyes

and listen to a very soft song (classical or baroque) The tealer makes questions

Ilike What IS your name Where do you live What do you do etc and the

students answer them mentally but their answers should + an invention They

should create different people with their profiles After that thy talk to partners and

Introduce themselves uSing thelf new Identities Then In a group they can create a

story uSing the new characters and perform It For thiS activit the learning styles

that will take more advantage are reflective

25

and

kinesthetic

44 TPR GESTURES AND BODY LANGUAGE

The use of imperative gestures and body language are part of Total Physical

Response and the Communicative Approach These techniques are very useful for

visual kinesthetic and inductive students When teachers make any gestures they

Iare helping the visual students When they ask students to use body language or

TPR they are helping kinesthetic students IAn effective example is miming Kinesthetic students like performing for the

others to guess and impulsive learners love trying to discover Jhat is being mimed

So teachers can exploit grammar structures like present continLus and vocabulary

this way A good example is to divide the group in two teiams and place two

~sOolr~thaah~tht~ecs ~~derb ~hO~

teams have to mime It to help their partners guess the word IWhen teachers provide tasks uSingTPR kinesthetic students do better They

can perform and understand what IS being asked Inductive Istudents also learn

betier uSingTPR because they Internalize the examples and hOr to use them while

performing or providing imperatives for the other students to perform For instance

while teaching prepositions teachers may present Ihem and lSk the students to

follow directions John stand behind Mary Ann put yourself nixt to John and so

on unlil you have involved all the studenls Then teachers In vary selecting a

26

some of the structures which may be explored

student to give the directions Directions actions prepositions d conditionals are

45 DEBATES

Debates are part of the Communicative Approach and the Direct Method ThisI

activity works well for visual reflective auditory impulsive an motor learners The

students need time to prepare the arguments and at this mOlent visual refiective

and mechanical work better because they have to write dOWl the ideas and think

about the topic Auditory and kinesthetic students can also participate Auditory

students will discuss the ideas orally and the kinesthetic will classify good and bad

arguments At the moment of speaking all of them will be pr+ared to discuss and

state their point-of-view but auditory kinesthetic and impulsive learners will probably

do better in this task They have to move around the room be fast-talking and use

the right words An interesting way of applying this idea is to prsent a sequence of a

n~ ~c~sn ao~~ aar~cte~~t~l~~~~~se

Then they start the trial defending and accusing the man Twol students are chosen

to be the JudgesAt the end of the activity the students watch the final trial to check

what the verdict was In this activity there is time to prepare lanalyze and discuss

information there is visual and auditory support and there is movement during the

trial itself with which motor students feel comfortable I

It is necessary to divide the group so that the students rre organized to use

different abilities for instance a reflective with an impulsive arnd a mechanical or a

27

improve their abilities through contact with their peers

visual with an auditory and a kinesthetic working together This way students

46 INDUCTIVEAND DEDUCTIVE EXPLANATION

Inductive grammar explanation comes from the iirect Method the

Communicative Approach the Audio-Lingual Method and TiR while deductive

grammar explanation comes from the Grammar-Translation Method Both deductive

and inductive explanations are necessary to be used because t1eaChers usually find I Inductive and deductive students In the same class So It ISsuggested to work with

inductive exposition first for the students to try to find out the ~Ies by themselves

Then teachers may write the grammar rules on the board and elplain them or even

better provide handouts with the explanation so that students Iho really need this

I support WIll internalize the information more easily Teachers can also assign

help the deductive ones

inductive and deductive students to work together The inductive ones will eventually

Another relevant aspect is about oral and written eXPlinations Teachers

should combine them with deductive and inductive explanation Ii teachers adapt the

grammar explanations in this way they will support not only inductive and deductive

students but also visual auditory and motor ones For examfle after students

discuss the examples (auditory and inductive) the teacher hanr clothes-line from

one side to the other side of the classroom and hangs cards with examples or rules

(one word in each card) for visual support and for deductive studehts Then they ask

motor students to help build up other examples

47 MUSIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS AND RHYTHM

28

Music is part of Desuggestopedia the Direct Method amd the Audio-Lingual

For visual students teachers should work with the lyrics and create activities

Method and teachers may adapt it to many different purposes

based on them Example students read the lyrics of a song and have to write a letter

giving advice to the person in the song Another task which works for mechanical

S I Istudents too ISto draw a story based on the Iyncs tudents are placed In a CIrCe

backs to the center and each of them has a piece of paper The~ listen to the teacherI

tell a story line by line and draw it passing the paper to the classmate beside him

each time the teacher pauses At the end they listen to a song and discover that it is

the story they have drawn Putting the lines of a song in the i9ht order is another

possibility and it also works for reflective learners Teachers cut lout the lyrics in parts

and while students listen to the song they have organize it in the correct order

For motor students teachers should combine songj with the usage of

Igestures demonstrallng feelings or reconstructing the scene from the content of the

song For this activity students listen to the song and read the lyrics Then they

work in groups to elaborate how they will perform it After that ~ey listen to the song

again and at this time they have to perform while the song is Jeing played

Another possibility is to give each student a line of a song and they have to

put it in order by moving around and forming a line according ti the song sequence

The student who has the first line stands at the beginning of theII line the student with

the second line stands next and so on

For auditory students teachers can fully exploit music jey should work with

rhythm and musical instruments One example is when students use rhythms and

29

melody to help them memorize grammar structures rules or vocabulary Students

can also use instruments with the same purpose When teaching verbs that are

h II dfollowed by infinitive or gerund students can create t elf own me 0 y or even a song

to memorize them ITeachers sometimes should play music in the background while students

write a composition or complete a task It helps auditory students concentrate betterI

Furthermore teachers should use songs frequently because It stimulates them to

1learn more vocabulary to Internalize structures and to keep their Interest high

Movies and videos are activities which are part of the Communicative

48 MOVIES AND VIDEOS

Approach and the Direct Method

For visual learners movies and videos provide input they are visual aids

Students can exploit a frame or a scene describing it or describing the characters I Teachers may use videos to reinforce or present structures or tOPICSFor example

students watch a scene or a video about how the British people live their habits the

meals etc to present cultural aspects of their people

For reflective learners movies and videos are used to provide input

concerning a topic to be discussed later Reflective students watch some parts of a

movie in class or at home and then have a discussion in the )rlloWing class This

technique is also a good way to work with self-correction Anoter suggestion is to

have students record a video performing a sketch or just speaking Then they

watch it and analyze their performances observing their strong and weak aspects of

them

30

For inductive learners movies and videos are good sources of real examples

Teachers can exploit either the sound or the subtitles Teachers may ask students to

watch the video and write down examples of simple present or kst ask questions to

make students use the structure exploring the video ITeachers can prepare a quiz for impulsive and motor learners The students

are divided in two teams and watch a scene or sequence of a movie Then they take

turns answering the questions prepared by the teacher a1d based on visual

elements or characters lines of the sequence Whenever a tear answers correctly

it wins fake money The winner is the team which gets the largest amount of money

For auditory students teachers should use science fiction or horror movies

but just the sound The screen should be black or covered withla piece of cloth and

students listen to the sound writing what is happening desCribi1gthe situation After

completing the activity students watch the sequence and compare it with their

stories Another idea is to select a scene with a dialogue and 1rit9 some questions

about it numbering them eg 1 to 6 Then the teacher cuts paper squares and write

the numbers of the questions on them Each number is writlen on two or three

Isquares so that the teacher has two numbers 1 three numbers 2 three numbers 3

I and so on The teacher covers the screen With the paper squares In order to prevent

students to watch the scene Then students listen and answer the questions orally

The teacher should take out the numbered squares correspondent to the questions

students answer correctly enabling them to see the whole scenJ

Kinesthetic students will enjoy preparing a performance ~ased on a movie or

the teacher can record them role playing a task for example being a reporter or a

news announcer They can also use a movie to explore contrasts and similarities

and make a chart about them

5 CONCLUSION

31

What has been discussed in this paper is for certain only the first step to find

a good and effective way to teach and learn a foreign language However something

that must be kept in mind is that learners all over the world hale their own needs

preferences and perceptions related to learning Teachers lust be trained to

perceive these differences and to take advantage of them Tlchers should plan

I middotmiddotf hmiddotlessons to match students learning styles while encouraging them to dlversl y t air

learning style preferences IAs for the controversy that using learning styles is or is rot beneficial for the

learning process it can not be harmful for either the teacher or the students just

because if they are consciously involved in the process this involvement may be

part of teachers and students own improvement as learners rt only for language

purposes but also for learning strategies development and it fay bring significant

results at the end Unquestionably all this process is time consuming but valid

Teachers can adapt the ideas to their environment and I time availability A

suggestion for teachers who are beginners in this area is to Rroceed carefully and

step-by-step This field is wide so teachers ought not to usJ activities for all the

learning styles and methods at once otherwise it will beCOle very complex and

difficult to control

Teachers are not expected to use all the activities proposed in this paper in

every class Teachers can provide them little by little wher the students need

support There are many strategies to help students develop ieir weaknesses It is~~ middot- middot ~l~00 0I

I

32

T h h Id h kSomething that must be aVOidedISto Individualize too much eac ers s au c ec

h d 11 If Ithe average of the group It IS easier to deal Wit an Stl e ectlve

IAmong all the theones concerning learnmg the most feasible way to solve

the style conflicts in a class is adapting the material Most teachrs have a textbook

to be followed and it usually includes a methodology So it is rportant to present

materials with a different focus to attend each learning preference

IOnly presenting a mulh-style class ISnot enough If a teacher decides to work

I I Th hWith these suggestions heshe has to think about evaluation as we 1 e teae er

must provide various ways of assessing not only written and I oral tests but also

other ways of measuring what students learn and in which the other styles are also I Involved Students can be evaluated while working In small gIOUPSperforming or

debating through journals among other suggestions

It is clear that teachers can not be paSSiveThey have to work exhaustively if I they want to help their students to fully develop They should also be open-minded In

relation to old methods present methods and brand-new one1sThey may be all

significant and helpful I

There are many approaches and methods nowadays aid probably there is

one coming out right now Each of them has been created to slve the problems in

the learning and teaching process but they may not be able to Researchers are still

trying to find a better way to teach or why not the prefect formLa It is complicated

to say not to follow a method I

In conclusion whatever teachers decide to apply in class they just need to

keep in mind that the students interests are the priority and theJ must be syntonized

with the teachers own beliefs respecting each ones paL and information

processing

REFERENCES

II

Bras G R de C (1998) Bnncando e aprendendo com logOS sensonals RIo deJaneiro Sprint I

Ellis R (1997) Second Language AcqUisition Oxford Oxford University Press

Guimaraes R (1997) Teaching Ught Teaching Bette~ a handI book for languageteachers Sao Paulo Senae

Hood K (1995) Exploring Learning Styles and Instruction The University ofGeorgia (Department of Mathematics Education) Retrieved 08072002 fromhttp lIwllson coe uga eduEMT705EMT705 Hood html I

Larsen-Freeman D (1986) Techmques and pnnclples In language teaching (2 ed)Oxford Oxford University Press I

~~nLp (9)s~~n~ t~9)0~n~a~ a~~Jd Oxford

University Press ILindsay P (JuI12001)SWingsof the Pendulum New Routes 14 pp 12-15

Richards J amp Rodgers 1 (2001) Approaches and Methods In Language Teaching(2 ed) Cambridge Cambridge University Press I

Rodgers T (Apr2000) Methodology in the new millenium English Teaching forum382 pp2-12 I

Rodgers S T (2001) Language Teaching Methodology ERIG Clearinghouse onLanguages and Linguistics Washington DC 20016-1859 Retrieved03052002 from hUpllwwwcalorgericclldigesUrodgershtml

Skehan P (1998) A cognitive approach to language learning 010rd OxfordUniversity Press

2 LEARNING STYLES

First it is necessary to define what learning styles re There are many

definitions but it can be simplified by saying that they are di1erent approaches or

ways of learning Betty Lou Leaver (1998 p23) mentions whatt the best definition

which is the one suggested by Keefe (1979) Learning styles are characteristic

cognitive affective and physiological behaviors that serve as relatively stable

indicators of how learners perceive interact with and respond to the learning

environment Keefe (1991) describes learning styles aJ both a students

characteristic and an instructional strategy in other words thJy are how a student

Reiff (apud Hood 1995 p 1) claims that styles influence how students learn how

learn and likes to learn and the cognition the context and the content of learning

teachers teach and how they interact The three aspects are linked and must be

conSidered If a student has one way to learn and the teacher has a different one to

teach the learning process will probably be obstructed compr

1enSlonof Individual

differences and learning preferences can proVide teachers Ith the theory and

knowledge upon which to base decIsions (Hood 1995 p 2) AnalYZing how

students react to various stimuli teachers can establish the best procedures to be

used to instruct and help in the learning process There is no success in an

educational program if it does not consider the individual neeis of students and

personal preferences in perceiving organizing and retaining information

Planning lessons fitting the learning styles will be one bf the solutions for

students failure or non-improvement

Active leaming is better than passive and teachers are needed t1 organize stimulate an

direct learning especially if it gets the learner involved in problem ~IVing and all the realistic

communicative tasks that are now being used We don1 need to retum to the days when

teaching interfered with learning but we do need teachers who explain when explanation is

needed who give active input when it is necessary and helpful Jnd who always take the

responsibility for giving their students the means with which they can develop the skills and

Realistically a teacher cannot be expected to have a different lesson for

every person in the classroom however lessons can reflect an understanding of

I ndvdualdifferences by appropriately Incorporating strategies for a variety of stylesmiddot

(Hood 1995) A lesson can be adapted to fit individual needs JithOut compromising

the whole group and the teaching itself

On the other hand some researchers claim the opposite Researchers suchI

as Rector and Henderson (apud Hood 1995) have discovered that there are factors

knowledge they need (Lindsay 2001 p14)

which influence a students achievement such as the nature of the concept to be

taught the time available and the students characteristics Th~ir research showed

that applying different strategies resulted in no relevant differe~ce in improvement

Even so it is claimed that by identifying learning styles anld applying suitable

strategies teachers can help the students to overcome the diffibutties in learning a

foreign language

According to some authors (Leaver 199B Hood 1995) there are some

Iaspects or diVISions of learning styles to be conSIdered

1the phYSiological

components the affective components the sensory modalities and the cognitive

styles

21 THE PHYSIOLOGICAL COMPONENTS

The physiological components include sex-related differences nutrition

health biorhythms and reactions to the physical environmentl Examples of these

factors are the preferences for studying in a quiet room or with the IV on with bright

~~ ~i~e O~hcrO ~ ~u~t~h11~smponents and may

2 2 THE AFFECTIVE COMPONENTS

The affective components include personality and em01ional characteristics

related to the areas of persistence responsibility motivation and peer interaction

(Reiff 1992 apud Hood 1995 p2 ) The affective compone~ts play an important

role in the learning process Many times teachers face problem~ related to students

personality and interaction These problems are all over the dassrooms students Iwho are Introvert and dont speak In dass others who are extrvert and do not let

anybody talk students who hate working in large groups or being exposed in front of

the class students who are self-reliant and others who relyi too much on the

teacher They can all be part of the same class and teachers must be aware of these

differences and try to give support 10each of them By observTg teachers can be

successful in determining what type of students they have and create mechanisms to

deal with them

23 THE SENSORY MODALITIES

Learning modalities are the sensory channels or pat1ways through which

individuals give receive and store information (Hood 1995 p2) The sensory

Imodalities are divided in visual auditory and motor (Leaver 1986)

Visual learners are the ones who have the ability to perlive the visual They

need to visualize to understand the content of a lesson It is as if they have a movie

camera in their minds They take in what they hear or read and translate it into

images in their brains When visuals want to remember wha they have learned

they simply glance upwards and look at the image that they have stored in their

minds There are two subdivisions (Leaver 1986) in this category verbalists and

I Imaglnatlsts They both use the visual sense but verbalists create mental Images

using words in other words they picture the words in their minds while imaginatists

think of pictures to retain information They have vivid imaginatibn These two kinds

I of students usually learn better from visual aids such aSalsloagrams Illustrated

textbooks Videos handouts pictures and movies They pay attention to

brightness Size color contrast and other visual features

In a classroom the Visual learner performs very well because all testing IS

conducted in a written format The visual students easily fit i~to most classroom

standards such as sitting quietly writing neatly and organiling materials well

Teachers working with visual students can exploit puzzle bUildirg reading writing

sketching painting using pictures maps and charts to illustrate the learning point

By observation teachers can spot who visual students arel They usually sit at

the front of the classroom they like to underline important inforlation usually with

colorful highlighters they try to draw or write while learning and they also prefer that

the teacher use the board flipcharts or pictures while teaching1

Auditory learners acquire new information through sound (Leaver 1998

p26) They need to listen to other people and to themselves to lunderstand and learn

better They also talk about what to do when they learn They take more advantage

There are two subdivisions of auditory learners the aural who learn by

of verbal lectures than written information

listening to others and the oral who need to talk and hear therSelVeS Things both

types pay attention to are tone of voice pitch speed rhythm and other nuances

Auditory students are usually spotted in class due to their performance They like to

Ispeak about and repeat what they learn and they eaSily do that They are often fast

at grasping information through listening and songs Amonb the three sensory

modalities (visual auditory and motor) the auditory is the mostltalkative and has the

most difficulty in writing Activities which are more effective Wlth auditory students

are any involving listening and speaking such as storytellinb oral explanations

debates and music IMotor learners learn better by exploring the physical W011daround them they

learn through movement There are again two subdivisions kinesthetic and

mechanical The kinesthetic learn better when they ~usethe gross motor muscles~

(Leaver 1998 p26) which means jumping dancing rUnningwhile learning the

mechanical use the fine motor muscles (idem p26) in other words they prefer for

instance to cut out pictures and write down in order to learn IThrough interaction with the environment around them they are able to

remember and process information This kind of student is eas~ to identify because

they seldom keep sitting still for long periods and if they haT to they easily get

Idistracted They also gesture when speaking they are poor lisleners and they lose

interest in long speeches They need direct involvement in what they are learning

10

According to research carried on by OMIT (Douglas Mawson In1stitute of Technology

in South Australia) forty percent of students are mainly kinesthetic learners

The teacher can work with dancing body language miming role plays

expressing emotions through the body activities which need to walk around find

clues cut out magazines and glue

24 THE COGNITIVE STYLES

The cognitive styles are the information processing ha its of an individual

These represent a persons typical modes of perceiving thinking remembering and

I problem solving ( Keefe apud Hood 1995 p2 ) There are mar categories for this

division of learning styles but only the most easily found will be described in this

research paper The categories chosen to be analyzed are deductive and inductive

impulsive and reflective IThe deductive and inductive styles are related to the way students work out

grammar explanations rules and examples IDeductive learners are the ones who love studying the rules They need to

have the explanation and after they understand the mechaniJm they go for the

examples If the teacher skips the explanation the students lsuallY get confused

and frustrated

Inductive learners are the ones who handle having the examples first quite

well because they like to work out the rules by themselves T~ey do not need the

teacher to explain everything If the teacher does so they get bted easily When it

I II

happens students can stop listening doodle start working on their own or doing

something else IImpulsive and reffective styles are related to the spf)ed and manner of

processing a response to a cognitive stimulus IImpulsive learners think and respond nearly simultaneously (Leaver 1998

fi L hmiddot h d tp43) They are the ones who always finish the activities Irst anu raise t elr an sa

I donce when the teacher asks a question or even when the question IS not complete

yet Sometimes they do not even know the answer Their resp+ses are usually less

accurate This kind of student likes competitions such as quiz shows or miming

The reflective think first then respond showing more [involved and deeper

levels of thinking (idem p43) For this reason their answers are more accurate but

usually incomplete They take more time to answer and this is taken as a

1 d fl dlsadvantage because In a classroom where there are Impulsive an re ectlve I

students the reflective ones are consIdered slow Teachers take thiS charactenstlc

as lack of intelligence and tend to isolate or give up the studentslwho are reflective

Teachers can identify impulsive and reffective students by observing them inI

class Impulsive learners usually ask their classmates to be faster when completing

a task and they are also the ones who speak before any other in class while

reflective learners participate less in discussions and are the la~t ones to raise their

hands to answer a question IIn fact identifying the learning styles in a group is not an easy task mainly

because an individual can develop more than one style For exJmPle a learner who

is recognized as being visual may have a second and strong pfeference like being

kinesthetic and may develop a third one as well It is not all fixed Teachers can not

be led to believe that only one rule exists mainly because therb are many different

Iaspects involving learning It must be taken into consideration that personality

outside pressure and fears are also part of each leamers baLground and usually

affect the way they learn IWhen teachers decide to work with learning styles they lought to select some

of them otherwise teachers can feel frustrated either by analyzing the large amount

12

of data or by choosing among various techniques to cover III of the preferences

found in a group of students

The best way to recognize students preferences is by observation StudentsI

tend to show or say how they learn especially for the learning styles mentioned

previously So observing them will be enough But if the tealers for any reason

can not identify the styles or are not sure about the results they can use

questionnaires or some activities to support them There are multiple-choice

questionnaires writing tasks group and individual activities developed with the

purpose of complementing the discovery of students preferences (see appendix B)

After having collected all the information about the students the next step is

to select methods and approaches which can contribute to the IJarners development

in association with their learning preferences According to Rod Ellis (1997)

learners with differing kinds of ability may be able to achieve similar levels of

success providing that the type of instruction enables theJ to maximize their

strengths

3 THE COMMUNICATIVE APROACH AND METHODS

31 AN OVERVIEW

Teachers and researchers have been asking themselves what the best

I approach or method would be to teach their students Many attempts were made InI

the past to find the perfect method These attempts resulted in various theories Iwhich are slill being used In schools around the world but they are far from being the

perfect ones According to Freeman (1986 p182) each met~od presents efficient

techniques which can be exploited in class but she claims thatla particular method

cannot be a prescription for success for everyone ~ IIt has been proved that working with one method ray not fill all the

necessities in a group of students as the group is not always homogeneous A

method generally emphasizes one specific approach that may be suitable or not for

the students Our routines need re-thinking and uP-datind but good ways of

teaching - those that help the learning process - should not be rejected (Lindsay

2001 p 15) Leaver (1998 p 128) asserts that methbds should not be

straightjackets for either teachers or students pedagogical demagoguery has no

of each teachers arsenal in the struggle to win the style war

place in a free country Methods and techniques that comprise them should be part

In order to identify which practices are useful for each learning styles it is

important to review some of the methods and their principles It is necessary to point

out that only some methods were chosen the ones which teac1ers can work with in

the same class The Communicative Approach has an important role as it is the

basis for the application of the different selected techniques

32 THE COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH

The Communicative Approach (CA) focuses on communication and

interaction For this reason meaning is more important than fOl The activities dealt

with in class are task-based involving information sharing negotiation usage of real

and meaningful contexts authentic materials and functions Students must interact in I

many different situations In classes where this approach IS the basIs translation 15

not allowed Students learn by working in pairs or groups throlgh cooperation and

errors are not always corrected to avoid impeding fluency Tre teacher must be

attentive to students needs in order to provide help when it is necessary Role-plays

games problem solving and activities involving informatio~ gap choice and

feedback are some of the tasks used in the CA

33 METHODS

The methods to be analyzed in this paper are

The Grammar-Translation Method

The Direct Method

The Audio-Lingual Method

Desuggestopedia

Community Language Learning

Total Physical Response (TPR)

331 The Grammar-Translation Method

15

The Grammar Translation Method was first called the Classical Method used

to teach the classical languages latin and Greek It was apdlied in order to help

students read foreign language literature It was believed t~at foreign language

Ilearning would help students grow Intellectually no matter If they used the language

m~ Classes which are based on the Grammar Translation jethod are teacher-

centered and focus on reading and writing Students try to Td equivalents and

similarities between l1 and l2 l1 is permitted and learners have to memorize lists

of vocabulary It is also based on deductive grammar learning

332 The Direct Method

The Direct Method received its name from the fact tha meaning is to be

conveyed directly in the target language with the help of demonstration and visual

aids Therefore translation is not allowed Nowadays its goal of inltruction is to learn

how to use a foreign language to communicate lTeachers work with direct association real contexts I sing topics and

exposure speaking inductive grammar and self-correction hey also exploit

pictures and realia to contextualize and associate better

16

3 3 3 The Audio Lingual Method

IThe Audio Lingual Method IS an oral-based approacr method based on

Structurahsm and BehavIorism Skinner IS the best-known representative of this

method It is believed that the best way to acquire the target language is through

conditioning Teachers help learners to respond to stimuli using shaping and

reinforcement They think learners create and form new habits demanded to become

speakers of the target language So this method uses drills tb teach grammatical

sentence patterns focusing on oral rather than written ProductiOh

Stressing habit formation dialogues drills repetition verbal and nonverbal

stimuli and inductive learning are some of the techniques used In it The classes are

teacher-centered and it is recommended to work only with the target language Error

334 Desuggestopedia

must be avoided because they lead the students to bad habits

Desuggestopedia comes from an affective-humanistic approach in which the

main focus is on students feelings It is believed that people Jstablish barriers and

limitations when starting to learn a language These barriers make learners not use

the total mental capacity leading them to fail A solution to change this scenario is to

I desuggest students from setting up these limitations Desuggestopedla IS a method

in which a mixture of fine arts and music has an important rOlk in making learners

feel relaxed and consequently they will learn without being awJre of the process

The classes are teacher-centered in a very friendly environment DialoguesI

texts vocabulary lists role-plays different identities colorful posters musical

f 0 t dInstruments painting and baroque musIc are part 0 a esugges ope 18

17

class

335 Community Language Learning

Translation and comparison between L1 and L2 are allowed

Community Language Learning is based on the counselTg-learning approach

created for adult teaching Students must be considered as whole persons Whole-

person learning means that teachers consider not only their sLdents intellect but

I I h Ialso have some understanding of the relationship among students fee lngs P YSlca

reactions instinctive protective reactions and desire to learn (Freeman 1994 p

89)

The course is topic-based and learners provide the topics Teachers work with

translation group work recording transcription reflection obselation listening and Ifree conversation Students work collaboratlvely having the teacher as a counselor

Teacher uses chunks of words Sharing learning experiences i1 part of the process

Students take responsibility for their learning therefore it is a self-directed method

336 Total Physical Response

Total Physical Response is part of the comprehension approach In this

approach language learning starts with understanding and thtn producing Only

when the students have internalized the target language process will they start

speaking It is also grammar-based and structuralist It involtes comprehension

before production focusing on meaning rather than form then 6rammar and lexis

The classes are teacher-centered and the teacher provides i~perative sentences

I 18

and drills for the students to perform A good TPR class should make the use of

action gestures and tone of voice This method is claimed to Ilreducestress in the

learning process TPR is based in the wayan infant learns its native language First

students should just listen and understand how the language is Iused and after they

going to be accurate but it will improve gradually

have internalized it they will automatically produce it At first he language is not

Students must be exposed to the target language The eacher must be as

expressive as possible so they can use pictures to help

4 THE PARTNERSHIP

19

After analyzing and selecting the learning styles and t~le methods sUitable

techntques need to be selected and combined with learners pre erences

In this paper It IS suggested that classes be based a the Communicative

Approach The reason is that many coursebooks used in languige schools in Brazil

In order to provide effective activities for each of the learning styles the

nowadays are based on this approach

methods were analyzed and some of the techniques were chosen Not all the I practices were selected because It IS clear that the methods have similarities and

contrasts and it is necessary to be sensible when working with ~ethod sinergistics

As there is no perfect method that integrates and accommodJtes all the learning

styles a selection of useful ideas should be made

There are some techniques and activities below which can be effective in any

11 I I mutl- earning-stye class If prepared and used carefully and appropriately

41 GAMES

Games are mainly part of the Communicative APproach] but they can be

adapted to suit most of the methods the Grammar-Translation Method TPR The

Language Learning

Audio-Lingual Method the Direct Method Desuggestopedia and Community

Games may be applied to all the learning styles Teachers can use ready-

made games or create their own Some games are suggested in the chart that

follows

20

GAME lEARNING STYLES APPROACHMETHODSSpelling competition and

Iscrabbles Visual e motor GTM

Crosswords and word searchers Visual and reflective I GTM

Visual auditory motor and

IBingo inductive CAAlM

Miming Visual motor impulsive I CA TPR DMVocabulary categories and stop Visual and impulsive I GTMD

Can you name Auditory impulsive reflective(categories) and visual GTM

Build up a word Visual motor and reflective GTM

Betting game Visual inductive reflective and(correction of mistakes) auditory DM

Song game Auditory and motor CAD

Reflective motor visual andFind the murderer auditory DM Cll

Quiz Impulsive motor and auditory DMCA

Drill game Auditory impulsive and inductive AlM

Find the target Motor and auditory TPR Cll

Build up the picture Motor reflective and visual TPRCll

Most of the games are well known but there are lme for which an

explanation of the procedures is needed Bingo is an activity thbt is found in many

different ways Teachers may work with bingo to review some JocabUlary students

have learned or review structures To play bingo students have td read their words in

the cards listen to the selected word and mark the options which have been called

Vocabulary categories is a competition which is played by two teams the

students have to write down as many words in the category aSJhey can Teachers

make cards with different categories written on them Students Irite the words on a

paper or on the board The winner is who has the most words There are two

0 I vanatons for this kind of game ne IS the game stop and the other IS can you

name The former is played individually using just paper anld pencil Students

write down pre-selected categories and put them in columns One student calls out a

~~

I 11Ililr(CA- bullbullbilr u

letter and everybody has to write one word for each category rtil they comple

of the categories As soon as one student completes them he says stop and the I

other students stop wntlng In a group they call out the answer For each different

answer students score 10 points and for the same answers they score 5 points The

C I dwinner ISthe one who gets the most pOintsat the end an you name ISplaye

in two groups Students receive a sheet of paper with some dategOrieS(Example

Can you name 3 things you can open and close) Then they dlcide in their groups

what words to write in the categories After that one group h1asto discover what

words the other group selected in one minute and Vice-versa The winner is the

group which discovers more words IBuild-up a word is another well-known game which is basically spelling and

thinking The teacher writes letters of the alphabet in small carbs and places them

SI

face down on the floor tudents one-by-one have to turn over a card until any of

I hthem can bUild up a word When students notice that a word In be bUild up t ey

~ank eaI~em in front of them to form a war The winner is the

The betting game is usually played in pairs Students receIve a sheet of paper

with sentences The sentences may be right or wrong Students analyze them and

decide if they are right or wrong correcting the wrong ones The1 they bet from $10

to $100 on their answers If they correct the sentence in the right way they will win

the amount they bet but if their correction is wrong they will lokie the money The

winner is the pair who wins the most money at the end

The song game is played in two groups with students in line The first

students in each line listens to a line of a song using headphones lnd has to whisper

it in his neighbors ear This students whispers to the next until t~e last listens to it

Then this student has to go to the board and write the sentrce Students keep

dOingthe activity until the song finishes For thiSreason the SOlg should not be long

and fast After the song finishes the teacher analyzes the sentences correcting

I where It IS necessary and sconng when there IS no mistakes The winner IS the

group which has less mistakes

Find the murderer is a game with clues Students haVj to discover who is

the murderer following the clue cards they have In order to 10 the task students

have to read the clues and interact with their group to link them and find out who is

the criminal

The drill game is also very well known The teacher starts saying a sentence

to be completed by one student Example I went to the supermarket and I

boughLchocolate breadcake Students take turns comPleting the sentence

without repeating the words The students who do not say a wori within the time limit

or repeat a word are out of the game The winner is the student who remains until

22

game

the end of the game Vocabulary and grammar structures can be exploited in this

Two efficient examples of quiz are like torta na caraand topa tudo por

dinheiro two TV programs in SBT The former consists in arSWering questions

about a topic or general vocabulary Two teams play against each other and who

rings the bell first has the right to answer The winner is the teamwhich scores more

pOintsThe latter consists in watching a sequence of a movie wHich is full of details

and after that answer questions based on these details The gale is also played in

teams and the competitors win fake money for each right ansler they give The

winner is the team which gets the largest amount of money

23

picture and they have to impersonate the people in the pictures organizing

the pair or trio which gets to the target first

Build up a picture is a competition played in groups Students receive a

themselves as the people in the picture Only one or two students from each group

can see the picture and have to give directions to the others t+ry to build it up The

winner is the group which gets the closest to the picture organization

These techniques which can be found in the Direct Method the

42 PICTURES GRAPHS REALIA AND POSTERS

Communicative Approach and Desuggestopedia are very useful for visual motor

inductive and deductive learners I

Visual students exploit everything they can see and if it is colorful or real they

will internalize the information better As they picture things in Itheir minds teachers

should use images numbers or words to help them showing Pi1cturesto start a class

presentation or to make students produce language based on them Teachers ought

Ito use the board and provide handouts to explain grammar ports Teachers should

also guide students to underline important information with cOlorul highlighters

Motor students need to do things so they can make Itheir own posters or

graphs about a topic or a grammar explanation working in pairs or groups They I also match or classify Information which can be vocabulary 0 anything related to a

topiCand place it in posters These learners also like to work with realia It is very

24

guess Students are blindfolded and they have to taste smell or touch the items in

order to guess what they are

For inductive and deductive learners the usage of pictures graphs or posters

may be useful if exploited in the right way Inductive students ban be provided with

1

visual material to try to work out examples of a structure Whit deductive students

receive the structure itself in colorful charts to make it more memorable

43 ROLE-PLAYSWITH TEXTS AND DIALOGUES

Role-plays and dialogues are present in the comiunicative Approach

Desuggestopedia and the Audio-Lingual Method They may be applied to motor

For example students read a text or the script of a dialogue (visual)

auditory visual inductive and reflective learners

exchange ideas with their peers (auditory reflective and inductive) prepare a

1 presentation and perform It (motor auditory and Inductive) ThiS ISthe main skeletonI

of a role-play and teachers can adapt or vary some elements Scenano clothes

Jaccessones and sound effects are usually Included In thiSactlvl[Y

Creating identities is another good activity The students close their eyes

and listen to a very soft song (classical or baroque) The tealer makes questions

Ilike What IS your name Where do you live What do you do etc and the

students answer them mentally but their answers should + an invention They

should create different people with their profiles After that thy talk to partners and

Introduce themselves uSing thelf new Identities Then In a group they can create a

story uSing the new characters and perform It For thiS activit the learning styles

that will take more advantage are reflective

25

and

kinesthetic

44 TPR GESTURES AND BODY LANGUAGE

The use of imperative gestures and body language are part of Total Physical

Response and the Communicative Approach These techniques are very useful for

visual kinesthetic and inductive students When teachers make any gestures they

Iare helping the visual students When they ask students to use body language or

TPR they are helping kinesthetic students IAn effective example is miming Kinesthetic students like performing for the

others to guess and impulsive learners love trying to discover Jhat is being mimed

So teachers can exploit grammar structures like present continLus and vocabulary

this way A good example is to divide the group in two teiams and place two

~sOolr~thaah~tht~ecs ~~derb ~hO~

teams have to mime It to help their partners guess the word IWhen teachers provide tasks uSingTPR kinesthetic students do better They

can perform and understand what IS being asked Inductive Istudents also learn

betier uSingTPR because they Internalize the examples and hOr to use them while

performing or providing imperatives for the other students to perform For instance

while teaching prepositions teachers may present Ihem and lSk the students to

follow directions John stand behind Mary Ann put yourself nixt to John and so

on unlil you have involved all the studenls Then teachers In vary selecting a

26

some of the structures which may be explored

student to give the directions Directions actions prepositions d conditionals are

45 DEBATES

Debates are part of the Communicative Approach and the Direct Method ThisI

activity works well for visual reflective auditory impulsive an motor learners The

students need time to prepare the arguments and at this mOlent visual refiective

and mechanical work better because they have to write dOWl the ideas and think

about the topic Auditory and kinesthetic students can also participate Auditory

students will discuss the ideas orally and the kinesthetic will classify good and bad

arguments At the moment of speaking all of them will be pr+ared to discuss and

state their point-of-view but auditory kinesthetic and impulsive learners will probably

do better in this task They have to move around the room be fast-talking and use

the right words An interesting way of applying this idea is to prsent a sequence of a

n~ ~c~sn ao~~ aar~cte~~t~l~~~~~se

Then they start the trial defending and accusing the man Twol students are chosen

to be the JudgesAt the end of the activity the students watch the final trial to check

what the verdict was In this activity there is time to prepare lanalyze and discuss

information there is visual and auditory support and there is movement during the

trial itself with which motor students feel comfortable I

It is necessary to divide the group so that the students rre organized to use

different abilities for instance a reflective with an impulsive arnd a mechanical or a

27

improve their abilities through contact with their peers

visual with an auditory and a kinesthetic working together This way students

46 INDUCTIVEAND DEDUCTIVE EXPLANATION

Inductive grammar explanation comes from the iirect Method the

Communicative Approach the Audio-Lingual Method and TiR while deductive

grammar explanation comes from the Grammar-Translation Method Both deductive

and inductive explanations are necessary to be used because t1eaChers usually find I Inductive and deductive students In the same class So It ISsuggested to work with

inductive exposition first for the students to try to find out the ~Ies by themselves

Then teachers may write the grammar rules on the board and elplain them or even

better provide handouts with the explanation so that students Iho really need this

I support WIll internalize the information more easily Teachers can also assign

help the deductive ones

inductive and deductive students to work together The inductive ones will eventually

Another relevant aspect is about oral and written eXPlinations Teachers

should combine them with deductive and inductive explanation Ii teachers adapt the

grammar explanations in this way they will support not only inductive and deductive

students but also visual auditory and motor ones For examfle after students

discuss the examples (auditory and inductive) the teacher hanr clothes-line from

one side to the other side of the classroom and hangs cards with examples or rules

(one word in each card) for visual support and for deductive studehts Then they ask

motor students to help build up other examples

47 MUSIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS AND RHYTHM

28

Music is part of Desuggestopedia the Direct Method amd the Audio-Lingual

For visual students teachers should work with the lyrics and create activities

Method and teachers may adapt it to many different purposes

based on them Example students read the lyrics of a song and have to write a letter

giving advice to the person in the song Another task which works for mechanical

S I Istudents too ISto draw a story based on the Iyncs tudents are placed In a CIrCe

backs to the center and each of them has a piece of paper The~ listen to the teacherI

tell a story line by line and draw it passing the paper to the classmate beside him

each time the teacher pauses At the end they listen to a song and discover that it is

the story they have drawn Putting the lines of a song in the i9ht order is another

possibility and it also works for reflective learners Teachers cut lout the lyrics in parts

and while students listen to the song they have organize it in the correct order

For motor students teachers should combine songj with the usage of

Igestures demonstrallng feelings or reconstructing the scene from the content of the

song For this activity students listen to the song and read the lyrics Then they

work in groups to elaborate how they will perform it After that ~ey listen to the song

again and at this time they have to perform while the song is Jeing played

Another possibility is to give each student a line of a song and they have to

put it in order by moving around and forming a line according ti the song sequence

The student who has the first line stands at the beginning of theII line the student with

the second line stands next and so on

For auditory students teachers can fully exploit music jey should work with

rhythm and musical instruments One example is when students use rhythms and

29

melody to help them memorize grammar structures rules or vocabulary Students

can also use instruments with the same purpose When teaching verbs that are

h II dfollowed by infinitive or gerund students can create t elf own me 0 y or even a song

to memorize them ITeachers sometimes should play music in the background while students

write a composition or complete a task It helps auditory students concentrate betterI

Furthermore teachers should use songs frequently because It stimulates them to

1learn more vocabulary to Internalize structures and to keep their Interest high

Movies and videos are activities which are part of the Communicative

48 MOVIES AND VIDEOS

Approach and the Direct Method

For visual learners movies and videos provide input they are visual aids

Students can exploit a frame or a scene describing it or describing the characters I Teachers may use videos to reinforce or present structures or tOPICSFor example

students watch a scene or a video about how the British people live their habits the

meals etc to present cultural aspects of their people

For reflective learners movies and videos are used to provide input

concerning a topic to be discussed later Reflective students watch some parts of a

movie in class or at home and then have a discussion in the )rlloWing class This

technique is also a good way to work with self-correction Anoter suggestion is to

have students record a video performing a sketch or just speaking Then they

watch it and analyze their performances observing their strong and weak aspects of

them

30

For inductive learners movies and videos are good sources of real examples

Teachers can exploit either the sound or the subtitles Teachers may ask students to

watch the video and write down examples of simple present or kst ask questions to

make students use the structure exploring the video ITeachers can prepare a quiz for impulsive and motor learners The students

are divided in two teams and watch a scene or sequence of a movie Then they take

turns answering the questions prepared by the teacher a1d based on visual

elements or characters lines of the sequence Whenever a tear answers correctly

it wins fake money The winner is the team which gets the largest amount of money

For auditory students teachers should use science fiction or horror movies

but just the sound The screen should be black or covered withla piece of cloth and

students listen to the sound writing what is happening desCribi1gthe situation After

completing the activity students watch the sequence and compare it with their

stories Another idea is to select a scene with a dialogue and 1rit9 some questions

about it numbering them eg 1 to 6 Then the teacher cuts paper squares and write

the numbers of the questions on them Each number is writlen on two or three

Isquares so that the teacher has two numbers 1 three numbers 2 three numbers 3

I and so on The teacher covers the screen With the paper squares In order to prevent

students to watch the scene Then students listen and answer the questions orally

The teacher should take out the numbered squares correspondent to the questions

students answer correctly enabling them to see the whole scenJ

Kinesthetic students will enjoy preparing a performance ~ased on a movie or

the teacher can record them role playing a task for example being a reporter or a

news announcer They can also use a movie to explore contrasts and similarities

and make a chart about them

5 CONCLUSION

31

What has been discussed in this paper is for certain only the first step to find

a good and effective way to teach and learn a foreign language However something

that must be kept in mind is that learners all over the world hale their own needs

preferences and perceptions related to learning Teachers lust be trained to

perceive these differences and to take advantage of them Tlchers should plan

I middotmiddotf hmiddotlessons to match students learning styles while encouraging them to dlversl y t air

learning style preferences IAs for the controversy that using learning styles is or is rot beneficial for the

learning process it can not be harmful for either the teacher or the students just

because if they are consciously involved in the process this involvement may be

part of teachers and students own improvement as learners rt only for language

purposes but also for learning strategies development and it fay bring significant

results at the end Unquestionably all this process is time consuming but valid

Teachers can adapt the ideas to their environment and I time availability A

suggestion for teachers who are beginners in this area is to Rroceed carefully and

step-by-step This field is wide so teachers ought not to usJ activities for all the

learning styles and methods at once otherwise it will beCOle very complex and

difficult to control

Teachers are not expected to use all the activities proposed in this paper in

every class Teachers can provide them little by little wher the students need

support There are many strategies to help students develop ieir weaknesses It is~~ middot- middot ~l~00 0I

I

32

T h h Id h kSomething that must be aVOidedISto Individualize too much eac ers s au c ec

h d 11 If Ithe average of the group It IS easier to deal Wit an Stl e ectlve

IAmong all the theones concerning learnmg the most feasible way to solve

the style conflicts in a class is adapting the material Most teachrs have a textbook

to be followed and it usually includes a methodology So it is rportant to present

materials with a different focus to attend each learning preference

IOnly presenting a mulh-style class ISnot enough If a teacher decides to work

I I Th hWith these suggestions heshe has to think about evaluation as we 1 e teae er

must provide various ways of assessing not only written and I oral tests but also

other ways of measuring what students learn and in which the other styles are also I Involved Students can be evaluated while working In small gIOUPSperforming or

debating through journals among other suggestions

It is clear that teachers can not be paSSiveThey have to work exhaustively if I they want to help their students to fully develop They should also be open-minded In

relation to old methods present methods and brand-new one1sThey may be all

significant and helpful I

There are many approaches and methods nowadays aid probably there is

one coming out right now Each of them has been created to slve the problems in

the learning and teaching process but they may not be able to Researchers are still

trying to find a better way to teach or why not the prefect formLa It is complicated

to say not to follow a method I

In conclusion whatever teachers decide to apply in class they just need to

keep in mind that the students interests are the priority and theJ must be syntonized

with the teachers own beliefs respecting each ones paL and information

processing

REFERENCES

II

Bras G R de C (1998) Bnncando e aprendendo com logOS sensonals RIo deJaneiro Sprint I

Ellis R (1997) Second Language AcqUisition Oxford Oxford University Press

Guimaraes R (1997) Teaching Ught Teaching Bette~ a handI book for languageteachers Sao Paulo Senae

Hood K (1995) Exploring Learning Styles and Instruction The University ofGeorgia (Department of Mathematics Education) Retrieved 08072002 fromhttp lIwllson coe uga eduEMT705EMT705 Hood html I

Larsen-Freeman D (1986) Techmques and pnnclples In language teaching (2 ed)Oxford Oxford University Press I

~~nLp (9)s~~n~ t~9)0~n~a~ a~~Jd Oxford

University Press ILindsay P (JuI12001)SWingsof the Pendulum New Routes 14 pp 12-15

Richards J amp Rodgers 1 (2001) Approaches and Methods In Language Teaching(2 ed) Cambridge Cambridge University Press I

Rodgers T (Apr2000) Methodology in the new millenium English Teaching forum382 pp2-12 I

Rodgers S T (2001) Language Teaching Methodology ERIG Clearinghouse onLanguages and Linguistics Washington DC 20016-1859 Retrieved03052002 from hUpllwwwcalorgericclldigesUrodgershtml

Skehan P (1998) A cognitive approach to language learning 010rd OxfordUniversity Press

Active leaming is better than passive and teachers are needed t1 organize stimulate an

direct learning especially if it gets the learner involved in problem ~IVing and all the realistic

communicative tasks that are now being used We don1 need to retum to the days when

teaching interfered with learning but we do need teachers who explain when explanation is

needed who give active input when it is necessary and helpful Jnd who always take the

responsibility for giving their students the means with which they can develop the skills and

Realistically a teacher cannot be expected to have a different lesson for

every person in the classroom however lessons can reflect an understanding of

I ndvdualdifferences by appropriately Incorporating strategies for a variety of stylesmiddot

(Hood 1995) A lesson can be adapted to fit individual needs JithOut compromising

the whole group and the teaching itself

On the other hand some researchers claim the opposite Researchers suchI

as Rector and Henderson (apud Hood 1995) have discovered that there are factors

knowledge they need (Lindsay 2001 p14)

which influence a students achievement such as the nature of the concept to be

taught the time available and the students characteristics Th~ir research showed

that applying different strategies resulted in no relevant differe~ce in improvement

Even so it is claimed that by identifying learning styles anld applying suitable

strategies teachers can help the students to overcome the diffibutties in learning a

foreign language

According to some authors (Leaver 199B Hood 1995) there are some

Iaspects or diVISions of learning styles to be conSIdered

1the phYSiological

components the affective components the sensory modalities and the cognitive

styles

21 THE PHYSIOLOGICAL COMPONENTS

The physiological components include sex-related differences nutrition

health biorhythms and reactions to the physical environmentl Examples of these

factors are the preferences for studying in a quiet room or with the IV on with bright

~~ ~i~e O~hcrO ~ ~u~t~h11~smponents and may

2 2 THE AFFECTIVE COMPONENTS

The affective components include personality and em01ional characteristics

related to the areas of persistence responsibility motivation and peer interaction

(Reiff 1992 apud Hood 1995 p2 ) The affective compone~ts play an important

role in the learning process Many times teachers face problem~ related to students

personality and interaction These problems are all over the dassrooms students Iwho are Introvert and dont speak In dass others who are extrvert and do not let

anybody talk students who hate working in large groups or being exposed in front of

the class students who are self-reliant and others who relyi too much on the

teacher They can all be part of the same class and teachers must be aware of these

differences and try to give support 10each of them By observTg teachers can be

successful in determining what type of students they have and create mechanisms to

deal with them

23 THE SENSORY MODALITIES

Learning modalities are the sensory channels or pat1ways through which

individuals give receive and store information (Hood 1995 p2) The sensory

Imodalities are divided in visual auditory and motor (Leaver 1986)

Visual learners are the ones who have the ability to perlive the visual They

need to visualize to understand the content of a lesson It is as if they have a movie

camera in their minds They take in what they hear or read and translate it into

images in their brains When visuals want to remember wha they have learned

they simply glance upwards and look at the image that they have stored in their

minds There are two subdivisions (Leaver 1986) in this category verbalists and

I Imaglnatlsts They both use the visual sense but verbalists create mental Images

using words in other words they picture the words in their minds while imaginatists

think of pictures to retain information They have vivid imaginatibn These two kinds

I of students usually learn better from visual aids such aSalsloagrams Illustrated

textbooks Videos handouts pictures and movies They pay attention to

brightness Size color contrast and other visual features

In a classroom the Visual learner performs very well because all testing IS

conducted in a written format The visual students easily fit i~to most classroom

standards such as sitting quietly writing neatly and organiling materials well

Teachers working with visual students can exploit puzzle bUildirg reading writing

sketching painting using pictures maps and charts to illustrate the learning point

By observation teachers can spot who visual students arel They usually sit at

the front of the classroom they like to underline important inforlation usually with

colorful highlighters they try to draw or write while learning and they also prefer that

the teacher use the board flipcharts or pictures while teaching1

Auditory learners acquire new information through sound (Leaver 1998

p26) They need to listen to other people and to themselves to lunderstand and learn

better They also talk about what to do when they learn They take more advantage

There are two subdivisions of auditory learners the aural who learn by

of verbal lectures than written information

listening to others and the oral who need to talk and hear therSelVeS Things both

types pay attention to are tone of voice pitch speed rhythm and other nuances

Auditory students are usually spotted in class due to their performance They like to

Ispeak about and repeat what they learn and they eaSily do that They are often fast

at grasping information through listening and songs Amonb the three sensory

modalities (visual auditory and motor) the auditory is the mostltalkative and has the

most difficulty in writing Activities which are more effective Wlth auditory students

are any involving listening and speaking such as storytellinb oral explanations

debates and music IMotor learners learn better by exploring the physical W011daround them they

learn through movement There are again two subdivisions kinesthetic and

mechanical The kinesthetic learn better when they ~usethe gross motor muscles~

(Leaver 1998 p26) which means jumping dancing rUnningwhile learning the

mechanical use the fine motor muscles (idem p26) in other words they prefer for

instance to cut out pictures and write down in order to learn IThrough interaction with the environment around them they are able to

remember and process information This kind of student is eas~ to identify because

they seldom keep sitting still for long periods and if they haT to they easily get

Idistracted They also gesture when speaking they are poor lisleners and they lose

interest in long speeches They need direct involvement in what they are learning

10

According to research carried on by OMIT (Douglas Mawson In1stitute of Technology

in South Australia) forty percent of students are mainly kinesthetic learners

The teacher can work with dancing body language miming role plays

expressing emotions through the body activities which need to walk around find

clues cut out magazines and glue

24 THE COGNITIVE STYLES

The cognitive styles are the information processing ha its of an individual

These represent a persons typical modes of perceiving thinking remembering and

I problem solving ( Keefe apud Hood 1995 p2 ) There are mar categories for this

division of learning styles but only the most easily found will be described in this

research paper The categories chosen to be analyzed are deductive and inductive

impulsive and reflective IThe deductive and inductive styles are related to the way students work out

grammar explanations rules and examples IDeductive learners are the ones who love studying the rules They need to

have the explanation and after they understand the mechaniJm they go for the

examples If the teacher skips the explanation the students lsuallY get confused

and frustrated

Inductive learners are the ones who handle having the examples first quite

well because they like to work out the rules by themselves T~ey do not need the

teacher to explain everything If the teacher does so they get bted easily When it

I II

happens students can stop listening doodle start working on their own or doing

something else IImpulsive and reffective styles are related to the spf)ed and manner of

processing a response to a cognitive stimulus IImpulsive learners think and respond nearly simultaneously (Leaver 1998

fi L hmiddot h d tp43) They are the ones who always finish the activities Irst anu raise t elr an sa

I donce when the teacher asks a question or even when the question IS not complete

yet Sometimes they do not even know the answer Their resp+ses are usually less

accurate This kind of student likes competitions such as quiz shows or miming

The reflective think first then respond showing more [involved and deeper

levels of thinking (idem p43) For this reason their answers are more accurate but

usually incomplete They take more time to answer and this is taken as a

1 d fl dlsadvantage because In a classroom where there are Impulsive an re ectlve I

students the reflective ones are consIdered slow Teachers take thiS charactenstlc

as lack of intelligence and tend to isolate or give up the studentslwho are reflective

Teachers can identify impulsive and reffective students by observing them inI

class Impulsive learners usually ask their classmates to be faster when completing

a task and they are also the ones who speak before any other in class while

reflective learners participate less in discussions and are the la~t ones to raise their

hands to answer a question IIn fact identifying the learning styles in a group is not an easy task mainly

because an individual can develop more than one style For exJmPle a learner who

is recognized as being visual may have a second and strong pfeference like being

kinesthetic and may develop a third one as well It is not all fixed Teachers can not

be led to believe that only one rule exists mainly because therb are many different

Iaspects involving learning It must be taken into consideration that personality

outside pressure and fears are also part of each leamers baLground and usually

affect the way they learn IWhen teachers decide to work with learning styles they lought to select some

of them otherwise teachers can feel frustrated either by analyzing the large amount

12

of data or by choosing among various techniques to cover III of the preferences

found in a group of students

The best way to recognize students preferences is by observation StudentsI

tend to show or say how they learn especially for the learning styles mentioned

previously So observing them will be enough But if the tealers for any reason

can not identify the styles or are not sure about the results they can use

questionnaires or some activities to support them There are multiple-choice

questionnaires writing tasks group and individual activities developed with the

purpose of complementing the discovery of students preferences (see appendix B)

After having collected all the information about the students the next step is

to select methods and approaches which can contribute to the IJarners development

in association with their learning preferences According to Rod Ellis (1997)

learners with differing kinds of ability may be able to achieve similar levels of

success providing that the type of instruction enables theJ to maximize their

strengths

3 THE COMMUNICATIVE APROACH AND METHODS

31 AN OVERVIEW

Teachers and researchers have been asking themselves what the best

I approach or method would be to teach their students Many attempts were made InI

the past to find the perfect method These attempts resulted in various theories Iwhich are slill being used In schools around the world but they are far from being the

perfect ones According to Freeman (1986 p182) each met~od presents efficient

techniques which can be exploited in class but she claims thatla particular method

cannot be a prescription for success for everyone ~ IIt has been proved that working with one method ray not fill all the

necessities in a group of students as the group is not always homogeneous A

method generally emphasizes one specific approach that may be suitable or not for

the students Our routines need re-thinking and uP-datind but good ways of

teaching - those that help the learning process - should not be rejected (Lindsay

2001 p 15) Leaver (1998 p 128) asserts that methbds should not be

straightjackets for either teachers or students pedagogical demagoguery has no

of each teachers arsenal in the struggle to win the style war

place in a free country Methods and techniques that comprise them should be part

In order to identify which practices are useful for each learning styles it is

important to review some of the methods and their principles It is necessary to point

out that only some methods were chosen the ones which teac1ers can work with in

the same class The Communicative Approach has an important role as it is the

basis for the application of the different selected techniques

32 THE COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH

The Communicative Approach (CA) focuses on communication and

interaction For this reason meaning is more important than fOl The activities dealt

with in class are task-based involving information sharing negotiation usage of real

and meaningful contexts authentic materials and functions Students must interact in I

many different situations In classes where this approach IS the basIs translation 15

not allowed Students learn by working in pairs or groups throlgh cooperation and

errors are not always corrected to avoid impeding fluency Tre teacher must be

attentive to students needs in order to provide help when it is necessary Role-plays

games problem solving and activities involving informatio~ gap choice and

feedback are some of the tasks used in the CA

33 METHODS

The methods to be analyzed in this paper are

The Grammar-Translation Method

The Direct Method

The Audio-Lingual Method

Desuggestopedia

Community Language Learning

Total Physical Response (TPR)

331 The Grammar-Translation Method

15

The Grammar Translation Method was first called the Classical Method used

to teach the classical languages latin and Greek It was apdlied in order to help

students read foreign language literature It was believed t~at foreign language

Ilearning would help students grow Intellectually no matter If they used the language

m~ Classes which are based on the Grammar Translation jethod are teacher-

centered and focus on reading and writing Students try to Td equivalents and

similarities between l1 and l2 l1 is permitted and learners have to memorize lists

of vocabulary It is also based on deductive grammar learning

332 The Direct Method

The Direct Method received its name from the fact tha meaning is to be

conveyed directly in the target language with the help of demonstration and visual

aids Therefore translation is not allowed Nowadays its goal of inltruction is to learn

how to use a foreign language to communicate lTeachers work with direct association real contexts I sing topics and

exposure speaking inductive grammar and self-correction hey also exploit

pictures and realia to contextualize and associate better

16

3 3 3 The Audio Lingual Method

IThe Audio Lingual Method IS an oral-based approacr method based on

Structurahsm and BehavIorism Skinner IS the best-known representative of this

method It is believed that the best way to acquire the target language is through

conditioning Teachers help learners to respond to stimuli using shaping and

reinforcement They think learners create and form new habits demanded to become

speakers of the target language So this method uses drills tb teach grammatical

sentence patterns focusing on oral rather than written ProductiOh

Stressing habit formation dialogues drills repetition verbal and nonverbal

stimuli and inductive learning are some of the techniques used In it The classes are

teacher-centered and it is recommended to work only with the target language Error

334 Desuggestopedia

must be avoided because they lead the students to bad habits

Desuggestopedia comes from an affective-humanistic approach in which the

main focus is on students feelings It is believed that people Jstablish barriers and

limitations when starting to learn a language These barriers make learners not use

the total mental capacity leading them to fail A solution to change this scenario is to

I desuggest students from setting up these limitations Desuggestopedla IS a method

in which a mixture of fine arts and music has an important rOlk in making learners

feel relaxed and consequently they will learn without being awJre of the process

The classes are teacher-centered in a very friendly environment DialoguesI

texts vocabulary lists role-plays different identities colorful posters musical

f 0 t dInstruments painting and baroque musIc are part 0 a esugges ope 18

17

class

335 Community Language Learning

Translation and comparison between L1 and L2 are allowed

Community Language Learning is based on the counselTg-learning approach

created for adult teaching Students must be considered as whole persons Whole-

person learning means that teachers consider not only their sLdents intellect but

I I h Ialso have some understanding of the relationship among students fee lngs P YSlca

reactions instinctive protective reactions and desire to learn (Freeman 1994 p

89)

The course is topic-based and learners provide the topics Teachers work with

translation group work recording transcription reflection obselation listening and Ifree conversation Students work collaboratlvely having the teacher as a counselor

Teacher uses chunks of words Sharing learning experiences i1 part of the process

Students take responsibility for their learning therefore it is a self-directed method

336 Total Physical Response

Total Physical Response is part of the comprehension approach In this

approach language learning starts with understanding and thtn producing Only

when the students have internalized the target language process will they start

speaking It is also grammar-based and structuralist It involtes comprehension

before production focusing on meaning rather than form then 6rammar and lexis

The classes are teacher-centered and the teacher provides i~perative sentences

I 18

and drills for the students to perform A good TPR class should make the use of

action gestures and tone of voice This method is claimed to Ilreducestress in the

learning process TPR is based in the wayan infant learns its native language First

students should just listen and understand how the language is Iused and after they

going to be accurate but it will improve gradually

have internalized it they will automatically produce it At first he language is not

Students must be exposed to the target language The eacher must be as

expressive as possible so they can use pictures to help

4 THE PARTNERSHIP

19

After analyzing and selecting the learning styles and t~le methods sUitable

techntques need to be selected and combined with learners pre erences

In this paper It IS suggested that classes be based a the Communicative

Approach The reason is that many coursebooks used in languige schools in Brazil

In order to provide effective activities for each of the learning styles the

nowadays are based on this approach

methods were analyzed and some of the techniques were chosen Not all the I practices were selected because It IS clear that the methods have similarities and

contrasts and it is necessary to be sensible when working with ~ethod sinergistics

As there is no perfect method that integrates and accommodJtes all the learning

styles a selection of useful ideas should be made

There are some techniques and activities below which can be effective in any

11 I I mutl- earning-stye class If prepared and used carefully and appropriately

41 GAMES

Games are mainly part of the Communicative APproach] but they can be

adapted to suit most of the methods the Grammar-Translation Method TPR The

Language Learning

Audio-Lingual Method the Direct Method Desuggestopedia and Community

Games may be applied to all the learning styles Teachers can use ready-

made games or create their own Some games are suggested in the chart that

follows

20

GAME lEARNING STYLES APPROACHMETHODSSpelling competition and

Iscrabbles Visual e motor GTM

Crosswords and word searchers Visual and reflective I GTM

Visual auditory motor and

IBingo inductive CAAlM

Miming Visual motor impulsive I CA TPR DMVocabulary categories and stop Visual and impulsive I GTMD

Can you name Auditory impulsive reflective(categories) and visual GTM

Build up a word Visual motor and reflective GTM

Betting game Visual inductive reflective and(correction of mistakes) auditory DM

Song game Auditory and motor CAD

Reflective motor visual andFind the murderer auditory DM Cll

Quiz Impulsive motor and auditory DMCA

Drill game Auditory impulsive and inductive AlM

Find the target Motor and auditory TPR Cll

Build up the picture Motor reflective and visual TPRCll

Most of the games are well known but there are lme for which an

explanation of the procedures is needed Bingo is an activity thbt is found in many

different ways Teachers may work with bingo to review some JocabUlary students

have learned or review structures To play bingo students have td read their words in

the cards listen to the selected word and mark the options which have been called

Vocabulary categories is a competition which is played by two teams the

students have to write down as many words in the category aSJhey can Teachers

make cards with different categories written on them Students Irite the words on a

paper or on the board The winner is who has the most words There are two

0 I vanatons for this kind of game ne IS the game stop and the other IS can you

name The former is played individually using just paper anld pencil Students

write down pre-selected categories and put them in columns One student calls out a

~~

I 11Ililr(CA- bullbullbilr u

letter and everybody has to write one word for each category rtil they comple

of the categories As soon as one student completes them he says stop and the I

other students stop wntlng In a group they call out the answer For each different

answer students score 10 points and for the same answers they score 5 points The

C I dwinner ISthe one who gets the most pOintsat the end an you name ISplaye

in two groups Students receive a sheet of paper with some dategOrieS(Example

Can you name 3 things you can open and close) Then they dlcide in their groups

what words to write in the categories After that one group h1asto discover what

words the other group selected in one minute and Vice-versa The winner is the

group which discovers more words IBuild-up a word is another well-known game which is basically spelling and

thinking The teacher writes letters of the alphabet in small carbs and places them

SI

face down on the floor tudents one-by-one have to turn over a card until any of

I hthem can bUild up a word When students notice that a word In be bUild up t ey

~ank eaI~em in front of them to form a war The winner is the

The betting game is usually played in pairs Students receIve a sheet of paper

with sentences The sentences may be right or wrong Students analyze them and

decide if they are right or wrong correcting the wrong ones The1 they bet from $10

to $100 on their answers If they correct the sentence in the right way they will win

the amount they bet but if their correction is wrong they will lokie the money The

winner is the pair who wins the most money at the end

The song game is played in two groups with students in line The first

students in each line listens to a line of a song using headphones lnd has to whisper

it in his neighbors ear This students whispers to the next until t~e last listens to it

Then this student has to go to the board and write the sentrce Students keep

dOingthe activity until the song finishes For thiSreason the SOlg should not be long

and fast After the song finishes the teacher analyzes the sentences correcting

I where It IS necessary and sconng when there IS no mistakes The winner IS the

group which has less mistakes

Find the murderer is a game with clues Students haVj to discover who is

the murderer following the clue cards they have In order to 10 the task students

have to read the clues and interact with their group to link them and find out who is

the criminal

The drill game is also very well known The teacher starts saying a sentence

to be completed by one student Example I went to the supermarket and I

boughLchocolate breadcake Students take turns comPleting the sentence

without repeating the words The students who do not say a wori within the time limit

or repeat a word are out of the game The winner is the student who remains until

22

game

the end of the game Vocabulary and grammar structures can be exploited in this

Two efficient examples of quiz are like torta na caraand topa tudo por

dinheiro two TV programs in SBT The former consists in arSWering questions

about a topic or general vocabulary Two teams play against each other and who

rings the bell first has the right to answer The winner is the teamwhich scores more

pOintsThe latter consists in watching a sequence of a movie wHich is full of details

and after that answer questions based on these details The gale is also played in

teams and the competitors win fake money for each right ansler they give The

winner is the team which gets the largest amount of money

23

picture and they have to impersonate the people in the pictures organizing

the pair or trio which gets to the target first

Build up a picture is a competition played in groups Students receive a

themselves as the people in the picture Only one or two students from each group

can see the picture and have to give directions to the others t+ry to build it up The

winner is the group which gets the closest to the picture organization

These techniques which can be found in the Direct Method the

42 PICTURES GRAPHS REALIA AND POSTERS

Communicative Approach and Desuggestopedia are very useful for visual motor

inductive and deductive learners I

Visual students exploit everything they can see and if it is colorful or real they

will internalize the information better As they picture things in Itheir minds teachers

should use images numbers or words to help them showing Pi1cturesto start a class

presentation or to make students produce language based on them Teachers ought

Ito use the board and provide handouts to explain grammar ports Teachers should

also guide students to underline important information with cOlorul highlighters

Motor students need to do things so they can make Itheir own posters or

graphs about a topic or a grammar explanation working in pairs or groups They I also match or classify Information which can be vocabulary 0 anything related to a

topiCand place it in posters These learners also like to work with realia It is very

24

guess Students are blindfolded and they have to taste smell or touch the items in

order to guess what they are

For inductive and deductive learners the usage of pictures graphs or posters

may be useful if exploited in the right way Inductive students ban be provided with

1

visual material to try to work out examples of a structure Whit deductive students

receive the structure itself in colorful charts to make it more memorable

43 ROLE-PLAYSWITH TEXTS AND DIALOGUES

Role-plays and dialogues are present in the comiunicative Approach

Desuggestopedia and the Audio-Lingual Method They may be applied to motor

For example students read a text or the script of a dialogue (visual)

auditory visual inductive and reflective learners

exchange ideas with their peers (auditory reflective and inductive) prepare a

1 presentation and perform It (motor auditory and Inductive) ThiS ISthe main skeletonI

of a role-play and teachers can adapt or vary some elements Scenano clothes

Jaccessones and sound effects are usually Included In thiSactlvl[Y

Creating identities is another good activity The students close their eyes

and listen to a very soft song (classical or baroque) The tealer makes questions

Ilike What IS your name Where do you live What do you do etc and the

students answer them mentally but their answers should + an invention They

should create different people with their profiles After that thy talk to partners and

Introduce themselves uSing thelf new Identities Then In a group they can create a

story uSing the new characters and perform It For thiS activit the learning styles

that will take more advantage are reflective

25

and

kinesthetic

44 TPR GESTURES AND BODY LANGUAGE

The use of imperative gestures and body language are part of Total Physical

Response and the Communicative Approach These techniques are very useful for

visual kinesthetic and inductive students When teachers make any gestures they

Iare helping the visual students When they ask students to use body language or

TPR they are helping kinesthetic students IAn effective example is miming Kinesthetic students like performing for the

others to guess and impulsive learners love trying to discover Jhat is being mimed

So teachers can exploit grammar structures like present continLus and vocabulary

this way A good example is to divide the group in two teiams and place two

~sOolr~thaah~tht~ecs ~~derb ~hO~

teams have to mime It to help their partners guess the word IWhen teachers provide tasks uSingTPR kinesthetic students do better They

can perform and understand what IS being asked Inductive Istudents also learn

betier uSingTPR because they Internalize the examples and hOr to use them while

performing or providing imperatives for the other students to perform For instance

while teaching prepositions teachers may present Ihem and lSk the students to

follow directions John stand behind Mary Ann put yourself nixt to John and so

on unlil you have involved all the studenls Then teachers In vary selecting a

26

some of the structures which may be explored

student to give the directions Directions actions prepositions d conditionals are

45 DEBATES

Debates are part of the Communicative Approach and the Direct Method ThisI

activity works well for visual reflective auditory impulsive an motor learners The

students need time to prepare the arguments and at this mOlent visual refiective

and mechanical work better because they have to write dOWl the ideas and think

about the topic Auditory and kinesthetic students can also participate Auditory

students will discuss the ideas orally and the kinesthetic will classify good and bad

arguments At the moment of speaking all of them will be pr+ared to discuss and

state their point-of-view but auditory kinesthetic and impulsive learners will probably

do better in this task They have to move around the room be fast-talking and use

the right words An interesting way of applying this idea is to prsent a sequence of a

n~ ~c~sn ao~~ aar~cte~~t~l~~~~~se

Then they start the trial defending and accusing the man Twol students are chosen

to be the JudgesAt the end of the activity the students watch the final trial to check

what the verdict was In this activity there is time to prepare lanalyze and discuss

information there is visual and auditory support and there is movement during the

trial itself with which motor students feel comfortable I

It is necessary to divide the group so that the students rre organized to use

different abilities for instance a reflective with an impulsive arnd a mechanical or a

27

improve their abilities through contact with their peers

visual with an auditory and a kinesthetic working together This way students

46 INDUCTIVEAND DEDUCTIVE EXPLANATION

Inductive grammar explanation comes from the iirect Method the

Communicative Approach the Audio-Lingual Method and TiR while deductive

grammar explanation comes from the Grammar-Translation Method Both deductive

and inductive explanations are necessary to be used because t1eaChers usually find I Inductive and deductive students In the same class So It ISsuggested to work with

inductive exposition first for the students to try to find out the ~Ies by themselves

Then teachers may write the grammar rules on the board and elplain them or even

better provide handouts with the explanation so that students Iho really need this

I support WIll internalize the information more easily Teachers can also assign

help the deductive ones

inductive and deductive students to work together The inductive ones will eventually

Another relevant aspect is about oral and written eXPlinations Teachers

should combine them with deductive and inductive explanation Ii teachers adapt the

grammar explanations in this way they will support not only inductive and deductive

students but also visual auditory and motor ones For examfle after students

discuss the examples (auditory and inductive) the teacher hanr clothes-line from

one side to the other side of the classroom and hangs cards with examples or rules

(one word in each card) for visual support and for deductive studehts Then they ask

motor students to help build up other examples

47 MUSIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS AND RHYTHM

28

Music is part of Desuggestopedia the Direct Method amd the Audio-Lingual

For visual students teachers should work with the lyrics and create activities

Method and teachers may adapt it to many different purposes

based on them Example students read the lyrics of a song and have to write a letter

giving advice to the person in the song Another task which works for mechanical

S I Istudents too ISto draw a story based on the Iyncs tudents are placed In a CIrCe

backs to the center and each of them has a piece of paper The~ listen to the teacherI

tell a story line by line and draw it passing the paper to the classmate beside him

each time the teacher pauses At the end they listen to a song and discover that it is

the story they have drawn Putting the lines of a song in the i9ht order is another

possibility and it also works for reflective learners Teachers cut lout the lyrics in parts

and while students listen to the song they have organize it in the correct order

For motor students teachers should combine songj with the usage of

Igestures demonstrallng feelings or reconstructing the scene from the content of the

song For this activity students listen to the song and read the lyrics Then they

work in groups to elaborate how they will perform it After that ~ey listen to the song

again and at this time they have to perform while the song is Jeing played

Another possibility is to give each student a line of a song and they have to

put it in order by moving around and forming a line according ti the song sequence

The student who has the first line stands at the beginning of theII line the student with

the second line stands next and so on

For auditory students teachers can fully exploit music jey should work with

rhythm and musical instruments One example is when students use rhythms and

29

melody to help them memorize grammar structures rules or vocabulary Students

can also use instruments with the same purpose When teaching verbs that are

h II dfollowed by infinitive or gerund students can create t elf own me 0 y or even a song

to memorize them ITeachers sometimes should play music in the background while students

write a composition or complete a task It helps auditory students concentrate betterI

Furthermore teachers should use songs frequently because It stimulates them to

1learn more vocabulary to Internalize structures and to keep their Interest high

Movies and videos are activities which are part of the Communicative

48 MOVIES AND VIDEOS

Approach and the Direct Method

For visual learners movies and videos provide input they are visual aids

Students can exploit a frame or a scene describing it or describing the characters I Teachers may use videos to reinforce or present structures or tOPICSFor example

students watch a scene or a video about how the British people live their habits the

meals etc to present cultural aspects of their people

For reflective learners movies and videos are used to provide input

concerning a topic to be discussed later Reflective students watch some parts of a

movie in class or at home and then have a discussion in the )rlloWing class This

technique is also a good way to work with self-correction Anoter suggestion is to

have students record a video performing a sketch or just speaking Then they

watch it and analyze their performances observing their strong and weak aspects of

them

30

For inductive learners movies and videos are good sources of real examples

Teachers can exploit either the sound or the subtitles Teachers may ask students to

watch the video and write down examples of simple present or kst ask questions to

make students use the structure exploring the video ITeachers can prepare a quiz for impulsive and motor learners The students

are divided in two teams and watch a scene or sequence of a movie Then they take

turns answering the questions prepared by the teacher a1d based on visual

elements or characters lines of the sequence Whenever a tear answers correctly

it wins fake money The winner is the team which gets the largest amount of money

For auditory students teachers should use science fiction or horror movies

but just the sound The screen should be black or covered withla piece of cloth and

students listen to the sound writing what is happening desCribi1gthe situation After

completing the activity students watch the sequence and compare it with their

stories Another idea is to select a scene with a dialogue and 1rit9 some questions

about it numbering them eg 1 to 6 Then the teacher cuts paper squares and write

the numbers of the questions on them Each number is writlen on two or three

Isquares so that the teacher has two numbers 1 three numbers 2 three numbers 3

I and so on The teacher covers the screen With the paper squares In order to prevent

students to watch the scene Then students listen and answer the questions orally

The teacher should take out the numbered squares correspondent to the questions

students answer correctly enabling them to see the whole scenJ

Kinesthetic students will enjoy preparing a performance ~ased on a movie or

the teacher can record them role playing a task for example being a reporter or a

news announcer They can also use a movie to explore contrasts and similarities

and make a chart about them

5 CONCLUSION

31

What has been discussed in this paper is for certain only the first step to find

a good and effective way to teach and learn a foreign language However something

that must be kept in mind is that learners all over the world hale their own needs

preferences and perceptions related to learning Teachers lust be trained to

perceive these differences and to take advantage of them Tlchers should plan

I middotmiddotf hmiddotlessons to match students learning styles while encouraging them to dlversl y t air

learning style preferences IAs for the controversy that using learning styles is or is rot beneficial for the

learning process it can not be harmful for either the teacher or the students just

because if they are consciously involved in the process this involvement may be

part of teachers and students own improvement as learners rt only for language

purposes but also for learning strategies development and it fay bring significant

results at the end Unquestionably all this process is time consuming but valid

Teachers can adapt the ideas to their environment and I time availability A

suggestion for teachers who are beginners in this area is to Rroceed carefully and

step-by-step This field is wide so teachers ought not to usJ activities for all the

learning styles and methods at once otherwise it will beCOle very complex and

difficult to control

Teachers are not expected to use all the activities proposed in this paper in

every class Teachers can provide them little by little wher the students need

support There are many strategies to help students develop ieir weaknesses It is~~ middot- middot ~l~00 0I

I

32

T h h Id h kSomething that must be aVOidedISto Individualize too much eac ers s au c ec

h d 11 If Ithe average of the group It IS easier to deal Wit an Stl e ectlve

IAmong all the theones concerning learnmg the most feasible way to solve

the style conflicts in a class is adapting the material Most teachrs have a textbook

to be followed and it usually includes a methodology So it is rportant to present

materials with a different focus to attend each learning preference

IOnly presenting a mulh-style class ISnot enough If a teacher decides to work

I I Th hWith these suggestions heshe has to think about evaluation as we 1 e teae er

must provide various ways of assessing not only written and I oral tests but also

other ways of measuring what students learn and in which the other styles are also I Involved Students can be evaluated while working In small gIOUPSperforming or

debating through journals among other suggestions

It is clear that teachers can not be paSSiveThey have to work exhaustively if I they want to help their students to fully develop They should also be open-minded In

relation to old methods present methods and brand-new one1sThey may be all

significant and helpful I

There are many approaches and methods nowadays aid probably there is

one coming out right now Each of them has been created to slve the problems in

the learning and teaching process but they may not be able to Researchers are still

trying to find a better way to teach or why not the prefect formLa It is complicated

to say not to follow a method I

In conclusion whatever teachers decide to apply in class they just need to

keep in mind that the students interests are the priority and theJ must be syntonized

with the teachers own beliefs respecting each ones paL and information

processing

REFERENCES

II

Bras G R de C (1998) Bnncando e aprendendo com logOS sensonals RIo deJaneiro Sprint I

Ellis R (1997) Second Language AcqUisition Oxford Oxford University Press

Guimaraes R (1997) Teaching Ught Teaching Bette~ a handI book for languageteachers Sao Paulo Senae

Hood K (1995) Exploring Learning Styles and Instruction The University ofGeorgia (Department of Mathematics Education) Retrieved 08072002 fromhttp lIwllson coe uga eduEMT705EMT705 Hood html I

Larsen-Freeman D (1986) Techmques and pnnclples In language teaching (2 ed)Oxford Oxford University Press I

~~nLp (9)s~~n~ t~9)0~n~a~ a~~Jd Oxford

University Press ILindsay P (JuI12001)SWingsof the Pendulum New Routes 14 pp 12-15

Richards J amp Rodgers 1 (2001) Approaches and Methods In Language Teaching(2 ed) Cambridge Cambridge University Press I

Rodgers T (Apr2000) Methodology in the new millenium English Teaching forum382 pp2-12 I

Rodgers S T (2001) Language Teaching Methodology ERIG Clearinghouse onLanguages and Linguistics Washington DC 20016-1859 Retrieved03052002 from hUpllwwwcalorgericclldigesUrodgershtml

Skehan P (1998) A cognitive approach to language learning 010rd OxfordUniversity Press

21 THE PHYSIOLOGICAL COMPONENTS

The physiological components include sex-related differences nutrition

health biorhythms and reactions to the physical environmentl Examples of these

factors are the preferences for studying in a quiet room or with the IV on with bright

~~ ~i~e O~hcrO ~ ~u~t~h11~smponents and may

2 2 THE AFFECTIVE COMPONENTS

The affective components include personality and em01ional characteristics

related to the areas of persistence responsibility motivation and peer interaction

(Reiff 1992 apud Hood 1995 p2 ) The affective compone~ts play an important

role in the learning process Many times teachers face problem~ related to students

personality and interaction These problems are all over the dassrooms students Iwho are Introvert and dont speak In dass others who are extrvert and do not let

anybody talk students who hate working in large groups or being exposed in front of

the class students who are self-reliant and others who relyi too much on the

teacher They can all be part of the same class and teachers must be aware of these

differences and try to give support 10each of them By observTg teachers can be

successful in determining what type of students they have and create mechanisms to

deal with them

23 THE SENSORY MODALITIES

Learning modalities are the sensory channels or pat1ways through which

individuals give receive and store information (Hood 1995 p2) The sensory

Imodalities are divided in visual auditory and motor (Leaver 1986)

Visual learners are the ones who have the ability to perlive the visual They

need to visualize to understand the content of a lesson It is as if they have a movie

camera in their minds They take in what they hear or read and translate it into

images in their brains When visuals want to remember wha they have learned

they simply glance upwards and look at the image that they have stored in their

minds There are two subdivisions (Leaver 1986) in this category verbalists and

I Imaglnatlsts They both use the visual sense but verbalists create mental Images

using words in other words they picture the words in their minds while imaginatists

think of pictures to retain information They have vivid imaginatibn These two kinds

I of students usually learn better from visual aids such aSalsloagrams Illustrated

textbooks Videos handouts pictures and movies They pay attention to

brightness Size color contrast and other visual features

In a classroom the Visual learner performs very well because all testing IS

conducted in a written format The visual students easily fit i~to most classroom

standards such as sitting quietly writing neatly and organiling materials well

Teachers working with visual students can exploit puzzle bUildirg reading writing

sketching painting using pictures maps and charts to illustrate the learning point

By observation teachers can spot who visual students arel They usually sit at

the front of the classroom they like to underline important inforlation usually with

colorful highlighters they try to draw or write while learning and they also prefer that

the teacher use the board flipcharts or pictures while teaching1

Auditory learners acquire new information through sound (Leaver 1998

p26) They need to listen to other people and to themselves to lunderstand and learn

better They also talk about what to do when they learn They take more advantage

There are two subdivisions of auditory learners the aural who learn by

of verbal lectures than written information

listening to others and the oral who need to talk and hear therSelVeS Things both

types pay attention to are tone of voice pitch speed rhythm and other nuances

Auditory students are usually spotted in class due to their performance They like to

Ispeak about and repeat what they learn and they eaSily do that They are often fast

at grasping information through listening and songs Amonb the three sensory

modalities (visual auditory and motor) the auditory is the mostltalkative and has the

most difficulty in writing Activities which are more effective Wlth auditory students

are any involving listening and speaking such as storytellinb oral explanations

debates and music IMotor learners learn better by exploring the physical W011daround them they

learn through movement There are again two subdivisions kinesthetic and

mechanical The kinesthetic learn better when they ~usethe gross motor muscles~

(Leaver 1998 p26) which means jumping dancing rUnningwhile learning the

mechanical use the fine motor muscles (idem p26) in other words they prefer for

instance to cut out pictures and write down in order to learn IThrough interaction with the environment around them they are able to

remember and process information This kind of student is eas~ to identify because

they seldom keep sitting still for long periods and if they haT to they easily get

Idistracted They also gesture when speaking they are poor lisleners and they lose

interest in long speeches They need direct involvement in what they are learning

10

According to research carried on by OMIT (Douglas Mawson In1stitute of Technology

in South Australia) forty percent of students are mainly kinesthetic learners

The teacher can work with dancing body language miming role plays

expressing emotions through the body activities which need to walk around find

clues cut out magazines and glue

24 THE COGNITIVE STYLES

The cognitive styles are the information processing ha its of an individual

These represent a persons typical modes of perceiving thinking remembering and

I problem solving ( Keefe apud Hood 1995 p2 ) There are mar categories for this

division of learning styles but only the most easily found will be described in this

research paper The categories chosen to be analyzed are deductive and inductive

impulsive and reflective IThe deductive and inductive styles are related to the way students work out

grammar explanations rules and examples IDeductive learners are the ones who love studying the rules They need to

have the explanation and after they understand the mechaniJm they go for the

examples If the teacher skips the explanation the students lsuallY get confused

and frustrated

Inductive learners are the ones who handle having the examples first quite

well because they like to work out the rules by themselves T~ey do not need the

teacher to explain everything If the teacher does so they get bted easily When it

I II

happens students can stop listening doodle start working on their own or doing

something else IImpulsive and reffective styles are related to the spf)ed and manner of

processing a response to a cognitive stimulus IImpulsive learners think and respond nearly simultaneously (Leaver 1998

fi L hmiddot h d tp43) They are the ones who always finish the activities Irst anu raise t elr an sa

I donce when the teacher asks a question or even when the question IS not complete

yet Sometimes they do not even know the answer Their resp+ses are usually less

accurate This kind of student likes competitions such as quiz shows or miming

The reflective think first then respond showing more [involved and deeper

levels of thinking (idem p43) For this reason their answers are more accurate but

usually incomplete They take more time to answer and this is taken as a

1 d fl dlsadvantage because In a classroom where there are Impulsive an re ectlve I

students the reflective ones are consIdered slow Teachers take thiS charactenstlc

as lack of intelligence and tend to isolate or give up the studentslwho are reflective

Teachers can identify impulsive and reffective students by observing them inI

class Impulsive learners usually ask their classmates to be faster when completing

a task and they are also the ones who speak before any other in class while

reflective learners participate less in discussions and are the la~t ones to raise their

hands to answer a question IIn fact identifying the learning styles in a group is not an easy task mainly

because an individual can develop more than one style For exJmPle a learner who

is recognized as being visual may have a second and strong pfeference like being

kinesthetic and may develop a third one as well It is not all fixed Teachers can not

be led to believe that only one rule exists mainly because therb are many different

Iaspects involving learning It must be taken into consideration that personality

outside pressure and fears are also part of each leamers baLground and usually

affect the way they learn IWhen teachers decide to work with learning styles they lought to select some

of them otherwise teachers can feel frustrated either by analyzing the large amount

12

of data or by choosing among various techniques to cover III of the preferences

found in a group of students

The best way to recognize students preferences is by observation StudentsI

tend to show or say how they learn especially for the learning styles mentioned

previously So observing them will be enough But if the tealers for any reason

can not identify the styles or are not sure about the results they can use

questionnaires or some activities to support them There are multiple-choice

questionnaires writing tasks group and individual activities developed with the

purpose of complementing the discovery of students preferences (see appendix B)

After having collected all the information about the students the next step is

to select methods and approaches which can contribute to the IJarners development

in association with their learning preferences According to Rod Ellis (1997)

learners with differing kinds of ability may be able to achieve similar levels of

success providing that the type of instruction enables theJ to maximize their

strengths

3 THE COMMUNICATIVE APROACH AND METHODS

31 AN OVERVIEW

Teachers and researchers have been asking themselves what the best

I approach or method would be to teach their students Many attempts were made InI

the past to find the perfect method These attempts resulted in various theories Iwhich are slill being used In schools around the world but they are far from being the

perfect ones According to Freeman (1986 p182) each met~od presents efficient

techniques which can be exploited in class but she claims thatla particular method

cannot be a prescription for success for everyone ~ IIt has been proved that working with one method ray not fill all the

necessities in a group of students as the group is not always homogeneous A

method generally emphasizes one specific approach that may be suitable or not for

the students Our routines need re-thinking and uP-datind but good ways of

teaching - those that help the learning process - should not be rejected (Lindsay

2001 p 15) Leaver (1998 p 128) asserts that methbds should not be

straightjackets for either teachers or students pedagogical demagoguery has no

of each teachers arsenal in the struggle to win the style war

place in a free country Methods and techniques that comprise them should be part

In order to identify which practices are useful for each learning styles it is

important to review some of the methods and their principles It is necessary to point

out that only some methods were chosen the ones which teac1ers can work with in

the same class The Communicative Approach has an important role as it is the

basis for the application of the different selected techniques

32 THE COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH

The Communicative Approach (CA) focuses on communication and

interaction For this reason meaning is more important than fOl The activities dealt

with in class are task-based involving information sharing negotiation usage of real

and meaningful contexts authentic materials and functions Students must interact in I

many different situations In classes where this approach IS the basIs translation 15

not allowed Students learn by working in pairs or groups throlgh cooperation and

errors are not always corrected to avoid impeding fluency Tre teacher must be

attentive to students needs in order to provide help when it is necessary Role-plays

games problem solving and activities involving informatio~ gap choice and

feedback are some of the tasks used in the CA

33 METHODS

The methods to be analyzed in this paper are

The Grammar-Translation Method

The Direct Method

The Audio-Lingual Method

Desuggestopedia

Community Language Learning

Total Physical Response (TPR)

331 The Grammar-Translation Method

15

The Grammar Translation Method was first called the Classical Method used

to teach the classical languages latin and Greek It was apdlied in order to help

students read foreign language literature It was believed t~at foreign language

Ilearning would help students grow Intellectually no matter If they used the language

m~ Classes which are based on the Grammar Translation jethod are teacher-

centered and focus on reading and writing Students try to Td equivalents and

similarities between l1 and l2 l1 is permitted and learners have to memorize lists

of vocabulary It is also based on deductive grammar learning

332 The Direct Method

The Direct Method received its name from the fact tha meaning is to be

conveyed directly in the target language with the help of demonstration and visual

aids Therefore translation is not allowed Nowadays its goal of inltruction is to learn

how to use a foreign language to communicate lTeachers work with direct association real contexts I sing topics and

exposure speaking inductive grammar and self-correction hey also exploit

pictures and realia to contextualize and associate better

16

3 3 3 The Audio Lingual Method

IThe Audio Lingual Method IS an oral-based approacr method based on

Structurahsm and BehavIorism Skinner IS the best-known representative of this

method It is believed that the best way to acquire the target language is through

conditioning Teachers help learners to respond to stimuli using shaping and

reinforcement They think learners create and form new habits demanded to become

speakers of the target language So this method uses drills tb teach grammatical

sentence patterns focusing on oral rather than written ProductiOh

Stressing habit formation dialogues drills repetition verbal and nonverbal

stimuli and inductive learning are some of the techniques used In it The classes are

teacher-centered and it is recommended to work only with the target language Error

334 Desuggestopedia

must be avoided because they lead the students to bad habits

Desuggestopedia comes from an affective-humanistic approach in which the

main focus is on students feelings It is believed that people Jstablish barriers and

limitations when starting to learn a language These barriers make learners not use

the total mental capacity leading them to fail A solution to change this scenario is to

I desuggest students from setting up these limitations Desuggestopedla IS a method

in which a mixture of fine arts and music has an important rOlk in making learners

feel relaxed and consequently they will learn without being awJre of the process

The classes are teacher-centered in a very friendly environment DialoguesI

texts vocabulary lists role-plays different identities colorful posters musical

f 0 t dInstruments painting and baroque musIc are part 0 a esugges ope 18

17

class

335 Community Language Learning

Translation and comparison between L1 and L2 are allowed

Community Language Learning is based on the counselTg-learning approach

created for adult teaching Students must be considered as whole persons Whole-

person learning means that teachers consider not only their sLdents intellect but

I I h Ialso have some understanding of the relationship among students fee lngs P YSlca

reactions instinctive protective reactions and desire to learn (Freeman 1994 p

89)

The course is topic-based and learners provide the topics Teachers work with

translation group work recording transcription reflection obselation listening and Ifree conversation Students work collaboratlvely having the teacher as a counselor

Teacher uses chunks of words Sharing learning experiences i1 part of the process

Students take responsibility for their learning therefore it is a self-directed method

336 Total Physical Response

Total Physical Response is part of the comprehension approach In this

approach language learning starts with understanding and thtn producing Only

when the students have internalized the target language process will they start

speaking It is also grammar-based and structuralist It involtes comprehension

before production focusing on meaning rather than form then 6rammar and lexis

The classes are teacher-centered and the teacher provides i~perative sentences

I 18

and drills for the students to perform A good TPR class should make the use of

action gestures and tone of voice This method is claimed to Ilreducestress in the

learning process TPR is based in the wayan infant learns its native language First

students should just listen and understand how the language is Iused and after they

going to be accurate but it will improve gradually

have internalized it they will automatically produce it At first he language is not

Students must be exposed to the target language The eacher must be as

expressive as possible so they can use pictures to help

4 THE PARTNERSHIP

19

After analyzing and selecting the learning styles and t~le methods sUitable

techntques need to be selected and combined with learners pre erences

In this paper It IS suggested that classes be based a the Communicative

Approach The reason is that many coursebooks used in languige schools in Brazil

In order to provide effective activities for each of the learning styles the

nowadays are based on this approach

methods were analyzed and some of the techniques were chosen Not all the I practices were selected because It IS clear that the methods have similarities and

contrasts and it is necessary to be sensible when working with ~ethod sinergistics

As there is no perfect method that integrates and accommodJtes all the learning

styles a selection of useful ideas should be made

There are some techniques and activities below which can be effective in any

11 I I mutl- earning-stye class If prepared and used carefully and appropriately

41 GAMES

Games are mainly part of the Communicative APproach] but they can be

adapted to suit most of the methods the Grammar-Translation Method TPR The

Language Learning

Audio-Lingual Method the Direct Method Desuggestopedia and Community

Games may be applied to all the learning styles Teachers can use ready-

made games or create their own Some games are suggested in the chart that

follows

20

GAME lEARNING STYLES APPROACHMETHODSSpelling competition and

Iscrabbles Visual e motor GTM

Crosswords and word searchers Visual and reflective I GTM

Visual auditory motor and

IBingo inductive CAAlM

Miming Visual motor impulsive I CA TPR DMVocabulary categories and stop Visual and impulsive I GTMD

Can you name Auditory impulsive reflective(categories) and visual GTM

Build up a word Visual motor and reflective GTM

Betting game Visual inductive reflective and(correction of mistakes) auditory DM

Song game Auditory and motor CAD

Reflective motor visual andFind the murderer auditory DM Cll

Quiz Impulsive motor and auditory DMCA

Drill game Auditory impulsive and inductive AlM

Find the target Motor and auditory TPR Cll

Build up the picture Motor reflective and visual TPRCll

Most of the games are well known but there are lme for which an

explanation of the procedures is needed Bingo is an activity thbt is found in many

different ways Teachers may work with bingo to review some JocabUlary students

have learned or review structures To play bingo students have td read their words in

the cards listen to the selected word and mark the options which have been called

Vocabulary categories is a competition which is played by two teams the

students have to write down as many words in the category aSJhey can Teachers

make cards with different categories written on them Students Irite the words on a

paper or on the board The winner is who has the most words There are two

0 I vanatons for this kind of game ne IS the game stop and the other IS can you

name The former is played individually using just paper anld pencil Students

write down pre-selected categories and put them in columns One student calls out a

~~

I 11Ililr(CA- bullbullbilr u

letter and everybody has to write one word for each category rtil they comple

of the categories As soon as one student completes them he says stop and the I

other students stop wntlng In a group they call out the answer For each different

answer students score 10 points and for the same answers they score 5 points The

C I dwinner ISthe one who gets the most pOintsat the end an you name ISplaye

in two groups Students receive a sheet of paper with some dategOrieS(Example

Can you name 3 things you can open and close) Then they dlcide in their groups

what words to write in the categories After that one group h1asto discover what

words the other group selected in one minute and Vice-versa The winner is the

group which discovers more words IBuild-up a word is another well-known game which is basically spelling and

thinking The teacher writes letters of the alphabet in small carbs and places them

SI

face down on the floor tudents one-by-one have to turn over a card until any of

I hthem can bUild up a word When students notice that a word In be bUild up t ey

~ank eaI~em in front of them to form a war The winner is the

The betting game is usually played in pairs Students receIve a sheet of paper

with sentences The sentences may be right or wrong Students analyze them and

decide if they are right or wrong correcting the wrong ones The1 they bet from $10

to $100 on their answers If they correct the sentence in the right way they will win

the amount they bet but if their correction is wrong they will lokie the money The

winner is the pair who wins the most money at the end

The song game is played in two groups with students in line The first

students in each line listens to a line of a song using headphones lnd has to whisper

it in his neighbors ear This students whispers to the next until t~e last listens to it

Then this student has to go to the board and write the sentrce Students keep

dOingthe activity until the song finishes For thiSreason the SOlg should not be long

and fast After the song finishes the teacher analyzes the sentences correcting

I where It IS necessary and sconng when there IS no mistakes The winner IS the

group which has less mistakes

Find the murderer is a game with clues Students haVj to discover who is

the murderer following the clue cards they have In order to 10 the task students

have to read the clues and interact with their group to link them and find out who is

the criminal

The drill game is also very well known The teacher starts saying a sentence

to be completed by one student Example I went to the supermarket and I

boughLchocolate breadcake Students take turns comPleting the sentence

without repeating the words The students who do not say a wori within the time limit

or repeat a word are out of the game The winner is the student who remains until

22

game

the end of the game Vocabulary and grammar structures can be exploited in this

Two efficient examples of quiz are like torta na caraand topa tudo por

dinheiro two TV programs in SBT The former consists in arSWering questions

about a topic or general vocabulary Two teams play against each other and who

rings the bell first has the right to answer The winner is the teamwhich scores more

pOintsThe latter consists in watching a sequence of a movie wHich is full of details

and after that answer questions based on these details The gale is also played in

teams and the competitors win fake money for each right ansler they give The

winner is the team which gets the largest amount of money

23

picture and they have to impersonate the people in the pictures organizing

the pair or trio which gets to the target first

Build up a picture is a competition played in groups Students receive a

themselves as the people in the picture Only one or two students from each group

can see the picture and have to give directions to the others t+ry to build it up The

winner is the group which gets the closest to the picture organization

These techniques which can be found in the Direct Method the

42 PICTURES GRAPHS REALIA AND POSTERS

Communicative Approach and Desuggestopedia are very useful for visual motor

inductive and deductive learners I

Visual students exploit everything they can see and if it is colorful or real they

will internalize the information better As they picture things in Itheir minds teachers

should use images numbers or words to help them showing Pi1cturesto start a class

presentation or to make students produce language based on them Teachers ought

Ito use the board and provide handouts to explain grammar ports Teachers should

also guide students to underline important information with cOlorul highlighters

Motor students need to do things so they can make Itheir own posters or

graphs about a topic or a grammar explanation working in pairs or groups They I also match or classify Information which can be vocabulary 0 anything related to a

topiCand place it in posters These learners also like to work with realia It is very

24

guess Students are blindfolded and they have to taste smell or touch the items in

order to guess what they are

For inductive and deductive learners the usage of pictures graphs or posters

may be useful if exploited in the right way Inductive students ban be provided with

1

visual material to try to work out examples of a structure Whit deductive students

receive the structure itself in colorful charts to make it more memorable

43 ROLE-PLAYSWITH TEXTS AND DIALOGUES

Role-plays and dialogues are present in the comiunicative Approach

Desuggestopedia and the Audio-Lingual Method They may be applied to motor

For example students read a text or the script of a dialogue (visual)

auditory visual inductive and reflective learners

exchange ideas with their peers (auditory reflective and inductive) prepare a

1 presentation and perform It (motor auditory and Inductive) ThiS ISthe main skeletonI

of a role-play and teachers can adapt or vary some elements Scenano clothes

Jaccessones and sound effects are usually Included In thiSactlvl[Y

Creating identities is another good activity The students close their eyes

and listen to a very soft song (classical or baroque) The tealer makes questions

Ilike What IS your name Where do you live What do you do etc and the

students answer them mentally but their answers should + an invention They

should create different people with their profiles After that thy talk to partners and

Introduce themselves uSing thelf new Identities Then In a group they can create a

story uSing the new characters and perform It For thiS activit the learning styles

that will take more advantage are reflective

25

and

kinesthetic

44 TPR GESTURES AND BODY LANGUAGE

The use of imperative gestures and body language are part of Total Physical

Response and the Communicative Approach These techniques are very useful for

visual kinesthetic and inductive students When teachers make any gestures they

Iare helping the visual students When they ask students to use body language or

TPR they are helping kinesthetic students IAn effective example is miming Kinesthetic students like performing for the

others to guess and impulsive learners love trying to discover Jhat is being mimed

So teachers can exploit grammar structures like present continLus and vocabulary

this way A good example is to divide the group in two teiams and place two

~sOolr~thaah~tht~ecs ~~derb ~hO~

teams have to mime It to help their partners guess the word IWhen teachers provide tasks uSingTPR kinesthetic students do better They

can perform and understand what IS being asked Inductive Istudents also learn

betier uSingTPR because they Internalize the examples and hOr to use them while

performing or providing imperatives for the other students to perform For instance

while teaching prepositions teachers may present Ihem and lSk the students to

follow directions John stand behind Mary Ann put yourself nixt to John and so

on unlil you have involved all the studenls Then teachers In vary selecting a

26

some of the structures which may be explored

student to give the directions Directions actions prepositions d conditionals are

45 DEBATES

Debates are part of the Communicative Approach and the Direct Method ThisI

activity works well for visual reflective auditory impulsive an motor learners The

students need time to prepare the arguments and at this mOlent visual refiective

and mechanical work better because they have to write dOWl the ideas and think

about the topic Auditory and kinesthetic students can also participate Auditory

students will discuss the ideas orally and the kinesthetic will classify good and bad

arguments At the moment of speaking all of them will be pr+ared to discuss and

state their point-of-view but auditory kinesthetic and impulsive learners will probably

do better in this task They have to move around the room be fast-talking and use

the right words An interesting way of applying this idea is to prsent a sequence of a

n~ ~c~sn ao~~ aar~cte~~t~l~~~~~se

Then they start the trial defending and accusing the man Twol students are chosen

to be the JudgesAt the end of the activity the students watch the final trial to check

what the verdict was In this activity there is time to prepare lanalyze and discuss

information there is visual and auditory support and there is movement during the

trial itself with which motor students feel comfortable I

It is necessary to divide the group so that the students rre organized to use

different abilities for instance a reflective with an impulsive arnd a mechanical or a

27

improve their abilities through contact with their peers

visual with an auditory and a kinesthetic working together This way students

46 INDUCTIVEAND DEDUCTIVE EXPLANATION

Inductive grammar explanation comes from the iirect Method the

Communicative Approach the Audio-Lingual Method and TiR while deductive

grammar explanation comes from the Grammar-Translation Method Both deductive

and inductive explanations are necessary to be used because t1eaChers usually find I Inductive and deductive students In the same class So It ISsuggested to work with

inductive exposition first for the students to try to find out the ~Ies by themselves

Then teachers may write the grammar rules on the board and elplain them or even

better provide handouts with the explanation so that students Iho really need this

I support WIll internalize the information more easily Teachers can also assign

help the deductive ones

inductive and deductive students to work together The inductive ones will eventually

Another relevant aspect is about oral and written eXPlinations Teachers

should combine them with deductive and inductive explanation Ii teachers adapt the

grammar explanations in this way they will support not only inductive and deductive

students but also visual auditory and motor ones For examfle after students

discuss the examples (auditory and inductive) the teacher hanr clothes-line from

one side to the other side of the classroom and hangs cards with examples or rules

(one word in each card) for visual support and for deductive studehts Then they ask

motor students to help build up other examples

47 MUSIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS AND RHYTHM

28

Music is part of Desuggestopedia the Direct Method amd the Audio-Lingual

For visual students teachers should work with the lyrics and create activities

Method and teachers may adapt it to many different purposes

based on them Example students read the lyrics of a song and have to write a letter

giving advice to the person in the song Another task which works for mechanical

S I Istudents too ISto draw a story based on the Iyncs tudents are placed In a CIrCe

backs to the center and each of them has a piece of paper The~ listen to the teacherI

tell a story line by line and draw it passing the paper to the classmate beside him

each time the teacher pauses At the end they listen to a song and discover that it is

the story they have drawn Putting the lines of a song in the i9ht order is another

possibility and it also works for reflective learners Teachers cut lout the lyrics in parts

and while students listen to the song they have organize it in the correct order

For motor students teachers should combine songj with the usage of

Igestures demonstrallng feelings or reconstructing the scene from the content of the

song For this activity students listen to the song and read the lyrics Then they

work in groups to elaborate how they will perform it After that ~ey listen to the song

again and at this time they have to perform while the song is Jeing played

Another possibility is to give each student a line of a song and they have to

put it in order by moving around and forming a line according ti the song sequence

The student who has the first line stands at the beginning of theII line the student with

the second line stands next and so on

For auditory students teachers can fully exploit music jey should work with

rhythm and musical instruments One example is when students use rhythms and

29

melody to help them memorize grammar structures rules or vocabulary Students

can also use instruments with the same purpose When teaching verbs that are

h II dfollowed by infinitive or gerund students can create t elf own me 0 y or even a song

to memorize them ITeachers sometimes should play music in the background while students

write a composition or complete a task It helps auditory students concentrate betterI

Furthermore teachers should use songs frequently because It stimulates them to

1learn more vocabulary to Internalize structures and to keep their Interest high

Movies and videos are activities which are part of the Communicative

48 MOVIES AND VIDEOS

Approach and the Direct Method

For visual learners movies and videos provide input they are visual aids

Students can exploit a frame or a scene describing it or describing the characters I Teachers may use videos to reinforce or present structures or tOPICSFor example

students watch a scene or a video about how the British people live their habits the

meals etc to present cultural aspects of their people

For reflective learners movies and videos are used to provide input

concerning a topic to be discussed later Reflective students watch some parts of a

movie in class or at home and then have a discussion in the )rlloWing class This

technique is also a good way to work with self-correction Anoter suggestion is to

have students record a video performing a sketch or just speaking Then they

watch it and analyze their performances observing their strong and weak aspects of

them

30

For inductive learners movies and videos are good sources of real examples

Teachers can exploit either the sound or the subtitles Teachers may ask students to

watch the video and write down examples of simple present or kst ask questions to

make students use the structure exploring the video ITeachers can prepare a quiz for impulsive and motor learners The students

are divided in two teams and watch a scene or sequence of a movie Then they take

turns answering the questions prepared by the teacher a1d based on visual

elements or characters lines of the sequence Whenever a tear answers correctly

it wins fake money The winner is the team which gets the largest amount of money

For auditory students teachers should use science fiction or horror movies

but just the sound The screen should be black or covered withla piece of cloth and

students listen to the sound writing what is happening desCribi1gthe situation After

completing the activity students watch the sequence and compare it with their

stories Another idea is to select a scene with a dialogue and 1rit9 some questions

about it numbering them eg 1 to 6 Then the teacher cuts paper squares and write

the numbers of the questions on them Each number is writlen on two or three

Isquares so that the teacher has two numbers 1 three numbers 2 three numbers 3

I and so on The teacher covers the screen With the paper squares In order to prevent

students to watch the scene Then students listen and answer the questions orally

The teacher should take out the numbered squares correspondent to the questions

students answer correctly enabling them to see the whole scenJ

Kinesthetic students will enjoy preparing a performance ~ased on a movie or

the teacher can record them role playing a task for example being a reporter or a

news announcer They can also use a movie to explore contrasts and similarities

and make a chart about them

5 CONCLUSION

31

What has been discussed in this paper is for certain only the first step to find

a good and effective way to teach and learn a foreign language However something

that must be kept in mind is that learners all over the world hale their own needs

preferences and perceptions related to learning Teachers lust be trained to

perceive these differences and to take advantage of them Tlchers should plan

I middotmiddotf hmiddotlessons to match students learning styles while encouraging them to dlversl y t air

learning style preferences IAs for the controversy that using learning styles is or is rot beneficial for the

learning process it can not be harmful for either the teacher or the students just

because if they are consciously involved in the process this involvement may be

part of teachers and students own improvement as learners rt only for language

purposes but also for learning strategies development and it fay bring significant

results at the end Unquestionably all this process is time consuming but valid

Teachers can adapt the ideas to their environment and I time availability A

suggestion for teachers who are beginners in this area is to Rroceed carefully and

step-by-step This field is wide so teachers ought not to usJ activities for all the

learning styles and methods at once otherwise it will beCOle very complex and

difficult to control

Teachers are not expected to use all the activities proposed in this paper in

every class Teachers can provide them little by little wher the students need

support There are many strategies to help students develop ieir weaknesses It is~~ middot- middot ~l~00 0I

I

32

T h h Id h kSomething that must be aVOidedISto Individualize too much eac ers s au c ec

h d 11 If Ithe average of the group It IS easier to deal Wit an Stl e ectlve

IAmong all the theones concerning learnmg the most feasible way to solve

the style conflicts in a class is adapting the material Most teachrs have a textbook

to be followed and it usually includes a methodology So it is rportant to present

materials with a different focus to attend each learning preference

IOnly presenting a mulh-style class ISnot enough If a teacher decides to work

I I Th hWith these suggestions heshe has to think about evaluation as we 1 e teae er

must provide various ways of assessing not only written and I oral tests but also

other ways of measuring what students learn and in which the other styles are also I Involved Students can be evaluated while working In small gIOUPSperforming or

debating through journals among other suggestions

It is clear that teachers can not be paSSiveThey have to work exhaustively if I they want to help their students to fully develop They should also be open-minded In

relation to old methods present methods and brand-new one1sThey may be all

significant and helpful I

There are many approaches and methods nowadays aid probably there is

one coming out right now Each of them has been created to slve the problems in

the learning and teaching process but they may not be able to Researchers are still

trying to find a better way to teach or why not the prefect formLa It is complicated

to say not to follow a method I

In conclusion whatever teachers decide to apply in class they just need to

keep in mind that the students interests are the priority and theJ must be syntonized

with the teachers own beliefs respecting each ones paL and information

processing

REFERENCES

II

Bras G R de C (1998) Bnncando e aprendendo com logOS sensonals RIo deJaneiro Sprint I

Ellis R (1997) Second Language AcqUisition Oxford Oxford University Press

Guimaraes R (1997) Teaching Ught Teaching Bette~ a handI book for languageteachers Sao Paulo Senae

Hood K (1995) Exploring Learning Styles and Instruction The University ofGeorgia (Department of Mathematics Education) Retrieved 08072002 fromhttp lIwllson coe uga eduEMT705EMT705 Hood html I

Larsen-Freeman D (1986) Techmques and pnnclples In language teaching (2 ed)Oxford Oxford University Press I

~~nLp (9)s~~n~ t~9)0~n~a~ a~~Jd Oxford

University Press ILindsay P (JuI12001)SWingsof the Pendulum New Routes 14 pp 12-15

Richards J amp Rodgers 1 (2001) Approaches and Methods In Language Teaching(2 ed) Cambridge Cambridge University Press I

Rodgers T (Apr2000) Methodology in the new millenium English Teaching forum382 pp2-12 I

Rodgers S T (2001) Language Teaching Methodology ERIG Clearinghouse onLanguages and Linguistics Washington DC 20016-1859 Retrieved03052002 from hUpllwwwcalorgericclldigesUrodgershtml

Skehan P (1998) A cognitive approach to language learning 010rd OxfordUniversity Press

23 THE SENSORY MODALITIES

Learning modalities are the sensory channels or pat1ways through which

individuals give receive and store information (Hood 1995 p2) The sensory

Imodalities are divided in visual auditory and motor (Leaver 1986)

Visual learners are the ones who have the ability to perlive the visual They

need to visualize to understand the content of a lesson It is as if they have a movie

camera in their minds They take in what they hear or read and translate it into

images in their brains When visuals want to remember wha they have learned

they simply glance upwards and look at the image that they have stored in their

minds There are two subdivisions (Leaver 1986) in this category verbalists and

I Imaglnatlsts They both use the visual sense but verbalists create mental Images

using words in other words they picture the words in their minds while imaginatists

think of pictures to retain information They have vivid imaginatibn These two kinds

I of students usually learn better from visual aids such aSalsloagrams Illustrated

textbooks Videos handouts pictures and movies They pay attention to

brightness Size color contrast and other visual features

In a classroom the Visual learner performs very well because all testing IS

conducted in a written format The visual students easily fit i~to most classroom

standards such as sitting quietly writing neatly and organiling materials well

Teachers working with visual students can exploit puzzle bUildirg reading writing

sketching painting using pictures maps and charts to illustrate the learning point

By observation teachers can spot who visual students arel They usually sit at

the front of the classroom they like to underline important inforlation usually with

colorful highlighters they try to draw or write while learning and they also prefer that

the teacher use the board flipcharts or pictures while teaching1

Auditory learners acquire new information through sound (Leaver 1998

p26) They need to listen to other people and to themselves to lunderstand and learn

better They also talk about what to do when they learn They take more advantage

There are two subdivisions of auditory learners the aural who learn by

of verbal lectures than written information

listening to others and the oral who need to talk and hear therSelVeS Things both

types pay attention to are tone of voice pitch speed rhythm and other nuances

Auditory students are usually spotted in class due to their performance They like to

Ispeak about and repeat what they learn and they eaSily do that They are often fast

at grasping information through listening and songs Amonb the three sensory

modalities (visual auditory and motor) the auditory is the mostltalkative and has the

most difficulty in writing Activities which are more effective Wlth auditory students

are any involving listening and speaking such as storytellinb oral explanations

debates and music IMotor learners learn better by exploring the physical W011daround them they

learn through movement There are again two subdivisions kinesthetic and

mechanical The kinesthetic learn better when they ~usethe gross motor muscles~

(Leaver 1998 p26) which means jumping dancing rUnningwhile learning the

mechanical use the fine motor muscles (idem p26) in other words they prefer for

instance to cut out pictures and write down in order to learn IThrough interaction with the environment around them they are able to

remember and process information This kind of student is eas~ to identify because

they seldom keep sitting still for long periods and if they haT to they easily get

Idistracted They also gesture when speaking they are poor lisleners and they lose

interest in long speeches They need direct involvement in what they are learning

10

According to research carried on by OMIT (Douglas Mawson In1stitute of Technology

in South Australia) forty percent of students are mainly kinesthetic learners

The teacher can work with dancing body language miming role plays

expressing emotions through the body activities which need to walk around find

clues cut out magazines and glue

24 THE COGNITIVE STYLES

The cognitive styles are the information processing ha its of an individual

These represent a persons typical modes of perceiving thinking remembering and

I problem solving ( Keefe apud Hood 1995 p2 ) There are mar categories for this

division of learning styles but only the most easily found will be described in this

research paper The categories chosen to be analyzed are deductive and inductive

impulsive and reflective IThe deductive and inductive styles are related to the way students work out

grammar explanations rules and examples IDeductive learners are the ones who love studying the rules They need to

have the explanation and after they understand the mechaniJm they go for the

examples If the teacher skips the explanation the students lsuallY get confused

and frustrated

Inductive learners are the ones who handle having the examples first quite

well because they like to work out the rules by themselves T~ey do not need the

teacher to explain everything If the teacher does so they get bted easily When it

I II

happens students can stop listening doodle start working on their own or doing

something else IImpulsive and reffective styles are related to the spf)ed and manner of

processing a response to a cognitive stimulus IImpulsive learners think and respond nearly simultaneously (Leaver 1998

fi L hmiddot h d tp43) They are the ones who always finish the activities Irst anu raise t elr an sa

I donce when the teacher asks a question or even when the question IS not complete

yet Sometimes they do not even know the answer Their resp+ses are usually less

accurate This kind of student likes competitions such as quiz shows or miming

The reflective think first then respond showing more [involved and deeper

levels of thinking (idem p43) For this reason their answers are more accurate but

usually incomplete They take more time to answer and this is taken as a

1 d fl dlsadvantage because In a classroom where there are Impulsive an re ectlve I

students the reflective ones are consIdered slow Teachers take thiS charactenstlc

as lack of intelligence and tend to isolate or give up the studentslwho are reflective

Teachers can identify impulsive and reffective students by observing them inI

class Impulsive learners usually ask their classmates to be faster when completing

a task and they are also the ones who speak before any other in class while

reflective learners participate less in discussions and are the la~t ones to raise their

hands to answer a question IIn fact identifying the learning styles in a group is not an easy task mainly

because an individual can develop more than one style For exJmPle a learner who

is recognized as being visual may have a second and strong pfeference like being

kinesthetic and may develop a third one as well It is not all fixed Teachers can not

be led to believe that only one rule exists mainly because therb are many different

Iaspects involving learning It must be taken into consideration that personality

outside pressure and fears are also part of each leamers baLground and usually

affect the way they learn IWhen teachers decide to work with learning styles they lought to select some

of them otherwise teachers can feel frustrated either by analyzing the large amount

12

of data or by choosing among various techniques to cover III of the preferences

found in a group of students

The best way to recognize students preferences is by observation StudentsI

tend to show or say how they learn especially for the learning styles mentioned

previously So observing them will be enough But if the tealers for any reason

can not identify the styles or are not sure about the results they can use

questionnaires or some activities to support them There are multiple-choice

questionnaires writing tasks group and individual activities developed with the

purpose of complementing the discovery of students preferences (see appendix B)

After having collected all the information about the students the next step is

to select methods and approaches which can contribute to the IJarners development

in association with their learning preferences According to Rod Ellis (1997)

learners with differing kinds of ability may be able to achieve similar levels of

success providing that the type of instruction enables theJ to maximize their

strengths

3 THE COMMUNICATIVE APROACH AND METHODS

31 AN OVERVIEW

Teachers and researchers have been asking themselves what the best

I approach or method would be to teach their students Many attempts were made InI

the past to find the perfect method These attempts resulted in various theories Iwhich are slill being used In schools around the world but they are far from being the

perfect ones According to Freeman (1986 p182) each met~od presents efficient

techniques which can be exploited in class but she claims thatla particular method

cannot be a prescription for success for everyone ~ IIt has been proved that working with one method ray not fill all the

necessities in a group of students as the group is not always homogeneous A

method generally emphasizes one specific approach that may be suitable or not for

the students Our routines need re-thinking and uP-datind but good ways of

teaching - those that help the learning process - should not be rejected (Lindsay

2001 p 15) Leaver (1998 p 128) asserts that methbds should not be

straightjackets for either teachers or students pedagogical demagoguery has no

of each teachers arsenal in the struggle to win the style war

place in a free country Methods and techniques that comprise them should be part

In order to identify which practices are useful for each learning styles it is

important to review some of the methods and their principles It is necessary to point

out that only some methods were chosen the ones which teac1ers can work with in

the same class The Communicative Approach has an important role as it is the

basis for the application of the different selected techniques

32 THE COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH

The Communicative Approach (CA) focuses on communication and

interaction For this reason meaning is more important than fOl The activities dealt

with in class are task-based involving information sharing negotiation usage of real

and meaningful contexts authentic materials and functions Students must interact in I

many different situations In classes where this approach IS the basIs translation 15

not allowed Students learn by working in pairs or groups throlgh cooperation and

errors are not always corrected to avoid impeding fluency Tre teacher must be

attentive to students needs in order to provide help when it is necessary Role-plays

games problem solving and activities involving informatio~ gap choice and

feedback are some of the tasks used in the CA

33 METHODS

The methods to be analyzed in this paper are

The Grammar-Translation Method

The Direct Method

The Audio-Lingual Method

Desuggestopedia

Community Language Learning

Total Physical Response (TPR)

331 The Grammar-Translation Method

15

The Grammar Translation Method was first called the Classical Method used

to teach the classical languages latin and Greek It was apdlied in order to help

students read foreign language literature It was believed t~at foreign language

Ilearning would help students grow Intellectually no matter If they used the language

m~ Classes which are based on the Grammar Translation jethod are teacher-

centered and focus on reading and writing Students try to Td equivalents and

similarities between l1 and l2 l1 is permitted and learners have to memorize lists

of vocabulary It is also based on deductive grammar learning

332 The Direct Method

The Direct Method received its name from the fact tha meaning is to be

conveyed directly in the target language with the help of demonstration and visual

aids Therefore translation is not allowed Nowadays its goal of inltruction is to learn

how to use a foreign language to communicate lTeachers work with direct association real contexts I sing topics and

exposure speaking inductive grammar and self-correction hey also exploit

pictures and realia to contextualize and associate better

16

3 3 3 The Audio Lingual Method

IThe Audio Lingual Method IS an oral-based approacr method based on

Structurahsm and BehavIorism Skinner IS the best-known representative of this

method It is believed that the best way to acquire the target language is through

conditioning Teachers help learners to respond to stimuli using shaping and

reinforcement They think learners create and form new habits demanded to become

speakers of the target language So this method uses drills tb teach grammatical

sentence patterns focusing on oral rather than written ProductiOh

Stressing habit formation dialogues drills repetition verbal and nonverbal

stimuli and inductive learning are some of the techniques used In it The classes are

teacher-centered and it is recommended to work only with the target language Error

334 Desuggestopedia

must be avoided because they lead the students to bad habits

Desuggestopedia comes from an affective-humanistic approach in which the

main focus is on students feelings It is believed that people Jstablish barriers and

limitations when starting to learn a language These barriers make learners not use

the total mental capacity leading them to fail A solution to change this scenario is to

I desuggest students from setting up these limitations Desuggestopedla IS a method

in which a mixture of fine arts and music has an important rOlk in making learners

feel relaxed and consequently they will learn without being awJre of the process

The classes are teacher-centered in a very friendly environment DialoguesI

texts vocabulary lists role-plays different identities colorful posters musical

f 0 t dInstruments painting and baroque musIc are part 0 a esugges ope 18

17

class

335 Community Language Learning

Translation and comparison between L1 and L2 are allowed

Community Language Learning is based on the counselTg-learning approach

created for adult teaching Students must be considered as whole persons Whole-

person learning means that teachers consider not only their sLdents intellect but

I I h Ialso have some understanding of the relationship among students fee lngs P YSlca

reactions instinctive protective reactions and desire to learn (Freeman 1994 p

89)

The course is topic-based and learners provide the topics Teachers work with

translation group work recording transcription reflection obselation listening and Ifree conversation Students work collaboratlvely having the teacher as a counselor

Teacher uses chunks of words Sharing learning experiences i1 part of the process

Students take responsibility for their learning therefore it is a self-directed method

336 Total Physical Response

Total Physical Response is part of the comprehension approach In this

approach language learning starts with understanding and thtn producing Only

when the students have internalized the target language process will they start

speaking It is also grammar-based and structuralist It involtes comprehension

before production focusing on meaning rather than form then 6rammar and lexis

The classes are teacher-centered and the teacher provides i~perative sentences

I 18

and drills for the students to perform A good TPR class should make the use of

action gestures and tone of voice This method is claimed to Ilreducestress in the

learning process TPR is based in the wayan infant learns its native language First

students should just listen and understand how the language is Iused and after they

going to be accurate but it will improve gradually

have internalized it they will automatically produce it At first he language is not

Students must be exposed to the target language The eacher must be as

expressive as possible so they can use pictures to help

4 THE PARTNERSHIP

19

After analyzing and selecting the learning styles and t~le methods sUitable

techntques need to be selected and combined with learners pre erences

In this paper It IS suggested that classes be based a the Communicative

Approach The reason is that many coursebooks used in languige schools in Brazil

In order to provide effective activities for each of the learning styles the

nowadays are based on this approach

methods were analyzed and some of the techniques were chosen Not all the I practices were selected because It IS clear that the methods have similarities and

contrasts and it is necessary to be sensible when working with ~ethod sinergistics

As there is no perfect method that integrates and accommodJtes all the learning

styles a selection of useful ideas should be made

There are some techniques and activities below which can be effective in any

11 I I mutl- earning-stye class If prepared and used carefully and appropriately

41 GAMES

Games are mainly part of the Communicative APproach] but they can be

adapted to suit most of the methods the Grammar-Translation Method TPR The

Language Learning

Audio-Lingual Method the Direct Method Desuggestopedia and Community

Games may be applied to all the learning styles Teachers can use ready-

made games or create their own Some games are suggested in the chart that

follows

20

GAME lEARNING STYLES APPROACHMETHODSSpelling competition and

Iscrabbles Visual e motor GTM

Crosswords and word searchers Visual and reflective I GTM

Visual auditory motor and

IBingo inductive CAAlM

Miming Visual motor impulsive I CA TPR DMVocabulary categories and stop Visual and impulsive I GTMD

Can you name Auditory impulsive reflective(categories) and visual GTM

Build up a word Visual motor and reflective GTM

Betting game Visual inductive reflective and(correction of mistakes) auditory DM

Song game Auditory and motor CAD

Reflective motor visual andFind the murderer auditory DM Cll

Quiz Impulsive motor and auditory DMCA

Drill game Auditory impulsive and inductive AlM

Find the target Motor and auditory TPR Cll

Build up the picture Motor reflective and visual TPRCll

Most of the games are well known but there are lme for which an

explanation of the procedures is needed Bingo is an activity thbt is found in many

different ways Teachers may work with bingo to review some JocabUlary students

have learned or review structures To play bingo students have td read their words in

the cards listen to the selected word and mark the options which have been called

Vocabulary categories is a competition which is played by two teams the

students have to write down as many words in the category aSJhey can Teachers

make cards with different categories written on them Students Irite the words on a

paper or on the board The winner is who has the most words There are two

0 I vanatons for this kind of game ne IS the game stop and the other IS can you

name The former is played individually using just paper anld pencil Students

write down pre-selected categories and put them in columns One student calls out a

~~

I 11Ililr(CA- bullbullbilr u

letter and everybody has to write one word for each category rtil they comple

of the categories As soon as one student completes them he says stop and the I

other students stop wntlng In a group they call out the answer For each different

answer students score 10 points and for the same answers they score 5 points The

C I dwinner ISthe one who gets the most pOintsat the end an you name ISplaye

in two groups Students receive a sheet of paper with some dategOrieS(Example

Can you name 3 things you can open and close) Then they dlcide in their groups

what words to write in the categories After that one group h1asto discover what

words the other group selected in one minute and Vice-versa The winner is the

group which discovers more words IBuild-up a word is another well-known game which is basically spelling and

thinking The teacher writes letters of the alphabet in small carbs and places them

SI

face down on the floor tudents one-by-one have to turn over a card until any of

I hthem can bUild up a word When students notice that a word In be bUild up t ey

~ank eaI~em in front of them to form a war The winner is the

The betting game is usually played in pairs Students receIve a sheet of paper

with sentences The sentences may be right or wrong Students analyze them and

decide if they are right or wrong correcting the wrong ones The1 they bet from $10

to $100 on their answers If they correct the sentence in the right way they will win

the amount they bet but if their correction is wrong they will lokie the money The

winner is the pair who wins the most money at the end

The song game is played in two groups with students in line The first

students in each line listens to a line of a song using headphones lnd has to whisper

it in his neighbors ear This students whispers to the next until t~e last listens to it

Then this student has to go to the board and write the sentrce Students keep

dOingthe activity until the song finishes For thiSreason the SOlg should not be long

and fast After the song finishes the teacher analyzes the sentences correcting

I where It IS necessary and sconng when there IS no mistakes The winner IS the

group which has less mistakes

Find the murderer is a game with clues Students haVj to discover who is

the murderer following the clue cards they have In order to 10 the task students

have to read the clues and interact with their group to link them and find out who is

the criminal

The drill game is also very well known The teacher starts saying a sentence

to be completed by one student Example I went to the supermarket and I

boughLchocolate breadcake Students take turns comPleting the sentence

without repeating the words The students who do not say a wori within the time limit

or repeat a word are out of the game The winner is the student who remains until

22

game

the end of the game Vocabulary and grammar structures can be exploited in this

Two efficient examples of quiz are like torta na caraand topa tudo por

dinheiro two TV programs in SBT The former consists in arSWering questions

about a topic or general vocabulary Two teams play against each other and who

rings the bell first has the right to answer The winner is the teamwhich scores more

pOintsThe latter consists in watching a sequence of a movie wHich is full of details

and after that answer questions based on these details The gale is also played in

teams and the competitors win fake money for each right ansler they give The

winner is the team which gets the largest amount of money

23

picture and they have to impersonate the people in the pictures organizing

the pair or trio which gets to the target first

Build up a picture is a competition played in groups Students receive a

themselves as the people in the picture Only one or two students from each group

can see the picture and have to give directions to the others t+ry to build it up The

winner is the group which gets the closest to the picture organization

These techniques which can be found in the Direct Method the

42 PICTURES GRAPHS REALIA AND POSTERS

Communicative Approach and Desuggestopedia are very useful for visual motor

inductive and deductive learners I

Visual students exploit everything they can see and if it is colorful or real they

will internalize the information better As they picture things in Itheir minds teachers

should use images numbers or words to help them showing Pi1cturesto start a class

presentation or to make students produce language based on them Teachers ought

Ito use the board and provide handouts to explain grammar ports Teachers should

also guide students to underline important information with cOlorul highlighters

Motor students need to do things so they can make Itheir own posters or

graphs about a topic or a grammar explanation working in pairs or groups They I also match or classify Information which can be vocabulary 0 anything related to a

topiCand place it in posters These learners also like to work with realia It is very

24

guess Students are blindfolded and they have to taste smell or touch the items in

order to guess what they are

For inductive and deductive learners the usage of pictures graphs or posters

may be useful if exploited in the right way Inductive students ban be provided with

1

visual material to try to work out examples of a structure Whit deductive students

receive the structure itself in colorful charts to make it more memorable

43 ROLE-PLAYSWITH TEXTS AND DIALOGUES

Role-plays and dialogues are present in the comiunicative Approach

Desuggestopedia and the Audio-Lingual Method They may be applied to motor

For example students read a text or the script of a dialogue (visual)

auditory visual inductive and reflective learners

exchange ideas with their peers (auditory reflective and inductive) prepare a

1 presentation and perform It (motor auditory and Inductive) ThiS ISthe main skeletonI

of a role-play and teachers can adapt or vary some elements Scenano clothes

Jaccessones and sound effects are usually Included In thiSactlvl[Y

Creating identities is another good activity The students close their eyes

and listen to a very soft song (classical or baroque) The tealer makes questions

Ilike What IS your name Where do you live What do you do etc and the

students answer them mentally but their answers should + an invention They

should create different people with their profiles After that thy talk to partners and

Introduce themselves uSing thelf new Identities Then In a group they can create a

story uSing the new characters and perform It For thiS activit the learning styles

that will take more advantage are reflective

25

and

kinesthetic

44 TPR GESTURES AND BODY LANGUAGE

The use of imperative gestures and body language are part of Total Physical

Response and the Communicative Approach These techniques are very useful for

visual kinesthetic and inductive students When teachers make any gestures they

Iare helping the visual students When they ask students to use body language or

TPR they are helping kinesthetic students IAn effective example is miming Kinesthetic students like performing for the

others to guess and impulsive learners love trying to discover Jhat is being mimed

So teachers can exploit grammar structures like present continLus and vocabulary

this way A good example is to divide the group in two teiams and place two

~sOolr~thaah~tht~ecs ~~derb ~hO~

teams have to mime It to help their partners guess the word IWhen teachers provide tasks uSingTPR kinesthetic students do better They

can perform and understand what IS being asked Inductive Istudents also learn

betier uSingTPR because they Internalize the examples and hOr to use them while

performing or providing imperatives for the other students to perform For instance

while teaching prepositions teachers may present Ihem and lSk the students to

follow directions John stand behind Mary Ann put yourself nixt to John and so

on unlil you have involved all the studenls Then teachers In vary selecting a

26

some of the structures which may be explored

student to give the directions Directions actions prepositions d conditionals are

45 DEBATES

Debates are part of the Communicative Approach and the Direct Method ThisI

activity works well for visual reflective auditory impulsive an motor learners The

students need time to prepare the arguments and at this mOlent visual refiective

and mechanical work better because they have to write dOWl the ideas and think

about the topic Auditory and kinesthetic students can also participate Auditory

students will discuss the ideas orally and the kinesthetic will classify good and bad

arguments At the moment of speaking all of them will be pr+ared to discuss and

state their point-of-view but auditory kinesthetic and impulsive learners will probably

do better in this task They have to move around the room be fast-talking and use

the right words An interesting way of applying this idea is to prsent a sequence of a

n~ ~c~sn ao~~ aar~cte~~t~l~~~~~se

Then they start the trial defending and accusing the man Twol students are chosen

to be the JudgesAt the end of the activity the students watch the final trial to check

what the verdict was In this activity there is time to prepare lanalyze and discuss

information there is visual and auditory support and there is movement during the

trial itself with which motor students feel comfortable I

It is necessary to divide the group so that the students rre organized to use

different abilities for instance a reflective with an impulsive arnd a mechanical or a

27

improve their abilities through contact with their peers

visual with an auditory and a kinesthetic working together This way students

46 INDUCTIVEAND DEDUCTIVE EXPLANATION

Inductive grammar explanation comes from the iirect Method the

Communicative Approach the Audio-Lingual Method and TiR while deductive

grammar explanation comes from the Grammar-Translation Method Both deductive

and inductive explanations are necessary to be used because t1eaChers usually find I Inductive and deductive students In the same class So It ISsuggested to work with

inductive exposition first for the students to try to find out the ~Ies by themselves

Then teachers may write the grammar rules on the board and elplain them or even

better provide handouts with the explanation so that students Iho really need this

I support WIll internalize the information more easily Teachers can also assign

help the deductive ones

inductive and deductive students to work together The inductive ones will eventually

Another relevant aspect is about oral and written eXPlinations Teachers

should combine them with deductive and inductive explanation Ii teachers adapt the

grammar explanations in this way they will support not only inductive and deductive

students but also visual auditory and motor ones For examfle after students

discuss the examples (auditory and inductive) the teacher hanr clothes-line from

one side to the other side of the classroom and hangs cards with examples or rules

(one word in each card) for visual support and for deductive studehts Then they ask

motor students to help build up other examples

47 MUSIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS AND RHYTHM

28

Music is part of Desuggestopedia the Direct Method amd the Audio-Lingual

For visual students teachers should work with the lyrics and create activities

Method and teachers may adapt it to many different purposes

based on them Example students read the lyrics of a song and have to write a letter

giving advice to the person in the song Another task which works for mechanical

S I Istudents too ISto draw a story based on the Iyncs tudents are placed In a CIrCe

backs to the center and each of them has a piece of paper The~ listen to the teacherI

tell a story line by line and draw it passing the paper to the classmate beside him

each time the teacher pauses At the end they listen to a song and discover that it is

the story they have drawn Putting the lines of a song in the i9ht order is another

possibility and it also works for reflective learners Teachers cut lout the lyrics in parts

and while students listen to the song they have organize it in the correct order

For motor students teachers should combine songj with the usage of

Igestures demonstrallng feelings or reconstructing the scene from the content of the

song For this activity students listen to the song and read the lyrics Then they

work in groups to elaborate how they will perform it After that ~ey listen to the song

again and at this time they have to perform while the song is Jeing played

Another possibility is to give each student a line of a song and they have to

put it in order by moving around and forming a line according ti the song sequence

The student who has the first line stands at the beginning of theII line the student with

the second line stands next and so on

For auditory students teachers can fully exploit music jey should work with

rhythm and musical instruments One example is when students use rhythms and

29

melody to help them memorize grammar structures rules or vocabulary Students

can also use instruments with the same purpose When teaching verbs that are

h II dfollowed by infinitive or gerund students can create t elf own me 0 y or even a song

to memorize them ITeachers sometimes should play music in the background while students

write a composition or complete a task It helps auditory students concentrate betterI

Furthermore teachers should use songs frequently because It stimulates them to

1learn more vocabulary to Internalize structures and to keep their Interest high

Movies and videos are activities which are part of the Communicative

48 MOVIES AND VIDEOS

Approach and the Direct Method

For visual learners movies and videos provide input they are visual aids

Students can exploit a frame or a scene describing it or describing the characters I Teachers may use videos to reinforce or present structures or tOPICSFor example

students watch a scene or a video about how the British people live their habits the

meals etc to present cultural aspects of their people

For reflective learners movies and videos are used to provide input

concerning a topic to be discussed later Reflective students watch some parts of a

movie in class or at home and then have a discussion in the )rlloWing class This

technique is also a good way to work with self-correction Anoter suggestion is to

have students record a video performing a sketch or just speaking Then they

watch it and analyze their performances observing their strong and weak aspects of

them

30

For inductive learners movies and videos are good sources of real examples

Teachers can exploit either the sound or the subtitles Teachers may ask students to

watch the video and write down examples of simple present or kst ask questions to

make students use the structure exploring the video ITeachers can prepare a quiz for impulsive and motor learners The students

are divided in two teams and watch a scene or sequence of a movie Then they take

turns answering the questions prepared by the teacher a1d based on visual

elements or characters lines of the sequence Whenever a tear answers correctly

it wins fake money The winner is the team which gets the largest amount of money

For auditory students teachers should use science fiction or horror movies

but just the sound The screen should be black or covered withla piece of cloth and

students listen to the sound writing what is happening desCribi1gthe situation After

completing the activity students watch the sequence and compare it with their

stories Another idea is to select a scene with a dialogue and 1rit9 some questions

about it numbering them eg 1 to 6 Then the teacher cuts paper squares and write

the numbers of the questions on them Each number is writlen on two or three

Isquares so that the teacher has two numbers 1 three numbers 2 three numbers 3

I and so on The teacher covers the screen With the paper squares In order to prevent

students to watch the scene Then students listen and answer the questions orally

The teacher should take out the numbered squares correspondent to the questions

students answer correctly enabling them to see the whole scenJ

Kinesthetic students will enjoy preparing a performance ~ased on a movie or

the teacher can record them role playing a task for example being a reporter or a

news announcer They can also use a movie to explore contrasts and similarities

and make a chart about them

5 CONCLUSION

31

What has been discussed in this paper is for certain only the first step to find

a good and effective way to teach and learn a foreign language However something

that must be kept in mind is that learners all over the world hale their own needs

preferences and perceptions related to learning Teachers lust be trained to

perceive these differences and to take advantage of them Tlchers should plan

I middotmiddotf hmiddotlessons to match students learning styles while encouraging them to dlversl y t air

learning style preferences IAs for the controversy that using learning styles is or is rot beneficial for the

learning process it can not be harmful for either the teacher or the students just

because if they are consciously involved in the process this involvement may be

part of teachers and students own improvement as learners rt only for language

purposes but also for learning strategies development and it fay bring significant

results at the end Unquestionably all this process is time consuming but valid

Teachers can adapt the ideas to their environment and I time availability A

suggestion for teachers who are beginners in this area is to Rroceed carefully and

step-by-step This field is wide so teachers ought not to usJ activities for all the

learning styles and methods at once otherwise it will beCOle very complex and

difficult to control

Teachers are not expected to use all the activities proposed in this paper in

every class Teachers can provide them little by little wher the students need

support There are many strategies to help students develop ieir weaknesses It is~~ middot- middot ~l~00 0I

I

32

T h h Id h kSomething that must be aVOidedISto Individualize too much eac ers s au c ec

h d 11 If Ithe average of the group It IS easier to deal Wit an Stl e ectlve

IAmong all the theones concerning learnmg the most feasible way to solve

the style conflicts in a class is adapting the material Most teachrs have a textbook

to be followed and it usually includes a methodology So it is rportant to present

materials with a different focus to attend each learning preference

IOnly presenting a mulh-style class ISnot enough If a teacher decides to work

I I Th hWith these suggestions heshe has to think about evaluation as we 1 e teae er

must provide various ways of assessing not only written and I oral tests but also

other ways of measuring what students learn and in which the other styles are also I Involved Students can be evaluated while working In small gIOUPSperforming or

debating through journals among other suggestions

It is clear that teachers can not be paSSiveThey have to work exhaustively if I they want to help their students to fully develop They should also be open-minded In

relation to old methods present methods and brand-new one1sThey may be all

significant and helpful I

There are many approaches and methods nowadays aid probably there is

one coming out right now Each of them has been created to slve the problems in

the learning and teaching process but they may not be able to Researchers are still

trying to find a better way to teach or why not the prefect formLa It is complicated

to say not to follow a method I

In conclusion whatever teachers decide to apply in class they just need to

keep in mind that the students interests are the priority and theJ must be syntonized

with the teachers own beliefs respecting each ones paL and information

processing

REFERENCES

II

Bras G R de C (1998) Bnncando e aprendendo com logOS sensonals RIo deJaneiro Sprint I

Ellis R (1997) Second Language AcqUisition Oxford Oxford University Press

Guimaraes R (1997) Teaching Ught Teaching Bette~ a handI book for languageteachers Sao Paulo Senae

Hood K (1995) Exploring Learning Styles and Instruction The University ofGeorgia (Department of Mathematics Education) Retrieved 08072002 fromhttp lIwllson coe uga eduEMT705EMT705 Hood html I

Larsen-Freeman D (1986) Techmques and pnnclples In language teaching (2 ed)Oxford Oxford University Press I

~~nLp (9)s~~n~ t~9)0~n~a~ a~~Jd Oxford

University Press ILindsay P (JuI12001)SWingsof the Pendulum New Routes 14 pp 12-15

Richards J amp Rodgers 1 (2001) Approaches and Methods In Language Teaching(2 ed) Cambridge Cambridge University Press I

Rodgers T (Apr2000) Methodology in the new millenium English Teaching forum382 pp2-12 I

Rodgers S T (2001) Language Teaching Methodology ERIG Clearinghouse onLanguages and Linguistics Washington DC 20016-1859 Retrieved03052002 from hUpllwwwcalorgericclldigesUrodgershtml

Skehan P (1998) A cognitive approach to language learning 010rd OxfordUniversity Press

colorful highlighters they try to draw or write while learning and they also prefer that

the teacher use the board flipcharts or pictures while teaching1

Auditory learners acquire new information through sound (Leaver 1998

p26) They need to listen to other people and to themselves to lunderstand and learn

better They also talk about what to do when they learn They take more advantage

There are two subdivisions of auditory learners the aural who learn by

of verbal lectures than written information

listening to others and the oral who need to talk and hear therSelVeS Things both

types pay attention to are tone of voice pitch speed rhythm and other nuances

Auditory students are usually spotted in class due to their performance They like to

Ispeak about and repeat what they learn and they eaSily do that They are often fast

at grasping information through listening and songs Amonb the three sensory

modalities (visual auditory and motor) the auditory is the mostltalkative and has the

most difficulty in writing Activities which are more effective Wlth auditory students

are any involving listening and speaking such as storytellinb oral explanations

debates and music IMotor learners learn better by exploring the physical W011daround them they

learn through movement There are again two subdivisions kinesthetic and

mechanical The kinesthetic learn better when they ~usethe gross motor muscles~

(Leaver 1998 p26) which means jumping dancing rUnningwhile learning the

mechanical use the fine motor muscles (idem p26) in other words they prefer for

instance to cut out pictures and write down in order to learn IThrough interaction with the environment around them they are able to

remember and process information This kind of student is eas~ to identify because

they seldom keep sitting still for long periods and if they haT to they easily get

Idistracted They also gesture when speaking they are poor lisleners and they lose

interest in long speeches They need direct involvement in what they are learning

10

According to research carried on by OMIT (Douglas Mawson In1stitute of Technology

in South Australia) forty percent of students are mainly kinesthetic learners

The teacher can work with dancing body language miming role plays

expressing emotions through the body activities which need to walk around find

clues cut out magazines and glue

24 THE COGNITIVE STYLES

The cognitive styles are the information processing ha its of an individual

These represent a persons typical modes of perceiving thinking remembering and

I problem solving ( Keefe apud Hood 1995 p2 ) There are mar categories for this

division of learning styles but only the most easily found will be described in this

research paper The categories chosen to be analyzed are deductive and inductive

impulsive and reflective IThe deductive and inductive styles are related to the way students work out

grammar explanations rules and examples IDeductive learners are the ones who love studying the rules They need to

have the explanation and after they understand the mechaniJm they go for the

examples If the teacher skips the explanation the students lsuallY get confused

and frustrated

Inductive learners are the ones who handle having the examples first quite

well because they like to work out the rules by themselves T~ey do not need the

teacher to explain everything If the teacher does so they get bted easily When it

I II

happens students can stop listening doodle start working on their own or doing

something else IImpulsive and reffective styles are related to the spf)ed and manner of

processing a response to a cognitive stimulus IImpulsive learners think and respond nearly simultaneously (Leaver 1998

fi L hmiddot h d tp43) They are the ones who always finish the activities Irst anu raise t elr an sa

I donce when the teacher asks a question or even when the question IS not complete

yet Sometimes they do not even know the answer Their resp+ses are usually less

accurate This kind of student likes competitions such as quiz shows or miming

The reflective think first then respond showing more [involved and deeper

levels of thinking (idem p43) For this reason their answers are more accurate but

usually incomplete They take more time to answer and this is taken as a

1 d fl dlsadvantage because In a classroom where there are Impulsive an re ectlve I

students the reflective ones are consIdered slow Teachers take thiS charactenstlc

as lack of intelligence and tend to isolate or give up the studentslwho are reflective

Teachers can identify impulsive and reffective students by observing them inI

class Impulsive learners usually ask their classmates to be faster when completing

a task and they are also the ones who speak before any other in class while

reflective learners participate less in discussions and are the la~t ones to raise their

hands to answer a question IIn fact identifying the learning styles in a group is not an easy task mainly

because an individual can develop more than one style For exJmPle a learner who

is recognized as being visual may have a second and strong pfeference like being

kinesthetic and may develop a third one as well It is not all fixed Teachers can not

be led to believe that only one rule exists mainly because therb are many different

Iaspects involving learning It must be taken into consideration that personality

outside pressure and fears are also part of each leamers baLground and usually

affect the way they learn IWhen teachers decide to work with learning styles they lought to select some

of them otherwise teachers can feel frustrated either by analyzing the large amount

12

of data or by choosing among various techniques to cover III of the preferences

found in a group of students

The best way to recognize students preferences is by observation StudentsI

tend to show or say how they learn especially for the learning styles mentioned

previously So observing them will be enough But if the tealers for any reason

can not identify the styles or are not sure about the results they can use

questionnaires or some activities to support them There are multiple-choice

questionnaires writing tasks group and individual activities developed with the

purpose of complementing the discovery of students preferences (see appendix B)

After having collected all the information about the students the next step is

to select methods and approaches which can contribute to the IJarners development

in association with their learning preferences According to Rod Ellis (1997)

learners with differing kinds of ability may be able to achieve similar levels of

success providing that the type of instruction enables theJ to maximize their

strengths

3 THE COMMUNICATIVE APROACH AND METHODS

31 AN OVERVIEW

Teachers and researchers have been asking themselves what the best

I approach or method would be to teach their students Many attempts were made InI

the past to find the perfect method These attempts resulted in various theories Iwhich are slill being used In schools around the world but they are far from being the

perfect ones According to Freeman (1986 p182) each met~od presents efficient

techniques which can be exploited in class but she claims thatla particular method

cannot be a prescription for success for everyone ~ IIt has been proved that working with one method ray not fill all the

necessities in a group of students as the group is not always homogeneous A

method generally emphasizes one specific approach that may be suitable or not for

the students Our routines need re-thinking and uP-datind but good ways of

teaching - those that help the learning process - should not be rejected (Lindsay

2001 p 15) Leaver (1998 p 128) asserts that methbds should not be

straightjackets for either teachers or students pedagogical demagoguery has no

of each teachers arsenal in the struggle to win the style war

place in a free country Methods and techniques that comprise them should be part

In order to identify which practices are useful for each learning styles it is

important to review some of the methods and their principles It is necessary to point

out that only some methods were chosen the ones which teac1ers can work with in

the same class The Communicative Approach has an important role as it is the

basis for the application of the different selected techniques

32 THE COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH

The Communicative Approach (CA) focuses on communication and

interaction For this reason meaning is more important than fOl The activities dealt

with in class are task-based involving information sharing negotiation usage of real

and meaningful contexts authentic materials and functions Students must interact in I

many different situations In classes where this approach IS the basIs translation 15

not allowed Students learn by working in pairs or groups throlgh cooperation and

errors are not always corrected to avoid impeding fluency Tre teacher must be

attentive to students needs in order to provide help when it is necessary Role-plays

games problem solving and activities involving informatio~ gap choice and

feedback are some of the tasks used in the CA

33 METHODS

The methods to be analyzed in this paper are

The Grammar-Translation Method

The Direct Method

The Audio-Lingual Method

Desuggestopedia

Community Language Learning

Total Physical Response (TPR)

331 The Grammar-Translation Method

15

The Grammar Translation Method was first called the Classical Method used

to teach the classical languages latin and Greek It was apdlied in order to help

students read foreign language literature It was believed t~at foreign language

Ilearning would help students grow Intellectually no matter If they used the language

m~ Classes which are based on the Grammar Translation jethod are teacher-

centered and focus on reading and writing Students try to Td equivalents and

similarities between l1 and l2 l1 is permitted and learners have to memorize lists

of vocabulary It is also based on deductive grammar learning

332 The Direct Method

The Direct Method received its name from the fact tha meaning is to be

conveyed directly in the target language with the help of demonstration and visual

aids Therefore translation is not allowed Nowadays its goal of inltruction is to learn

how to use a foreign language to communicate lTeachers work with direct association real contexts I sing topics and

exposure speaking inductive grammar and self-correction hey also exploit

pictures and realia to contextualize and associate better

16

3 3 3 The Audio Lingual Method

IThe Audio Lingual Method IS an oral-based approacr method based on

Structurahsm and BehavIorism Skinner IS the best-known representative of this

method It is believed that the best way to acquire the target language is through

conditioning Teachers help learners to respond to stimuli using shaping and

reinforcement They think learners create and form new habits demanded to become

speakers of the target language So this method uses drills tb teach grammatical

sentence patterns focusing on oral rather than written ProductiOh

Stressing habit formation dialogues drills repetition verbal and nonverbal

stimuli and inductive learning are some of the techniques used In it The classes are

teacher-centered and it is recommended to work only with the target language Error

334 Desuggestopedia

must be avoided because they lead the students to bad habits

Desuggestopedia comes from an affective-humanistic approach in which the

main focus is on students feelings It is believed that people Jstablish barriers and

limitations when starting to learn a language These barriers make learners not use

the total mental capacity leading them to fail A solution to change this scenario is to

I desuggest students from setting up these limitations Desuggestopedla IS a method

in which a mixture of fine arts and music has an important rOlk in making learners

feel relaxed and consequently they will learn without being awJre of the process

The classes are teacher-centered in a very friendly environment DialoguesI

texts vocabulary lists role-plays different identities colorful posters musical

f 0 t dInstruments painting and baroque musIc are part 0 a esugges ope 18

17

class

335 Community Language Learning

Translation and comparison between L1 and L2 are allowed

Community Language Learning is based on the counselTg-learning approach

created for adult teaching Students must be considered as whole persons Whole-

person learning means that teachers consider not only their sLdents intellect but

I I h Ialso have some understanding of the relationship among students fee lngs P YSlca

reactions instinctive protective reactions and desire to learn (Freeman 1994 p

89)

The course is topic-based and learners provide the topics Teachers work with

translation group work recording transcription reflection obselation listening and Ifree conversation Students work collaboratlvely having the teacher as a counselor

Teacher uses chunks of words Sharing learning experiences i1 part of the process

Students take responsibility for their learning therefore it is a self-directed method

336 Total Physical Response

Total Physical Response is part of the comprehension approach In this

approach language learning starts with understanding and thtn producing Only

when the students have internalized the target language process will they start

speaking It is also grammar-based and structuralist It involtes comprehension

before production focusing on meaning rather than form then 6rammar and lexis

The classes are teacher-centered and the teacher provides i~perative sentences

I 18

and drills for the students to perform A good TPR class should make the use of

action gestures and tone of voice This method is claimed to Ilreducestress in the

learning process TPR is based in the wayan infant learns its native language First

students should just listen and understand how the language is Iused and after they

going to be accurate but it will improve gradually

have internalized it they will automatically produce it At first he language is not

Students must be exposed to the target language The eacher must be as

expressive as possible so they can use pictures to help

4 THE PARTNERSHIP

19

After analyzing and selecting the learning styles and t~le methods sUitable

techntques need to be selected and combined with learners pre erences

In this paper It IS suggested that classes be based a the Communicative

Approach The reason is that many coursebooks used in languige schools in Brazil

In order to provide effective activities for each of the learning styles the

nowadays are based on this approach

methods were analyzed and some of the techniques were chosen Not all the I practices were selected because It IS clear that the methods have similarities and

contrasts and it is necessary to be sensible when working with ~ethod sinergistics

As there is no perfect method that integrates and accommodJtes all the learning

styles a selection of useful ideas should be made

There are some techniques and activities below which can be effective in any

11 I I mutl- earning-stye class If prepared and used carefully and appropriately

41 GAMES

Games are mainly part of the Communicative APproach] but they can be

adapted to suit most of the methods the Grammar-Translation Method TPR The

Language Learning

Audio-Lingual Method the Direct Method Desuggestopedia and Community

Games may be applied to all the learning styles Teachers can use ready-

made games or create their own Some games are suggested in the chart that

follows

20

GAME lEARNING STYLES APPROACHMETHODSSpelling competition and

Iscrabbles Visual e motor GTM

Crosswords and word searchers Visual and reflective I GTM

Visual auditory motor and

IBingo inductive CAAlM

Miming Visual motor impulsive I CA TPR DMVocabulary categories and stop Visual and impulsive I GTMD

Can you name Auditory impulsive reflective(categories) and visual GTM

Build up a word Visual motor and reflective GTM

Betting game Visual inductive reflective and(correction of mistakes) auditory DM

Song game Auditory and motor CAD

Reflective motor visual andFind the murderer auditory DM Cll

Quiz Impulsive motor and auditory DMCA

Drill game Auditory impulsive and inductive AlM

Find the target Motor and auditory TPR Cll

Build up the picture Motor reflective and visual TPRCll

Most of the games are well known but there are lme for which an

explanation of the procedures is needed Bingo is an activity thbt is found in many

different ways Teachers may work with bingo to review some JocabUlary students

have learned or review structures To play bingo students have td read their words in

the cards listen to the selected word and mark the options which have been called

Vocabulary categories is a competition which is played by two teams the

students have to write down as many words in the category aSJhey can Teachers

make cards with different categories written on them Students Irite the words on a

paper or on the board The winner is who has the most words There are two

0 I vanatons for this kind of game ne IS the game stop and the other IS can you

name The former is played individually using just paper anld pencil Students

write down pre-selected categories and put them in columns One student calls out a

~~

I 11Ililr(CA- bullbullbilr u

letter and everybody has to write one word for each category rtil they comple

of the categories As soon as one student completes them he says stop and the I

other students stop wntlng In a group they call out the answer For each different

answer students score 10 points and for the same answers they score 5 points The

C I dwinner ISthe one who gets the most pOintsat the end an you name ISplaye

in two groups Students receive a sheet of paper with some dategOrieS(Example

Can you name 3 things you can open and close) Then they dlcide in their groups

what words to write in the categories After that one group h1asto discover what

words the other group selected in one minute and Vice-versa The winner is the

group which discovers more words IBuild-up a word is another well-known game which is basically spelling and

thinking The teacher writes letters of the alphabet in small carbs and places them

SI

face down on the floor tudents one-by-one have to turn over a card until any of

I hthem can bUild up a word When students notice that a word In be bUild up t ey

~ank eaI~em in front of them to form a war The winner is the

The betting game is usually played in pairs Students receIve a sheet of paper

with sentences The sentences may be right or wrong Students analyze them and

decide if they are right or wrong correcting the wrong ones The1 they bet from $10

to $100 on their answers If they correct the sentence in the right way they will win

the amount they bet but if their correction is wrong they will lokie the money The

winner is the pair who wins the most money at the end

The song game is played in two groups with students in line The first

students in each line listens to a line of a song using headphones lnd has to whisper

it in his neighbors ear This students whispers to the next until t~e last listens to it

Then this student has to go to the board and write the sentrce Students keep

dOingthe activity until the song finishes For thiSreason the SOlg should not be long

and fast After the song finishes the teacher analyzes the sentences correcting

I where It IS necessary and sconng when there IS no mistakes The winner IS the

group which has less mistakes

Find the murderer is a game with clues Students haVj to discover who is

the murderer following the clue cards they have In order to 10 the task students

have to read the clues and interact with their group to link them and find out who is

the criminal

The drill game is also very well known The teacher starts saying a sentence

to be completed by one student Example I went to the supermarket and I

boughLchocolate breadcake Students take turns comPleting the sentence

without repeating the words The students who do not say a wori within the time limit

or repeat a word are out of the game The winner is the student who remains until

22

game

the end of the game Vocabulary and grammar structures can be exploited in this

Two efficient examples of quiz are like torta na caraand topa tudo por

dinheiro two TV programs in SBT The former consists in arSWering questions

about a topic or general vocabulary Two teams play against each other and who

rings the bell first has the right to answer The winner is the teamwhich scores more

pOintsThe latter consists in watching a sequence of a movie wHich is full of details

and after that answer questions based on these details The gale is also played in

teams and the competitors win fake money for each right ansler they give The

winner is the team which gets the largest amount of money

23

picture and they have to impersonate the people in the pictures organizing

the pair or trio which gets to the target first

Build up a picture is a competition played in groups Students receive a

themselves as the people in the picture Only one or two students from each group

can see the picture and have to give directions to the others t+ry to build it up The

winner is the group which gets the closest to the picture organization

These techniques which can be found in the Direct Method the

42 PICTURES GRAPHS REALIA AND POSTERS

Communicative Approach and Desuggestopedia are very useful for visual motor

inductive and deductive learners I

Visual students exploit everything they can see and if it is colorful or real they

will internalize the information better As they picture things in Itheir minds teachers

should use images numbers or words to help them showing Pi1cturesto start a class

presentation or to make students produce language based on them Teachers ought

Ito use the board and provide handouts to explain grammar ports Teachers should

also guide students to underline important information with cOlorul highlighters

Motor students need to do things so they can make Itheir own posters or

graphs about a topic or a grammar explanation working in pairs or groups They I also match or classify Information which can be vocabulary 0 anything related to a

topiCand place it in posters These learners also like to work with realia It is very

24

guess Students are blindfolded and they have to taste smell or touch the items in

order to guess what they are

For inductive and deductive learners the usage of pictures graphs or posters

may be useful if exploited in the right way Inductive students ban be provided with

1

visual material to try to work out examples of a structure Whit deductive students

receive the structure itself in colorful charts to make it more memorable

43 ROLE-PLAYSWITH TEXTS AND DIALOGUES

Role-plays and dialogues are present in the comiunicative Approach

Desuggestopedia and the Audio-Lingual Method They may be applied to motor

For example students read a text or the script of a dialogue (visual)

auditory visual inductive and reflective learners

exchange ideas with their peers (auditory reflective and inductive) prepare a

1 presentation and perform It (motor auditory and Inductive) ThiS ISthe main skeletonI

of a role-play and teachers can adapt or vary some elements Scenano clothes

Jaccessones and sound effects are usually Included In thiSactlvl[Y

Creating identities is another good activity The students close their eyes

and listen to a very soft song (classical or baroque) The tealer makes questions

Ilike What IS your name Where do you live What do you do etc and the

students answer them mentally but their answers should + an invention They

should create different people with their profiles After that thy talk to partners and

Introduce themselves uSing thelf new Identities Then In a group they can create a

story uSing the new characters and perform It For thiS activit the learning styles

that will take more advantage are reflective

25

and

kinesthetic

44 TPR GESTURES AND BODY LANGUAGE

The use of imperative gestures and body language are part of Total Physical

Response and the Communicative Approach These techniques are very useful for

visual kinesthetic and inductive students When teachers make any gestures they

Iare helping the visual students When they ask students to use body language or

TPR they are helping kinesthetic students IAn effective example is miming Kinesthetic students like performing for the

others to guess and impulsive learners love trying to discover Jhat is being mimed

So teachers can exploit grammar structures like present continLus and vocabulary

this way A good example is to divide the group in two teiams and place two

~sOolr~thaah~tht~ecs ~~derb ~hO~

teams have to mime It to help their partners guess the word IWhen teachers provide tasks uSingTPR kinesthetic students do better They

can perform and understand what IS being asked Inductive Istudents also learn

betier uSingTPR because they Internalize the examples and hOr to use them while

performing or providing imperatives for the other students to perform For instance

while teaching prepositions teachers may present Ihem and lSk the students to

follow directions John stand behind Mary Ann put yourself nixt to John and so

on unlil you have involved all the studenls Then teachers In vary selecting a

26

some of the structures which may be explored

student to give the directions Directions actions prepositions d conditionals are

45 DEBATES

Debates are part of the Communicative Approach and the Direct Method ThisI

activity works well for visual reflective auditory impulsive an motor learners The

students need time to prepare the arguments and at this mOlent visual refiective

and mechanical work better because they have to write dOWl the ideas and think

about the topic Auditory and kinesthetic students can also participate Auditory

students will discuss the ideas orally and the kinesthetic will classify good and bad

arguments At the moment of speaking all of them will be pr+ared to discuss and

state their point-of-view but auditory kinesthetic and impulsive learners will probably

do better in this task They have to move around the room be fast-talking and use

the right words An interesting way of applying this idea is to prsent a sequence of a

n~ ~c~sn ao~~ aar~cte~~t~l~~~~~se

Then they start the trial defending and accusing the man Twol students are chosen

to be the JudgesAt the end of the activity the students watch the final trial to check

what the verdict was In this activity there is time to prepare lanalyze and discuss

information there is visual and auditory support and there is movement during the

trial itself with which motor students feel comfortable I

It is necessary to divide the group so that the students rre organized to use

different abilities for instance a reflective with an impulsive arnd a mechanical or a

27

improve their abilities through contact with their peers

visual with an auditory and a kinesthetic working together This way students

46 INDUCTIVEAND DEDUCTIVE EXPLANATION

Inductive grammar explanation comes from the iirect Method the

Communicative Approach the Audio-Lingual Method and TiR while deductive

grammar explanation comes from the Grammar-Translation Method Both deductive

and inductive explanations are necessary to be used because t1eaChers usually find I Inductive and deductive students In the same class So It ISsuggested to work with

inductive exposition first for the students to try to find out the ~Ies by themselves

Then teachers may write the grammar rules on the board and elplain them or even

better provide handouts with the explanation so that students Iho really need this

I support WIll internalize the information more easily Teachers can also assign

help the deductive ones

inductive and deductive students to work together The inductive ones will eventually

Another relevant aspect is about oral and written eXPlinations Teachers

should combine them with deductive and inductive explanation Ii teachers adapt the

grammar explanations in this way they will support not only inductive and deductive

students but also visual auditory and motor ones For examfle after students

discuss the examples (auditory and inductive) the teacher hanr clothes-line from

one side to the other side of the classroom and hangs cards with examples or rules

(one word in each card) for visual support and for deductive studehts Then they ask

motor students to help build up other examples

47 MUSIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS AND RHYTHM

28

Music is part of Desuggestopedia the Direct Method amd the Audio-Lingual

For visual students teachers should work with the lyrics and create activities

Method and teachers may adapt it to many different purposes

based on them Example students read the lyrics of a song and have to write a letter

giving advice to the person in the song Another task which works for mechanical

S I Istudents too ISto draw a story based on the Iyncs tudents are placed In a CIrCe

backs to the center and each of them has a piece of paper The~ listen to the teacherI

tell a story line by line and draw it passing the paper to the classmate beside him

each time the teacher pauses At the end they listen to a song and discover that it is

the story they have drawn Putting the lines of a song in the i9ht order is another

possibility and it also works for reflective learners Teachers cut lout the lyrics in parts

and while students listen to the song they have organize it in the correct order

For motor students teachers should combine songj with the usage of

Igestures demonstrallng feelings or reconstructing the scene from the content of the

song For this activity students listen to the song and read the lyrics Then they

work in groups to elaborate how they will perform it After that ~ey listen to the song

again and at this time they have to perform while the song is Jeing played

Another possibility is to give each student a line of a song and they have to

put it in order by moving around and forming a line according ti the song sequence

The student who has the first line stands at the beginning of theII line the student with

the second line stands next and so on

For auditory students teachers can fully exploit music jey should work with

rhythm and musical instruments One example is when students use rhythms and

29

melody to help them memorize grammar structures rules or vocabulary Students

can also use instruments with the same purpose When teaching verbs that are

h II dfollowed by infinitive or gerund students can create t elf own me 0 y or even a song

to memorize them ITeachers sometimes should play music in the background while students

write a composition or complete a task It helps auditory students concentrate betterI

Furthermore teachers should use songs frequently because It stimulates them to

1learn more vocabulary to Internalize structures and to keep their Interest high

Movies and videos are activities which are part of the Communicative

48 MOVIES AND VIDEOS

Approach and the Direct Method

For visual learners movies and videos provide input they are visual aids

Students can exploit a frame or a scene describing it or describing the characters I Teachers may use videos to reinforce or present structures or tOPICSFor example

students watch a scene or a video about how the British people live their habits the

meals etc to present cultural aspects of their people

For reflective learners movies and videos are used to provide input

concerning a topic to be discussed later Reflective students watch some parts of a

movie in class or at home and then have a discussion in the )rlloWing class This

technique is also a good way to work with self-correction Anoter suggestion is to

have students record a video performing a sketch or just speaking Then they

watch it and analyze their performances observing their strong and weak aspects of

them

30

For inductive learners movies and videos are good sources of real examples

Teachers can exploit either the sound or the subtitles Teachers may ask students to

watch the video and write down examples of simple present or kst ask questions to

make students use the structure exploring the video ITeachers can prepare a quiz for impulsive and motor learners The students

are divided in two teams and watch a scene or sequence of a movie Then they take

turns answering the questions prepared by the teacher a1d based on visual

elements or characters lines of the sequence Whenever a tear answers correctly

it wins fake money The winner is the team which gets the largest amount of money

For auditory students teachers should use science fiction or horror movies

but just the sound The screen should be black or covered withla piece of cloth and

students listen to the sound writing what is happening desCribi1gthe situation After

completing the activity students watch the sequence and compare it with their

stories Another idea is to select a scene with a dialogue and 1rit9 some questions

about it numbering them eg 1 to 6 Then the teacher cuts paper squares and write

the numbers of the questions on them Each number is writlen on two or three

Isquares so that the teacher has two numbers 1 three numbers 2 three numbers 3

I and so on The teacher covers the screen With the paper squares In order to prevent

students to watch the scene Then students listen and answer the questions orally

The teacher should take out the numbered squares correspondent to the questions

students answer correctly enabling them to see the whole scenJ

Kinesthetic students will enjoy preparing a performance ~ased on a movie or

the teacher can record them role playing a task for example being a reporter or a

news announcer They can also use a movie to explore contrasts and similarities

and make a chart about them

5 CONCLUSION

31

What has been discussed in this paper is for certain only the first step to find

a good and effective way to teach and learn a foreign language However something

that must be kept in mind is that learners all over the world hale their own needs

preferences and perceptions related to learning Teachers lust be trained to

perceive these differences and to take advantage of them Tlchers should plan

I middotmiddotf hmiddotlessons to match students learning styles while encouraging them to dlversl y t air

learning style preferences IAs for the controversy that using learning styles is or is rot beneficial for the

learning process it can not be harmful for either the teacher or the students just

because if they are consciously involved in the process this involvement may be

part of teachers and students own improvement as learners rt only for language

purposes but also for learning strategies development and it fay bring significant

results at the end Unquestionably all this process is time consuming but valid

Teachers can adapt the ideas to their environment and I time availability A

suggestion for teachers who are beginners in this area is to Rroceed carefully and

step-by-step This field is wide so teachers ought not to usJ activities for all the

learning styles and methods at once otherwise it will beCOle very complex and

difficult to control

Teachers are not expected to use all the activities proposed in this paper in

every class Teachers can provide them little by little wher the students need

support There are many strategies to help students develop ieir weaknesses It is~~ middot- middot ~l~00 0I

I

32

T h h Id h kSomething that must be aVOidedISto Individualize too much eac ers s au c ec

h d 11 If Ithe average of the group It IS easier to deal Wit an Stl e ectlve

IAmong all the theones concerning learnmg the most feasible way to solve

the style conflicts in a class is adapting the material Most teachrs have a textbook

to be followed and it usually includes a methodology So it is rportant to present

materials with a different focus to attend each learning preference

IOnly presenting a mulh-style class ISnot enough If a teacher decides to work

I I Th hWith these suggestions heshe has to think about evaluation as we 1 e teae er

must provide various ways of assessing not only written and I oral tests but also

other ways of measuring what students learn and in which the other styles are also I Involved Students can be evaluated while working In small gIOUPSperforming or

debating through journals among other suggestions

It is clear that teachers can not be paSSiveThey have to work exhaustively if I they want to help their students to fully develop They should also be open-minded In

relation to old methods present methods and brand-new one1sThey may be all

significant and helpful I

There are many approaches and methods nowadays aid probably there is

one coming out right now Each of them has been created to slve the problems in

the learning and teaching process but they may not be able to Researchers are still

trying to find a better way to teach or why not the prefect formLa It is complicated

to say not to follow a method I

In conclusion whatever teachers decide to apply in class they just need to

keep in mind that the students interests are the priority and theJ must be syntonized

with the teachers own beliefs respecting each ones paL and information

processing

REFERENCES

II

Bras G R de C (1998) Bnncando e aprendendo com logOS sensonals RIo deJaneiro Sprint I

Ellis R (1997) Second Language AcqUisition Oxford Oxford University Press

Guimaraes R (1997) Teaching Ught Teaching Bette~ a handI book for languageteachers Sao Paulo Senae

Hood K (1995) Exploring Learning Styles and Instruction The University ofGeorgia (Department of Mathematics Education) Retrieved 08072002 fromhttp lIwllson coe uga eduEMT705EMT705 Hood html I

Larsen-Freeman D (1986) Techmques and pnnclples In language teaching (2 ed)Oxford Oxford University Press I

~~nLp (9)s~~n~ t~9)0~n~a~ a~~Jd Oxford

University Press ILindsay P (JuI12001)SWingsof the Pendulum New Routes 14 pp 12-15

Richards J amp Rodgers 1 (2001) Approaches and Methods In Language Teaching(2 ed) Cambridge Cambridge University Press I

Rodgers T (Apr2000) Methodology in the new millenium English Teaching forum382 pp2-12 I

Rodgers S T (2001) Language Teaching Methodology ERIG Clearinghouse onLanguages and Linguistics Washington DC 20016-1859 Retrieved03052002 from hUpllwwwcalorgericclldigesUrodgershtml

Skehan P (1998) A cognitive approach to language learning 010rd OxfordUniversity Press

Idistracted They also gesture when speaking they are poor lisleners and they lose

interest in long speeches They need direct involvement in what they are learning

10

According to research carried on by OMIT (Douglas Mawson In1stitute of Technology

in South Australia) forty percent of students are mainly kinesthetic learners

The teacher can work with dancing body language miming role plays

expressing emotions through the body activities which need to walk around find

clues cut out magazines and glue

24 THE COGNITIVE STYLES

The cognitive styles are the information processing ha its of an individual

These represent a persons typical modes of perceiving thinking remembering and

I problem solving ( Keefe apud Hood 1995 p2 ) There are mar categories for this

division of learning styles but only the most easily found will be described in this

research paper The categories chosen to be analyzed are deductive and inductive

impulsive and reflective IThe deductive and inductive styles are related to the way students work out

grammar explanations rules and examples IDeductive learners are the ones who love studying the rules They need to

have the explanation and after they understand the mechaniJm they go for the

examples If the teacher skips the explanation the students lsuallY get confused

and frustrated

Inductive learners are the ones who handle having the examples first quite

well because they like to work out the rules by themselves T~ey do not need the

teacher to explain everything If the teacher does so they get bted easily When it

I II

happens students can stop listening doodle start working on their own or doing

something else IImpulsive and reffective styles are related to the spf)ed and manner of

processing a response to a cognitive stimulus IImpulsive learners think and respond nearly simultaneously (Leaver 1998

fi L hmiddot h d tp43) They are the ones who always finish the activities Irst anu raise t elr an sa

I donce when the teacher asks a question or even when the question IS not complete

yet Sometimes they do not even know the answer Their resp+ses are usually less

accurate This kind of student likes competitions such as quiz shows or miming

The reflective think first then respond showing more [involved and deeper

levels of thinking (idem p43) For this reason their answers are more accurate but

usually incomplete They take more time to answer and this is taken as a

1 d fl dlsadvantage because In a classroom where there are Impulsive an re ectlve I

students the reflective ones are consIdered slow Teachers take thiS charactenstlc

as lack of intelligence and tend to isolate or give up the studentslwho are reflective

Teachers can identify impulsive and reffective students by observing them inI

class Impulsive learners usually ask their classmates to be faster when completing

a task and they are also the ones who speak before any other in class while

reflective learners participate less in discussions and are the la~t ones to raise their

hands to answer a question IIn fact identifying the learning styles in a group is not an easy task mainly

because an individual can develop more than one style For exJmPle a learner who

is recognized as being visual may have a second and strong pfeference like being

kinesthetic and may develop a third one as well It is not all fixed Teachers can not

be led to believe that only one rule exists mainly because therb are many different

Iaspects involving learning It must be taken into consideration that personality

outside pressure and fears are also part of each leamers baLground and usually

affect the way they learn IWhen teachers decide to work with learning styles they lought to select some

of them otherwise teachers can feel frustrated either by analyzing the large amount

12

of data or by choosing among various techniques to cover III of the preferences

found in a group of students

The best way to recognize students preferences is by observation StudentsI

tend to show or say how they learn especially for the learning styles mentioned

previously So observing them will be enough But if the tealers for any reason

can not identify the styles or are not sure about the results they can use

questionnaires or some activities to support them There are multiple-choice

questionnaires writing tasks group and individual activities developed with the

purpose of complementing the discovery of students preferences (see appendix B)

After having collected all the information about the students the next step is

to select methods and approaches which can contribute to the IJarners development

in association with their learning preferences According to Rod Ellis (1997)

learners with differing kinds of ability may be able to achieve similar levels of

success providing that the type of instruction enables theJ to maximize their

strengths

3 THE COMMUNICATIVE APROACH AND METHODS

31 AN OVERVIEW

Teachers and researchers have been asking themselves what the best

I approach or method would be to teach their students Many attempts were made InI

the past to find the perfect method These attempts resulted in various theories Iwhich are slill being used In schools around the world but they are far from being the

perfect ones According to Freeman (1986 p182) each met~od presents efficient

techniques which can be exploited in class but she claims thatla particular method

cannot be a prescription for success for everyone ~ IIt has been proved that working with one method ray not fill all the

necessities in a group of students as the group is not always homogeneous A

method generally emphasizes one specific approach that may be suitable or not for

the students Our routines need re-thinking and uP-datind but good ways of

teaching - those that help the learning process - should not be rejected (Lindsay

2001 p 15) Leaver (1998 p 128) asserts that methbds should not be

straightjackets for either teachers or students pedagogical demagoguery has no

of each teachers arsenal in the struggle to win the style war

place in a free country Methods and techniques that comprise them should be part

In order to identify which practices are useful for each learning styles it is

important to review some of the methods and their principles It is necessary to point

out that only some methods were chosen the ones which teac1ers can work with in

the same class The Communicative Approach has an important role as it is the

basis for the application of the different selected techniques

32 THE COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH

The Communicative Approach (CA) focuses on communication and

interaction For this reason meaning is more important than fOl The activities dealt

with in class are task-based involving information sharing negotiation usage of real

and meaningful contexts authentic materials and functions Students must interact in I

many different situations In classes where this approach IS the basIs translation 15

not allowed Students learn by working in pairs or groups throlgh cooperation and

errors are not always corrected to avoid impeding fluency Tre teacher must be

attentive to students needs in order to provide help when it is necessary Role-plays

games problem solving and activities involving informatio~ gap choice and

feedback are some of the tasks used in the CA

33 METHODS

The methods to be analyzed in this paper are

The Grammar-Translation Method

The Direct Method

The Audio-Lingual Method

Desuggestopedia

Community Language Learning

Total Physical Response (TPR)

331 The Grammar-Translation Method

15

The Grammar Translation Method was first called the Classical Method used

to teach the classical languages latin and Greek It was apdlied in order to help

students read foreign language literature It was believed t~at foreign language

Ilearning would help students grow Intellectually no matter If they used the language

m~ Classes which are based on the Grammar Translation jethod are teacher-

centered and focus on reading and writing Students try to Td equivalents and

similarities between l1 and l2 l1 is permitted and learners have to memorize lists

of vocabulary It is also based on deductive grammar learning

332 The Direct Method

The Direct Method received its name from the fact tha meaning is to be

conveyed directly in the target language with the help of demonstration and visual

aids Therefore translation is not allowed Nowadays its goal of inltruction is to learn

how to use a foreign language to communicate lTeachers work with direct association real contexts I sing topics and

exposure speaking inductive grammar and self-correction hey also exploit

pictures and realia to contextualize and associate better

16

3 3 3 The Audio Lingual Method

IThe Audio Lingual Method IS an oral-based approacr method based on

Structurahsm and BehavIorism Skinner IS the best-known representative of this

method It is believed that the best way to acquire the target language is through

conditioning Teachers help learners to respond to stimuli using shaping and

reinforcement They think learners create and form new habits demanded to become

speakers of the target language So this method uses drills tb teach grammatical

sentence patterns focusing on oral rather than written ProductiOh

Stressing habit formation dialogues drills repetition verbal and nonverbal

stimuli and inductive learning are some of the techniques used In it The classes are

teacher-centered and it is recommended to work only with the target language Error

334 Desuggestopedia

must be avoided because they lead the students to bad habits

Desuggestopedia comes from an affective-humanistic approach in which the

main focus is on students feelings It is believed that people Jstablish barriers and

limitations when starting to learn a language These barriers make learners not use

the total mental capacity leading them to fail A solution to change this scenario is to

I desuggest students from setting up these limitations Desuggestopedla IS a method

in which a mixture of fine arts and music has an important rOlk in making learners

feel relaxed and consequently they will learn without being awJre of the process

The classes are teacher-centered in a very friendly environment DialoguesI

texts vocabulary lists role-plays different identities colorful posters musical

f 0 t dInstruments painting and baroque musIc are part 0 a esugges ope 18

17

class

335 Community Language Learning

Translation and comparison between L1 and L2 are allowed

Community Language Learning is based on the counselTg-learning approach

created for adult teaching Students must be considered as whole persons Whole-

person learning means that teachers consider not only their sLdents intellect but

I I h Ialso have some understanding of the relationship among students fee lngs P YSlca

reactions instinctive protective reactions and desire to learn (Freeman 1994 p

89)

The course is topic-based and learners provide the topics Teachers work with

translation group work recording transcription reflection obselation listening and Ifree conversation Students work collaboratlvely having the teacher as a counselor

Teacher uses chunks of words Sharing learning experiences i1 part of the process

Students take responsibility for their learning therefore it is a self-directed method

336 Total Physical Response

Total Physical Response is part of the comprehension approach In this

approach language learning starts with understanding and thtn producing Only

when the students have internalized the target language process will they start

speaking It is also grammar-based and structuralist It involtes comprehension

before production focusing on meaning rather than form then 6rammar and lexis

The classes are teacher-centered and the teacher provides i~perative sentences

I 18

and drills for the students to perform A good TPR class should make the use of

action gestures and tone of voice This method is claimed to Ilreducestress in the

learning process TPR is based in the wayan infant learns its native language First

students should just listen and understand how the language is Iused and after they

going to be accurate but it will improve gradually

have internalized it they will automatically produce it At first he language is not

Students must be exposed to the target language The eacher must be as

expressive as possible so they can use pictures to help

4 THE PARTNERSHIP

19

After analyzing and selecting the learning styles and t~le methods sUitable

techntques need to be selected and combined with learners pre erences

In this paper It IS suggested that classes be based a the Communicative

Approach The reason is that many coursebooks used in languige schools in Brazil

In order to provide effective activities for each of the learning styles the

nowadays are based on this approach

methods were analyzed and some of the techniques were chosen Not all the I practices were selected because It IS clear that the methods have similarities and

contrasts and it is necessary to be sensible when working with ~ethod sinergistics

As there is no perfect method that integrates and accommodJtes all the learning

styles a selection of useful ideas should be made

There are some techniques and activities below which can be effective in any

11 I I mutl- earning-stye class If prepared and used carefully and appropriately

41 GAMES

Games are mainly part of the Communicative APproach] but they can be

adapted to suit most of the methods the Grammar-Translation Method TPR The

Language Learning

Audio-Lingual Method the Direct Method Desuggestopedia and Community

Games may be applied to all the learning styles Teachers can use ready-

made games or create their own Some games are suggested in the chart that

follows

20

GAME lEARNING STYLES APPROACHMETHODSSpelling competition and

Iscrabbles Visual e motor GTM

Crosswords and word searchers Visual and reflective I GTM

Visual auditory motor and

IBingo inductive CAAlM

Miming Visual motor impulsive I CA TPR DMVocabulary categories and stop Visual and impulsive I GTMD

Can you name Auditory impulsive reflective(categories) and visual GTM

Build up a word Visual motor and reflective GTM

Betting game Visual inductive reflective and(correction of mistakes) auditory DM

Song game Auditory and motor CAD

Reflective motor visual andFind the murderer auditory DM Cll

Quiz Impulsive motor and auditory DMCA

Drill game Auditory impulsive and inductive AlM

Find the target Motor and auditory TPR Cll

Build up the picture Motor reflective and visual TPRCll

Most of the games are well known but there are lme for which an

explanation of the procedures is needed Bingo is an activity thbt is found in many

different ways Teachers may work with bingo to review some JocabUlary students

have learned or review structures To play bingo students have td read their words in

the cards listen to the selected word and mark the options which have been called

Vocabulary categories is a competition which is played by two teams the

students have to write down as many words in the category aSJhey can Teachers

make cards with different categories written on them Students Irite the words on a

paper or on the board The winner is who has the most words There are two

0 I vanatons for this kind of game ne IS the game stop and the other IS can you

name The former is played individually using just paper anld pencil Students

write down pre-selected categories and put them in columns One student calls out a

~~

I 11Ililr(CA- bullbullbilr u

letter and everybody has to write one word for each category rtil they comple

of the categories As soon as one student completes them he says stop and the I

other students stop wntlng In a group they call out the answer For each different

answer students score 10 points and for the same answers they score 5 points The

C I dwinner ISthe one who gets the most pOintsat the end an you name ISplaye

in two groups Students receive a sheet of paper with some dategOrieS(Example

Can you name 3 things you can open and close) Then they dlcide in their groups

what words to write in the categories After that one group h1asto discover what

words the other group selected in one minute and Vice-versa The winner is the

group which discovers more words IBuild-up a word is another well-known game which is basically spelling and

thinking The teacher writes letters of the alphabet in small carbs and places them

SI

face down on the floor tudents one-by-one have to turn over a card until any of

I hthem can bUild up a word When students notice that a word In be bUild up t ey

~ank eaI~em in front of them to form a war The winner is the

The betting game is usually played in pairs Students receIve a sheet of paper

with sentences The sentences may be right or wrong Students analyze them and

decide if they are right or wrong correcting the wrong ones The1 they bet from $10

to $100 on their answers If they correct the sentence in the right way they will win

the amount they bet but if their correction is wrong they will lokie the money The

winner is the pair who wins the most money at the end

The song game is played in two groups with students in line The first

students in each line listens to a line of a song using headphones lnd has to whisper

it in his neighbors ear This students whispers to the next until t~e last listens to it

Then this student has to go to the board and write the sentrce Students keep

dOingthe activity until the song finishes For thiSreason the SOlg should not be long

and fast After the song finishes the teacher analyzes the sentences correcting

I where It IS necessary and sconng when there IS no mistakes The winner IS the

group which has less mistakes

Find the murderer is a game with clues Students haVj to discover who is

the murderer following the clue cards they have In order to 10 the task students

have to read the clues and interact with their group to link them and find out who is

the criminal

The drill game is also very well known The teacher starts saying a sentence

to be completed by one student Example I went to the supermarket and I

boughLchocolate breadcake Students take turns comPleting the sentence

without repeating the words The students who do not say a wori within the time limit

or repeat a word are out of the game The winner is the student who remains until

22

game

the end of the game Vocabulary and grammar structures can be exploited in this

Two efficient examples of quiz are like torta na caraand topa tudo por

dinheiro two TV programs in SBT The former consists in arSWering questions

about a topic or general vocabulary Two teams play against each other and who

rings the bell first has the right to answer The winner is the teamwhich scores more

pOintsThe latter consists in watching a sequence of a movie wHich is full of details

and after that answer questions based on these details The gale is also played in

teams and the competitors win fake money for each right ansler they give The

winner is the team which gets the largest amount of money

23

picture and they have to impersonate the people in the pictures organizing

the pair or trio which gets to the target first

Build up a picture is a competition played in groups Students receive a

themselves as the people in the picture Only one or two students from each group

can see the picture and have to give directions to the others t+ry to build it up The

winner is the group which gets the closest to the picture organization

These techniques which can be found in the Direct Method the

42 PICTURES GRAPHS REALIA AND POSTERS

Communicative Approach and Desuggestopedia are very useful for visual motor

inductive and deductive learners I

Visual students exploit everything they can see and if it is colorful or real they

will internalize the information better As they picture things in Itheir minds teachers

should use images numbers or words to help them showing Pi1cturesto start a class

presentation or to make students produce language based on them Teachers ought

Ito use the board and provide handouts to explain grammar ports Teachers should

also guide students to underline important information with cOlorul highlighters

Motor students need to do things so they can make Itheir own posters or

graphs about a topic or a grammar explanation working in pairs or groups They I also match or classify Information which can be vocabulary 0 anything related to a

topiCand place it in posters These learners also like to work with realia It is very

24

guess Students are blindfolded and they have to taste smell or touch the items in

order to guess what they are

For inductive and deductive learners the usage of pictures graphs or posters

may be useful if exploited in the right way Inductive students ban be provided with

1

visual material to try to work out examples of a structure Whit deductive students

receive the structure itself in colorful charts to make it more memorable

43 ROLE-PLAYSWITH TEXTS AND DIALOGUES

Role-plays and dialogues are present in the comiunicative Approach

Desuggestopedia and the Audio-Lingual Method They may be applied to motor

For example students read a text or the script of a dialogue (visual)

auditory visual inductive and reflective learners

exchange ideas with their peers (auditory reflective and inductive) prepare a

1 presentation and perform It (motor auditory and Inductive) ThiS ISthe main skeletonI

of a role-play and teachers can adapt or vary some elements Scenano clothes

Jaccessones and sound effects are usually Included In thiSactlvl[Y

Creating identities is another good activity The students close their eyes

and listen to a very soft song (classical or baroque) The tealer makes questions

Ilike What IS your name Where do you live What do you do etc and the

students answer them mentally but their answers should + an invention They

should create different people with their profiles After that thy talk to partners and

Introduce themselves uSing thelf new Identities Then In a group they can create a

story uSing the new characters and perform It For thiS activit the learning styles

that will take more advantage are reflective

25

and

kinesthetic

44 TPR GESTURES AND BODY LANGUAGE

The use of imperative gestures and body language are part of Total Physical

Response and the Communicative Approach These techniques are very useful for

visual kinesthetic and inductive students When teachers make any gestures they

Iare helping the visual students When they ask students to use body language or

TPR they are helping kinesthetic students IAn effective example is miming Kinesthetic students like performing for the

others to guess and impulsive learners love trying to discover Jhat is being mimed

So teachers can exploit grammar structures like present continLus and vocabulary

this way A good example is to divide the group in two teiams and place two

~sOolr~thaah~tht~ecs ~~derb ~hO~

teams have to mime It to help their partners guess the word IWhen teachers provide tasks uSingTPR kinesthetic students do better They

can perform and understand what IS being asked Inductive Istudents also learn

betier uSingTPR because they Internalize the examples and hOr to use them while

performing or providing imperatives for the other students to perform For instance

while teaching prepositions teachers may present Ihem and lSk the students to

follow directions John stand behind Mary Ann put yourself nixt to John and so

on unlil you have involved all the studenls Then teachers In vary selecting a

26

some of the structures which may be explored

student to give the directions Directions actions prepositions d conditionals are

45 DEBATES

Debates are part of the Communicative Approach and the Direct Method ThisI

activity works well for visual reflective auditory impulsive an motor learners The

students need time to prepare the arguments and at this mOlent visual refiective

and mechanical work better because they have to write dOWl the ideas and think

about the topic Auditory and kinesthetic students can also participate Auditory

students will discuss the ideas orally and the kinesthetic will classify good and bad

arguments At the moment of speaking all of them will be pr+ared to discuss and

state their point-of-view but auditory kinesthetic and impulsive learners will probably

do better in this task They have to move around the room be fast-talking and use

the right words An interesting way of applying this idea is to prsent a sequence of a

n~ ~c~sn ao~~ aar~cte~~t~l~~~~~se

Then they start the trial defending and accusing the man Twol students are chosen

to be the JudgesAt the end of the activity the students watch the final trial to check

what the verdict was In this activity there is time to prepare lanalyze and discuss

information there is visual and auditory support and there is movement during the

trial itself with which motor students feel comfortable I

It is necessary to divide the group so that the students rre organized to use

different abilities for instance a reflective with an impulsive arnd a mechanical or a

27

improve their abilities through contact with their peers

visual with an auditory and a kinesthetic working together This way students

46 INDUCTIVEAND DEDUCTIVE EXPLANATION

Inductive grammar explanation comes from the iirect Method the

Communicative Approach the Audio-Lingual Method and TiR while deductive

grammar explanation comes from the Grammar-Translation Method Both deductive

and inductive explanations are necessary to be used because t1eaChers usually find I Inductive and deductive students In the same class So It ISsuggested to work with

inductive exposition first for the students to try to find out the ~Ies by themselves

Then teachers may write the grammar rules on the board and elplain them or even

better provide handouts with the explanation so that students Iho really need this

I support WIll internalize the information more easily Teachers can also assign

help the deductive ones

inductive and deductive students to work together The inductive ones will eventually

Another relevant aspect is about oral and written eXPlinations Teachers

should combine them with deductive and inductive explanation Ii teachers adapt the

grammar explanations in this way they will support not only inductive and deductive

students but also visual auditory and motor ones For examfle after students

discuss the examples (auditory and inductive) the teacher hanr clothes-line from

one side to the other side of the classroom and hangs cards with examples or rules

(one word in each card) for visual support and for deductive studehts Then they ask

motor students to help build up other examples

47 MUSIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS AND RHYTHM

28

Music is part of Desuggestopedia the Direct Method amd the Audio-Lingual

For visual students teachers should work with the lyrics and create activities

Method and teachers may adapt it to many different purposes

based on them Example students read the lyrics of a song and have to write a letter

giving advice to the person in the song Another task which works for mechanical

S I Istudents too ISto draw a story based on the Iyncs tudents are placed In a CIrCe

backs to the center and each of them has a piece of paper The~ listen to the teacherI

tell a story line by line and draw it passing the paper to the classmate beside him

each time the teacher pauses At the end they listen to a song and discover that it is

the story they have drawn Putting the lines of a song in the i9ht order is another

possibility and it also works for reflective learners Teachers cut lout the lyrics in parts

and while students listen to the song they have organize it in the correct order

For motor students teachers should combine songj with the usage of

Igestures demonstrallng feelings or reconstructing the scene from the content of the

song For this activity students listen to the song and read the lyrics Then they

work in groups to elaborate how they will perform it After that ~ey listen to the song

again and at this time they have to perform while the song is Jeing played

Another possibility is to give each student a line of a song and they have to

put it in order by moving around and forming a line according ti the song sequence

The student who has the first line stands at the beginning of theII line the student with

the second line stands next and so on

For auditory students teachers can fully exploit music jey should work with

rhythm and musical instruments One example is when students use rhythms and

29

melody to help them memorize grammar structures rules or vocabulary Students

can also use instruments with the same purpose When teaching verbs that are

h II dfollowed by infinitive or gerund students can create t elf own me 0 y or even a song

to memorize them ITeachers sometimes should play music in the background while students

write a composition or complete a task It helps auditory students concentrate betterI

Furthermore teachers should use songs frequently because It stimulates them to

1learn more vocabulary to Internalize structures and to keep their Interest high

Movies and videos are activities which are part of the Communicative

48 MOVIES AND VIDEOS

Approach and the Direct Method

For visual learners movies and videos provide input they are visual aids

Students can exploit a frame or a scene describing it or describing the characters I Teachers may use videos to reinforce or present structures or tOPICSFor example

students watch a scene or a video about how the British people live their habits the

meals etc to present cultural aspects of their people

For reflective learners movies and videos are used to provide input

concerning a topic to be discussed later Reflective students watch some parts of a

movie in class or at home and then have a discussion in the )rlloWing class This

technique is also a good way to work with self-correction Anoter suggestion is to

have students record a video performing a sketch or just speaking Then they

watch it and analyze their performances observing their strong and weak aspects of

them

30

For inductive learners movies and videos are good sources of real examples

Teachers can exploit either the sound or the subtitles Teachers may ask students to

watch the video and write down examples of simple present or kst ask questions to

make students use the structure exploring the video ITeachers can prepare a quiz for impulsive and motor learners The students

are divided in two teams and watch a scene or sequence of a movie Then they take

turns answering the questions prepared by the teacher a1d based on visual

elements or characters lines of the sequence Whenever a tear answers correctly

it wins fake money The winner is the team which gets the largest amount of money

For auditory students teachers should use science fiction or horror movies

but just the sound The screen should be black or covered withla piece of cloth and

students listen to the sound writing what is happening desCribi1gthe situation After

completing the activity students watch the sequence and compare it with their

stories Another idea is to select a scene with a dialogue and 1rit9 some questions

about it numbering them eg 1 to 6 Then the teacher cuts paper squares and write

the numbers of the questions on them Each number is writlen on two or three

Isquares so that the teacher has two numbers 1 three numbers 2 three numbers 3

I and so on The teacher covers the screen With the paper squares In order to prevent

students to watch the scene Then students listen and answer the questions orally

The teacher should take out the numbered squares correspondent to the questions

students answer correctly enabling them to see the whole scenJ

Kinesthetic students will enjoy preparing a performance ~ased on a movie or

the teacher can record them role playing a task for example being a reporter or a

news announcer They can also use a movie to explore contrasts and similarities

and make a chart about them

5 CONCLUSION

31

What has been discussed in this paper is for certain only the first step to find

a good and effective way to teach and learn a foreign language However something

that must be kept in mind is that learners all over the world hale their own needs

preferences and perceptions related to learning Teachers lust be trained to

perceive these differences and to take advantage of them Tlchers should plan

I middotmiddotf hmiddotlessons to match students learning styles while encouraging them to dlversl y t air

learning style preferences IAs for the controversy that using learning styles is or is rot beneficial for the

learning process it can not be harmful for either the teacher or the students just

because if they are consciously involved in the process this involvement may be

part of teachers and students own improvement as learners rt only for language

purposes but also for learning strategies development and it fay bring significant

results at the end Unquestionably all this process is time consuming but valid

Teachers can adapt the ideas to their environment and I time availability A

suggestion for teachers who are beginners in this area is to Rroceed carefully and

step-by-step This field is wide so teachers ought not to usJ activities for all the

learning styles and methods at once otherwise it will beCOle very complex and

difficult to control

Teachers are not expected to use all the activities proposed in this paper in

every class Teachers can provide them little by little wher the students need

support There are many strategies to help students develop ieir weaknesses It is~~ middot- middot ~l~00 0I

I

32

T h h Id h kSomething that must be aVOidedISto Individualize too much eac ers s au c ec

h d 11 If Ithe average of the group It IS easier to deal Wit an Stl e ectlve

IAmong all the theones concerning learnmg the most feasible way to solve

the style conflicts in a class is adapting the material Most teachrs have a textbook

to be followed and it usually includes a methodology So it is rportant to present

materials with a different focus to attend each learning preference

IOnly presenting a mulh-style class ISnot enough If a teacher decides to work

I I Th hWith these suggestions heshe has to think about evaluation as we 1 e teae er

must provide various ways of assessing not only written and I oral tests but also

other ways of measuring what students learn and in which the other styles are also I Involved Students can be evaluated while working In small gIOUPSperforming or

debating through journals among other suggestions

It is clear that teachers can not be paSSiveThey have to work exhaustively if I they want to help their students to fully develop They should also be open-minded In

relation to old methods present methods and brand-new one1sThey may be all

significant and helpful I

There are many approaches and methods nowadays aid probably there is

one coming out right now Each of them has been created to slve the problems in

the learning and teaching process but they may not be able to Researchers are still

trying to find a better way to teach or why not the prefect formLa It is complicated

to say not to follow a method I

In conclusion whatever teachers decide to apply in class they just need to

keep in mind that the students interests are the priority and theJ must be syntonized

with the teachers own beliefs respecting each ones paL and information

processing

REFERENCES

II

Bras G R de C (1998) Bnncando e aprendendo com logOS sensonals RIo deJaneiro Sprint I

Ellis R (1997) Second Language AcqUisition Oxford Oxford University Press

Guimaraes R (1997) Teaching Ught Teaching Bette~ a handI book for languageteachers Sao Paulo Senae

Hood K (1995) Exploring Learning Styles and Instruction The University ofGeorgia (Department of Mathematics Education) Retrieved 08072002 fromhttp lIwllson coe uga eduEMT705EMT705 Hood html I

Larsen-Freeman D (1986) Techmques and pnnclples In language teaching (2 ed)Oxford Oxford University Press I

~~nLp (9)s~~n~ t~9)0~n~a~ a~~Jd Oxford

University Press ILindsay P (JuI12001)SWingsof the Pendulum New Routes 14 pp 12-15

Richards J amp Rodgers 1 (2001) Approaches and Methods In Language Teaching(2 ed) Cambridge Cambridge University Press I

Rodgers T (Apr2000) Methodology in the new millenium English Teaching forum382 pp2-12 I

Rodgers S T (2001) Language Teaching Methodology ERIG Clearinghouse onLanguages and Linguistics Washington DC 20016-1859 Retrieved03052002 from hUpllwwwcalorgericclldigesUrodgershtml

Skehan P (1998) A cognitive approach to language learning 010rd OxfordUniversity Press

I II

happens students can stop listening doodle start working on their own or doing

something else IImpulsive and reffective styles are related to the spf)ed and manner of

processing a response to a cognitive stimulus IImpulsive learners think and respond nearly simultaneously (Leaver 1998

fi L hmiddot h d tp43) They are the ones who always finish the activities Irst anu raise t elr an sa

I donce when the teacher asks a question or even when the question IS not complete

yet Sometimes they do not even know the answer Their resp+ses are usually less

accurate This kind of student likes competitions such as quiz shows or miming

The reflective think first then respond showing more [involved and deeper

levels of thinking (idem p43) For this reason their answers are more accurate but

usually incomplete They take more time to answer and this is taken as a

1 d fl dlsadvantage because In a classroom where there are Impulsive an re ectlve I

students the reflective ones are consIdered slow Teachers take thiS charactenstlc

as lack of intelligence and tend to isolate or give up the studentslwho are reflective

Teachers can identify impulsive and reffective students by observing them inI

class Impulsive learners usually ask their classmates to be faster when completing

a task and they are also the ones who speak before any other in class while

reflective learners participate less in discussions and are the la~t ones to raise their

hands to answer a question IIn fact identifying the learning styles in a group is not an easy task mainly

because an individual can develop more than one style For exJmPle a learner who

is recognized as being visual may have a second and strong pfeference like being

kinesthetic and may develop a third one as well It is not all fixed Teachers can not

be led to believe that only one rule exists mainly because therb are many different

Iaspects involving learning It must be taken into consideration that personality

outside pressure and fears are also part of each leamers baLground and usually

affect the way they learn IWhen teachers decide to work with learning styles they lought to select some

of them otherwise teachers can feel frustrated either by analyzing the large amount

12

of data or by choosing among various techniques to cover III of the preferences

found in a group of students

The best way to recognize students preferences is by observation StudentsI

tend to show or say how they learn especially for the learning styles mentioned

previously So observing them will be enough But if the tealers for any reason

can not identify the styles or are not sure about the results they can use

questionnaires or some activities to support them There are multiple-choice

questionnaires writing tasks group and individual activities developed with the

purpose of complementing the discovery of students preferences (see appendix B)

After having collected all the information about the students the next step is

to select methods and approaches which can contribute to the IJarners development

in association with their learning preferences According to Rod Ellis (1997)

learners with differing kinds of ability may be able to achieve similar levels of

success providing that the type of instruction enables theJ to maximize their

strengths

3 THE COMMUNICATIVE APROACH AND METHODS

31 AN OVERVIEW

Teachers and researchers have been asking themselves what the best

I approach or method would be to teach their students Many attempts were made InI

the past to find the perfect method These attempts resulted in various theories Iwhich are slill being used In schools around the world but they are far from being the

perfect ones According to Freeman (1986 p182) each met~od presents efficient

techniques which can be exploited in class but she claims thatla particular method

cannot be a prescription for success for everyone ~ IIt has been proved that working with one method ray not fill all the

necessities in a group of students as the group is not always homogeneous A

method generally emphasizes one specific approach that may be suitable or not for

the students Our routines need re-thinking and uP-datind but good ways of

teaching - those that help the learning process - should not be rejected (Lindsay

2001 p 15) Leaver (1998 p 128) asserts that methbds should not be

straightjackets for either teachers or students pedagogical demagoguery has no

of each teachers arsenal in the struggle to win the style war

place in a free country Methods and techniques that comprise them should be part

In order to identify which practices are useful for each learning styles it is

important to review some of the methods and their principles It is necessary to point

out that only some methods were chosen the ones which teac1ers can work with in

the same class The Communicative Approach has an important role as it is the

basis for the application of the different selected techniques

32 THE COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH

The Communicative Approach (CA) focuses on communication and

interaction For this reason meaning is more important than fOl The activities dealt

with in class are task-based involving information sharing negotiation usage of real

and meaningful contexts authentic materials and functions Students must interact in I

many different situations In classes where this approach IS the basIs translation 15

not allowed Students learn by working in pairs or groups throlgh cooperation and

errors are not always corrected to avoid impeding fluency Tre teacher must be

attentive to students needs in order to provide help when it is necessary Role-plays

games problem solving and activities involving informatio~ gap choice and

feedback are some of the tasks used in the CA

33 METHODS

The methods to be analyzed in this paper are

The Grammar-Translation Method

The Direct Method

The Audio-Lingual Method

Desuggestopedia

Community Language Learning

Total Physical Response (TPR)

331 The Grammar-Translation Method

15

The Grammar Translation Method was first called the Classical Method used

to teach the classical languages latin and Greek It was apdlied in order to help

students read foreign language literature It was believed t~at foreign language

Ilearning would help students grow Intellectually no matter If they used the language

m~ Classes which are based on the Grammar Translation jethod are teacher-

centered and focus on reading and writing Students try to Td equivalents and

similarities between l1 and l2 l1 is permitted and learners have to memorize lists

of vocabulary It is also based on deductive grammar learning

332 The Direct Method

The Direct Method received its name from the fact tha meaning is to be

conveyed directly in the target language with the help of demonstration and visual

aids Therefore translation is not allowed Nowadays its goal of inltruction is to learn

how to use a foreign language to communicate lTeachers work with direct association real contexts I sing topics and

exposure speaking inductive grammar and self-correction hey also exploit

pictures and realia to contextualize and associate better

16

3 3 3 The Audio Lingual Method

IThe Audio Lingual Method IS an oral-based approacr method based on

Structurahsm and BehavIorism Skinner IS the best-known representative of this

method It is believed that the best way to acquire the target language is through

conditioning Teachers help learners to respond to stimuli using shaping and

reinforcement They think learners create and form new habits demanded to become

speakers of the target language So this method uses drills tb teach grammatical

sentence patterns focusing on oral rather than written ProductiOh

Stressing habit formation dialogues drills repetition verbal and nonverbal

stimuli and inductive learning are some of the techniques used In it The classes are

teacher-centered and it is recommended to work only with the target language Error

334 Desuggestopedia

must be avoided because they lead the students to bad habits

Desuggestopedia comes from an affective-humanistic approach in which the

main focus is on students feelings It is believed that people Jstablish barriers and

limitations when starting to learn a language These barriers make learners not use

the total mental capacity leading them to fail A solution to change this scenario is to

I desuggest students from setting up these limitations Desuggestopedla IS a method

in which a mixture of fine arts and music has an important rOlk in making learners

feel relaxed and consequently they will learn without being awJre of the process

The classes are teacher-centered in a very friendly environment DialoguesI

texts vocabulary lists role-plays different identities colorful posters musical

f 0 t dInstruments painting and baroque musIc are part 0 a esugges ope 18

17

class

335 Community Language Learning

Translation and comparison between L1 and L2 are allowed

Community Language Learning is based on the counselTg-learning approach

created for adult teaching Students must be considered as whole persons Whole-

person learning means that teachers consider not only their sLdents intellect but

I I h Ialso have some understanding of the relationship among students fee lngs P YSlca

reactions instinctive protective reactions and desire to learn (Freeman 1994 p

89)

The course is topic-based and learners provide the topics Teachers work with

translation group work recording transcription reflection obselation listening and Ifree conversation Students work collaboratlvely having the teacher as a counselor

Teacher uses chunks of words Sharing learning experiences i1 part of the process

Students take responsibility for their learning therefore it is a self-directed method

336 Total Physical Response

Total Physical Response is part of the comprehension approach In this

approach language learning starts with understanding and thtn producing Only

when the students have internalized the target language process will they start

speaking It is also grammar-based and structuralist It involtes comprehension

before production focusing on meaning rather than form then 6rammar and lexis

The classes are teacher-centered and the teacher provides i~perative sentences

I 18

and drills for the students to perform A good TPR class should make the use of

action gestures and tone of voice This method is claimed to Ilreducestress in the

learning process TPR is based in the wayan infant learns its native language First

students should just listen and understand how the language is Iused and after they

going to be accurate but it will improve gradually

have internalized it they will automatically produce it At first he language is not

Students must be exposed to the target language The eacher must be as

expressive as possible so they can use pictures to help

4 THE PARTNERSHIP

19

After analyzing and selecting the learning styles and t~le methods sUitable

techntques need to be selected and combined with learners pre erences

In this paper It IS suggested that classes be based a the Communicative

Approach The reason is that many coursebooks used in languige schools in Brazil

In order to provide effective activities for each of the learning styles the

nowadays are based on this approach

methods were analyzed and some of the techniques were chosen Not all the I practices were selected because It IS clear that the methods have similarities and

contrasts and it is necessary to be sensible when working with ~ethod sinergistics

As there is no perfect method that integrates and accommodJtes all the learning

styles a selection of useful ideas should be made

There are some techniques and activities below which can be effective in any

11 I I mutl- earning-stye class If prepared and used carefully and appropriately

41 GAMES

Games are mainly part of the Communicative APproach] but they can be

adapted to suit most of the methods the Grammar-Translation Method TPR The

Language Learning

Audio-Lingual Method the Direct Method Desuggestopedia and Community

Games may be applied to all the learning styles Teachers can use ready-

made games or create their own Some games are suggested in the chart that

follows

20

GAME lEARNING STYLES APPROACHMETHODSSpelling competition and

Iscrabbles Visual e motor GTM

Crosswords and word searchers Visual and reflective I GTM

Visual auditory motor and

IBingo inductive CAAlM

Miming Visual motor impulsive I CA TPR DMVocabulary categories and stop Visual and impulsive I GTMD

Can you name Auditory impulsive reflective(categories) and visual GTM

Build up a word Visual motor and reflective GTM

Betting game Visual inductive reflective and(correction of mistakes) auditory DM

Song game Auditory and motor CAD

Reflective motor visual andFind the murderer auditory DM Cll

Quiz Impulsive motor and auditory DMCA

Drill game Auditory impulsive and inductive AlM

Find the target Motor and auditory TPR Cll

Build up the picture Motor reflective and visual TPRCll

Most of the games are well known but there are lme for which an

explanation of the procedures is needed Bingo is an activity thbt is found in many

different ways Teachers may work with bingo to review some JocabUlary students

have learned or review structures To play bingo students have td read their words in

the cards listen to the selected word and mark the options which have been called

Vocabulary categories is a competition which is played by two teams the

students have to write down as many words in the category aSJhey can Teachers

make cards with different categories written on them Students Irite the words on a

paper or on the board The winner is who has the most words There are two

0 I vanatons for this kind of game ne IS the game stop and the other IS can you

name The former is played individually using just paper anld pencil Students

write down pre-selected categories and put them in columns One student calls out a

~~

I 11Ililr(CA- bullbullbilr u

letter and everybody has to write one word for each category rtil they comple

of the categories As soon as one student completes them he says stop and the I

other students stop wntlng In a group they call out the answer For each different

answer students score 10 points and for the same answers they score 5 points The

C I dwinner ISthe one who gets the most pOintsat the end an you name ISplaye

in two groups Students receive a sheet of paper with some dategOrieS(Example

Can you name 3 things you can open and close) Then they dlcide in their groups

what words to write in the categories After that one group h1asto discover what

words the other group selected in one minute and Vice-versa The winner is the

group which discovers more words IBuild-up a word is another well-known game which is basically spelling and

thinking The teacher writes letters of the alphabet in small carbs and places them

SI

face down on the floor tudents one-by-one have to turn over a card until any of

I hthem can bUild up a word When students notice that a word In be bUild up t ey

~ank eaI~em in front of them to form a war The winner is the

The betting game is usually played in pairs Students receIve a sheet of paper

with sentences The sentences may be right or wrong Students analyze them and

decide if they are right or wrong correcting the wrong ones The1 they bet from $10

to $100 on their answers If they correct the sentence in the right way they will win

the amount they bet but if their correction is wrong they will lokie the money The

winner is the pair who wins the most money at the end

The song game is played in two groups with students in line The first

students in each line listens to a line of a song using headphones lnd has to whisper

it in his neighbors ear This students whispers to the next until t~e last listens to it

Then this student has to go to the board and write the sentrce Students keep

dOingthe activity until the song finishes For thiSreason the SOlg should not be long

and fast After the song finishes the teacher analyzes the sentences correcting

I where It IS necessary and sconng when there IS no mistakes The winner IS the

group which has less mistakes

Find the murderer is a game with clues Students haVj to discover who is

the murderer following the clue cards they have In order to 10 the task students

have to read the clues and interact with their group to link them and find out who is

the criminal

The drill game is also very well known The teacher starts saying a sentence

to be completed by one student Example I went to the supermarket and I

boughLchocolate breadcake Students take turns comPleting the sentence

without repeating the words The students who do not say a wori within the time limit

or repeat a word are out of the game The winner is the student who remains until

22

game

the end of the game Vocabulary and grammar structures can be exploited in this

Two efficient examples of quiz are like torta na caraand topa tudo por

dinheiro two TV programs in SBT The former consists in arSWering questions

about a topic or general vocabulary Two teams play against each other and who

rings the bell first has the right to answer The winner is the teamwhich scores more

pOintsThe latter consists in watching a sequence of a movie wHich is full of details

and after that answer questions based on these details The gale is also played in

teams and the competitors win fake money for each right ansler they give The

winner is the team which gets the largest amount of money

23

picture and they have to impersonate the people in the pictures organizing

the pair or trio which gets to the target first

Build up a picture is a competition played in groups Students receive a

themselves as the people in the picture Only one or two students from each group

can see the picture and have to give directions to the others t+ry to build it up The

winner is the group which gets the closest to the picture organization

These techniques which can be found in the Direct Method the

42 PICTURES GRAPHS REALIA AND POSTERS

Communicative Approach and Desuggestopedia are very useful for visual motor

inductive and deductive learners I

Visual students exploit everything they can see and if it is colorful or real they

will internalize the information better As they picture things in Itheir minds teachers

should use images numbers or words to help them showing Pi1cturesto start a class

presentation or to make students produce language based on them Teachers ought

Ito use the board and provide handouts to explain grammar ports Teachers should

also guide students to underline important information with cOlorul highlighters

Motor students need to do things so they can make Itheir own posters or

graphs about a topic or a grammar explanation working in pairs or groups They I also match or classify Information which can be vocabulary 0 anything related to a

topiCand place it in posters These learners also like to work with realia It is very

24

guess Students are blindfolded and they have to taste smell or touch the items in

order to guess what they are

For inductive and deductive learners the usage of pictures graphs or posters

may be useful if exploited in the right way Inductive students ban be provided with

1

visual material to try to work out examples of a structure Whit deductive students

receive the structure itself in colorful charts to make it more memorable

43 ROLE-PLAYSWITH TEXTS AND DIALOGUES

Role-plays and dialogues are present in the comiunicative Approach

Desuggestopedia and the Audio-Lingual Method They may be applied to motor

For example students read a text or the script of a dialogue (visual)

auditory visual inductive and reflective learners

exchange ideas with their peers (auditory reflective and inductive) prepare a

1 presentation and perform It (motor auditory and Inductive) ThiS ISthe main skeletonI

of a role-play and teachers can adapt or vary some elements Scenano clothes

Jaccessones and sound effects are usually Included In thiSactlvl[Y

Creating identities is another good activity The students close their eyes

and listen to a very soft song (classical or baroque) The tealer makes questions

Ilike What IS your name Where do you live What do you do etc and the

students answer them mentally but their answers should + an invention They

should create different people with their profiles After that thy talk to partners and

Introduce themselves uSing thelf new Identities Then In a group they can create a

story uSing the new characters and perform It For thiS activit the learning styles

that will take more advantage are reflective

25

and

kinesthetic

44 TPR GESTURES AND BODY LANGUAGE

The use of imperative gestures and body language are part of Total Physical

Response and the Communicative Approach These techniques are very useful for

visual kinesthetic and inductive students When teachers make any gestures they

Iare helping the visual students When they ask students to use body language or

TPR they are helping kinesthetic students IAn effective example is miming Kinesthetic students like performing for the

others to guess and impulsive learners love trying to discover Jhat is being mimed

So teachers can exploit grammar structures like present continLus and vocabulary

this way A good example is to divide the group in two teiams and place two

~sOolr~thaah~tht~ecs ~~derb ~hO~

teams have to mime It to help their partners guess the word IWhen teachers provide tasks uSingTPR kinesthetic students do better They

can perform and understand what IS being asked Inductive Istudents also learn

betier uSingTPR because they Internalize the examples and hOr to use them while

performing or providing imperatives for the other students to perform For instance

while teaching prepositions teachers may present Ihem and lSk the students to

follow directions John stand behind Mary Ann put yourself nixt to John and so

on unlil you have involved all the studenls Then teachers In vary selecting a

26

some of the structures which may be explored

student to give the directions Directions actions prepositions d conditionals are

45 DEBATES

Debates are part of the Communicative Approach and the Direct Method ThisI

activity works well for visual reflective auditory impulsive an motor learners The

students need time to prepare the arguments and at this mOlent visual refiective

and mechanical work better because they have to write dOWl the ideas and think

about the topic Auditory and kinesthetic students can also participate Auditory

students will discuss the ideas orally and the kinesthetic will classify good and bad

arguments At the moment of speaking all of them will be pr+ared to discuss and

state their point-of-view but auditory kinesthetic and impulsive learners will probably

do better in this task They have to move around the room be fast-talking and use

the right words An interesting way of applying this idea is to prsent a sequence of a

n~ ~c~sn ao~~ aar~cte~~t~l~~~~~se

Then they start the trial defending and accusing the man Twol students are chosen

to be the JudgesAt the end of the activity the students watch the final trial to check

what the verdict was In this activity there is time to prepare lanalyze and discuss

information there is visual and auditory support and there is movement during the

trial itself with which motor students feel comfortable I

It is necessary to divide the group so that the students rre organized to use

different abilities for instance a reflective with an impulsive arnd a mechanical or a

27

improve their abilities through contact with their peers

visual with an auditory and a kinesthetic working together This way students

46 INDUCTIVEAND DEDUCTIVE EXPLANATION

Inductive grammar explanation comes from the iirect Method the

Communicative Approach the Audio-Lingual Method and TiR while deductive

grammar explanation comes from the Grammar-Translation Method Both deductive

and inductive explanations are necessary to be used because t1eaChers usually find I Inductive and deductive students In the same class So It ISsuggested to work with

inductive exposition first for the students to try to find out the ~Ies by themselves

Then teachers may write the grammar rules on the board and elplain them or even

better provide handouts with the explanation so that students Iho really need this

I support WIll internalize the information more easily Teachers can also assign

help the deductive ones

inductive and deductive students to work together The inductive ones will eventually

Another relevant aspect is about oral and written eXPlinations Teachers

should combine them with deductive and inductive explanation Ii teachers adapt the

grammar explanations in this way they will support not only inductive and deductive

students but also visual auditory and motor ones For examfle after students

discuss the examples (auditory and inductive) the teacher hanr clothes-line from

one side to the other side of the classroom and hangs cards with examples or rules

(one word in each card) for visual support and for deductive studehts Then they ask

motor students to help build up other examples

47 MUSIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS AND RHYTHM

28

Music is part of Desuggestopedia the Direct Method amd the Audio-Lingual

For visual students teachers should work with the lyrics and create activities

Method and teachers may adapt it to many different purposes

based on them Example students read the lyrics of a song and have to write a letter

giving advice to the person in the song Another task which works for mechanical

S I Istudents too ISto draw a story based on the Iyncs tudents are placed In a CIrCe

backs to the center and each of them has a piece of paper The~ listen to the teacherI

tell a story line by line and draw it passing the paper to the classmate beside him

each time the teacher pauses At the end they listen to a song and discover that it is

the story they have drawn Putting the lines of a song in the i9ht order is another

possibility and it also works for reflective learners Teachers cut lout the lyrics in parts

and while students listen to the song they have organize it in the correct order

For motor students teachers should combine songj with the usage of

Igestures demonstrallng feelings or reconstructing the scene from the content of the

song For this activity students listen to the song and read the lyrics Then they

work in groups to elaborate how they will perform it After that ~ey listen to the song

again and at this time they have to perform while the song is Jeing played

Another possibility is to give each student a line of a song and they have to

put it in order by moving around and forming a line according ti the song sequence

The student who has the first line stands at the beginning of theII line the student with

the second line stands next and so on

For auditory students teachers can fully exploit music jey should work with

rhythm and musical instruments One example is when students use rhythms and

29

melody to help them memorize grammar structures rules or vocabulary Students

can also use instruments with the same purpose When teaching verbs that are

h II dfollowed by infinitive or gerund students can create t elf own me 0 y or even a song

to memorize them ITeachers sometimes should play music in the background while students

write a composition or complete a task It helps auditory students concentrate betterI

Furthermore teachers should use songs frequently because It stimulates them to

1learn more vocabulary to Internalize structures and to keep their Interest high

Movies and videos are activities which are part of the Communicative

48 MOVIES AND VIDEOS

Approach and the Direct Method

For visual learners movies and videos provide input they are visual aids

Students can exploit a frame or a scene describing it or describing the characters I Teachers may use videos to reinforce or present structures or tOPICSFor example

students watch a scene or a video about how the British people live their habits the

meals etc to present cultural aspects of their people

For reflective learners movies and videos are used to provide input

concerning a topic to be discussed later Reflective students watch some parts of a

movie in class or at home and then have a discussion in the )rlloWing class This

technique is also a good way to work with self-correction Anoter suggestion is to

have students record a video performing a sketch or just speaking Then they

watch it and analyze their performances observing their strong and weak aspects of

them

30

For inductive learners movies and videos are good sources of real examples

Teachers can exploit either the sound or the subtitles Teachers may ask students to

watch the video and write down examples of simple present or kst ask questions to

make students use the structure exploring the video ITeachers can prepare a quiz for impulsive and motor learners The students

are divided in two teams and watch a scene or sequence of a movie Then they take

turns answering the questions prepared by the teacher a1d based on visual

elements or characters lines of the sequence Whenever a tear answers correctly

it wins fake money The winner is the team which gets the largest amount of money

For auditory students teachers should use science fiction or horror movies

but just the sound The screen should be black or covered withla piece of cloth and

students listen to the sound writing what is happening desCribi1gthe situation After

completing the activity students watch the sequence and compare it with their

stories Another idea is to select a scene with a dialogue and 1rit9 some questions

about it numbering them eg 1 to 6 Then the teacher cuts paper squares and write

the numbers of the questions on them Each number is writlen on two or three

Isquares so that the teacher has two numbers 1 three numbers 2 three numbers 3

I and so on The teacher covers the screen With the paper squares In order to prevent

students to watch the scene Then students listen and answer the questions orally

The teacher should take out the numbered squares correspondent to the questions

students answer correctly enabling them to see the whole scenJ

Kinesthetic students will enjoy preparing a performance ~ased on a movie or

the teacher can record them role playing a task for example being a reporter or a

news announcer They can also use a movie to explore contrasts and similarities

and make a chart about them

5 CONCLUSION

31

What has been discussed in this paper is for certain only the first step to find

a good and effective way to teach and learn a foreign language However something

that must be kept in mind is that learners all over the world hale their own needs

preferences and perceptions related to learning Teachers lust be trained to

perceive these differences and to take advantage of them Tlchers should plan

I middotmiddotf hmiddotlessons to match students learning styles while encouraging them to dlversl y t air

learning style preferences IAs for the controversy that using learning styles is or is rot beneficial for the

learning process it can not be harmful for either the teacher or the students just

because if they are consciously involved in the process this involvement may be

part of teachers and students own improvement as learners rt only for language

purposes but also for learning strategies development and it fay bring significant

results at the end Unquestionably all this process is time consuming but valid

Teachers can adapt the ideas to their environment and I time availability A

suggestion for teachers who are beginners in this area is to Rroceed carefully and

step-by-step This field is wide so teachers ought not to usJ activities for all the

learning styles and methods at once otherwise it will beCOle very complex and

difficult to control

Teachers are not expected to use all the activities proposed in this paper in

every class Teachers can provide them little by little wher the students need

support There are many strategies to help students develop ieir weaknesses It is~~ middot- middot ~l~00 0I

I

32

T h h Id h kSomething that must be aVOidedISto Individualize too much eac ers s au c ec

h d 11 If Ithe average of the group It IS easier to deal Wit an Stl e ectlve

IAmong all the theones concerning learnmg the most feasible way to solve

the style conflicts in a class is adapting the material Most teachrs have a textbook

to be followed and it usually includes a methodology So it is rportant to present

materials with a different focus to attend each learning preference

IOnly presenting a mulh-style class ISnot enough If a teacher decides to work

I I Th hWith these suggestions heshe has to think about evaluation as we 1 e teae er

must provide various ways of assessing not only written and I oral tests but also

other ways of measuring what students learn and in which the other styles are also I Involved Students can be evaluated while working In small gIOUPSperforming or

debating through journals among other suggestions

It is clear that teachers can not be paSSiveThey have to work exhaustively if I they want to help their students to fully develop They should also be open-minded In

relation to old methods present methods and brand-new one1sThey may be all

significant and helpful I

There are many approaches and methods nowadays aid probably there is

one coming out right now Each of them has been created to slve the problems in

the learning and teaching process but they may not be able to Researchers are still

trying to find a better way to teach or why not the prefect formLa It is complicated

to say not to follow a method I

In conclusion whatever teachers decide to apply in class they just need to

keep in mind that the students interests are the priority and theJ must be syntonized

with the teachers own beliefs respecting each ones paL and information

processing

REFERENCES

II

Bras G R de C (1998) Bnncando e aprendendo com logOS sensonals RIo deJaneiro Sprint I

Ellis R (1997) Second Language AcqUisition Oxford Oxford University Press

Guimaraes R (1997) Teaching Ught Teaching Bette~ a handI book for languageteachers Sao Paulo Senae

Hood K (1995) Exploring Learning Styles and Instruction The University ofGeorgia (Department of Mathematics Education) Retrieved 08072002 fromhttp lIwllson coe uga eduEMT705EMT705 Hood html I

Larsen-Freeman D (1986) Techmques and pnnclples In language teaching (2 ed)Oxford Oxford University Press I

~~nLp (9)s~~n~ t~9)0~n~a~ a~~Jd Oxford

University Press ILindsay P (JuI12001)SWingsof the Pendulum New Routes 14 pp 12-15

Richards J amp Rodgers 1 (2001) Approaches and Methods In Language Teaching(2 ed) Cambridge Cambridge University Press I

Rodgers T (Apr2000) Methodology in the new millenium English Teaching forum382 pp2-12 I

Rodgers S T (2001) Language Teaching Methodology ERIG Clearinghouse onLanguages and Linguistics Washington DC 20016-1859 Retrieved03052002 from hUpllwwwcalorgericclldigesUrodgershtml

Skehan P (1998) A cognitive approach to language learning 010rd OxfordUniversity Press

Iaspects involving learning It must be taken into consideration that personality

outside pressure and fears are also part of each leamers baLground and usually

affect the way they learn IWhen teachers decide to work with learning styles they lought to select some

of them otherwise teachers can feel frustrated either by analyzing the large amount

12

of data or by choosing among various techniques to cover III of the preferences

found in a group of students

The best way to recognize students preferences is by observation StudentsI

tend to show or say how they learn especially for the learning styles mentioned

previously So observing them will be enough But if the tealers for any reason

can not identify the styles or are not sure about the results they can use

questionnaires or some activities to support them There are multiple-choice

questionnaires writing tasks group and individual activities developed with the

purpose of complementing the discovery of students preferences (see appendix B)

After having collected all the information about the students the next step is

to select methods and approaches which can contribute to the IJarners development

in association with their learning preferences According to Rod Ellis (1997)

learners with differing kinds of ability may be able to achieve similar levels of

success providing that the type of instruction enables theJ to maximize their

strengths

3 THE COMMUNICATIVE APROACH AND METHODS

31 AN OVERVIEW

Teachers and researchers have been asking themselves what the best

I approach or method would be to teach their students Many attempts were made InI

the past to find the perfect method These attempts resulted in various theories Iwhich are slill being used In schools around the world but they are far from being the

perfect ones According to Freeman (1986 p182) each met~od presents efficient

techniques which can be exploited in class but she claims thatla particular method

cannot be a prescription for success for everyone ~ IIt has been proved that working with one method ray not fill all the

necessities in a group of students as the group is not always homogeneous A

method generally emphasizes one specific approach that may be suitable or not for

the students Our routines need re-thinking and uP-datind but good ways of

teaching - those that help the learning process - should not be rejected (Lindsay

2001 p 15) Leaver (1998 p 128) asserts that methbds should not be

straightjackets for either teachers or students pedagogical demagoguery has no

of each teachers arsenal in the struggle to win the style war

place in a free country Methods and techniques that comprise them should be part

In order to identify which practices are useful for each learning styles it is

important to review some of the methods and their principles It is necessary to point

out that only some methods were chosen the ones which teac1ers can work with in

the same class The Communicative Approach has an important role as it is the

basis for the application of the different selected techniques

32 THE COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH

The Communicative Approach (CA) focuses on communication and

interaction For this reason meaning is more important than fOl The activities dealt

with in class are task-based involving information sharing negotiation usage of real

and meaningful contexts authentic materials and functions Students must interact in I

many different situations In classes where this approach IS the basIs translation 15

not allowed Students learn by working in pairs or groups throlgh cooperation and

errors are not always corrected to avoid impeding fluency Tre teacher must be

attentive to students needs in order to provide help when it is necessary Role-plays

games problem solving and activities involving informatio~ gap choice and

feedback are some of the tasks used in the CA

33 METHODS

The methods to be analyzed in this paper are

The Grammar-Translation Method

The Direct Method

The Audio-Lingual Method

Desuggestopedia

Community Language Learning

Total Physical Response (TPR)

331 The Grammar-Translation Method

15

The Grammar Translation Method was first called the Classical Method used

to teach the classical languages latin and Greek It was apdlied in order to help

students read foreign language literature It was believed t~at foreign language

Ilearning would help students grow Intellectually no matter If they used the language

m~ Classes which are based on the Grammar Translation jethod are teacher-

centered and focus on reading and writing Students try to Td equivalents and

similarities between l1 and l2 l1 is permitted and learners have to memorize lists

of vocabulary It is also based on deductive grammar learning

332 The Direct Method

The Direct Method received its name from the fact tha meaning is to be

conveyed directly in the target language with the help of demonstration and visual

aids Therefore translation is not allowed Nowadays its goal of inltruction is to learn

how to use a foreign language to communicate lTeachers work with direct association real contexts I sing topics and

exposure speaking inductive grammar and self-correction hey also exploit

pictures and realia to contextualize and associate better

16

3 3 3 The Audio Lingual Method

IThe Audio Lingual Method IS an oral-based approacr method based on

Structurahsm and BehavIorism Skinner IS the best-known representative of this

method It is believed that the best way to acquire the target language is through

conditioning Teachers help learners to respond to stimuli using shaping and

reinforcement They think learners create and form new habits demanded to become

speakers of the target language So this method uses drills tb teach grammatical

sentence patterns focusing on oral rather than written ProductiOh

Stressing habit formation dialogues drills repetition verbal and nonverbal

stimuli and inductive learning are some of the techniques used In it The classes are

teacher-centered and it is recommended to work only with the target language Error

334 Desuggestopedia

must be avoided because they lead the students to bad habits

Desuggestopedia comes from an affective-humanistic approach in which the

main focus is on students feelings It is believed that people Jstablish barriers and

limitations when starting to learn a language These barriers make learners not use

the total mental capacity leading them to fail A solution to change this scenario is to

I desuggest students from setting up these limitations Desuggestopedla IS a method

in which a mixture of fine arts and music has an important rOlk in making learners

feel relaxed and consequently they will learn without being awJre of the process

The classes are teacher-centered in a very friendly environment DialoguesI

texts vocabulary lists role-plays different identities colorful posters musical

f 0 t dInstruments painting and baroque musIc are part 0 a esugges ope 18

17

class

335 Community Language Learning

Translation and comparison between L1 and L2 are allowed

Community Language Learning is based on the counselTg-learning approach

created for adult teaching Students must be considered as whole persons Whole-

person learning means that teachers consider not only their sLdents intellect but

I I h Ialso have some understanding of the relationship among students fee lngs P YSlca

reactions instinctive protective reactions and desire to learn (Freeman 1994 p

89)

The course is topic-based and learners provide the topics Teachers work with

translation group work recording transcription reflection obselation listening and Ifree conversation Students work collaboratlvely having the teacher as a counselor

Teacher uses chunks of words Sharing learning experiences i1 part of the process

Students take responsibility for their learning therefore it is a self-directed method

336 Total Physical Response

Total Physical Response is part of the comprehension approach In this

approach language learning starts with understanding and thtn producing Only

when the students have internalized the target language process will they start

speaking It is also grammar-based and structuralist It involtes comprehension

before production focusing on meaning rather than form then 6rammar and lexis

The classes are teacher-centered and the teacher provides i~perative sentences

I 18

and drills for the students to perform A good TPR class should make the use of

action gestures and tone of voice This method is claimed to Ilreducestress in the

learning process TPR is based in the wayan infant learns its native language First

students should just listen and understand how the language is Iused and after they

going to be accurate but it will improve gradually

have internalized it they will automatically produce it At first he language is not

Students must be exposed to the target language The eacher must be as

expressive as possible so they can use pictures to help

4 THE PARTNERSHIP

19

After analyzing and selecting the learning styles and t~le methods sUitable

techntques need to be selected and combined with learners pre erences

In this paper It IS suggested that classes be based a the Communicative

Approach The reason is that many coursebooks used in languige schools in Brazil

In order to provide effective activities for each of the learning styles the

nowadays are based on this approach

methods were analyzed and some of the techniques were chosen Not all the I practices were selected because It IS clear that the methods have similarities and

contrasts and it is necessary to be sensible when working with ~ethod sinergistics

As there is no perfect method that integrates and accommodJtes all the learning

styles a selection of useful ideas should be made

There are some techniques and activities below which can be effective in any

11 I I mutl- earning-stye class If prepared and used carefully and appropriately

41 GAMES

Games are mainly part of the Communicative APproach] but they can be

adapted to suit most of the methods the Grammar-Translation Method TPR The

Language Learning

Audio-Lingual Method the Direct Method Desuggestopedia and Community

Games may be applied to all the learning styles Teachers can use ready-

made games or create their own Some games are suggested in the chart that

follows

20

GAME lEARNING STYLES APPROACHMETHODSSpelling competition and

Iscrabbles Visual e motor GTM

Crosswords and word searchers Visual and reflective I GTM

Visual auditory motor and

IBingo inductive CAAlM

Miming Visual motor impulsive I CA TPR DMVocabulary categories and stop Visual and impulsive I GTMD

Can you name Auditory impulsive reflective(categories) and visual GTM

Build up a word Visual motor and reflective GTM

Betting game Visual inductive reflective and(correction of mistakes) auditory DM

Song game Auditory and motor CAD

Reflective motor visual andFind the murderer auditory DM Cll

Quiz Impulsive motor and auditory DMCA

Drill game Auditory impulsive and inductive AlM

Find the target Motor and auditory TPR Cll

Build up the picture Motor reflective and visual TPRCll

Most of the games are well known but there are lme for which an

explanation of the procedures is needed Bingo is an activity thbt is found in many

different ways Teachers may work with bingo to review some JocabUlary students

have learned or review structures To play bingo students have td read their words in

the cards listen to the selected word and mark the options which have been called

Vocabulary categories is a competition which is played by two teams the

students have to write down as many words in the category aSJhey can Teachers

make cards with different categories written on them Students Irite the words on a

paper or on the board The winner is who has the most words There are two

0 I vanatons for this kind of game ne IS the game stop and the other IS can you

name The former is played individually using just paper anld pencil Students

write down pre-selected categories and put them in columns One student calls out a

~~

I 11Ililr(CA- bullbullbilr u

letter and everybody has to write one word for each category rtil they comple

of the categories As soon as one student completes them he says stop and the I

other students stop wntlng In a group they call out the answer For each different

answer students score 10 points and for the same answers they score 5 points The

C I dwinner ISthe one who gets the most pOintsat the end an you name ISplaye

in two groups Students receive a sheet of paper with some dategOrieS(Example

Can you name 3 things you can open and close) Then they dlcide in their groups

what words to write in the categories After that one group h1asto discover what

words the other group selected in one minute and Vice-versa The winner is the

group which discovers more words IBuild-up a word is another well-known game which is basically spelling and

thinking The teacher writes letters of the alphabet in small carbs and places them

SI

face down on the floor tudents one-by-one have to turn over a card until any of

I hthem can bUild up a word When students notice that a word In be bUild up t ey

~ank eaI~em in front of them to form a war The winner is the

The betting game is usually played in pairs Students receIve a sheet of paper

with sentences The sentences may be right or wrong Students analyze them and

decide if they are right or wrong correcting the wrong ones The1 they bet from $10

to $100 on their answers If they correct the sentence in the right way they will win

the amount they bet but if their correction is wrong they will lokie the money The

winner is the pair who wins the most money at the end

The song game is played in two groups with students in line The first

students in each line listens to a line of a song using headphones lnd has to whisper

it in his neighbors ear This students whispers to the next until t~e last listens to it

Then this student has to go to the board and write the sentrce Students keep

dOingthe activity until the song finishes For thiSreason the SOlg should not be long

and fast After the song finishes the teacher analyzes the sentences correcting

I where It IS necessary and sconng when there IS no mistakes The winner IS the

group which has less mistakes

Find the murderer is a game with clues Students haVj to discover who is

the murderer following the clue cards they have In order to 10 the task students

have to read the clues and interact with their group to link them and find out who is

the criminal

The drill game is also very well known The teacher starts saying a sentence

to be completed by one student Example I went to the supermarket and I

boughLchocolate breadcake Students take turns comPleting the sentence

without repeating the words The students who do not say a wori within the time limit

or repeat a word are out of the game The winner is the student who remains until

22

game

the end of the game Vocabulary and grammar structures can be exploited in this

Two efficient examples of quiz are like torta na caraand topa tudo por

dinheiro two TV programs in SBT The former consists in arSWering questions

about a topic or general vocabulary Two teams play against each other and who

rings the bell first has the right to answer The winner is the teamwhich scores more

pOintsThe latter consists in watching a sequence of a movie wHich is full of details

and after that answer questions based on these details The gale is also played in

teams and the competitors win fake money for each right ansler they give The

winner is the team which gets the largest amount of money

23

picture and they have to impersonate the people in the pictures organizing

the pair or trio which gets to the target first

Build up a picture is a competition played in groups Students receive a

themselves as the people in the picture Only one or two students from each group

can see the picture and have to give directions to the others t+ry to build it up The

winner is the group which gets the closest to the picture organization

These techniques which can be found in the Direct Method the

42 PICTURES GRAPHS REALIA AND POSTERS

Communicative Approach and Desuggestopedia are very useful for visual motor

inductive and deductive learners I

Visual students exploit everything they can see and if it is colorful or real they

will internalize the information better As they picture things in Itheir minds teachers

should use images numbers or words to help them showing Pi1cturesto start a class

presentation or to make students produce language based on them Teachers ought

Ito use the board and provide handouts to explain grammar ports Teachers should

also guide students to underline important information with cOlorul highlighters

Motor students need to do things so they can make Itheir own posters or

graphs about a topic or a grammar explanation working in pairs or groups They I also match or classify Information which can be vocabulary 0 anything related to a

topiCand place it in posters These learners also like to work with realia It is very

24

guess Students are blindfolded and they have to taste smell or touch the items in

order to guess what they are

For inductive and deductive learners the usage of pictures graphs or posters

may be useful if exploited in the right way Inductive students ban be provided with

1

visual material to try to work out examples of a structure Whit deductive students

receive the structure itself in colorful charts to make it more memorable

43 ROLE-PLAYSWITH TEXTS AND DIALOGUES

Role-plays and dialogues are present in the comiunicative Approach

Desuggestopedia and the Audio-Lingual Method They may be applied to motor

For example students read a text or the script of a dialogue (visual)

auditory visual inductive and reflective learners

exchange ideas with their peers (auditory reflective and inductive) prepare a

1 presentation and perform It (motor auditory and Inductive) ThiS ISthe main skeletonI

of a role-play and teachers can adapt or vary some elements Scenano clothes

Jaccessones and sound effects are usually Included In thiSactlvl[Y

Creating identities is another good activity The students close their eyes

and listen to a very soft song (classical or baroque) The tealer makes questions

Ilike What IS your name Where do you live What do you do etc and the

students answer them mentally but their answers should + an invention They

should create different people with their profiles After that thy talk to partners and

Introduce themselves uSing thelf new Identities Then In a group they can create a

story uSing the new characters and perform It For thiS activit the learning styles

that will take more advantage are reflective

25

and

kinesthetic

44 TPR GESTURES AND BODY LANGUAGE

The use of imperative gestures and body language are part of Total Physical

Response and the Communicative Approach These techniques are very useful for

visual kinesthetic and inductive students When teachers make any gestures they

Iare helping the visual students When they ask students to use body language or

TPR they are helping kinesthetic students IAn effective example is miming Kinesthetic students like performing for the

others to guess and impulsive learners love trying to discover Jhat is being mimed

So teachers can exploit grammar structures like present continLus and vocabulary

this way A good example is to divide the group in two teiams and place two

~sOolr~thaah~tht~ecs ~~derb ~hO~

teams have to mime It to help their partners guess the word IWhen teachers provide tasks uSingTPR kinesthetic students do better They

can perform and understand what IS being asked Inductive Istudents also learn

betier uSingTPR because they Internalize the examples and hOr to use them while

performing or providing imperatives for the other students to perform For instance

while teaching prepositions teachers may present Ihem and lSk the students to

follow directions John stand behind Mary Ann put yourself nixt to John and so

on unlil you have involved all the studenls Then teachers In vary selecting a

26

some of the structures which may be explored

student to give the directions Directions actions prepositions d conditionals are

45 DEBATES

Debates are part of the Communicative Approach and the Direct Method ThisI

activity works well for visual reflective auditory impulsive an motor learners The

students need time to prepare the arguments and at this mOlent visual refiective

and mechanical work better because they have to write dOWl the ideas and think

about the topic Auditory and kinesthetic students can also participate Auditory

students will discuss the ideas orally and the kinesthetic will classify good and bad

arguments At the moment of speaking all of them will be pr+ared to discuss and

state their point-of-view but auditory kinesthetic and impulsive learners will probably

do better in this task They have to move around the room be fast-talking and use

the right words An interesting way of applying this idea is to prsent a sequence of a

n~ ~c~sn ao~~ aar~cte~~t~l~~~~~se

Then they start the trial defending and accusing the man Twol students are chosen

to be the JudgesAt the end of the activity the students watch the final trial to check

what the verdict was In this activity there is time to prepare lanalyze and discuss

information there is visual and auditory support and there is movement during the

trial itself with which motor students feel comfortable I

It is necessary to divide the group so that the students rre organized to use

different abilities for instance a reflective with an impulsive arnd a mechanical or a

27

improve their abilities through contact with their peers

visual with an auditory and a kinesthetic working together This way students

46 INDUCTIVEAND DEDUCTIVE EXPLANATION

Inductive grammar explanation comes from the iirect Method the

Communicative Approach the Audio-Lingual Method and TiR while deductive

grammar explanation comes from the Grammar-Translation Method Both deductive

and inductive explanations are necessary to be used because t1eaChers usually find I Inductive and deductive students In the same class So It ISsuggested to work with

inductive exposition first for the students to try to find out the ~Ies by themselves

Then teachers may write the grammar rules on the board and elplain them or even

better provide handouts with the explanation so that students Iho really need this

I support WIll internalize the information more easily Teachers can also assign

help the deductive ones

inductive and deductive students to work together The inductive ones will eventually

Another relevant aspect is about oral and written eXPlinations Teachers

should combine them with deductive and inductive explanation Ii teachers adapt the

grammar explanations in this way they will support not only inductive and deductive

students but also visual auditory and motor ones For examfle after students

discuss the examples (auditory and inductive) the teacher hanr clothes-line from

one side to the other side of the classroom and hangs cards with examples or rules

(one word in each card) for visual support and for deductive studehts Then they ask

motor students to help build up other examples

47 MUSIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS AND RHYTHM

28

Music is part of Desuggestopedia the Direct Method amd the Audio-Lingual

For visual students teachers should work with the lyrics and create activities

Method and teachers may adapt it to many different purposes

based on them Example students read the lyrics of a song and have to write a letter

giving advice to the person in the song Another task which works for mechanical

S I Istudents too ISto draw a story based on the Iyncs tudents are placed In a CIrCe

backs to the center and each of them has a piece of paper The~ listen to the teacherI

tell a story line by line and draw it passing the paper to the classmate beside him

each time the teacher pauses At the end they listen to a song and discover that it is

the story they have drawn Putting the lines of a song in the i9ht order is another

possibility and it also works for reflective learners Teachers cut lout the lyrics in parts

and while students listen to the song they have organize it in the correct order

For motor students teachers should combine songj with the usage of

Igestures demonstrallng feelings or reconstructing the scene from the content of the

song For this activity students listen to the song and read the lyrics Then they

work in groups to elaborate how they will perform it After that ~ey listen to the song

again and at this time they have to perform while the song is Jeing played

Another possibility is to give each student a line of a song and they have to

put it in order by moving around and forming a line according ti the song sequence

The student who has the first line stands at the beginning of theII line the student with

the second line stands next and so on

For auditory students teachers can fully exploit music jey should work with

rhythm and musical instruments One example is when students use rhythms and

29

melody to help them memorize grammar structures rules or vocabulary Students

can also use instruments with the same purpose When teaching verbs that are

h II dfollowed by infinitive or gerund students can create t elf own me 0 y or even a song

to memorize them ITeachers sometimes should play music in the background while students

write a composition or complete a task It helps auditory students concentrate betterI

Furthermore teachers should use songs frequently because It stimulates them to

1learn more vocabulary to Internalize structures and to keep their Interest high

Movies and videos are activities which are part of the Communicative

48 MOVIES AND VIDEOS

Approach and the Direct Method

For visual learners movies and videos provide input they are visual aids

Students can exploit a frame or a scene describing it or describing the characters I Teachers may use videos to reinforce or present structures or tOPICSFor example

students watch a scene or a video about how the British people live their habits the

meals etc to present cultural aspects of their people

For reflective learners movies and videos are used to provide input

concerning a topic to be discussed later Reflective students watch some parts of a

movie in class or at home and then have a discussion in the )rlloWing class This

technique is also a good way to work with self-correction Anoter suggestion is to

have students record a video performing a sketch or just speaking Then they

watch it and analyze their performances observing their strong and weak aspects of

them

30

For inductive learners movies and videos are good sources of real examples

Teachers can exploit either the sound or the subtitles Teachers may ask students to

watch the video and write down examples of simple present or kst ask questions to

make students use the structure exploring the video ITeachers can prepare a quiz for impulsive and motor learners The students

are divided in two teams and watch a scene or sequence of a movie Then they take

turns answering the questions prepared by the teacher a1d based on visual

elements or characters lines of the sequence Whenever a tear answers correctly

it wins fake money The winner is the team which gets the largest amount of money

For auditory students teachers should use science fiction or horror movies

but just the sound The screen should be black or covered withla piece of cloth and

students listen to the sound writing what is happening desCribi1gthe situation After

completing the activity students watch the sequence and compare it with their

stories Another idea is to select a scene with a dialogue and 1rit9 some questions

about it numbering them eg 1 to 6 Then the teacher cuts paper squares and write

the numbers of the questions on them Each number is writlen on two or three

Isquares so that the teacher has two numbers 1 three numbers 2 three numbers 3

I and so on The teacher covers the screen With the paper squares In order to prevent

students to watch the scene Then students listen and answer the questions orally

The teacher should take out the numbered squares correspondent to the questions

students answer correctly enabling them to see the whole scenJ

Kinesthetic students will enjoy preparing a performance ~ased on a movie or

the teacher can record them role playing a task for example being a reporter or a

news announcer They can also use a movie to explore contrasts and similarities

and make a chart about them

5 CONCLUSION

31

What has been discussed in this paper is for certain only the first step to find

a good and effective way to teach and learn a foreign language However something

that must be kept in mind is that learners all over the world hale their own needs

preferences and perceptions related to learning Teachers lust be trained to

perceive these differences and to take advantage of them Tlchers should plan

I middotmiddotf hmiddotlessons to match students learning styles while encouraging them to dlversl y t air

learning style preferences IAs for the controversy that using learning styles is or is rot beneficial for the

learning process it can not be harmful for either the teacher or the students just

because if they are consciously involved in the process this involvement may be

part of teachers and students own improvement as learners rt only for language

purposes but also for learning strategies development and it fay bring significant

results at the end Unquestionably all this process is time consuming but valid

Teachers can adapt the ideas to their environment and I time availability A

suggestion for teachers who are beginners in this area is to Rroceed carefully and

step-by-step This field is wide so teachers ought not to usJ activities for all the

learning styles and methods at once otherwise it will beCOle very complex and

difficult to control

Teachers are not expected to use all the activities proposed in this paper in

every class Teachers can provide them little by little wher the students need

support There are many strategies to help students develop ieir weaknesses It is~~ middot- middot ~l~00 0I

I

32

T h h Id h kSomething that must be aVOidedISto Individualize too much eac ers s au c ec

h d 11 If Ithe average of the group It IS easier to deal Wit an Stl e ectlve

IAmong all the theones concerning learnmg the most feasible way to solve

the style conflicts in a class is adapting the material Most teachrs have a textbook

to be followed and it usually includes a methodology So it is rportant to present

materials with a different focus to attend each learning preference

IOnly presenting a mulh-style class ISnot enough If a teacher decides to work

I I Th hWith these suggestions heshe has to think about evaluation as we 1 e teae er

must provide various ways of assessing not only written and I oral tests but also

other ways of measuring what students learn and in which the other styles are also I Involved Students can be evaluated while working In small gIOUPSperforming or

debating through journals among other suggestions

It is clear that teachers can not be paSSiveThey have to work exhaustively if I they want to help their students to fully develop They should also be open-minded In

relation to old methods present methods and brand-new one1sThey may be all

significant and helpful I

There are many approaches and methods nowadays aid probably there is

one coming out right now Each of them has been created to slve the problems in

the learning and teaching process but they may not be able to Researchers are still

trying to find a better way to teach or why not the prefect formLa It is complicated

to say not to follow a method I

In conclusion whatever teachers decide to apply in class they just need to

keep in mind that the students interests are the priority and theJ must be syntonized

with the teachers own beliefs respecting each ones paL and information

processing

REFERENCES

II

Bras G R de C (1998) Bnncando e aprendendo com logOS sensonals RIo deJaneiro Sprint I

Ellis R (1997) Second Language AcqUisition Oxford Oxford University Press

Guimaraes R (1997) Teaching Ught Teaching Bette~ a handI book for languageteachers Sao Paulo Senae

Hood K (1995) Exploring Learning Styles and Instruction The University ofGeorgia (Department of Mathematics Education) Retrieved 08072002 fromhttp lIwllson coe uga eduEMT705EMT705 Hood html I

Larsen-Freeman D (1986) Techmques and pnnclples In language teaching (2 ed)Oxford Oxford University Press I

~~nLp (9)s~~n~ t~9)0~n~a~ a~~Jd Oxford

University Press ILindsay P (JuI12001)SWingsof the Pendulum New Routes 14 pp 12-15

Richards J amp Rodgers 1 (2001) Approaches and Methods In Language Teaching(2 ed) Cambridge Cambridge University Press I

Rodgers T (Apr2000) Methodology in the new millenium English Teaching forum382 pp2-12 I

Rodgers S T (2001) Language Teaching Methodology ERIG Clearinghouse onLanguages and Linguistics Washington DC 20016-1859 Retrieved03052002 from hUpllwwwcalorgericclldigesUrodgershtml

Skehan P (1998) A cognitive approach to language learning 010rd OxfordUniversity Press

3 THE COMMUNICATIVE APROACH AND METHODS

31 AN OVERVIEW

Teachers and researchers have been asking themselves what the best

I approach or method would be to teach their students Many attempts were made InI

the past to find the perfect method These attempts resulted in various theories Iwhich are slill being used In schools around the world but they are far from being the

perfect ones According to Freeman (1986 p182) each met~od presents efficient

techniques which can be exploited in class but she claims thatla particular method

cannot be a prescription for success for everyone ~ IIt has been proved that working with one method ray not fill all the

necessities in a group of students as the group is not always homogeneous A

method generally emphasizes one specific approach that may be suitable or not for

the students Our routines need re-thinking and uP-datind but good ways of

teaching - those that help the learning process - should not be rejected (Lindsay

2001 p 15) Leaver (1998 p 128) asserts that methbds should not be

straightjackets for either teachers or students pedagogical demagoguery has no

of each teachers arsenal in the struggle to win the style war

place in a free country Methods and techniques that comprise them should be part

In order to identify which practices are useful for each learning styles it is

important to review some of the methods and their principles It is necessary to point

out that only some methods were chosen the ones which teac1ers can work with in

the same class The Communicative Approach has an important role as it is the

basis for the application of the different selected techniques

32 THE COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH

The Communicative Approach (CA) focuses on communication and

interaction For this reason meaning is more important than fOl The activities dealt

with in class are task-based involving information sharing negotiation usage of real

and meaningful contexts authentic materials and functions Students must interact in I

many different situations In classes where this approach IS the basIs translation 15

not allowed Students learn by working in pairs or groups throlgh cooperation and

errors are not always corrected to avoid impeding fluency Tre teacher must be

attentive to students needs in order to provide help when it is necessary Role-plays

games problem solving and activities involving informatio~ gap choice and

feedback are some of the tasks used in the CA

33 METHODS

The methods to be analyzed in this paper are

The Grammar-Translation Method

The Direct Method

The Audio-Lingual Method

Desuggestopedia

Community Language Learning

Total Physical Response (TPR)

331 The Grammar-Translation Method

15

The Grammar Translation Method was first called the Classical Method used

to teach the classical languages latin and Greek It was apdlied in order to help

students read foreign language literature It was believed t~at foreign language

Ilearning would help students grow Intellectually no matter If they used the language

m~ Classes which are based on the Grammar Translation jethod are teacher-

centered and focus on reading and writing Students try to Td equivalents and

similarities between l1 and l2 l1 is permitted and learners have to memorize lists

of vocabulary It is also based on deductive grammar learning

332 The Direct Method

The Direct Method received its name from the fact tha meaning is to be

conveyed directly in the target language with the help of demonstration and visual

aids Therefore translation is not allowed Nowadays its goal of inltruction is to learn

how to use a foreign language to communicate lTeachers work with direct association real contexts I sing topics and

exposure speaking inductive grammar and self-correction hey also exploit

pictures and realia to contextualize and associate better

16

3 3 3 The Audio Lingual Method

IThe Audio Lingual Method IS an oral-based approacr method based on

Structurahsm and BehavIorism Skinner IS the best-known representative of this

method It is believed that the best way to acquire the target language is through

conditioning Teachers help learners to respond to stimuli using shaping and

reinforcement They think learners create and form new habits demanded to become

speakers of the target language So this method uses drills tb teach grammatical

sentence patterns focusing on oral rather than written ProductiOh

Stressing habit formation dialogues drills repetition verbal and nonverbal

stimuli and inductive learning are some of the techniques used In it The classes are

teacher-centered and it is recommended to work only with the target language Error

334 Desuggestopedia

must be avoided because they lead the students to bad habits

Desuggestopedia comes from an affective-humanistic approach in which the

main focus is on students feelings It is believed that people Jstablish barriers and

limitations when starting to learn a language These barriers make learners not use

the total mental capacity leading them to fail A solution to change this scenario is to

I desuggest students from setting up these limitations Desuggestopedla IS a method

in which a mixture of fine arts and music has an important rOlk in making learners

feel relaxed and consequently they will learn without being awJre of the process

The classes are teacher-centered in a very friendly environment DialoguesI

texts vocabulary lists role-plays different identities colorful posters musical

f 0 t dInstruments painting and baroque musIc are part 0 a esugges ope 18

17

class

335 Community Language Learning

Translation and comparison between L1 and L2 are allowed

Community Language Learning is based on the counselTg-learning approach

created for adult teaching Students must be considered as whole persons Whole-

person learning means that teachers consider not only their sLdents intellect but

I I h Ialso have some understanding of the relationship among students fee lngs P YSlca

reactions instinctive protective reactions and desire to learn (Freeman 1994 p

89)

The course is topic-based and learners provide the topics Teachers work with

translation group work recording transcription reflection obselation listening and Ifree conversation Students work collaboratlvely having the teacher as a counselor

Teacher uses chunks of words Sharing learning experiences i1 part of the process

Students take responsibility for their learning therefore it is a self-directed method

336 Total Physical Response

Total Physical Response is part of the comprehension approach In this

approach language learning starts with understanding and thtn producing Only

when the students have internalized the target language process will they start

speaking It is also grammar-based and structuralist It involtes comprehension

before production focusing on meaning rather than form then 6rammar and lexis

The classes are teacher-centered and the teacher provides i~perative sentences

I 18

and drills for the students to perform A good TPR class should make the use of

action gestures and tone of voice This method is claimed to Ilreducestress in the

learning process TPR is based in the wayan infant learns its native language First

students should just listen and understand how the language is Iused and after they

going to be accurate but it will improve gradually

have internalized it they will automatically produce it At first he language is not

Students must be exposed to the target language The eacher must be as

expressive as possible so they can use pictures to help

4 THE PARTNERSHIP

19

After analyzing and selecting the learning styles and t~le methods sUitable

techntques need to be selected and combined with learners pre erences

In this paper It IS suggested that classes be based a the Communicative

Approach The reason is that many coursebooks used in languige schools in Brazil

In order to provide effective activities for each of the learning styles the

nowadays are based on this approach

methods were analyzed and some of the techniques were chosen Not all the I practices were selected because It IS clear that the methods have similarities and

contrasts and it is necessary to be sensible when working with ~ethod sinergistics

As there is no perfect method that integrates and accommodJtes all the learning

styles a selection of useful ideas should be made

There are some techniques and activities below which can be effective in any

11 I I mutl- earning-stye class If prepared and used carefully and appropriately

41 GAMES

Games are mainly part of the Communicative APproach] but they can be

adapted to suit most of the methods the Grammar-Translation Method TPR The

Language Learning

Audio-Lingual Method the Direct Method Desuggestopedia and Community

Games may be applied to all the learning styles Teachers can use ready-

made games or create their own Some games are suggested in the chart that

follows

20

GAME lEARNING STYLES APPROACHMETHODSSpelling competition and

Iscrabbles Visual e motor GTM

Crosswords and word searchers Visual and reflective I GTM

Visual auditory motor and

IBingo inductive CAAlM

Miming Visual motor impulsive I CA TPR DMVocabulary categories and stop Visual and impulsive I GTMD

Can you name Auditory impulsive reflective(categories) and visual GTM

Build up a word Visual motor and reflective GTM

Betting game Visual inductive reflective and(correction of mistakes) auditory DM

Song game Auditory and motor CAD

Reflective motor visual andFind the murderer auditory DM Cll

Quiz Impulsive motor and auditory DMCA

Drill game Auditory impulsive and inductive AlM

Find the target Motor and auditory TPR Cll

Build up the picture Motor reflective and visual TPRCll

Most of the games are well known but there are lme for which an

explanation of the procedures is needed Bingo is an activity thbt is found in many

different ways Teachers may work with bingo to review some JocabUlary students

have learned or review structures To play bingo students have td read their words in

the cards listen to the selected word and mark the options which have been called

Vocabulary categories is a competition which is played by two teams the

students have to write down as many words in the category aSJhey can Teachers

make cards with different categories written on them Students Irite the words on a

paper or on the board The winner is who has the most words There are two

0 I vanatons for this kind of game ne IS the game stop and the other IS can you

name The former is played individually using just paper anld pencil Students

write down pre-selected categories and put them in columns One student calls out a

~~

I 11Ililr(CA- bullbullbilr u

letter and everybody has to write one word for each category rtil they comple

of the categories As soon as one student completes them he says stop and the I

other students stop wntlng In a group they call out the answer For each different

answer students score 10 points and for the same answers they score 5 points The

C I dwinner ISthe one who gets the most pOintsat the end an you name ISplaye

in two groups Students receive a sheet of paper with some dategOrieS(Example

Can you name 3 things you can open and close) Then they dlcide in their groups

what words to write in the categories After that one group h1asto discover what

words the other group selected in one minute and Vice-versa The winner is the

group which discovers more words IBuild-up a word is another well-known game which is basically spelling and

thinking The teacher writes letters of the alphabet in small carbs and places them

SI

face down on the floor tudents one-by-one have to turn over a card until any of

I hthem can bUild up a word When students notice that a word In be bUild up t ey

~ank eaI~em in front of them to form a war The winner is the

The betting game is usually played in pairs Students receIve a sheet of paper

with sentences The sentences may be right or wrong Students analyze them and

decide if they are right or wrong correcting the wrong ones The1 they bet from $10

to $100 on their answers If they correct the sentence in the right way they will win

the amount they bet but if their correction is wrong they will lokie the money The

winner is the pair who wins the most money at the end

The song game is played in two groups with students in line The first

students in each line listens to a line of a song using headphones lnd has to whisper

it in his neighbors ear This students whispers to the next until t~e last listens to it

Then this student has to go to the board and write the sentrce Students keep

dOingthe activity until the song finishes For thiSreason the SOlg should not be long

and fast After the song finishes the teacher analyzes the sentences correcting

I where It IS necessary and sconng when there IS no mistakes The winner IS the

group which has less mistakes

Find the murderer is a game with clues Students haVj to discover who is

the murderer following the clue cards they have In order to 10 the task students

have to read the clues and interact with their group to link them and find out who is

the criminal

The drill game is also very well known The teacher starts saying a sentence

to be completed by one student Example I went to the supermarket and I

boughLchocolate breadcake Students take turns comPleting the sentence

without repeating the words The students who do not say a wori within the time limit

or repeat a word are out of the game The winner is the student who remains until

22

game

the end of the game Vocabulary and grammar structures can be exploited in this

Two efficient examples of quiz are like torta na caraand topa tudo por

dinheiro two TV programs in SBT The former consists in arSWering questions

about a topic or general vocabulary Two teams play against each other and who

rings the bell first has the right to answer The winner is the teamwhich scores more

pOintsThe latter consists in watching a sequence of a movie wHich is full of details

and after that answer questions based on these details The gale is also played in

teams and the competitors win fake money for each right ansler they give The

winner is the team which gets the largest amount of money

23

picture and they have to impersonate the people in the pictures organizing

the pair or trio which gets to the target first

Build up a picture is a competition played in groups Students receive a

themselves as the people in the picture Only one or two students from each group

can see the picture and have to give directions to the others t+ry to build it up The

winner is the group which gets the closest to the picture organization

These techniques which can be found in the Direct Method the

42 PICTURES GRAPHS REALIA AND POSTERS

Communicative Approach and Desuggestopedia are very useful for visual motor

inductive and deductive learners I

Visual students exploit everything they can see and if it is colorful or real they

will internalize the information better As they picture things in Itheir minds teachers

should use images numbers or words to help them showing Pi1cturesto start a class

presentation or to make students produce language based on them Teachers ought

Ito use the board and provide handouts to explain grammar ports Teachers should

also guide students to underline important information with cOlorul highlighters

Motor students need to do things so they can make Itheir own posters or

graphs about a topic or a grammar explanation working in pairs or groups They I also match or classify Information which can be vocabulary 0 anything related to a

topiCand place it in posters These learners also like to work with realia It is very

24

guess Students are blindfolded and they have to taste smell or touch the items in

order to guess what they are

For inductive and deductive learners the usage of pictures graphs or posters

may be useful if exploited in the right way Inductive students ban be provided with

1

visual material to try to work out examples of a structure Whit deductive students

receive the structure itself in colorful charts to make it more memorable

43 ROLE-PLAYSWITH TEXTS AND DIALOGUES

Role-plays and dialogues are present in the comiunicative Approach

Desuggestopedia and the Audio-Lingual Method They may be applied to motor

For example students read a text or the script of a dialogue (visual)

auditory visual inductive and reflective learners

exchange ideas with their peers (auditory reflective and inductive) prepare a

1 presentation and perform It (motor auditory and Inductive) ThiS ISthe main skeletonI

of a role-play and teachers can adapt or vary some elements Scenano clothes

Jaccessones and sound effects are usually Included In thiSactlvl[Y

Creating identities is another good activity The students close their eyes

and listen to a very soft song (classical or baroque) The tealer makes questions

Ilike What IS your name Where do you live What do you do etc and the

students answer them mentally but their answers should + an invention They

should create different people with their profiles After that thy talk to partners and

Introduce themselves uSing thelf new Identities Then In a group they can create a

story uSing the new characters and perform It For thiS activit the learning styles

that will take more advantage are reflective

25

and

kinesthetic

44 TPR GESTURES AND BODY LANGUAGE

The use of imperative gestures and body language are part of Total Physical

Response and the Communicative Approach These techniques are very useful for

visual kinesthetic and inductive students When teachers make any gestures they

Iare helping the visual students When they ask students to use body language or

TPR they are helping kinesthetic students IAn effective example is miming Kinesthetic students like performing for the

others to guess and impulsive learners love trying to discover Jhat is being mimed

So teachers can exploit grammar structures like present continLus and vocabulary

this way A good example is to divide the group in two teiams and place two

~sOolr~thaah~tht~ecs ~~derb ~hO~

teams have to mime It to help their partners guess the word IWhen teachers provide tasks uSingTPR kinesthetic students do better They

can perform and understand what IS being asked Inductive Istudents also learn

betier uSingTPR because they Internalize the examples and hOr to use them while

performing or providing imperatives for the other students to perform For instance

while teaching prepositions teachers may present Ihem and lSk the students to

follow directions John stand behind Mary Ann put yourself nixt to John and so

on unlil you have involved all the studenls Then teachers In vary selecting a

26

some of the structures which may be explored

student to give the directions Directions actions prepositions d conditionals are

45 DEBATES

Debates are part of the Communicative Approach and the Direct Method ThisI

activity works well for visual reflective auditory impulsive an motor learners The

students need time to prepare the arguments and at this mOlent visual refiective

and mechanical work better because they have to write dOWl the ideas and think

about the topic Auditory and kinesthetic students can also participate Auditory

students will discuss the ideas orally and the kinesthetic will classify good and bad

arguments At the moment of speaking all of them will be pr+ared to discuss and

state their point-of-view but auditory kinesthetic and impulsive learners will probably

do better in this task They have to move around the room be fast-talking and use

the right words An interesting way of applying this idea is to prsent a sequence of a

n~ ~c~sn ao~~ aar~cte~~t~l~~~~~se

Then they start the trial defending and accusing the man Twol students are chosen

to be the JudgesAt the end of the activity the students watch the final trial to check

what the verdict was In this activity there is time to prepare lanalyze and discuss

information there is visual and auditory support and there is movement during the

trial itself with which motor students feel comfortable I

It is necessary to divide the group so that the students rre organized to use

different abilities for instance a reflective with an impulsive arnd a mechanical or a

27

improve their abilities through contact with their peers

visual with an auditory and a kinesthetic working together This way students

46 INDUCTIVEAND DEDUCTIVE EXPLANATION

Inductive grammar explanation comes from the iirect Method the

Communicative Approach the Audio-Lingual Method and TiR while deductive

grammar explanation comes from the Grammar-Translation Method Both deductive

and inductive explanations are necessary to be used because t1eaChers usually find I Inductive and deductive students In the same class So It ISsuggested to work with

inductive exposition first for the students to try to find out the ~Ies by themselves

Then teachers may write the grammar rules on the board and elplain them or even

better provide handouts with the explanation so that students Iho really need this

I support WIll internalize the information more easily Teachers can also assign

help the deductive ones

inductive and deductive students to work together The inductive ones will eventually

Another relevant aspect is about oral and written eXPlinations Teachers

should combine them with deductive and inductive explanation Ii teachers adapt the

grammar explanations in this way they will support not only inductive and deductive

students but also visual auditory and motor ones For examfle after students

discuss the examples (auditory and inductive) the teacher hanr clothes-line from

one side to the other side of the classroom and hangs cards with examples or rules

(one word in each card) for visual support and for deductive studehts Then they ask

motor students to help build up other examples

47 MUSIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS AND RHYTHM

28

Music is part of Desuggestopedia the Direct Method amd the Audio-Lingual

For visual students teachers should work with the lyrics and create activities

Method and teachers may adapt it to many different purposes

based on them Example students read the lyrics of a song and have to write a letter

giving advice to the person in the song Another task which works for mechanical

S I Istudents too ISto draw a story based on the Iyncs tudents are placed In a CIrCe

backs to the center and each of them has a piece of paper The~ listen to the teacherI

tell a story line by line and draw it passing the paper to the classmate beside him

each time the teacher pauses At the end they listen to a song and discover that it is

the story they have drawn Putting the lines of a song in the i9ht order is another

possibility and it also works for reflective learners Teachers cut lout the lyrics in parts

and while students listen to the song they have organize it in the correct order

For motor students teachers should combine songj with the usage of

Igestures demonstrallng feelings or reconstructing the scene from the content of the

song For this activity students listen to the song and read the lyrics Then they

work in groups to elaborate how they will perform it After that ~ey listen to the song

again and at this time they have to perform while the song is Jeing played

Another possibility is to give each student a line of a song and they have to

put it in order by moving around and forming a line according ti the song sequence

The student who has the first line stands at the beginning of theII line the student with

the second line stands next and so on

For auditory students teachers can fully exploit music jey should work with

rhythm and musical instruments One example is when students use rhythms and

29

melody to help them memorize grammar structures rules or vocabulary Students

can also use instruments with the same purpose When teaching verbs that are

h II dfollowed by infinitive or gerund students can create t elf own me 0 y or even a song

to memorize them ITeachers sometimes should play music in the background while students

write a composition or complete a task It helps auditory students concentrate betterI

Furthermore teachers should use songs frequently because It stimulates them to

1learn more vocabulary to Internalize structures and to keep their Interest high

Movies and videos are activities which are part of the Communicative

48 MOVIES AND VIDEOS

Approach and the Direct Method

For visual learners movies and videos provide input they are visual aids

Students can exploit a frame or a scene describing it or describing the characters I Teachers may use videos to reinforce or present structures or tOPICSFor example

students watch a scene or a video about how the British people live their habits the

meals etc to present cultural aspects of their people

For reflective learners movies and videos are used to provide input

concerning a topic to be discussed later Reflective students watch some parts of a

movie in class or at home and then have a discussion in the )rlloWing class This

technique is also a good way to work with self-correction Anoter suggestion is to

have students record a video performing a sketch or just speaking Then they

watch it and analyze their performances observing their strong and weak aspects of

them

30

For inductive learners movies and videos are good sources of real examples

Teachers can exploit either the sound or the subtitles Teachers may ask students to

watch the video and write down examples of simple present or kst ask questions to

make students use the structure exploring the video ITeachers can prepare a quiz for impulsive and motor learners The students

are divided in two teams and watch a scene or sequence of a movie Then they take

turns answering the questions prepared by the teacher a1d based on visual

elements or characters lines of the sequence Whenever a tear answers correctly

it wins fake money The winner is the team which gets the largest amount of money

For auditory students teachers should use science fiction or horror movies

but just the sound The screen should be black or covered withla piece of cloth and

students listen to the sound writing what is happening desCribi1gthe situation After

completing the activity students watch the sequence and compare it with their

stories Another idea is to select a scene with a dialogue and 1rit9 some questions

about it numbering them eg 1 to 6 Then the teacher cuts paper squares and write

the numbers of the questions on them Each number is writlen on two or three

Isquares so that the teacher has two numbers 1 three numbers 2 three numbers 3

I and so on The teacher covers the screen With the paper squares In order to prevent

students to watch the scene Then students listen and answer the questions orally

The teacher should take out the numbered squares correspondent to the questions

students answer correctly enabling them to see the whole scenJ

Kinesthetic students will enjoy preparing a performance ~ased on a movie or

the teacher can record them role playing a task for example being a reporter or a

news announcer They can also use a movie to explore contrasts and similarities

and make a chart about them

5 CONCLUSION

31

What has been discussed in this paper is for certain only the first step to find

a good and effective way to teach and learn a foreign language However something

that must be kept in mind is that learners all over the world hale their own needs

preferences and perceptions related to learning Teachers lust be trained to

perceive these differences and to take advantage of them Tlchers should plan

I middotmiddotf hmiddotlessons to match students learning styles while encouraging them to dlversl y t air

learning style preferences IAs for the controversy that using learning styles is or is rot beneficial for the

learning process it can not be harmful for either the teacher or the students just

because if they are consciously involved in the process this involvement may be

part of teachers and students own improvement as learners rt only for language

purposes but also for learning strategies development and it fay bring significant

results at the end Unquestionably all this process is time consuming but valid

Teachers can adapt the ideas to their environment and I time availability A

suggestion for teachers who are beginners in this area is to Rroceed carefully and

step-by-step This field is wide so teachers ought not to usJ activities for all the

learning styles and methods at once otherwise it will beCOle very complex and

difficult to control

Teachers are not expected to use all the activities proposed in this paper in

every class Teachers can provide them little by little wher the students need

support There are many strategies to help students develop ieir weaknesses It is~~ middot- middot ~l~00 0I

I

32

T h h Id h kSomething that must be aVOidedISto Individualize too much eac ers s au c ec

h d 11 If Ithe average of the group It IS easier to deal Wit an Stl e ectlve

IAmong all the theones concerning learnmg the most feasible way to solve

the style conflicts in a class is adapting the material Most teachrs have a textbook

to be followed and it usually includes a methodology So it is rportant to present

materials with a different focus to attend each learning preference

IOnly presenting a mulh-style class ISnot enough If a teacher decides to work

I I Th hWith these suggestions heshe has to think about evaluation as we 1 e teae er

must provide various ways of assessing not only written and I oral tests but also

other ways of measuring what students learn and in which the other styles are also I Involved Students can be evaluated while working In small gIOUPSperforming or

debating through journals among other suggestions

It is clear that teachers can not be paSSiveThey have to work exhaustively if I they want to help their students to fully develop They should also be open-minded In

relation to old methods present methods and brand-new one1sThey may be all

significant and helpful I

There are many approaches and methods nowadays aid probably there is

one coming out right now Each of them has been created to slve the problems in

the learning and teaching process but they may not be able to Researchers are still

trying to find a better way to teach or why not the prefect formLa It is complicated

to say not to follow a method I

In conclusion whatever teachers decide to apply in class they just need to

keep in mind that the students interests are the priority and theJ must be syntonized

with the teachers own beliefs respecting each ones paL and information

processing

REFERENCES

II

Bras G R de C (1998) Bnncando e aprendendo com logOS sensonals RIo deJaneiro Sprint I

Ellis R (1997) Second Language AcqUisition Oxford Oxford University Press

Guimaraes R (1997) Teaching Ught Teaching Bette~ a handI book for languageteachers Sao Paulo Senae

Hood K (1995) Exploring Learning Styles and Instruction The University ofGeorgia (Department of Mathematics Education) Retrieved 08072002 fromhttp lIwllson coe uga eduEMT705EMT705 Hood html I

Larsen-Freeman D (1986) Techmques and pnnclples In language teaching (2 ed)Oxford Oxford University Press I

~~nLp (9)s~~n~ t~9)0~n~a~ a~~Jd Oxford

University Press ILindsay P (JuI12001)SWingsof the Pendulum New Routes 14 pp 12-15

Richards J amp Rodgers 1 (2001) Approaches and Methods In Language Teaching(2 ed) Cambridge Cambridge University Press I

Rodgers T (Apr2000) Methodology in the new millenium English Teaching forum382 pp2-12 I

Rodgers S T (2001) Language Teaching Methodology ERIG Clearinghouse onLanguages and Linguistics Washington DC 20016-1859 Retrieved03052002 from hUpllwwwcalorgericclldigesUrodgershtml

Skehan P (1998) A cognitive approach to language learning 010rd OxfordUniversity Press

32 THE COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH

The Communicative Approach (CA) focuses on communication and

interaction For this reason meaning is more important than fOl The activities dealt

with in class are task-based involving information sharing negotiation usage of real

and meaningful contexts authentic materials and functions Students must interact in I

many different situations In classes where this approach IS the basIs translation 15

not allowed Students learn by working in pairs or groups throlgh cooperation and

errors are not always corrected to avoid impeding fluency Tre teacher must be

attentive to students needs in order to provide help when it is necessary Role-plays

games problem solving and activities involving informatio~ gap choice and

feedback are some of the tasks used in the CA

33 METHODS

The methods to be analyzed in this paper are

The Grammar-Translation Method

The Direct Method

The Audio-Lingual Method

Desuggestopedia

Community Language Learning

Total Physical Response (TPR)

331 The Grammar-Translation Method

15

The Grammar Translation Method was first called the Classical Method used

to teach the classical languages latin and Greek It was apdlied in order to help

students read foreign language literature It was believed t~at foreign language

Ilearning would help students grow Intellectually no matter If they used the language

m~ Classes which are based on the Grammar Translation jethod are teacher-

centered and focus on reading and writing Students try to Td equivalents and

similarities between l1 and l2 l1 is permitted and learners have to memorize lists

of vocabulary It is also based on deductive grammar learning

332 The Direct Method

The Direct Method received its name from the fact tha meaning is to be

conveyed directly in the target language with the help of demonstration and visual

aids Therefore translation is not allowed Nowadays its goal of inltruction is to learn

how to use a foreign language to communicate lTeachers work with direct association real contexts I sing topics and

exposure speaking inductive grammar and self-correction hey also exploit

pictures and realia to contextualize and associate better

16

3 3 3 The Audio Lingual Method

IThe Audio Lingual Method IS an oral-based approacr method based on

Structurahsm and BehavIorism Skinner IS the best-known representative of this

method It is believed that the best way to acquire the target language is through

conditioning Teachers help learners to respond to stimuli using shaping and

reinforcement They think learners create and form new habits demanded to become

speakers of the target language So this method uses drills tb teach grammatical

sentence patterns focusing on oral rather than written ProductiOh

Stressing habit formation dialogues drills repetition verbal and nonverbal

stimuli and inductive learning are some of the techniques used In it The classes are

teacher-centered and it is recommended to work only with the target language Error

334 Desuggestopedia

must be avoided because they lead the students to bad habits

Desuggestopedia comes from an affective-humanistic approach in which the

main focus is on students feelings It is believed that people Jstablish barriers and

limitations when starting to learn a language These barriers make learners not use

the total mental capacity leading them to fail A solution to change this scenario is to

I desuggest students from setting up these limitations Desuggestopedla IS a method

in which a mixture of fine arts and music has an important rOlk in making learners

feel relaxed and consequently they will learn without being awJre of the process

The classes are teacher-centered in a very friendly environment DialoguesI

texts vocabulary lists role-plays different identities colorful posters musical

f 0 t dInstruments painting and baroque musIc are part 0 a esugges ope 18

17

class

335 Community Language Learning

Translation and comparison between L1 and L2 are allowed

Community Language Learning is based on the counselTg-learning approach

created for adult teaching Students must be considered as whole persons Whole-

person learning means that teachers consider not only their sLdents intellect but

I I h Ialso have some understanding of the relationship among students fee lngs P YSlca

reactions instinctive protective reactions and desire to learn (Freeman 1994 p

89)

The course is topic-based and learners provide the topics Teachers work with

translation group work recording transcription reflection obselation listening and Ifree conversation Students work collaboratlvely having the teacher as a counselor

Teacher uses chunks of words Sharing learning experiences i1 part of the process

Students take responsibility for their learning therefore it is a self-directed method

336 Total Physical Response

Total Physical Response is part of the comprehension approach In this

approach language learning starts with understanding and thtn producing Only

when the students have internalized the target language process will they start

speaking It is also grammar-based and structuralist It involtes comprehension

before production focusing on meaning rather than form then 6rammar and lexis

The classes are teacher-centered and the teacher provides i~perative sentences

I 18

and drills for the students to perform A good TPR class should make the use of

action gestures and tone of voice This method is claimed to Ilreducestress in the

learning process TPR is based in the wayan infant learns its native language First

students should just listen and understand how the language is Iused and after they

going to be accurate but it will improve gradually

have internalized it they will automatically produce it At first he language is not

Students must be exposed to the target language The eacher must be as

expressive as possible so they can use pictures to help

4 THE PARTNERSHIP

19

After analyzing and selecting the learning styles and t~le methods sUitable

techntques need to be selected and combined with learners pre erences

In this paper It IS suggested that classes be based a the Communicative

Approach The reason is that many coursebooks used in languige schools in Brazil

In order to provide effective activities for each of the learning styles the

nowadays are based on this approach

methods were analyzed and some of the techniques were chosen Not all the I practices were selected because It IS clear that the methods have similarities and

contrasts and it is necessary to be sensible when working with ~ethod sinergistics

As there is no perfect method that integrates and accommodJtes all the learning

styles a selection of useful ideas should be made

There are some techniques and activities below which can be effective in any

11 I I mutl- earning-stye class If prepared and used carefully and appropriately

41 GAMES

Games are mainly part of the Communicative APproach] but they can be

adapted to suit most of the methods the Grammar-Translation Method TPR The

Language Learning

Audio-Lingual Method the Direct Method Desuggestopedia and Community

Games may be applied to all the learning styles Teachers can use ready-

made games or create their own Some games are suggested in the chart that

follows

20

GAME lEARNING STYLES APPROACHMETHODSSpelling competition and

Iscrabbles Visual e motor GTM

Crosswords and word searchers Visual and reflective I GTM

Visual auditory motor and

IBingo inductive CAAlM

Miming Visual motor impulsive I CA TPR DMVocabulary categories and stop Visual and impulsive I GTMD

Can you name Auditory impulsive reflective(categories) and visual GTM

Build up a word Visual motor and reflective GTM

Betting game Visual inductive reflective and(correction of mistakes) auditory DM

Song game Auditory and motor CAD

Reflective motor visual andFind the murderer auditory DM Cll

Quiz Impulsive motor and auditory DMCA

Drill game Auditory impulsive and inductive AlM

Find the target Motor and auditory TPR Cll

Build up the picture Motor reflective and visual TPRCll

Most of the games are well known but there are lme for which an

explanation of the procedures is needed Bingo is an activity thbt is found in many

different ways Teachers may work with bingo to review some JocabUlary students

have learned or review structures To play bingo students have td read their words in

the cards listen to the selected word and mark the options which have been called

Vocabulary categories is a competition which is played by two teams the

students have to write down as many words in the category aSJhey can Teachers

make cards with different categories written on them Students Irite the words on a

paper or on the board The winner is who has the most words There are two

0 I vanatons for this kind of game ne IS the game stop and the other IS can you

name The former is played individually using just paper anld pencil Students

write down pre-selected categories and put them in columns One student calls out a

~~

I 11Ililr(CA- bullbullbilr u

letter and everybody has to write one word for each category rtil they comple

of the categories As soon as one student completes them he says stop and the I

other students stop wntlng In a group they call out the answer For each different

answer students score 10 points and for the same answers they score 5 points The

C I dwinner ISthe one who gets the most pOintsat the end an you name ISplaye

in two groups Students receive a sheet of paper with some dategOrieS(Example

Can you name 3 things you can open and close) Then they dlcide in their groups

what words to write in the categories After that one group h1asto discover what

words the other group selected in one minute and Vice-versa The winner is the

group which discovers more words IBuild-up a word is another well-known game which is basically spelling and

thinking The teacher writes letters of the alphabet in small carbs and places them

SI

face down on the floor tudents one-by-one have to turn over a card until any of

I hthem can bUild up a word When students notice that a word In be bUild up t ey

~ank eaI~em in front of them to form a war The winner is the

The betting game is usually played in pairs Students receIve a sheet of paper

with sentences The sentences may be right or wrong Students analyze them and

decide if they are right or wrong correcting the wrong ones The1 they bet from $10

to $100 on their answers If they correct the sentence in the right way they will win

the amount they bet but if their correction is wrong they will lokie the money The

winner is the pair who wins the most money at the end

The song game is played in two groups with students in line The first

students in each line listens to a line of a song using headphones lnd has to whisper

it in his neighbors ear This students whispers to the next until t~e last listens to it

Then this student has to go to the board and write the sentrce Students keep

dOingthe activity until the song finishes For thiSreason the SOlg should not be long

and fast After the song finishes the teacher analyzes the sentences correcting

I where It IS necessary and sconng when there IS no mistakes The winner IS the

group which has less mistakes

Find the murderer is a game with clues Students haVj to discover who is

the murderer following the clue cards they have In order to 10 the task students

have to read the clues and interact with their group to link them and find out who is

the criminal

The drill game is also very well known The teacher starts saying a sentence

to be completed by one student Example I went to the supermarket and I

boughLchocolate breadcake Students take turns comPleting the sentence

without repeating the words The students who do not say a wori within the time limit

or repeat a word are out of the game The winner is the student who remains until

22

game

the end of the game Vocabulary and grammar structures can be exploited in this

Two efficient examples of quiz are like torta na caraand topa tudo por

dinheiro two TV programs in SBT The former consists in arSWering questions

about a topic or general vocabulary Two teams play against each other and who

rings the bell first has the right to answer The winner is the teamwhich scores more

pOintsThe latter consists in watching a sequence of a movie wHich is full of details

and after that answer questions based on these details The gale is also played in

teams and the competitors win fake money for each right ansler they give The

winner is the team which gets the largest amount of money

23

picture and they have to impersonate the people in the pictures organizing

the pair or trio which gets to the target first

Build up a picture is a competition played in groups Students receive a

themselves as the people in the picture Only one or two students from each group

can see the picture and have to give directions to the others t+ry to build it up The

winner is the group which gets the closest to the picture organization

These techniques which can be found in the Direct Method the

42 PICTURES GRAPHS REALIA AND POSTERS

Communicative Approach and Desuggestopedia are very useful for visual motor

inductive and deductive learners I

Visual students exploit everything they can see and if it is colorful or real they

will internalize the information better As they picture things in Itheir minds teachers

should use images numbers or words to help them showing Pi1cturesto start a class

presentation or to make students produce language based on them Teachers ought

Ito use the board and provide handouts to explain grammar ports Teachers should

also guide students to underline important information with cOlorul highlighters

Motor students need to do things so they can make Itheir own posters or

graphs about a topic or a grammar explanation working in pairs or groups They I also match or classify Information which can be vocabulary 0 anything related to a

topiCand place it in posters These learners also like to work with realia It is very

24

guess Students are blindfolded and they have to taste smell or touch the items in

order to guess what they are

For inductive and deductive learners the usage of pictures graphs or posters

may be useful if exploited in the right way Inductive students ban be provided with

1

visual material to try to work out examples of a structure Whit deductive students

receive the structure itself in colorful charts to make it more memorable

43 ROLE-PLAYSWITH TEXTS AND DIALOGUES

Role-plays and dialogues are present in the comiunicative Approach

Desuggestopedia and the Audio-Lingual Method They may be applied to motor

For example students read a text or the script of a dialogue (visual)

auditory visual inductive and reflective learners

exchange ideas with their peers (auditory reflective and inductive) prepare a

1 presentation and perform It (motor auditory and Inductive) ThiS ISthe main skeletonI

of a role-play and teachers can adapt or vary some elements Scenano clothes

Jaccessones and sound effects are usually Included In thiSactlvl[Y

Creating identities is another good activity The students close their eyes

and listen to a very soft song (classical or baroque) The tealer makes questions

Ilike What IS your name Where do you live What do you do etc and the

students answer them mentally but their answers should + an invention They

should create different people with their profiles After that thy talk to partners and

Introduce themselves uSing thelf new Identities Then In a group they can create a

story uSing the new characters and perform It For thiS activit the learning styles

that will take more advantage are reflective

25

and

kinesthetic

44 TPR GESTURES AND BODY LANGUAGE

The use of imperative gestures and body language are part of Total Physical

Response and the Communicative Approach These techniques are very useful for

visual kinesthetic and inductive students When teachers make any gestures they

Iare helping the visual students When they ask students to use body language or

TPR they are helping kinesthetic students IAn effective example is miming Kinesthetic students like performing for the

others to guess and impulsive learners love trying to discover Jhat is being mimed

So teachers can exploit grammar structures like present continLus and vocabulary

this way A good example is to divide the group in two teiams and place two

~sOolr~thaah~tht~ecs ~~derb ~hO~

teams have to mime It to help their partners guess the word IWhen teachers provide tasks uSingTPR kinesthetic students do better They

can perform and understand what IS being asked Inductive Istudents also learn

betier uSingTPR because they Internalize the examples and hOr to use them while

performing or providing imperatives for the other students to perform For instance

while teaching prepositions teachers may present Ihem and lSk the students to

follow directions John stand behind Mary Ann put yourself nixt to John and so

on unlil you have involved all the studenls Then teachers In vary selecting a

26

some of the structures which may be explored

student to give the directions Directions actions prepositions d conditionals are

45 DEBATES

Debates are part of the Communicative Approach and the Direct Method ThisI

activity works well for visual reflective auditory impulsive an motor learners The

students need time to prepare the arguments and at this mOlent visual refiective

and mechanical work better because they have to write dOWl the ideas and think

about the topic Auditory and kinesthetic students can also participate Auditory

students will discuss the ideas orally and the kinesthetic will classify good and bad

arguments At the moment of speaking all of them will be pr+ared to discuss and

state their point-of-view but auditory kinesthetic and impulsive learners will probably

do better in this task They have to move around the room be fast-talking and use

the right words An interesting way of applying this idea is to prsent a sequence of a

n~ ~c~sn ao~~ aar~cte~~t~l~~~~~se

Then they start the trial defending and accusing the man Twol students are chosen

to be the JudgesAt the end of the activity the students watch the final trial to check

what the verdict was In this activity there is time to prepare lanalyze and discuss

information there is visual and auditory support and there is movement during the

trial itself with which motor students feel comfortable I

It is necessary to divide the group so that the students rre organized to use

different abilities for instance a reflective with an impulsive arnd a mechanical or a

27

improve their abilities through contact with their peers

visual with an auditory and a kinesthetic working together This way students

46 INDUCTIVEAND DEDUCTIVE EXPLANATION

Inductive grammar explanation comes from the iirect Method the

Communicative Approach the Audio-Lingual Method and TiR while deductive

grammar explanation comes from the Grammar-Translation Method Both deductive

and inductive explanations are necessary to be used because t1eaChers usually find I Inductive and deductive students In the same class So It ISsuggested to work with

inductive exposition first for the students to try to find out the ~Ies by themselves

Then teachers may write the grammar rules on the board and elplain them or even

better provide handouts with the explanation so that students Iho really need this

I support WIll internalize the information more easily Teachers can also assign

help the deductive ones

inductive and deductive students to work together The inductive ones will eventually

Another relevant aspect is about oral and written eXPlinations Teachers

should combine them with deductive and inductive explanation Ii teachers adapt the

grammar explanations in this way they will support not only inductive and deductive

students but also visual auditory and motor ones For examfle after students

discuss the examples (auditory and inductive) the teacher hanr clothes-line from

one side to the other side of the classroom and hangs cards with examples or rules

(one word in each card) for visual support and for deductive studehts Then they ask

motor students to help build up other examples

47 MUSIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS AND RHYTHM

28

Music is part of Desuggestopedia the Direct Method amd the Audio-Lingual

For visual students teachers should work with the lyrics and create activities

Method and teachers may adapt it to many different purposes

based on them Example students read the lyrics of a song and have to write a letter

giving advice to the person in the song Another task which works for mechanical

S I Istudents too ISto draw a story based on the Iyncs tudents are placed In a CIrCe

backs to the center and each of them has a piece of paper The~ listen to the teacherI

tell a story line by line and draw it passing the paper to the classmate beside him

each time the teacher pauses At the end they listen to a song and discover that it is

the story they have drawn Putting the lines of a song in the i9ht order is another

possibility and it also works for reflective learners Teachers cut lout the lyrics in parts

and while students listen to the song they have organize it in the correct order

For motor students teachers should combine songj with the usage of

Igestures demonstrallng feelings or reconstructing the scene from the content of the

song For this activity students listen to the song and read the lyrics Then they

work in groups to elaborate how they will perform it After that ~ey listen to the song

again and at this time they have to perform while the song is Jeing played

Another possibility is to give each student a line of a song and they have to

put it in order by moving around and forming a line according ti the song sequence

The student who has the first line stands at the beginning of theII line the student with

the second line stands next and so on

For auditory students teachers can fully exploit music jey should work with

rhythm and musical instruments One example is when students use rhythms and

29

melody to help them memorize grammar structures rules or vocabulary Students

can also use instruments with the same purpose When teaching verbs that are

h II dfollowed by infinitive or gerund students can create t elf own me 0 y or even a song

to memorize them ITeachers sometimes should play music in the background while students

write a composition or complete a task It helps auditory students concentrate betterI

Furthermore teachers should use songs frequently because It stimulates them to

1learn more vocabulary to Internalize structures and to keep their Interest high

Movies and videos are activities which are part of the Communicative

48 MOVIES AND VIDEOS

Approach and the Direct Method

For visual learners movies and videos provide input they are visual aids

Students can exploit a frame or a scene describing it or describing the characters I Teachers may use videos to reinforce or present structures or tOPICSFor example

students watch a scene or a video about how the British people live their habits the

meals etc to present cultural aspects of their people

For reflective learners movies and videos are used to provide input

concerning a topic to be discussed later Reflective students watch some parts of a

movie in class or at home and then have a discussion in the )rlloWing class This

technique is also a good way to work with self-correction Anoter suggestion is to

have students record a video performing a sketch or just speaking Then they

watch it and analyze their performances observing their strong and weak aspects of

them

30

For inductive learners movies and videos are good sources of real examples

Teachers can exploit either the sound or the subtitles Teachers may ask students to

watch the video and write down examples of simple present or kst ask questions to

make students use the structure exploring the video ITeachers can prepare a quiz for impulsive and motor learners The students

are divided in two teams and watch a scene or sequence of a movie Then they take

turns answering the questions prepared by the teacher a1d based on visual

elements or characters lines of the sequence Whenever a tear answers correctly

it wins fake money The winner is the team which gets the largest amount of money

For auditory students teachers should use science fiction or horror movies

but just the sound The screen should be black or covered withla piece of cloth and

students listen to the sound writing what is happening desCribi1gthe situation After

completing the activity students watch the sequence and compare it with their

stories Another idea is to select a scene with a dialogue and 1rit9 some questions

about it numbering them eg 1 to 6 Then the teacher cuts paper squares and write

the numbers of the questions on them Each number is writlen on two or three

Isquares so that the teacher has two numbers 1 three numbers 2 three numbers 3

I and so on The teacher covers the screen With the paper squares In order to prevent

students to watch the scene Then students listen and answer the questions orally

The teacher should take out the numbered squares correspondent to the questions

students answer correctly enabling them to see the whole scenJ

Kinesthetic students will enjoy preparing a performance ~ased on a movie or

the teacher can record them role playing a task for example being a reporter or a

news announcer They can also use a movie to explore contrasts and similarities

and make a chart about them

5 CONCLUSION

31

What has been discussed in this paper is for certain only the first step to find

a good and effective way to teach and learn a foreign language However something

that must be kept in mind is that learners all over the world hale their own needs

preferences and perceptions related to learning Teachers lust be trained to

perceive these differences and to take advantage of them Tlchers should plan

I middotmiddotf hmiddotlessons to match students learning styles while encouraging them to dlversl y t air

learning style preferences IAs for the controversy that using learning styles is or is rot beneficial for the

learning process it can not be harmful for either the teacher or the students just

because if they are consciously involved in the process this involvement may be

part of teachers and students own improvement as learners rt only for language

purposes but also for learning strategies development and it fay bring significant

results at the end Unquestionably all this process is time consuming but valid

Teachers can adapt the ideas to their environment and I time availability A

suggestion for teachers who are beginners in this area is to Rroceed carefully and

step-by-step This field is wide so teachers ought not to usJ activities for all the

learning styles and methods at once otherwise it will beCOle very complex and

difficult to control

Teachers are not expected to use all the activities proposed in this paper in

every class Teachers can provide them little by little wher the students need

support There are many strategies to help students develop ieir weaknesses It is~~ middot- middot ~l~00 0I

I

32

T h h Id h kSomething that must be aVOidedISto Individualize too much eac ers s au c ec

h d 11 If Ithe average of the group It IS easier to deal Wit an Stl e ectlve

IAmong all the theones concerning learnmg the most feasible way to solve

the style conflicts in a class is adapting the material Most teachrs have a textbook

to be followed and it usually includes a methodology So it is rportant to present

materials with a different focus to attend each learning preference

IOnly presenting a mulh-style class ISnot enough If a teacher decides to work

I I Th hWith these suggestions heshe has to think about evaluation as we 1 e teae er

must provide various ways of assessing not only written and I oral tests but also

other ways of measuring what students learn and in which the other styles are also I Involved Students can be evaluated while working In small gIOUPSperforming or

debating through journals among other suggestions

It is clear that teachers can not be paSSiveThey have to work exhaustively if I they want to help their students to fully develop They should also be open-minded In

relation to old methods present methods and brand-new one1sThey may be all

significant and helpful I

There are many approaches and methods nowadays aid probably there is

one coming out right now Each of them has been created to slve the problems in

the learning and teaching process but they may not be able to Researchers are still

trying to find a better way to teach or why not the prefect formLa It is complicated

to say not to follow a method I

In conclusion whatever teachers decide to apply in class they just need to

keep in mind that the students interests are the priority and theJ must be syntonized

with the teachers own beliefs respecting each ones paL and information

processing

REFERENCES

II

Bras G R de C (1998) Bnncando e aprendendo com logOS sensonals RIo deJaneiro Sprint I

Ellis R (1997) Second Language AcqUisition Oxford Oxford University Press

Guimaraes R (1997) Teaching Ught Teaching Bette~ a handI book for languageteachers Sao Paulo Senae

Hood K (1995) Exploring Learning Styles and Instruction The University ofGeorgia (Department of Mathematics Education) Retrieved 08072002 fromhttp lIwllson coe uga eduEMT705EMT705 Hood html I

Larsen-Freeman D (1986) Techmques and pnnclples In language teaching (2 ed)Oxford Oxford University Press I

~~nLp (9)s~~n~ t~9)0~n~a~ a~~Jd Oxford

University Press ILindsay P (JuI12001)SWingsof the Pendulum New Routes 14 pp 12-15

Richards J amp Rodgers 1 (2001) Approaches and Methods In Language Teaching(2 ed) Cambridge Cambridge University Press I

Rodgers T (Apr2000) Methodology in the new millenium English Teaching forum382 pp2-12 I

Rodgers S T (2001) Language Teaching Methodology ERIG Clearinghouse onLanguages and Linguistics Washington DC 20016-1859 Retrieved03052002 from hUpllwwwcalorgericclldigesUrodgershtml

Skehan P (1998) A cognitive approach to language learning 010rd OxfordUniversity Press

331 The Grammar-Translation Method

15

The Grammar Translation Method was first called the Classical Method used

to teach the classical languages latin and Greek It was apdlied in order to help

students read foreign language literature It was believed t~at foreign language

Ilearning would help students grow Intellectually no matter If they used the language

m~ Classes which are based on the Grammar Translation jethod are teacher-

centered and focus on reading and writing Students try to Td equivalents and

similarities between l1 and l2 l1 is permitted and learners have to memorize lists

of vocabulary It is also based on deductive grammar learning

332 The Direct Method

The Direct Method received its name from the fact tha meaning is to be

conveyed directly in the target language with the help of demonstration and visual

aids Therefore translation is not allowed Nowadays its goal of inltruction is to learn

how to use a foreign language to communicate lTeachers work with direct association real contexts I sing topics and

exposure speaking inductive grammar and self-correction hey also exploit

pictures and realia to contextualize and associate better

16

3 3 3 The Audio Lingual Method

IThe Audio Lingual Method IS an oral-based approacr method based on

Structurahsm and BehavIorism Skinner IS the best-known representative of this

method It is believed that the best way to acquire the target language is through

conditioning Teachers help learners to respond to stimuli using shaping and

reinforcement They think learners create and form new habits demanded to become

speakers of the target language So this method uses drills tb teach grammatical

sentence patterns focusing on oral rather than written ProductiOh

Stressing habit formation dialogues drills repetition verbal and nonverbal

stimuli and inductive learning are some of the techniques used In it The classes are

teacher-centered and it is recommended to work only with the target language Error

334 Desuggestopedia

must be avoided because they lead the students to bad habits

Desuggestopedia comes from an affective-humanistic approach in which the

main focus is on students feelings It is believed that people Jstablish barriers and

limitations when starting to learn a language These barriers make learners not use

the total mental capacity leading them to fail A solution to change this scenario is to

I desuggest students from setting up these limitations Desuggestopedla IS a method

in which a mixture of fine arts and music has an important rOlk in making learners

feel relaxed and consequently they will learn without being awJre of the process

The classes are teacher-centered in a very friendly environment DialoguesI

texts vocabulary lists role-plays different identities colorful posters musical

f 0 t dInstruments painting and baroque musIc are part 0 a esugges ope 18

17

class

335 Community Language Learning

Translation and comparison between L1 and L2 are allowed

Community Language Learning is based on the counselTg-learning approach

created for adult teaching Students must be considered as whole persons Whole-

person learning means that teachers consider not only their sLdents intellect but

I I h Ialso have some understanding of the relationship among students fee lngs P YSlca

reactions instinctive protective reactions and desire to learn (Freeman 1994 p

89)

The course is topic-based and learners provide the topics Teachers work with

translation group work recording transcription reflection obselation listening and Ifree conversation Students work collaboratlvely having the teacher as a counselor

Teacher uses chunks of words Sharing learning experiences i1 part of the process

Students take responsibility for their learning therefore it is a self-directed method

336 Total Physical Response

Total Physical Response is part of the comprehension approach In this

approach language learning starts with understanding and thtn producing Only

when the students have internalized the target language process will they start

speaking It is also grammar-based and structuralist It involtes comprehension

before production focusing on meaning rather than form then 6rammar and lexis

The classes are teacher-centered and the teacher provides i~perative sentences

I 18

and drills for the students to perform A good TPR class should make the use of

action gestures and tone of voice This method is claimed to Ilreducestress in the

learning process TPR is based in the wayan infant learns its native language First

students should just listen and understand how the language is Iused and after they

going to be accurate but it will improve gradually

have internalized it they will automatically produce it At first he language is not

Students must be exposed to the target language The eacher must be as

expressive as possible so they can use pictures to help

4 THE PARTNERSHIP

19

After analyzing and selecting the learning styles and t~le methods sUitable

techntques need to be selected and combined with learners pre erences

In this paper It IS suggested that classes be based a the Communicative

Approach The reason is that many coursebooks used in languige schools in Brazil

In order to provide effective activities for each of the learning styles the

nowadays are based on this approach

methods were analyzed and some of the techniques were chosen Not all the I practices were selected because It IS clear that the methods have similarities and

contrasts and it is necessary to be sensible when working with ~ethod sinergistics

As there is no perfect method that integrates and accommodJtes all the learning

styles a selection of useful ideas should be made

There are some techniques and activities below which can be effective in any

11 I I mutl- earning-stye class If prepared and used carefully and appropriately

41 GAMES

Games are mainly part of the Communicative APproach] but they can be

adapted to suit most of the methods the Grammar-Translation Method TPR The

Language Learning

Audio-Lingual Method the Direct Method Desuggestopedia and Community

Games may be applied to all the learning styles Teachers can use ready-

made games or create their own Some games are suggested in the chart that

follows

20

GAME lEARNING STYLES APPROACHMETHODSSpelling competition and

Iscrabbles Visual e motor GTM

Crosswords and word searchers Visual and reflective I GTM

Visual auditory motor and

IBingo inductive CAAlM

Miming Visual motor impulsive I CA TPR DMVocabulary categories and stop Visual and impulsive I GTMD

Can you name Auditory impulsive reflective(categories) and visual GTM

Build up a word Visual motor and reflective GTM

Betting game Visual inductive reflective and(correction of mistakes) auditory DM

Song game Auditory and motor CAD

Reflective motor visual andFind the murderer auditory DM Cll

Quiz Impulsive motor and auditory DMCA

Drill game Auditory impulsive and inductive AlM

Find the target Motor and auditory TPR Cll

Build up the picture Motor reflective and visual TPRCll

Most of the games are well known but there are lme for which an

explanation of the procedures is needed Bingo is an activity thbt is found in many

different ways Teachers may work with bingo to review some JocabUlary students

have learned or review structures To play bingo students have td read their words in

the cards listen to the selected word and mark the options which have been called

Vocabulary categories is a competition which is played by two teams the

students have to write down as many words in the category aSJhey can Teachers

make cards with different categories written on them Students Irite the words on a

paper or on the board The winner is who has the most words There are two

0 I vanatons for this kind of game ne IS the game stop and the other IS can you

name The former is played individually using just paper anld pencil Students

write down pre-selected categories and put them in columns One student calls out a

~~

I 11Ililr(CA- bullbullbilr u

letter and everybody has to write one word for each category rtil they comple

of the categories As soon as one student completes them he says stop and the I

other students stop wntlng In a group they call out the answer For each different

answer students score 10 points and for the same answers they score 5 points The

C I dwinner ISthe one who gets the most pOintsat the end an you name ISplaye

in two groups Students receive a sheet of paper with some dategOrieS(Example

Can you name 3 things you can open and close) Then they dlcide in their groups

what words to write in the categories After that one group h1asto discover what

words the other group selected in one minute and Vice-versa The winner is the

group which discovers more words IBuild-up a word is another well-known game which is basically spelling and

thinking The teacher writes letters of the alphabet in small carbs and places them

SI

face down on the floor tudents one-by-one have to turn over a card until any of

I hthem can bUild up a word When students notice that a word In be bUild up t ey

~ank eaI~em in front of them to form a war The winner is the

The betting game is usually played in pairs Students receIve a sheet of paper

with sentences The sentences may be right or wrong Students analyze them and

decide if they are right or wrong correcting the wrong ones The1 they bet from $10

to $100 on their answers If they correct the sentence in the right way they will win

the amount they bet but if their correction is wrong they will lokie the money The

winner is the pair who wins the most money at the end

The song game is played in two groups with students in line The first

students in each line listens to a line of a song using headphones lnd has to whisper

it in his neighbors ear This students whispers to the next until t~e last listens to it

Then this student has to go to the board and write the sentrce Students keep

dOingthe activity until the song finishes For thiSreason the SOlg should not be long

and fast After the song finishes the teacher analyzes the sentences correcting

I where It IS necessary and sconng when there IS no mistakes The winner IS the

group which has less mistakes

Find the murderer is a game with clues Students haVj to discover who is

the murderer following the clue cards they have In order to 10 the task students

have to read the clues and interact with their group to link them and find out who is

the criminal

The drill game is also very well known The teacher starts saying a sentence

to be completed by one student Example I went to the supermarket and I

boughLchocolate breadcake Students take turns comPleting the sentence

without repeating the words The students who do not say a wori within the time limit

or repeat a word are out of the game The winner is the student who remains until

22

game

the end of the game Vocabulary and grammar structures can be exploited in this

Two efficient examples of quiz are like torta na caraand topa tudo por

dinheiro two TV programs in SBT The former consists in arSWering questions

about a topic or general vocabulary Two teams play against each other and who

rings the bell first has the right to answer The winner is the teamwhich scores more

pOintsThe latter consists in watching a sequence of a movie wHich is full of details

and after that answer questions based on these details The gale is also played in

teams and the competitors win fake money for each right ansler they give The

winner is the team which gets the largest amount of money

23

picture and they have to impersonate the people in the pictures organizing

the pair or trio which gets to the target first

Build up a picture is a competition played in groups Students receive a

themselves as the people in the picture Only one or two students from each group

can see the picture and have to give directions to the others t+ry to build it up The

winner is the group which gets the closest to the picture organization

These techniques which can be found in the Direct Method the

42 PICTURES GRAPHS REALIA AND POSTERS

Communicative Approach and Desuggestopedia are very useful for visual motor

inductive and deductive learners I

Visual students exploit everything they can see and if it is colorful or real they

will internalize the information better As they picture things in Itheir minds teachers

should use images numbers or words to help them showing Pi1cturesto start a class

presentation or to make students produce language based on them Teachers ought

Ito use the board and provide handouts to explain grammar ports Teachers should

also guide students to underline important information with cOlorul highlighters

Motor students need to do things so they can make Itheir own posters or

graphs about a topic or a grammar explanation working in pairs or groups They I also match or classify Information which can be vocabulary 0 anything related to a

topiCand place it in posters These learners also like to work with realia It is very

24

guess Students are blindfolded and they have to taste smell or touch the items in

order to guess what they are

For inductive and deductive learners the usage of pictures graphs or posters

may be useful if exploited in the right way Inductive students ban be provided with

1

visual material to try to work out examples of a structure Whit deductive students

receive the structure itself in colorful charts to make it more memorable

43 ROLE-PLAYSWITH TEXTS AND DIALOGUES

Role-plays and dialogues are present in the comiunicative Approach

Desuggestopedia and the Audio-Lingual Method They may be applied to motor

For example students read a text or the script of a dialogue (visual)

auditory visual inductive and reflective learners

exchange ideas with their peers (auditory reflective and inductive) prepare a

1 presentation and perform It (motor auditory and Inductive) ThiS ISthe main skeletonI

of a role-play and teachers can adapt or vary some elements Scenano clothes

Jaccessones and sound effects are usually Included In thiSactlvl[Y

Creating identities is another good activity The students close their eyes

and listen to a very soft song (classical or baroque) The tealer makes questions

Ilike What IS your name Where do you live What do you do etc and the

students answer them mentally but their answers should + an invention They

should create different people with their profiles After that thy talk to partners and

Introduce themselves uSing thelf new Identities Then In a group they can create a

story uSing the new characters and perform It For thiS activit the learning styles

that will take more advantage are reflective

25

and

kinesthetic

44 TPR GESTURES AND BODY LANGUAGE

The use of imperative gestures and body language are part of Total Physical

Response and the Communicative Approach These techniques are very useful for

visual kinesthetic and inductive students When teachers make any gestures they

Iare helping the visual students When they ask students to use body language or

TPR they are helping kinesthetic students IAn effective example is miming Kinesthetic students like performing for the

others to guess and impulsive learners love trying to discover Jhat is being mimed

So teachers can exploit grammar structures like present continLus and vocabulary

this way A good example is to divide the group in two teiams and place two

~sOolr~thaah~tht~ecs ~~derb ~hO~

teams have to mime It to help their partners guess the word IWhen teachers provide tasks uSingTPR kinesthetic students do better They

can perform and understand what IS being asked Inductive Istudents also learn

betier uSingTPR because they Internalize the examples and hOr to use them while

performing or providing imperatives for the other students to perform For instance

while teaching prepositions teachers may present Ihem and lSk the students to

follow directions John stand behind Mary Ann put yourself nixt to John and so

on unlil you have involved all the studenls Then teachers In vary selecting a

26

some of the structures which may be explored

student to give the directions Directions actions prepositions d conditionals are

45 DEBATES

Debates are part of the Communicative Approach and the Direct Method ThisI

activity works well for visual reflective auditory impulsive an motor learners The

students need time to prepare the arguments and at this mOlent visual refiective

and mechanical work better because they have to write dOWl the ideas and think

about the topic Auditory and kinesthetic students can also participate Auditory

students will discuss the ideas orally and the kinesthetic will classify good and bad

arguments At the moment of speaking all of them will be pr+ared to discuss and

state their point-of-view but auditory kinesthetic and impulsive learners will probably

do better in this task They have to move around the room be fast-talking and use

the right words An interesting way of applying this idea is to prsent a sequence of a

n~ ~c~sn ao~~ aar~cte~~t~l~~~~~se

Then they start the trial defending and accusing the man Twol students are chosen

to be the JudgesAt the end of the activity the students watch the final trial to check

what the verdict was In this activity there is time to prepare lanalyze and discuss

information there is visual and auditory support and there is movement during the

trial itself with which motor students feel comfortable I

It is necessary to divide the group so that the students rre organized to use

different abilities for instance a reflective with an impulsive arnd a mechanical or a

27

improve their abilities through contact with their peers

visual with an auditory and a kinesthetic working together This way students

46 INDUCTIVEAND DEDUCTIVE EXPLANATION

Inductive grammar explanation comes from the iirect Method the

Communicative Approach the Audio-Lingual Method and TiR while deductive

grammar explanation comes from the Grammar-Translation Method Both deductive

and inductive explanations are necessary to be used because t1eaChers usually find I Inductive and deductive students In the same class So It ISsuggested to work with

inductive exposition first for the students to try to find out the ~Ies by themselves

Then teachers may write the grammar rules on the board and elplain them or even

better provide handouts with the explanation so that students Iho really need this

I support WIll internalize the information more easily Teachers can also assign

help the deductive ones

inductive and deductive students to work together The inductive ones will eventually

Another relevant aspect is about oral and written eXPlinations Teachers

should combine them with deductive and inductive explanation Ii teachers adapt the

grammar explanations in this way they will support not only inductive and deductive

students but also visual auditory and motor ones For examfle after students

discuss the examples (auditory and inductive) the teacher hanr clothes-line from

one side to the other side of the classroom and hangs cards with examples or rules

(one word in each card) for visual support and for deductive studehts Then they ask

motor students to help build up other examples

47 MUSIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS AND RHYTHM

28

Music is part of Desuggestopedia the Direct Method amd the Audio-Lingual

For visual students teachers should work with the lyrics and create activities

Method and teachers may adapt it to many different purposes

based on them Example students read the lyrics of a song and have to write a letter

giving advice to the person in the song Another task which works for mechanical

S I Istudents too ISto draw a story based on the Iyncs tudents are placed In a CIrCe

backs to the center and each of them has a piece of paper The~ listen to the teacherI

tell a story line by line and draw it passing the paper to the classmate beside him

each time the teacher pauses At the end they listen to a song and discover that it is

the story they have drawn Putting the lines of a song in the i9ht order is another

possibility and it also works for reflective learners Teachers cut lout the lyrics in parts

and while students listen to the song they have organize it in the correct order

For motor students teachers should combine songj with the usage of

Igestures demonstrallng feelings or reconstructing the scene from the content of the

song For this activity students listen to the song and read the lyrics Then they

work in groups to elaborate how they will perform it After that ~ey listen to the song

again and at this time they have to perform while the song is Jeing played

Another possibility is to give each student a line of a song and they have to

put it in order by moving around and forming a line according ti the song sequence

The student who has the first line stands at the beginning of theII line the student with

the second line stands next and so on

For auditory students teachers can fully exploit music jey should work with

rhythm and musical instruments One example is when students use rhythms and

29

melody to help them memorize grammar structures rules or vocabulary Students

can also use instruments with the same purpose When teaching verbs that are

h II dfollowed by infinitive or gerund students can create t elf own me 0 y or even a song

to memorize them ITeachers sometimes should play music in the background while students

write a composition or complete a task It helps auditory students concentrate betterI

Furthermore teachers should use songs frequently because It stimulates them to

1learn more vocabulary to Internalize structures and to keep their Interest high

Movies and videos are activities which are part of the Communicative

48 MOVIES AND VIDEOS

Approach and the Direct Method

For visual learners movies and videos provide input they are visual aids

Students can exploit a frame or a scene describing it or describing the characters I Teachers may use videos to reinforce or present structures or tOPICSFor example

students watch a scene or a video about how the British people live their habits the

meals etc to present cultural aspects of their people

For reflective learners movies and videos are used to provide input

concerning a topic to be discussed later Reflective students watch some parts of a

movie in class or at home and then have a discussion in the )rlloWing class This

technique is also a good way to work with self-correction Anoter suggestion is to

have students record a video performing a sketch or just speaking Then they

watch it and analyze their performances observing their strong and weak aspects of

them

30

For inductive learners movies and videos are good sources of real examples

Teachers can exploit either the sound or the subtitles Teachers may ask students to

watch the video and write down examples of simple present or kst ask questions to

make students use the structure exploring the video ITeachers can prepare a quiz for impulsive and motor learners The students

are divided in two teams and watch a scene or sequence of a movie Then they take

turns answering the questions prepared by the teacher a1d based on visual

elements or characters lines of the sequence Whenever a tear answers correctly

it wins fake money The winner is the team which gets the largest amount of money

For auditory students teachers should use science fiction or horror movies

but just the sound The screen should be black or covered withla piece of cloth and

students listen to the sound writing what is happening desCribi1gthe situation After

completing the activity students watch the sequence and compare it with their

stories Another idea is to select a scene with a dialogue and 1rit9 some questions

about it numbering them eg 1 to 6 Then the teacher cuts paper squares and write

the numbers of the questions on them Each number is writlen on two or three

Isquares so that the teacher has two numbers 1 three numbers 2 three numbers 3

I and so on The teacher covers the screen With the paper squares In order to prevent

students to watch the scene Then students listen and answer the questions orally

The teacher should take out the numbered squares correspondent to the questions

students answer correctly enabling them to see the whole scenJ

Kinesthetic students will enjoy preparing a performance ~ased on a movie or

the teacher can record them role playing a task for example being a reporter or a

news announcer They can also use a movie to explore contrasts and similarities

and make a chart about them

5 CONCLUSION

31

What has been discussed in this paper is for certain only the first step to find

a good and effective way to teach and learn a foreign language However something

that must be kept in mind is that learners all over the world hale their own needs

preferences and perceptions related to learning Teachers lust be trained to

perceive these differences and to take advantage of them Tlchers should plan

I middotmiddotf hmiddotlessons to match students learning styles while encouraging them to dlversl y t air

learning style preferences IAs for the controversy that using learning styles is or is rot beneficial for the

learning process it can not be harmful for either the teacher or the students just

because if they are consciously involved in the process this involvement may be

part of teachers and students own improvement as learners rt only for language

purposes but also for learning strategies development and it fay bring significant

results at the end Unquestionably all this process is time consuming but valid

Teachers can adapt the ideas to their environment and I time availability A

suggestion for teachers who are beginners in this area is to Rroceed carefully and

step-by-step This field is wide so teachers ought not to usJ activities for all the

learning styles and methods at once otherwise it will beCOle very complex and

difficult to control

Teachers are not expected to use all the activities proposed in this paper in

every class Teachers can provide them little by little wher the students need

support There are many strategies to help students develop ieir weaknesses It is~~ middot- middot ~l~00 0I

I

32

T h h Id h kSomething that must be aVOidedISto Individualize too much eac ers s au c ec

h d 11 If Ithe average of the group It IS easier to deal Wit an Stl e ectlve

IAmong all the theones concerning learnmg the most feasible way to solve

the style conflicts in a class is adapting the material Most teachrs have a textbook

to be followed and it usually includes a methodology So it is rportant to present

materials with a different focus to attend each learning preference

IOnly presenting a mulh-style class ISnot enough If a teacher decides to work

I I Th hWith these suggestions heshe has to think about evaluation as we 1 e teae er

must provide various ways of assessing not only written and I oral tests but also

other ways of measuring what students learn and in which the other styles are also I Involved Students can be evaluated while working In small gIOUPSperforming or

debating through journals among other suggestions

It is clear that teachers can not be paSSiveThey have to work exhaustively if I they want to help their students to fully develop They should also be open-minded In

relation to old methods present methods and brand-new one1sThey may be all

significant and helpful I

There are many approaches and methods nowadays aid probably there is

one coming out right now Each of them has been created to slve the problems in

the learning and teaching process but they may not be able to Researchers are still

trying to find a better way to teach or why not the prefect formLa It is complicated

to say not to follow a method I

In conclusion whatever teachers decide to apply in class they just need to

keep in mind that the students interests are the priority and theJ must be syntonized

with the teachers own beliefs respecting each ones paL and information

processing

REFERENCES

II

Bras G R de C (1998) Bnncando e aprendendo com logOS sensonals RIo deJaneiro Sprint I

Ellis R (1997) Second Language AcqUisition Oxford Oxford University Press

Guimaraes R (1997) Teaching Ught Teaching Bette~ a handI book for languageteachers Sao Paulo Senae

Hood K (1995) Exploring Learning Styles and Instruction The University ofGeorgia (Department of Mathematics Education) Retrieved 08072002 fromhttp lIwllson coe uga eduEMT705EMT705 Hood html I

Larsen-Freeman D (1986) Techmques and pnnclples In language teaching (2 ed)Oxford Oxford University Press I

~~nLp (9)s~~n~ t~9)0~n~a~ a~~Jd Oxford

University Press ILindsay P (JuI12001)SWingsof the Pendulum New Routes 14 pp 12-15

Richards J amp Rodgers 1 (2001) Approaches and Methods In Language Teaching(2 ed) Cambridge Cambridge University Press I

Rodgers T (Apr2000) Methodology in the new millenium English Teaching forum382 pp2-12 I

Rodgers S T (2001) Language Teaching Methodology ERIG Clearinghouse onLanguages and Linguistics Washington DC 20016-1859 Retrieved03052002 from hUpllwwwcalorgericclldigesUrodgershtml

Skehan P (1998) A cognitive approach to language learning 010rd OxfordUniversity Press

16

3 3 3 The Audio Lingual Method

IThe Audio Lingual Method IS an oral-based approacr method based on

Structurahsm and BehavIorism Skinner IS the best-known representative of this

method It is believed that the best way to acquire the target language is through

conditioning Teachers help learners to respond to stimuli using shaping and

reinforcement They think learners create and form new habits demanded to become

speakers of the target language So this method uses drills tb teach grammatical

sentence patterns focusing on oral rather than written ProductiOh

Stressing habit formation dialogues drills repetition verbal and nonverbal

stimuli and inductive learning are some of the techniques used In it The classes are

teacher-centered and it is recommended to work only with the target language Error

334 Desuggestopedia

must be avoided because they lead the students to bad habits

Desuggestopedia comes from an affective-humanistic approach in which the

main focus is on students feelings It is believed that people Jstablish barriers and

limitations when starting to learn a language These barriers make learners not use

the total mental capacity leading them to fail A solution to change this scenario is to

I desuggest students from setting up these limitations Desuggestopedla IS a method

in which a mixture of fine arts and music has an important rOlk in making learners

feel relaxed and consequently they will learn without being awJre of the process

The classes are teacher-centered in a very friendly environment DialoguesI

texts vocabulary lists role-plays different identities colorful posters musical

f 0 t dInstruments painting and baroque musIc are part 0 a esugges ope 18

17

class

335 Community Language Learning

Translation and comparison between L1 and L2 are allowed

Community Language Learning is based on the counselTg-learning approach

created for adult teaching Students must be considered as whole persons Whole-

person learning means that teachers consider not only their sLdents intellect but

I I h Ialso have some understanding of the relationship among students fee lngs P YSlca

reactions instinctive protective reactions and desire to learn (Freeman 1994 p

89)

The course is topic-based and learners provide the topics Teachers work with

translation group work recording transcription reflection obselation listening and Ifree conversation Students work collaboratlvely having the teacher as a counselor

Teacher uses chunks of words Sharing learning experiences i1 part of the process

Students take responsibility for their learning therefore it is a self-directed method

336 Total Physical Response

Total Physical Response is part of the comprehension approach In this

approach language learning starts with understanding and thtn producing Only

when the students have internalized the target language process will they start

speaking It is also grammar-based and structuralist It involtes comprehension

before production focusing on meaning rather than form then 6rammar and lexis

The classes are teacher-centered and the teacher provides i~perative sentences

I 18

and drills for the students to perform A good TPR class should make the use of

action gestures and tone of voice This method is claimed to Ilreducestress in the

learning process TPR is based in the wayan infant learns its native language First

students should just listen and understand how the language is Iused and after they

going to be accurate but it will improve gradually

have internalized it they will automatically produce it At first he language is not

Students must be exposed to the target language The eacher must be as

expressive as possible so they can use pictures to help

4 THE PARTNERSHIP

19

After analyzing and selecting the learning styles and t~le methods sUitable

techntques need to be selected and combined with learners pre erences

In this paper It IS suggested that classes be based a the Communicative

Approach The reason is that many coursebooks used in languige schools in Brazil

In order to provide effective activities for each of the learning styles the

nowadays are based on this approach

methods were analyzed and some of the techniques were chosen Not all the I practices were selected because It IS clear that the methods have similarities and

contrasts and it is necessary to be sensible when working with ~ethod sinergistics

As there is no perfect method that integrates and accommodJtes all the learning

styles a selection of useful ideas should be made

There are some techniques and activities below which can be effective in any

11 I I mutl- earning-stye class If prepared and used carefully and appropriately

41 GAMES

Games are mainly part of the Communicative APproach] but they can be

adapted to suit most of the methods the Grammar-Translation Method TPR The

Language Learning

Audio-Lingual Method the Direct Method Desuggestopedia and Community

Games may be applied to all the learning styles Teachers can use ready-

made games or create their own Some games are suggested in the chart that

follows

20

GAME lEARNING STYLES APPROACHMETHODSSpelling competition and

Iscrabbles Visual e motor GTM

Crosswords and word searchers Visual and reflective I GTM

Visual auditory motor and

IBingo inductive CAAlM

Miming Visual motor impulsive I CA TPR DMVocabulary categories and stop Visual and impulsive I GTMD

Can you name Auditory impulsive reflective(categories) and visual GTM

Build up a word Visual motor and reflective GTM

Betting game Visual inductive reflective and(correction of mistakes) auditory DM

Song game Auditory and motor CAD

Reflective motor visual andFind the murderer auditory DM Cll

Quiz Impulsive motor and auditory DMCA

Drill game Auditory impulsive and inductive AlM

Find the target Motor and auditory TPR Cll

Build up the picture Motor reflective and visual TPRCll

Most of the games are well known but there are lme for which an

explanation of the procedures is needed Bingo is an activity thbt is found in many

different ways Teachers may work with bingo to review some JocabUlary students

have learned or review structures To play bingo students have td read their words in

the cards listen to the selected word and mark the options which have been called

Vocabulary categories is a competition which is played by two teams the

students have to write down as many words in the category aSJhey can Teachers

make cards with different categories written on them Students Irite the words on a

paper or on the board The winner is who has the most words There are two

0 I vanatons for this kind of game ne IS the game stop and the other IS can you

name The former is played individually using just paper anld pencil Students

write down pre-selected categories and put them in columns One student calls out a

~~

I 11Ililr(CA- bullbullbilr u

letter and everybody has to write one word for each category rtil they comple

of the categories As soon as one student completes them he says stop and the I

other students stop wntlng In a group they call out the answer For each different

answer students score 10 points and for the same answers they score 5 points The

C I dwinner ISthe one who gets the most pOintsat the end an you name ISplaye

in two groups Students receive a sheet of paper with some dategOrieS(Example

Can you name 3 things you can open and close) Then they dlcide in their groups

what words to write in the categories After that one group h1asto discover what

words the other group selected in one minute and Vice-versa The winner is the

group which discovers more words IBuild-up a word is another well-known game which is basically spelling and

thinking The teacher writes letters of the alphabet in small carbs and places them

SI

face down on the floor tudents one-by-one have to turn over a card until any of

I hthem can bUild up a word When students notice that a word In be bUild up t ey

~ank eaI~em in front of them to form a war The winner is the

The betting game is usually played in pairs Students receIve a sheet of paper

with sentences The sentences may be right or wrong Students analyze them and

decide if they are right or wrong correcting the wrong ones The1 they bet from $10

to $100 on their answers If they correct the sentence in the right way they will win

the amount they bet but if their correction is wrong they will lokie the money The

winner is the pair who wins the most money at the end

The song game is played in two groups with students in line The first

students in each line listens to a line of a song using headphones lnd has to whisper

it in his neighbors ear This students whispers to the next until t~e last listens to it

Then this student has to go to the board and write the sentrce Students keep

dOingthe activity until the song finishes For thiSreason the SOlg should not be long

and fast After the song finishes the teacher analyzes the sentences correcting

I where It IS necessary and sconng when there IS no mistakes The winner IS the

group which has less mistakes

Find the murderer is a game with clues Students haVj to discover who is

the murderer following the clue cards they have In order to 10 the task students

have to read the clues and interact with their group to link them and find out who is

the criminal

The drill game is also very well known The teacher starts saying a sentence

to be completed by one student Example I went to the supermarket and I

boughLchocolate breadcake Students take turns comPleting the sentence

without repeating the words The students who do not say a wori within the time limit

or repeat a word are out of the game The winner is the student who remains until

22

game

the end of the game Vocabulary and grammar structures can be exploited in this

Two efficient examples of quiz are like torta na caraand topa tudo por

dinheiro two TV programs in SBT The former consists in arSWering questions

about a topic or general vocabulary Two teams play against each other and who

rings the bell first has the right to answer The winner is the teamwhich scores more

pOintsThe latter consists in watching a sequence of a movie wHich is full of details

and after that answer questions based on these details The gale is also played in

teams and the competitors win fake money for each right ansler they give The

winner is the team which gets the largest amount of money

23

picture and they have to impersonate the people in the pictures organizing

the pair or trio which gets to the target first

Build up a picture is a competition played in groups Students receive a

themselves as the people in the picture Only one or two students from each group

can see the picture and have to give directions to the others t+ry to build it up The

winner is the group which gets the closest to the picture organization

These techniques which can be found in the Direct Method the

42 PICTURES GRAPHS REALIA AND POSTERS

Communicative Approach and Desuggestopedia are very useful for visual motor

inductive and deductive learners I

Visual students exploit everything they can see and if it is colorful or real they

will internalize the information better As they picture things in Itheir minds teachers

should use images numbers or words to help them showing Pi1cturesto start a class

presentation or to make students produce language based on them Teachers ought

Ito use the board and provide handouts to explain grammar ports Teachers should

also guide students to underline important information with cOlorul highlighters

Motor students need to do things so they can make Itheir own posters or

graphs about a topic or a grammar explanation working in pairs or groups They I also match or classify Information which can be vocabulary 0 anything related to a

topiCand place it in posters These learners also like to work with realia It is very

24

guess Students are blindfolded and they have to taste smell or touch the items in

order to guess what they are

For inductive and deductive learners the usage of pictures graphs or posters

may be useful if exploited in the right way Inductive students ban be provided with

1

visual material to try to work out examples of a structure Whit deductive students

receive the structure itself in colorful charts to make it more memorable

43 ROLE-PLAYSWITH TEXTS AND DIALOGUES

Role-plays and dialogues are present in the comiunicative Approach

Desuggestopedia and the Audio-Lingual Method They may be applied to motor

For example students read a text or the script of a dialogue (visual)

auditory visual inductive and reflective learners

exchange ideas with their peers (auditory reflective and inductive) prepare a

1 presentation and perform It (motor auditory and Inductive) ThiS ISthe main skeletonI

of a role-play and teachers can adapt or vary some elements Scenano clothes

Jaccessones and sound effects are usually Included In thiSactlvl[Y

Creating identities is another good activity The students close their eyes

and listen to a very soft song (classical or baroque) The tealer makes questions

Ilike What IS your name Where do you live What do you do etc and the

students answer them mentally but their answers should + an invention They

should create different people with their profiles After that thy talk to partners and

Introduce themselves uSing thelf new Identities Then In a group they can create a

story uSing the new characters and perform It For thiS activit the learning styles

that will take more advantage are reflective

25

and

kinesthetic

44 TPR GESTURES AND BODY LANGUAGE

The use of imperative gestures and body language are part of Total Physical

Response and the Communicative Approach These techniques are very useful for

visual kinesthetic and inductive students When teachers make any gestures they

Iare helping the visual students When they ask students to use body language or

TPR they are helping kinesthetic students IAn effective example is miming Kinesthetic students like performing for the

others to guess and impulsive learners love trying to discover Jhat is being mimed

So teachers can exploit grammar structures like present continLus and vocabulary

this way A good example is to divide the group in two teiams and place two

~sOolr~thaah~tht~ecs ~~derb ~hO~

teams have to mime It to help their partners guess the word IWhen teachers provide tasks uSingTPR kinesthetic students do better They

can perform and understand what IS being asked Inductive Istudents also learn

betier uSingTPR because they Internalize the examples and hOr to use them while

performing or providing imperatives for the other students to perform For instance

while teaching prepositions teachers may present Ihem and lSk the students to

follow directions John stand behind Mary Ann put yourself nixt to John and so

on unlil you have involved all the studenls Then teachers In vary selecting a

26

some of the structures which may be explored

student to give the directions Directions actions prepositions d conditionals are

45 DEBATES

Debates are part of the Communicative Approach and the Direct Method ThisI

activity works well for visual reflective auditory impulsive an motor learners The

students need time to prepare the arguments and at this mOlent visual refiective

and mechanical work better because they have to write dOWl the ideas and think

about the topic Auditory and kinesthetic students can also participate Auditory

students will discuss the ideas orally and the kinesthetic will classify good and bad

arguments At the moment of speaking all of them will be pr+ared to discuss and

state their point-of-view but auditory kinesthetic and impulsive learners will probably

do better in this task They have to move around the room be fast-talking and use

the right words An interesting way of applying this idea is to prsent a sequence of a

n~ ~c~sn ao~~ aar~cte~~t~l~~~~~se

Then they start the trial defending and accusing the man Twol students are chosen

to be the JudgesAt the end of the activity the students watch the final trial to check

what the verdict was In this activity there is time to prepare lanalyze and discuss

information there is visual and auditory support and there is movement during the

trial itself with which motor students feel comfortable I

It is necessary to divide the group so that the students rre organized to use

different abilities for instance a reflective with an impulsive arnd a mechanical or a

27

improve their abilities through contact with their peers

visual with an auditory and a kinesthetic working together This way students

46 INDUCTIVEAND DEDUCTIVE EXPLANATION

Inductive grammar explanation comes from the iirect Method the

Communicative Approach the Audio-Lingual Method and TiR while deductive

grammar explanation comes from the Grammar-Translation Method Both deductive

and inductive explanations are necessary to be used because t1eaChers usually find I Inductive and deductive students In the same class So It ISsuggested to work with

inductive exposition first for the students to try to find out the ~Ies by themselves

Then teachers may write the grammar rules on the board and elplain them or even

better provide handouts with the explanation so that students Iho really need this

I support WIll internalize the information more easily Teachers can also assign

help the deductive ones

inductive and deductive students to work together The inductive ones will eventually

Another relevant aspect is about oral and written eXPlinations Teachers

should combine them with deductive and inductive explanation Ii teachers adapt the

grammar explanations in this way they will support not only inductive and deductive

students but also visual auditory and motor ones For examfle after students

discuss the examples (auditory and inductive) the teacher hanr clothes-line from

one side to the other side of the classroom and hangs cards with examples or rules

(one word in each card) for visual support and for deductive studehts Then they ask

motor students to help build up other examples

47 MUSIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS AND RHYTHM

28

Music is part of Desuggestopedia the Direct Method amd the Audio-Lingual

For visual students teachers should work with the lyrics and create activities

Method and teachers may adapt it to many different purposes

based on them Example students read the lyrics of a song and have to write a letter

giving advice to the person in the song Another task which works for mechanical

S I Istudents too ISto draw a story based on the Iyncs tudents are placed In a CIrCe

backs to the center and each of them has a piece of paper The~ listen to the teacherI

tell a story line by line and draw it passing the paper to the classmate beside him

each time the teacher pauses At the end they listen to a song and discover that it is

the story they have drawn Putting the lines of a song in the i9ht order is another

possibility and it also works for reflective learners Teachers cut lout the lyrics in parts

and while students listen to the song they have organize it in the correct order

For motor students teachers should combine songj with the usage of

Igestures demonstrallng feelings or reconstructing the scene from the content of the

song For this activity students listen to the song and read the lyrics Then they

work in groups to elaborate how they will perform it After that ~ey listen to the song

again and at this time they have to perform while the song is Jeing played

Another possibility is to give each student a line of a song and they have to

put it in order by moving around and forming a line according ti the song sequence

The student who has the first line stands at the beginning of theII line the student with

the second line stands next and so on

For auditory students teachers can fully exploit music jey should work with

rhythm and musical instruments One example is when students use rhythms and

29

melody to help them memorize grammar structures rules or vocabulary Students

can also use instruments with the same purpose When teaching verbs that are

h II dfollowed by infinitive or gerund students can create t elf own me 0 y or even a song

to memorize them ITeachers sometimes should play music in the background while students

write a composition or complete a task It helps auditory students concentrate betterI

Furthermore teachers should use songs frequently because It stimulates them to

1learn more vocabulary to Internalize structures and to keep their Interest high

Movies and videos are activities which are part of the Communicative

48 MOVIES AND VIDEOS

Approach and the Direct Method

For visual learners movies and videos provide input they are visual aids

Students can exploit a frame or a scene describing it or describing the characters I Teachers may use videos to reinforce or present structures or tOPICSFor example

students watch a scene or a video about how the British people live their habits the

meals etc to present cultural aspects of their people

For reflective learners movies and videos are used to provide input

concerning a topic to be discussed later Reflective students watch some parts of a

movie in class or at home and then have a discussion in the )rlloWing class This

technique is also a good way to work with self-correction Anoter suggestion is to

have students record a video performing a sketch or just speaking Then they

watch it and analyze their performances observing their strong and weak aspects of

them

30

For inductive learners movies and videos are good sources of real examples

Teachers can exploit either the sound or the subtitles Teachers may ask students to

watch the video and write down examples of simple present or kst ask questions to

make students use the structure exploring the video ITeachers can prepare a quiz for impulsive and motor learners The students

are divided in two teams and watch a scene or sequence of a movie Then they take

turns answering the questions prepared by the teacher a1d based on visual

elements or characters lines of the sequence Whenever a tear answers correctly

it wins fake money The winner is the team which gets the largest amount of money

For auditory students teachers should use science fiction or horror movies

but just the sound The screen should be black or covered withla piece of cloth and

students listen to the sound writing what is happening desCribi1gthe situation After

completing the activity students watch the sequence and compare it with their

stories Another idea is to select a scene with a dialogue and 1rit9 some questions

about it numbering them eg 1 to 6 Then the teacher cuts paper squares and write

the numbers of the questions on them Each number is writlen on two or three

Isquares so that the teacher has two numbers 1 three numbers 2 three numbers 3

I and so on The teacher covers the screen With the paper squares In order to prevent

students to watch the scene Then students listen and answer the questions orally

The teacher should take out the numbered squares correspondent to the questions

students answer correctly enabling them to see the whole scenJ

Kinesthetic students will enjoy preparing a performance ~ased on a movie or

the teacher can record them role playing a task for example being a reporter or a

news announcer They can also use a movie to explore contrasts and similarities

and make a chart about them

5 CONCLUSION

31

What has been discussed in this paper is for certain only the first step to find

a good and effective way to teach and learn a foreign language However something

that must be kept in mind is that learners all over the world hale their own needs

preferences and perceptions related to learning Teachers lust be trained to

perceive these differences and to take advantage of them Tlchers should plan

I middotmiddotf hmiddotlessons to match students learning styles while encouraging them to dlversl y t air

learning style preferences IAs for the controversy that using learning styles is or is rot beneficial for the

learning process it can not be harmful for either the teacher or the students just

because if they are consciously involved in the process this involvement may be

part of teachers and students own improvement as learners rt only for language

purposes but also for learning strategies development and it fay bring significant

results at the end Unquestionably all this process is time consuming but valid

Teachers can adapt the ideas to their environment and I time availability A

suggestion for teachers who are beginners in this area is to Rroceed carefully and

step-by-step This field is wide so teachers ought not to usJ activities for all the

learning styles and methods at once otherwise it will beCOle very complex and

difficult to control

Teachers are not expected to use all the activities proposed in this paper in

every class Teachers can provide them little by little wher the students need

support There are many strategies to help students develop ieir weaknesses It is~~ middot- middot ~l~00 0I

I

32

T h h Id h kSomething that must be aVOidedISto Individualize too much eac ers s au c ec

h d 11 If Ithe average of the group It IS easier to deal Wit an Stl e ectlve

IAmong all the theones concerning learnmg the most feasible way to solve

the style conflicts in a class is adapting the material Most teachrs have a textbook

to be followed and it usually includes a methodology So it is rportant to present

materials with a different focus to attend each learning preference

IOnly presenting a mulh-style class ISnot enough If a teacher decides to work

I I Th hWith these suggestions heshe has to think about evaluation as we 1 e teae er

must provide various ways of assessing not only written and I oral tests but also

other ways of measuring what students learn and in which the other styles are also I Involved Students can be evaluated while working In small gIOUPSperforming or

debating through journals among other suggestions

It is clear that teachers can not be paSSiveThey have to work exhaustively if I they want to help their students to fully develop They should also be open-minded In

relation to old methods present methods and brand-new one1sThey may be all

significant and helpful I

There are many approaches and methods nowadays aid probably there is

one coming out right now Each of them has been created to slve the problems in

the learning and teaching process but they may not be able to Researchers are still

trying to find a better way to teach or why not the prefect formLa It is complicated

to say not to follow a method I

In conclusion whatever teachers decide to apply in class they just need to

keep in mind that the students interests are the priority and theJ must be syntonized

with the teachers own beliefs respecting each ones paL and information

processing

REFERENCES

II

Bras G R de C (1998) Bnncando e aprendendo com logOS sensonals RIo deJaneiro Sprint I

Ellis R (1997) Second Language AcqUisition Oxford Oxford University Press

Guimaraes R (1997) Teaching Ught Teaching Bette~ a handI book for languageteachers Sao Paulo Senae

Hood K (1995) Exploring Learning Styles and Instruction The University ofGeorgia (Department of Mathematics Education) Retrieved 08072002 fromhttp lIwllson coe uga eduEMT705EMT705 Hood html I

Larsen-Freeman D (1986) Techmques and pnnclples In language teaching (2 ed)Oxford Oxford University Press I

~~nLp (9)s~~n~ t~9)0~n~a~ a~~Jd Oxford

University Press ILindsay P (JuI12001)SWingsof the Pendulum New Routes 14 pp 12-15

Richards J amp Rodgers 1 (2001) Approaches and Methods In Language Teaching(2 ed) Cambridge Cambridge University Press I

Rodgers T (Apr2000) Methodology in the new millenium English Teaching forum382 pp2-12 I

Rodgers S T (2001) Language Teaching Methodology ERIG Clearinghouse onLanguages and Linguistics Washington DC 20016-1859 Retrieved03052002 from hUpllwwwcalorgericclldigesUrodgershtml

Skehan P (1998) A cognitive approach to language learning 010rd OxfordUniversity Press

f 0 t dInstruments painting and baroque musIc are part 0 a esugges ope 18

17

class

335 Community Language Learning

Translation and comparison between L1 and L2 are allowed

Community Language Learning is based on the counselTg-learning approach

created for adult teaching Students must be considered as whole persons Whole-

person learning means that teachers consider not only their sLdents intellect but

I I h Ialso have some understanding of the relationship among students fee lngs P YSlca

reactions instinctive protective reactions and desire to learn (Freeman 1994 p

89)

The course is topic-based and learners provide the topics Teachers work with

translation group work recording transcription reflection obselation listening and Ifree conversation Students work collaboratlvely having the teacher as a counselor

Teacher uses chunks of words Sharing learning experiences i1 part of the process

Students take responsibility for their learning therefore it is a self-directed method

336 Total Physical Response

Total Physical Response is part of the comprehension approach In this

approach language learning starts with understanding and thtn producing Only

when the students have internalized the target language process will they start

speaking It is also grammar-based and structuralist It involtes comprehension

before production focusing on meaning rather than form then 6rammar and lexis

The classes are teacher-centered and the teacher provides i~perative sentences

I 18

and drills for the students to perform A good TPR class should make the use of

action gestures and tone of voice This method is claimed to Ilreducestress in the

learning process TPR is based in the wayan infant learns its native language First

students should just listen and understand how the language is Iused and after they

going to be accurate but it will improve gradually

have internalized it they will automatically produce it At first he language is not

Students must be exposed to the target language The eacher must be as

expressive as possible so they can use pictures to help

4 THE PARTNERSHIP

19

After analyzing and selecting the learning styles and t~le methods sUitable

techntques need to be selected and combined with learners pre erences

In this paper It IS suggested that classes be based a the Communicative

Approach The reason is that many coursebooks used in languige schools in Brazil

In order to provide effective activities for each of the learning styles the

nowadays are based on this approach

methods were analyzed and some of the techniques were chosen Not all the I practices were selected because It IS clear that the methods have similarities and

contrasts and it is necessary to be sensible when working with ~ethod sinergistics

As there is no perfect method that integrates and accommodJtes all the learning

styles a selection of useful ideas should be made

There are some techniques and activities below which can be effective in any

11 I I mutl- earning-stye class If prepared and used carefully and appropriately

41 GAMES

Games are mainly part of the Communicative APproach] but they can be

adapted to suit most of the methods the Grammar-Translation Method TPR The

Language Learning

Audio-Lingual Method the Direct Method Desuggestopedia and Community

Games may be applied to all the learning styles Teachers can use ready-

made games or create their own Some games are suggested in the chart that

follows

20

GAME lEARNING STYLES APPROACHMETHODSSpelling competition and

Iscrabbles Visual e motor GTM

Crosswords and word searchers Visual and reflective I GTM

Visual auditory motor and

IBingo inductive CAAlM

Miming Visual motor impulsive I CA TPR DMVocabulary categories and stop Visual and impulsive I GTMD

Can you name Auditory impulsive reflective(categories) and visual GTM

Build up a word Visual motor and reflective GTM

Betting game Visual inductive reflective and(correction of mistakes) auditory DM

Song game Auditory and motor CAD

Reflective motor visual andFind the murderer auditory DM Cll

Quiz Impulsive motor and auditory DMCA

Drill game Auditory impulsive and inductive AlM

Find the target Motor and auditory TPR Cll

Build up the picture Motor reflective and visual TPRCll

Most of the games are well known but there are lme for which an

explanation of the procedures is needed Bingo is an activity thbt is found in many

different ways Teachers may work with bingo to review some JocabUlary students

have learned or review structures To play bingo students have td read their words in

the cards listen to the selected word and mark the options which have been called

Vocabulary categories is a competition which is played by two teams the

students have to write down as many words in the category aSJhey can Teachers

make cards with different categories written on them Students Irite the words on a

paper or on the board The winner is who has the most words There are two

0 I vanatons for this kind of game ne IS the game stop and the other IS can you

name The former is played individually using just paper anld pencil Students

write down pre-selected categories and put them in columns One student calls out a

~~

I 11Ililr(CA- bullbullbilr u

letter and everybody has to write one word for each category rtil they comple

of the categories As soon as one student completes them he says stop and the I

other students stop wntlng In a group they call out the answer For each different

answer students score 10 points and for the same answers they score 5 points The

C I dwinner ISthe one who gets the most pOintsat the end an you name ISplaye

in two groups Students receive a sheet of paper with some dategOrieS(Example

Can you name 3 things you can open and close) Then they dlcide in their groups

what words to write in the categories After that one group h1asto discover what

words the other group selected in one minute and Vice-versa The winner is the

group which discovers more words IBuild-up a word is another well-known game which is basically spelling and

thinking The teacher writes letters of the alphabet in small carbs and places them

SI

face down on the floor tudents one-by-one have to turn over a card until any of

I hthem can bUild up a word When students notice that a word In be bUild up t ey

~ank eaI~em in front of them to form a war The winner is the

The betting game is usually played in pairs Students receIve a sheet of paper

with sentences The sentences may be right or wrong Students analyze them and

decide if they are right or wrong correcting the wrong ones The1 they bet from $10

to $100 on their answers If they correct the sentence in the right way they will win

the amount they bet but if their correction is wrong they will lokie the money The

winner is the pair who wins the most money at the end

The song game is played in two groups with students in line The first

students in each line listens to a line of a song using headphones lnd has to whisper

it in his neighbors ear This students whispers to the next until t~e last listens to it

Then this student has to go to the board and write the sentrce Students keep

dOingthe activity until the song finishes For thiSreason the SOlg should not be long

and fast After the song finishes the teacher analyzes the sentences correcting

I where It IS necessary and sconng when there IS no mistakes The winner IS the

group which has less mistakes

Find the murderer is a game with clues Students haVj to discover who is

the murderer following the clue cards they have In order to 10 the task students

have to read the clues and interact with their group to link them and find out who is

the criminal

The drill game is also very well known The teacher starts saying a sentence

to be completed by one student Example I went to the supermarket and I

boughLchocolate breadcake Students take turns comPleting the sentence

without repeating the words The students who do not say a wori within the time limit

or repeat a word are out of the game The winner is the student who remains until

22

game

the end of the game Vocabulary and grammar structures can be exploited in this

Two efficient examples of quiz are like torta na caraand topa tudo por

dinheiro two TV programs in SBT The former consists in arSWering questions

about a topic or general vocabulary Two teams play against each other and who

rings the bell first has the right to answer The winner is the teamwhich scores more

pOintsThe latter consists in watching a sequence of a movie wHich is full of details

and after that answer questions based on these details The gale is also played in

teams and the competitors win fake money for each right ansler they give The

winner is the team which gets the largest amount of money

23

picture and they have to impersonate the people in the pictures organizing

the pair or trio which gets to the target first

Build up a picture is a competition played in groups Students receive a

themselves as the people in the picture Only one or two students from each group

can see the picture and have to give directions to the others t+ry to build it up The

winner is the group which gets the closest to the picture organization

These techniques which can be found in the Direct Method the

42 PICTURES GRAPHS REALIA AND POSTERS

Communicative Approach and Desuggestopedia are very useful for visual motor

inductive and deductive learners I

Visual students exploit everything they can see and if it is colorful or real they

will internalize the information better As they picture things in Itheir minds teachers

should use images numbers or words to help them showing Pi1cturesto start a class

presentation or to make students produce language based on them Teachers ought

Ito use the board and provide handouts to explain grammar ports Teachers should

also guide students to underline important information with cOlorul highlighters

Motor students need to do things so they can make Itheir own posters or

graphs about a topic or a grammar explanation working in pairs or groups They I also match or classify Information which can be vocabulary 0 anything related to a

topiCand place it in posters These learners also like to work with realia It is very

24

guess Students are blindfolded and they have to taste smell or touch the items in

order to guess what they are

For inductive and deductive learners the usage of pictures graphs or posters

may be useful if exploited in the right way Inductive students ban be provided with

1

visual material to try to work out examples of a structure Whit deductive students

receive the structure itself in colorful charts to make it more memorable

43 ROLE-PLAYSWITH TEXTS AND DIALOGUES

Role-plays and dialogues are present in the comiunicative Approach

Desuggestopedia and the Audio-Lingual Method They may be applied to motor

For example students read a text or the script of a dialogue (visual)

auditory visual inductive and reflective learners

exchange ideas with their peers (auditory reflective and inductive) prepare a

1 presentation and perform It (motor auditory and Inductive) ThiS ISthe main skeletonI

of a role-play and teachers can adapt or vary some elements Scenano clothes

Jaccessones and sound effects are usually Included In thiSactlvl[Y

Creating identities is another good activity The students close their eyes

and listen to a very soft song (classical or baroque) The tealer makes questions

Ilike What IS your name Where do you live What do you do etc and the

students answer them mentally but their answers should + an invention They

should create different people with their profiles After that thy talk to partners and

Introduce themselves uSing thelf new Identities Then In a group they can create a

story uSing the new characters and perform It For thiS activit the learning styles

that will take more advantage are reflective

25

and

kinesthetic

44 TPR GESTURES AND BODY LANGUAGE

The use of imperative gestures and body language are part of Total Physical

Response and the Communicative Approach These techniques are very useful for

visual kinesthetic and inductive students When teachers make any gestures they

Iare helping the visual students When they ask students to use body language or

TPR they are helping kinesthetic students IAn effective example is miming Kinesthetic students like performing for the

others to guess and impulsive learners love trying to discover Jhat is being mimed

So teachers can exploit grammar structures like present continLus and vocabulary

this way A good example is to divide the group in two teiams and place two

~sOolr~thaah~tht~ecs ~~derb ~hO~

teams have to mime It to help their partners guess the word IWhen teachers provide tasks uSingTPR kinesthetic students do better They

can perform and understand what IS being asked Inductive Istudents also learn

betier uSingTPR because they Internalize the examples and hOr to use them while

performing or providing imperatives for the other students to perform For instance

while teaching prepositions teachers may present Ihem and lSk the students to

follow directions John stand behind Mary Ann put yourself nixt to John and so

on unlil you have involved all the studenls Then teachers In vary selecting a

26

some of the structures which may be explored

student to give the directions Directions actions prepositions d conditionals are

45 DEBATES

Debates are part of the Communicative Approach and the Direct Method ThisI

activity works well for visual reflective auditory impulsive an motor learners The

students need time to prepare the arguments and at this mOlent visual refiective

and mechanical work better because they have to write dOWl the ideas and think

about the topic Auditory and kinesthetic students can also participate Auditory

students will discuss the ideas orally and the kinesthetic will classify good and bad

arguments At the moment of speaking all of them will be pr+ared to discuss and

state their point-of-view but auditory kinesthetic and impulsive learners will probably

do better in this task They have to move around the room be fast-talking and use

the right words An interesting way of applying this idea is to prsent a sequence of a

n~ ~c~sn ao~~ aar~cte~~t~l~~~~~se

Then they start the trial defending and accusing the man Twol students are chosen

to be the JudgesAt the end of the activity the students watch the final trial to check

what the verdict was In this activity there is time to prepare lanalyze and discuss

information there is visual and auditory support and there is movement during the

trial itself with which motor students feel comfortable I

It is necessary to divide the group so that the students rre organized to use

different abilities for instance a reflective with an impulsive arnd a mechanical or a

27

improve their abilities through contact with their peers

visual with an auditory and a kinesthetic working together This way students

46 INDUCTIVEAND DEDUCTIVE EXPLANATION

Inductive grammar explanation comes from the iirect Method the

Communicative Approach the Audio-Lingual Method and TiR while deductive

grammar explanation comes from the Grammar-Translation Method Both deductive

and inductive explanations are necessary to be used because t1eaChers usually find I Inductive and deductive students In the same class So It ISsuggested to work with

inductive exposition first for the students to try to find out the ~Ies by themselves

Then teachers may write the grammar rules on the board and elplain them or even

better provide handouts with the explanation so that students Iho really need this

I support WIll internalize the information more easily Teachers can also assign

help the deductive ones

inductive and deductive students to work together The inductive ones will eventually

Another relevant aspect is about oral and written eXPlinations Teachers

should combine them with deductive and inductive explanation Ii teachers adapt the

grammar explanations in this way they will support not only inductive and deductive

students but also visual auditory and motor ones For examfle after students

discuss the examples (auditory and inductive) the teacher hanr clothes-line from

one side to the other side of the classroom and hangs cards with examples or rules

(one word in each card) for visual support and for deductive studehts Then they ask

motor students to help build up other examples

47 MUSIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS AND RHYTHM

28

Music is part of Desuggestopedia the Direct Method amd the Audio-Lingual

For visual students teachers should work with the lyrics and create activities

Method and teachers may adapt it to many different purposes

based on them Example students read the lyrics of a song and have to write a letter

giving advice to the person in the song Another task which works for mechanical

S I Istudents too ISto draw a story based on the Iyncs tudents are placed In a CIrCe

backs to the center and each of them has a piece of paper The~ listen to the teacherI

tell a story line by line and draw it passing the paper to the classmate beside him

each time the teacher pauses At the end they listen to a song and discover that it is

the story they have drawn Putting the lines of a song in the i9ht order is another

possibility and it also works for reflective learners Teachers cut lout the lyrics in parts

and while students listen to the song they have organize it in the correct order

For motor students teachers should combine songj with the usage of

Igestures demonstrallng feelings or reconstructing the scene from the content of the

song For this activity students listen to the song and read the lyrics Then they

work in groups to elaborate how they will perform it After that ~ey listen to the song

again and at this time they have to perform while the song is Jeing played

Another possibility is to give each student a line of a song and they have to

put it in order by moving around and forming a line according ti the song sequence

The student who has the first line stands at the beginning of theII line the student with

the second line stands next and so on

For auditory students teachers can fully exploit music jey should work with

rhythm and musical instruments One example is when students use rhythms and

29

melody to help them memorize grammar structures rules or vocabulary Students

can also use instruments with the same purpose When teaching verbs that are

h II dfollowed by infinitive or gerund students can create t elf own me 0 y or even a song

to memorize them ITeachers sometimes should play music in the background while students

write a composition or complete a task It helps auditory students concentrate betterI

Furthermore teachers should use songs frequently because It stimulates them to

1learn more vocabulary to Internalize structures and to keep their Interest high

Movies and videos are activities which are part of the Communicative

48 MOVIES AND VIDEOS

Approach and the Direct Method

For visual learners movies and videos provide input they are visual aids

Students can exploit a frame or a scene describing it or describing the characters I Teachers may use videos to reinforce or present structures or tOPICSFor example

students watch a scene or a video about how the British people live their habits the

meals etc to present cultural aspects of their people

For reflective learners movies and videos are used to provide input

concerning a topic to be discussed later Reflective students watch some parts of a

movie in class or at home and then have a discussion in the )rlloWing class This

technique is also a good way to work with self-correction Anoter suggestion is to

have students record a video performing a sketch or just speaking Then they

watch it and analyze their performances observing their strong and weak aspects of

them

30

For inductive learners movies and videos are good sources of real examples

Teachers can exploit either the sound or the subtitles Teachers may ask students to

watch the video and write down examples of simple present or kst ask questions to

make students use the structure exploring the video ITeachers can prepare a quiz for impulsive and motor learners The students

are divided in two teams and watch a scene or sequence of a movie Then they take

turns answering the questions prepared by the teacher a1d based on visual

elements or characters lines of the sequence Whenever a tear answers correctly

it wins fake money The winner is the team which gets the largest amount of money

For auditory students teachers should use science fiction or horror movies

but just the sound The screen should be black or covered withla piece of cloth and

students listen to the sound writing what is happening desCribi1gthe situation After

completing the activity students watch the sequence and compare it with their

stories Another idea is to select a scene with a dialogue and 1rit9 some questions

about it numbering them eg 1 to 6 Then the teacher cuts paper squares and write

the numbers of the questions on them Each number is writlen on two or three

Isquares so that the teacher has two numbers 1 three numbers 2 three numbers 3

I and so on The teacher covers the screen With the paper squares In order to prevent

students to watch the scene Then students listen and answer the questions orally

The teacher should take out the numbered squares correspondent to the questions

students answer correctly enabling them to see the whole scenJ

Kinesthetic students will enjoy preparing a performance ~ased on a movie or

the teacher can record them role playing a task for example being a reporter or a

news announcer They can also use a movie to explore contrasts and similarities

and make a chart about them

5 CONCLUSION

31

What has been discussed in this paper is for certain only the first step to find

a good and effective way to teach and learn a foreign language However something

that must be kept in mind is that learners all over the world hale their own needs

preferences and perceptions related to learning Teachers lust be trained to

perceive these differences and to take advantage of them Tlchers should plan

I middotmiddotf hmiddotlessons to match students learning styles while encouraging them to dlversl y t air

learning style preferences IAs for the controversy that using learning styles is or is rot beneficial for the

learning process it can not be harmful for either the teacher or the students just

because if they are consciously involved in the process this involvement may be

part of teachers and students own improvement as learners rt only for language

purposes but also for learning strategies development and it fay bring significant

results at the end Unquestionably all this process is time consuming but valid

Teachers can adapt the ideas to their environment and I time availability A

suggestion for teachers who are beginners in this area is to Rroceed carefully and

step-by-step This field is wide so teachers ought not to usJ activities for all the

learning styles and methods at once otherwise it will beCOle very complex and

difficult to control

Teachers are not expected to use all the activities proposed in this paper in

every class Teachers can provide them little by little wher the students need

support There are many strategies to help students develop ieir weaknesses It is~~ middot- middot ~l~00 0I

I

32

T h h Id h kSomething that must be aVOidedISto Individualize too much eac ers s au c ec

h d 11 If Ithe average of the group It IS easier to deal Wit an Stl e ectlve

IAmong all the theones concerning learnmg the most feasible way to solve

the style conflicts in a class is adapting the material Most teachrs have a textbook

to be followed and it usually includes a methodology So it is rportant to present

materials with a different focus to attend each learning preference

IOnly presenting a mulh-style class ISnot enough If a teacher decides to work

I I Th hWith these suggestions heshe has to think about evaluation as we 1 e teae er

must provide various ways of assessing not only written and I oral tests but also

other ways of measuring what students learn and in which the other styles are also I Involved Students can be evaluated while working In small gIOUPSperforming or

debating through journals among other suggestions

It is clear that teachers can not be paSSiveThey have to work exhaustively if I they want to help their students to fully develop They should also be open-minded In

relation to old methods present methods and brand-new one1sThey may be all

significant and helpful I

There are many approaches and methods nowadays aid probably there is

one coming out right now Each of them has been created to slve the problems in

the learning and teaching process but they may not be able to Researchers are still

trying to find a better way to teach or why not the prefect formLa It is complicated

to say not to follow a method I

In conclusion whatever teachers decide to apply in class they just need to

keep in mind that the students interests are the priority and theJ must be syntonized

with the teachers own beliefs respecting each ones paL and information

processing

REFERENCES

II

Bras G R de C (1998) Bnncando e aprendendo com logOS sensonals RIo deJaneiro Sprint I

Ellis R (1997) Second Language AcqUisition Oxford Oxford University Press

Guimaraes R (1997) Teaching Ught Teaching Bette~ a handI book for languageteachers Sao Paulo Senae

Hood K (1995) Exploring Learning Styles and Instruction The University ofGeorgia (Department of Mathematics Education) Retrieved 08072002 fromhttp lIwllson coe uga eduEMT705EMT705 Hood html I

Larsen-Freeman D (1986) Techmques and pnnclples In language teaching (2 ed)Oxford Oxford University Press I

~~nLp (9)s~~n~ t~9)0~n~a~ a~~Jd Oxford

University Press ILindsay P (JuI12001)SWingsof the Pendulum New Routes 14 pp 12-15

Richards J amp Rodgers 1 (2001) Approaches and Methods In Language Teaching(2 ed) Cambridge Cambridge University Press I

Rodgers T (Apr2000) Methodology in the new millenium English Teaching forum382 pp2-12 I

Rodgers S T (2001) Language Teaching Methodology ERIG Clearinghouse onLanguages and Linguistics Washington DC 20016-1859 Retrieved03052002 from hUpllwwwcalorgericclldigesUrodgershtml

Skehan P (1998) A cognitive approach to language learning 010rd OxfordUniversity Press

I 18

and drills for the students to perform A good TPR class should make the use of

action gestures and tone of voice This method is claimed to Ilreducestress in the

learning process TPR is based in the wayan infant learns its native language First

students should just listen and understand how the language is Iused and after they

going to be accurate but it will improve gradually

have internalized it they will automatically produce it At first he language is not

Students must be exposed to the target language The eacher must be as

expressive as possible so they can use pictures to help

4 THE PARTNERSHIP

19

After analyzing and selecting the learning styles and t~le methods sUitable

techntques need to be selected and combined with learners pre erences

In this paper It IS suggested that classes be based a the Communicative

Approach The reason is that many coursebooks used in languige schools in Brazil

In order to provide effective activities for each of the learning styles the

nowadays are based on this approach

methods were analyzed and some of the techniques were chosen Not all the I practices were selected because It IS clear that the methods have similarities and

contrasts and it is necessary to be sensible when working with ~ethod sinergistics

As there is no perfect method that integrates and accommodJtes all the learning

styles a selection of useful ideas should be made

There are some techniques and activities below which can be effective in any

11 I I mutl- earning-stye class If prepared and used carefully and appropriately

41 GAMES

Games are mainly part of the Communicative APproach] but they can be

adapted to suit most of the methods the Grammar-Translation Method TPR The

Language Learning

Audio-Lingual Method the Direct Method Desuggestopedia and Community

Games may be applied to all the learning styles Teachers can use ready-

made games or create their own Some games are suggested in the chart that

follows

20

GAME lEARNING STYLES APPROACHMETHODSSpelling competition and

Iscrabbles Visual e motor GTM

Crosswords and word searchers Visual and reflective I GTM

Visual auditory motor and

IBingo inductive CAAlM

Miming Visual motor impulsive I CA TPR DMVocabulary categories and stop Visual and impulsive I GTMD

Can you name Auditory impulsive reflective(categories) and visual GTM

Build up a word Visual motor and reflective GTM

Betting game Visual inductive reflective and(correction of mistakes) auditory DM

Song game Auditory and motor CAD

Reflective motor visual andFind the murderer auditory DM Cll

Quiz Impulsive motor and auditory DMCA

Drill game Auditory impulsive and inductive AlM

Find the target Motor and auditory TPR Cll

Build up the picture Motor reflective and visual TPRCll

Most of the games are well known but there are lme for which an

explanation of the procedures is needed Bingo is an activity thbt is found in many

different ways Teachers may work with bingo to review some JocabUlary students

have learned or review structures To play bingo students have td read their words in

the cards listen to the selected word and mark the options which have been called

Vocabulary categories is a competition which is played by two teams the

students have to write down as many words in the category aSJhey can Teachers

make cards with different categories written on them Students Irite the words on a

paper or on the board The winner is who has the most words There are two

0 I vanatons for this kind of game ne IS the game stop and the other IS can you

name The former is played individually using just paper anld pencil Students

write down pre-selected categories and put them in columns One student calls out a

~~

I 11Ililr(CA- bullbullbilr u

letter and everybody has to write one word for each category rtil they comple

of the categories As soon as one student completes them he says stop and the I

other students stop wntlng In a group they call out the answer For each different

answer students score 10 points and for the same answers they score 5 points The

C I dwinner ISthe one who gets the most pOintsat the end an you name ISplaye

in two groups Students receive a sheet of paper with some dategOrieS(Example

Can you name 3 things you can open and close) Then they dlcide in their groups

what words to write in the categories After that one group h1asto discover what

words the other group selected in one minute and Vice-versa The winner is the

group which discovers more words IBuild-up a word is another well-known game which is basically spelling and

thinking The teacher writes letters of the alphabet in small carbs and places them

SI

face down on the floor tudents one-by-one have to turn over a card until any of

I hthem can bUild up a word When students notice that a word In be bUild up t ey

~ank eaI~em in front of them to form a war The winner is the

The betting game is usually played in pairs Students receIve a sheet of paper

with sentences The sentences may be right or wrong Students analyze them and

decide if they are right or wrong correcting the wrong ones The1 they bet from $10

to $100 on their answers If they correct the sentence in the right way they will win

the amount they bet but if their correction is wrong they will lokie the money The

winner is the pair who wins the most money at the end

The song game is played in two groups with students in line The first

students in each line listens to a line of a song using headphones lnd has to whisper

it in his neighbors ear This students whispers to the next until t~e last listens to it

Then this student has to go to the board and write the sentrce Students keep

dOingthe activity until the song finishes For thiSreason the SOlg should not be long

and fast After the song finishes the teacher analyzes the sentences correcting

I where It IS necessary and sconng when there IS no mistakes The winner IS the

group which has less mistakes

Find the murderer is a game with clues Students haVj to discover who is

the murderer following the clue cards they have In order to 10 the task students

have to read the clues and interact with their group to link them and find out who is

the criminal

The drill game is also very well known The teacher starts saying a sentence

to be completed by one student Example I went to the supermarket and I

boughLchocolate breadcake Students take turns comPleting the sentence

without repeating the words The students who do not say a wori within the time limit

or repeat a word are out of the game The winner is the student who remains until

22

game

the end of the game Vocabulary and grammar structures can be exploited in this

Two efficient examples of quiz are like torta na caraand topa tudo por

dinheiro two TV programs in SBT The former consists in arSWering questions

about a topic or general vocabulary Two teams play against each other and who

rings the bell first has the right to answer The winner is the teamwhich scores more

pOintsThe latter consists in watching a sequence of a movie wHich is full of details

and after that answer questions based on these details The gale is also played in

teams and the competitors win fake money for each right ansler they give The

winner is the team which gets the largest amount of money

23

picture and they have to impersonate the people in the pictures organizing

the pair or trio which gets to the target first

Build up a picture is a competition played in groups Students receive a

themselves as the people in the picture Only one or two students from each group

can see the picture and have to give directions to the others t+ry to build it up The

winner is the group which gets the closest to the picture organization

These techniques which can be found in the Direct Method the

42 PICTURES GRAPHS REALIA AND POSTERS

Communicative Approach and Desuggestopedia are very useful for visual motor

inductive and deductive learners I

Visual students exploit everything they can see and if it is colorful or real they

will internalize the information better As they picture things in Itheir minds teachers

should use images numbers or words to help them showing Pi1cturesto start a class

presentation or to make students produce language based on them Teachers ought

Ito use the board and provide handouts to explain grammar ports Teachers should

also guide students to underline important information with cOlorul highlighters

Motor students need to do things so they can make Itheir own posters or

graphs about a topic or a grammar explanation working in pairs or groups They I also match or classify Information which can be vocabulary 0 anything related to a

topiCand place it in posters These learners also like to work with realia It is very

24

guess Students are blindfolded and they have to taste smell or touch the items in

order to guess what they are

For inductive and deductive learners the usage of pictures graphs or posters

may be useful if exploited in the right way Inductive students ban be provided with

1

visual material to try to work out examples of a structure Whit deductive students

receive the structure itself in colorful charts to make it more memorable

43 ROLE-PLAYSWITH TEXTS AND DIALOGUES

Role-plays and dialogues are present in the comiunicative Approach

Desuggestopedia and the Audio-Lingual Method They may be applied to motor

For example students read a text or the script of a dialogue (visual)

auditory visual inductive and reflective learners

exchange ideas with their peers (auditory reflective and inductive) prepare a

1 presentation and perform It (motor auditory and Inductive) ThiS ISthe main skeletonI

of a role-play and teachers can adapt or vary some elements Scenano clothes

Jaccessones and sound effects are usually Included In thiSactlvl[Y

Creating identities is another good activity The students close their eyes

and listen to a very soft song (classical or baroque) The tealer makes questions

Ilike What IS your name Where do you live What do you do etc and the

students answer them mentally but their answers should + an invention They

should create different people with their profiles After that thy talk to partners and

Introduce themselves uSing thelf new Identities Then In a group they can create a

story uSing the new characters and perform It For thiS activit the learning styles

that will take more advantage are reflective

25

and

kinesthetic

44 TPR GESTURES AND BODY LANGUAGE

The use of imperative gestures and body language are part of Total Physical

Response and the Communicative Approach These techniques are very useful for

visual kinesthetic and inductive students When teachers make any gestures they

Iare helping the visual students When they ask students to use body language or

TPR they are helping kinesthetic students IAn effective example is miming Kinesthetic students like performing for the

others to guess and impulsive learners love trying to discover Jhat is being mimed

So teachers can exploit grammar structures like present continLus and vocabulary

this way A good example is to divide the group in two teiams and place two

~sOolr~thaah~tht~ecs ~~derb ~hO~

teams have to mime It to help their partners guess the word IWhen teachers provide tasks uSingTPR kinesthetic students do better They

can perform and understand what IS being asked Inductive Istudents also learn

betier uSingTPR because they Internalize the examples and hOr to use them while

performing or providing imperatives for the other students to perform For instance

while teaching prepositions teachers may present Ihem and lSk the students to

follow directions John stand behind Mary Ann put yourself nixt to John and so

on unlil you have involved all the studenls Then teachers In vary selecting a

26

some of the structures which may be explored

student to give the directions Directions actions prepositions d conditionals are

45 DEBATES

Debates are part of the Communicative Approach and the Direct Method ThisI

activity works well for visual reflective auditory impulsive an motor learners The

students need time to prepare the arguments and at this mOlent visual refiective

and mechanical work better because they have to write dOWl the ideas and think

about the topic Auditory and kinesthetic students can also participate Auditory

students will discuss the ideas orally and the kinesthetic will classify good and bad

arguments At the moment of speaking all of them will be pr+ared to discuss and

state their point-of-view but auditory kinesthetic and impulsive learners will probably

do better in this task They have to move around the room be fast-talking and use

the right words An interesting way of applying this idea is to prsent a sequence of a

n~ ~c~sn ao~~ aar~cte~~t~l~~~~~se

Then they start the trial defending and accusing the man Twol students are chosen

to be the JudgesAt the end of the activity the students watch the final trial to check

what the verdict was In this activity there is time to prepare lanalyze and discuss

information there is visual and auditory support and there is movement during the

trial itself with which motor students feel comfortable I

It is necessary to divide the group so that the students rre organized to use

different abilities for instance a reflective with an impulsive arnd a mechanical or a

27

improve their abilities through contact with their peers

visual with an auditory and a kinesthetic working together This way students

46 INDUCTIVEAND DEDUCTIVE EXPLANATION

Inductive grammar explanation comes from the iirect Method the

Communicative Approach the Audio-Lingual Method and TiR while deductive

grammar explanation comes from the Grammar-Translation Method Both deductive

and inductive explanations are necessary to be used because t1eaChers usually find I Inductive and deductive students In the same class So It ISsuggested to work with

inductive exposition first for the students to try to find out the ~Ies by themselves

Then teachers may write the grammar rules on the board and elplain them or even

better provide handouts with the explanation so that students Iho really need this

I support WIll internalize the information more easily Teachers can also assign

help the deductive ones

inductive and deductive students to work together The inductive ones will eventually

Another relevant aspect is about oral and written eXPlinations Teachers

should combine them with deductive and inductive explanation Ii teachers adapt the

grammar explanations in this way they will support not only inductive and deductive

students but also visual auditory and motor ones For examfle after students

discuss the examples (auditory and inductive) the teacher hanr clothes-line from

one side to the other side of the classroom and hangs cards with examples or rules

(one word in each card) for visual support and for deductive studehts Then they ask

motor students to help build up other examples

47 MUSIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS AND RHYTHM

28

Music is part of Desuggestopedia the Direct Method amd the Audio-Lingual

For visual students teachers should work with the lyrics and create activities

Method and teachers may adapt it to many different purposes

based on them Example students read the lyrics of a song and have to write a letter

giving advice to the person in the song Another task which works for mechanical

S I Istudents too ISto draw a story based on the Iyncs tudents are placed In a CIrCe

backs to the center and each of them has a piece of paper The~ listen to the teacherI

tell a story line by line and draw it passing the paper to the classmate beside him

each time the teacher pauses At the end they listen to a song and discover that it is

the story they have drawn Putting the lines of a song in the i9ht order is another

possibility and it also works for reflective learners Teachers cut lout the lyrics in parts

and while students listen to the song they have organize it in the correct order

For motor students teachers should combine songj with the usage of

Igestures demonstrallng feelings or reconstructing the scene from the content of the

song For this activity students listen to the song and read the lyrics Then they

work in groups to elaborate how they will perform it After that ~ey listen to the song

again and at this time they have to perform while the song is Jeing played

Another possibility is to give each student a line of a song and they have to

put it in order by moving around and forming a line according ti the song sequence

The student who has the first line stands at the beginning of theII line the student with

the second line stands next and so on

For auditory students teachers can fully exploit music jey should work with

rhythm and musical instruments One example is when students use rhythms and

29

melody to help them memorize grammar structures rules or vocabulary Students

can also use instruments with the same purpose When teaching verbs that are

h II dfollowed by infinitive or gerund students can create t elf own me 0 y or even a song

to memorize them ITeachers sometimes should play music in the background while students

write a composition or complete a task It helps auditory students concentrate betterI

Furthermore teachers should use songs frequently because It stimulates them to

1learn more vocabulary to Internalize structures and to keep their Interest high

Movies and videos are activities which are part of the Communicative

48 MOVIES AND VIDEOS

Approach and the Direct Method

For visual learners movies and videos provide input they are visual aids

Students can exploit a frame or a scene describing it or describing the characters I Teachers may use videos to reinforce or present structures or tOPICSFor example

students watch a scene or a video about how the British people live their habits the

meals etc to present cultural aspects of their people

For reflective learners movies and videos are used to provide input

concerning a topic to be discussed later Reflective students watch some parts of a

movie in class or at home and then have a discussion in the )rlloWing class This

technique is also a good way to work with self-correction Anoter suggestion is to

have students record a video performing a sketch or just speaking Then they

watch it and analyze their performances observing their strong and weak aspects of

them

30

For inductive learners movies and videos are good sources of real examples

Teachers can exploit either the sound or the subtitles Teachers may ask students to

watch the video and write down examples of simple present or kst ask questions to

make students use the structure exploring the video ITeachers can prepare a quiz for impulsive and motor learners The students

are divided in two teams and watch a scene or sequence of a movie Then they take

turns answering the questions prepared by the teacher a1d based on visual

elements or characters lines of the sequence Whenever a tear answers correctly

it wins fake money The winner is the team which gets the largest amount of money

For auditory students teachers should use science fiction or horror movies

but just the sound The screen should be black or covered withla piece of cloth and

students listen to the sound writing what is happening desCribi1gthe situation After

completing the activity students watch the sequence and compare it with their

stories Another idea is to select a scene with a dialogue and 1rit9 some questions

about it numbering them eg 1 to 6 Then the teacher cuts paper squares and write

the numbers of the questions on them Each number is writlen on two or three

Isquares so that the teacher has two numbers 1 three numbers 2 three numbers 3

I and so on The teacher covers the screen With the paper squares In order to prevent

students to watch the scene Then students listen and answer the questions orally

The teacher should take out the numbered squares correspondent to the questions

students answer correctly enabling them to see the whole scenJ

Kinesthetic students will enjoy preparing a performance ~ased on a movie or

the teacher can record them role playing a task for example being a reporter or a

news announcer They can also use a movie to explore contrasts and similarities

and make a chart about them

5 CONCLUSION

31

What has been discussed in this paper is for certain only the first step to find

a good and effective way to teach and learn a foreign language However something

that must be kept in mind is that learners all over the world hale their own needs

preferences and perceptions related to learning Teachers lust be trained to

perceive these differences and to take advantage of them Tlchers should plan

I middotmiddotf hmiddotlessons to match students learning styles while encouraging them to dlversl y t air

learning style preferences IAs for the controversy that using learning styles is or is rot beneficial for the

learning process it can not be harmful for either the teacher or the students just

because if they are consciously involved in the process this involvement may be

part of teachers and students own improvement as learners rt only for language

purposes but also for learning strategies development and it fay bring significant

results at the end Unquestionably all this process is time consuming but valid

Teachers can adapt the ideas to their environment and I time availability A

suggestion for teachers who are beginners in this area is to Rroceed carefully and

step-by-step This field is wide so teachers ought not to usJ activities for all the

learning styles and methods at once otherwise it will beCOle very complex and

difficult to control

Teachers are not expected to use all the activities proposed in this paper in

every class Teachers can provide them little by little wher the students need

support There are many strategies to help students develop ieir weaknesses It is~~ middot- middot ~l~00 0I

I

32

T h h Id h kSomething that must be aVOidedISto Individualize too much eac ers s au c ec

h d 11 If Ithe average of the group It IS easier to deal Wit an Stl e ectlve

IAmong all the theones concerning learnmg the most feasible way to solve

the style conflicts in a class is adapting the material Most teachrs have a textbook

to be followed and it usually includes a methodology So it is rportant to present

materials with a different focus to attend each learning preference

IOnly presenting a mulh-style class ISnot enough If a teacher decides to work

I I Th hWith these suggestions heshe has to think about evaluation as we 1 e teae er

must provide various ways of assessing not only written and I oral tests but also

other ways of measuring what students learn and in which the other styles are also I Involved Students can be evaluated while working In small gIOUPSperforming or

debating through journals among other suggestions

It is clear that teachers can not be paSSiveThey have to work exhaustively if I they want to help their students to fully develop They should also be open-minded In

relation to old methods present methods and brand-new one1sThey may be all

significant and helpful I

There are many approaches and methods nowadays aid probably there is

one coming out right now Each of them has been created to slve the problems in

the learning and teaching process but they may not be able to Researchers are still

trying to find a better way to teach or why not the prefect formLa It is complicated

to say not to follow a method I

In conclusion whatever teachers decide to apply in class they just need to

keep in mind that the students interests are the priority and theJ must be syntonized

with the teachers own beliefs respecting each ones paL and information

processing

REFERENCES

II

Bras G R de C (1998) Bnncando e aprendendo com logOS sensonals RIo deJaneiro Sprint I

Ellis R (1997) Second Language AcqUisition Oxford Oxford University Press

Guimaraes R (1997) Teaching Ught Teaching Bette~ a handI book for languageteachers Sao Paulo Senae

Hood K (1995) Exploring Learning Styles and Instruction The University ofGeorgia (Department of Mathematics Education) Retrieved 08072002 fromhttp lIwllson coe uga eduEMT705EMT705 Hood html I

Larsen-Freeman D (1986) Techmques and pnnclples In language teaching (2 ed)Oxford Oxford University Press I

~~nLp (9)s~~n~ t~9)0~n~a~ a~~Jd Oxford

University Press ILindsay P (JuI12001)SWingsof the Pendulum New Routes 14 pp 12-15

Richards J amp Rodgers 1 (2001) Approaches and Methods In Language Teaching(2 ed) Cambridge Cambridge University Press I

Rodgers T (Apr2000) Methodology in the new millenium English Teaching forum382 pp2-12 I

Rodgers S T (2001) Language Teaching Methodology ERIG Clearinghouse onLanguages and Linguistics Washington DC 20016-1859 Retrieved03052002 from hUpllwwwcalorgericclldigesUrodgershtml

Skehan P (1998) A cognitive approach to language learning 010rd OxfordUniversity Press

4 THE PARTNERSHIP

19

After analyzing and selecting the learning styles and t~le methods sUitable

techntques need to be selected and combined with learners pre erences

In this paper It IS suggested that classes be based a the Communicative

Approach The reason is that many coursebooks used in languige schools in Brazil

In order to provide effective activities for each of the learning styles the

nowadays are based on this approach

methods were analyzed and some of the techniques were chosen Not all the I practices were selected because It IS clear that the methods have similarities and

contrasts and it is necessary to be sensible when working with ~ethod sinergistics

As there is no perfect method that integrates and accommodJtes all the learning

styles a selection of useful ideas should be made

There are some techniques and activities below which can be effective in any

11 I I mutl- earning-stye class If prepared and used carefully and appropriately

41 GAMES

Games are mainly part of the Communicative APproach] but they can be

adapted to suit most of the methods the Grammar-Translation Method TPR The

Language Learning

Audio-Lingual Method the Direct Method Desuggestopedia and Community

Games may be applied to all the learning styles Teachers can use ready-

made games or create their own Some games are suggested in the chart that

follows

20

GAME lEARNING STYLES APPROACHMETHODSSpelling competition and

Iscrabbles Visual e motor GTM

Crosswords and word searchers Visual and reflective I GTM

Visual auditory motor and

IBingo inductive CAAlM

Miming Visual motor impulsive I CA TPR DMVocabulary categories and stop Visual and impulsive I GTMD

Can you name Auditory impulsive reflective(categories) and visual GTM

Build up a word Visual motor and reflective GTM

Betting game Visual inductive reflective and(correction of mistakes) auditory DM

Song game Auditory and motor CAD

Reflective motor visual andFind the murderer auditory DM Cll

Quiz Impulsive motor and auditory DMCA

Drill game Auditory impulsive and inductive AlM

Find the target Motor and auditory TPR Cll

Build up the picture Motor reflective and visual TPRCll

Most of the games are well known but there are lme for which an

explanation of the procedures is needed Bingo is an activity thbt is found in many

different ways Teachers may work with bingo to review some JocabUlary students

have learned or review structures To play bingo students have td read their words in

the cards listen to the selected word and mark the options which have been called

Vocabulary categories is a competition which is played by two teams the

students have to write down as many words in the category aSJhey can Teachers

make cards with different categories written on them Students Irite the words on a

paper or on the board The winner is who has the most words There are two

0 I vanatons for this kind of game ne IS the game stop and the other IS can you

name The former is played individually using just paper anld pencil Students

write down pre-selected categories and put them in columns One student calls out a

~~

I 11Ililr(CA- bullbullbilr u

letter and everybody has to write one word for each category rtil they comple

of the categories As soon as one student completes them he says stop and the I

other students stop wntlng In a group they call out the answer For each different

answer students score 10 points and for the same answers they score 5 points The

C I dwinner ISthe one who gets the most pOintsat the end an you name ISplaye

in two groups Students receive a sheet of paper with some dategOrieS(Example

Can you name 3 things you can open and close) Then they dlcide in their groups

what words to write in the categories After that one group h1asto discover what

words the other group selected in one minute and Vice-versa The winner is the

group which discovers more words IBuild-up a word is another well-known game which is basically spelling and

thinking The teacher writes letters of the alphabet in small carbs and places them

SI

face down on the floor tudents one-by-one have to turn over a card until any of

I hthem can bUild up a word When students notice that a word In be bUild up t ey

~ank eaI~em in front of them to form a war The winner is the

The betting game is usually played in pairs Students receIve a sheet of paper

with sentences The sentences may be right or wrong Students analyze them and

decide if they are right or wrong correcting the wrong ones The1 they bet from $10

to $100 on their answers If they correct the sentence in the right way they will win

the amount they bet but if their correction is wrong they will lokie the money The

winner is the pair who wins the most money at the end

The song game is played in two groups with students in line The first

students in each line listens to a line of a song using headphones lnd has to whisper

it in his neighbors ear This students whispers to the next until t~e last listens to it

Then this student has to go to the board and write the sentrce Students keep

dOingthe activity until the song finishes For thiSreason the SOlg should not be long

and fast After the song finishes the teacher analyzes the sentences correcting

I where It IS necessary and sconng when there IS no mistakes The winner IS the

group which has less mistakes

Find the murderer is a game with clues Students haVj to discover who is

the murderer following the clue cards they have In order to 10 the task students

have to read the clues and interact with their group to link them and find out who is

the criminal

The drill game is also very well known The teacher starts saying a sentence

to be completed by one student Example I went to the supermarket and I

boughLchocolate breadcake Students take turns comPleting the sentence

without repeating the words The students who do not say a wori within the time limit

or repeat a word are out of the game The winner is the student who remains until

22

game

the end of the game Vocabulary and grammar structures can be exploited in this

Two efficient examples of quiz are like torta na caraand topa tudo por

dinheiro two TV programs in SBT The former consists in arSWering questions

about a topic or general vocabulary Two teams play against each other and who

rings the bell first has the right to answer The winner is the teamwhich scores more

pOintsThe latter consists in watching a sequence of a movie wHich is full of details

and after that answer questions based on these details The gale is also played in

teams and the competitors win fake money for each right ansler they give The

winner is the team which gets the largest amount of money

23

picture and they have to impersonate the people in the pictures organizing

the pair or trio which gets to the target first

Build up a picture is a competition played in groups Students receive a

themselves as the people in the picture Only one or two students from each group

can see the picture and have to give directions to the others t+ry to build it up The

winner is the group which gets the closest to the picture organization

These techniques which can be found in the Direct Method the

42 PICTURES GRAPHS REALIA AND POSTERS

Communicative Approach and Desuggestopedia are very useful for visual motor

inductive and deductive learners I

Visual students exploit everything they can see and if it is colorful or real they

will internalize the information better As they picture things in Itheir minds teachers

should use images numbers or words to help them showing Pi1cturesto start a class

presentation or to make students produce language based on them Teachers ought

Ito use the board and provide handouts to explain grammar ports Teachers should

also guide students to underline important information with cOlorul highlighters

Motor students need to do things so they can make Itheir own posters or

graphs about a topic or a grammar explanation working in pairs or groups They I also match or classify Information which can be vocabulary 0 anything related to a

topiCand place it in posters These learners also like to work with realia It is very

24

guess Students are blindfolded and they have to taste smell or touch the items in

order to guess what they are

For inductive and deductive learners the usage of pictures graphs or posters

may be useful if exploited in the right way Inductive students ban be provided with

1

visual material to try to work out examples of a structure Whit deductive students

receive the structure itself in colorful charts to make it more memorable

43 ROLE-PLAYSWITH TEXTS AND DIALOGUES

Role-plays and dialogues are present in the comiunicative Approach

Desuggestopedia and the Audio-Lingual Method They may be applied to motor

For example students read a text or the script of a dialogue (visual)

auditory visual inductive and reflective learners

exchange ideas with their peers (auditory reflective and inductive) prepare a

1 presentation and perform It (motor auditory and Inductive) ThiS ISthe main skeletonI

of a role-play and teachers can adapt or vary some elements Scenano clothes

Jaccessones and sound effects are usually Included In thiSactlvl[Y

Creating identities is another good activity The students close their eyes

and listen to a very soft song (classical or baroque) The tealer makes questions

Ilike What IS your name Where do you live What do you do etc and the

students answer them mentally but their answers should + an invention They

should create different people with their profiles After that thy talk to partners and

Introduce themselves uSing thelf new Identities Then In a group they can create a

story uSing the new characters and perform It For thiS activit the learning styles

that will take more advantage are reflective

25

and

kinesthetic

44 TPR GESTURES AND BODY LANGUAGE

The use of imperative gestures and body language are part of Total Physical

Response and the Communicative Approach These techniques are very useful for

visual kinesthetic and inductive students When teachers make any gestures they

Iare helping the visual students When they ask students to use body language or

TPR they are helping kinesthetic students IAn effective example is miming Kinesthetic students like performing for the

others to guess and impulsive learners love trying to discover Jhat is being mimed

So teachers can exploit grammar structures like present continLus and vocabulary

this way A good example is to divide the group in two teiams and place two

~sOolr~thaah~tht~ecs ~~derb ~hO~

teams have to mime It to help their partners guess the word IWhen teachers provide tasks uSingTPR kinesthetic students do better They

can perform and understand what IS being asked Inductive Istudents also learn

betier uSingTPR because they Internalize the examples and hOr to use them while

performing or providing imperatives for the other students to perform For instance

while teaching prepositions teachers may present Ihem and lSk the students to

follow directions John stand behind Mary Ann put yourself nixt to John and so

on unlil you have involved all the studenls Then teachers In vary selecting a

26

some of the structures which may be explored

student to give the directions Directions actions prepositions d conditionals are

45 DEBATES

Debates are part of the Communicative Approach and the Direct Method ThisI

activity works well for visual reflective auditory impulsive an motor learners The

students need time to prepare the arguments and at this mOlent visual refiective

and mechanical work better because they have to write dOWl the ideas and think

about the topic Auditory and kinesthetic students can also participate Auditory

students will discuss the ideas orally and the kinesthetic will classify good and bad

arguments At the moment of speaking all of them will be pr+ared to discuss and

state their point-of-view but auditory kinesthetic and impulsive learners will probably

do better in this task They have to move around the room be fast-talking and use

the right words An interesting way of applying this idea is to prsent a sequence of a

n~ ~c~sn ao~~ aar~cte~~t~l~~~~~se

Then they start the trial defending and accusing the man Twol students are chosen

to be the JudgesAt the end of the activity the students watch the final trial to check

what the verdict was In this activity there is time to prepare lanalyze and discuss

information there is visual and auditory support and there is movement during the

trial itself with which motor students feel comfortable I

It is necessary to divide the group so that the students rre organized to use

different abilities for instance a reflective with an impulsive arnd a mechanical or a

27

improve their abilities through contact with their peers

visual with an auditory and a kinesthetic working together This way students

46 INDUCTIVEAND DEDUCTIVE EXPLANATION

Inductive grammar explanation comes from the iirect Method the

Communicative Approach the Audio-Lingual Method and TiR while deductive

grammar explanation comes from the Grammar-Translation Method Both deductive

and inductive explanations are necessary to be used because t1eaChers usually find I Inductive and deductive students In the same class So It ISsuggested to work with

inductive exposition first for the students to try to find out the ~Ies by themselves

Then teachers may write the grammar rules on the board and elplain them or even

better provide handouts with the explanation so that students Iho really need this

I support WIll internalize the information more easily Teachers can also assign

help the deductive ones

inductive and deductive students to work together The inductive ones will eventually

Another relevant aspect is about oral and written eXPlinations Teachers

should combine them with deductive and inductive explanation Ii teachers adapt the

grammar explanations in this way they will support not only inductive and deductive

students but also visual auditory and motor ones For examfle after students

discuss the examples (auditory and inductive) the teacher hanr clothes-line from

one side to the other side of the classroom and hangs cards with examples or rules

(one word in each card) for visual support and for deductive studehts Then they ask

motor students to help build up other examples

47 MUSIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS AND RHYTHM

28

Music is part of Desuggestopedia the Direct Method amd the Audio-Lingual

For visual students teachers should work with the lyrics and create activities

Method and teachers may adapt it to many different purposes

based on them Example students read the lyrics of a song and have to write a letter

giving advice to the person in the song Another task which works for mechanical

S I Istudents too ISto draw a story based on the Iyncs tudents are placed In a CIrCe

backs to the center and each of them has a piece of paper The~ listen to the teacherI

tell a story line by line and draw it passing the paper to the classmate beside him

each time the teacher pauses At the end they listen to a song and discover that it is

the story they have drawn Putting the lines of a song in the i9ht order is another

possibility and it also works for reflective learners Teachers cut lout the lyrics in parts

and while students listen to the song they have organize it in the correct order

For motor students teachers should combine songj with the usage of

Igestures demonstrallng feelings or reconstructing the scene from the content of the

song For this activity students listen to the song and read the lyrics Then they

work in groups to elaborate how they will perform it After that ~ey listen to the song

again and at this time they have to perform while the song is Jeing played

Another possibility is to give each student a line of a song and they have to

put it in order by moving around and forming a line according ti the song sequence

The student who has the first line stands at the beginning of theII line the student with

the second line stands next and so on

For auditory students teachers can fully exploit music jey should work with

rhythm and musical instruments One example is when students use rhythms and

29

melody to help them memorize grammar structures rules or vocabulary Students

can also use instruments with the same purpose When teaching verbs that are

h II dfollowed by infinitive or gerund students can create t elf own me 0 y or even a song

to memorize them ITeachers sometimes should play music in the background while students

write a composition or complete a task It helps auditory students concentrate betterI

Furthermore teachers should use songs frequently because It stimulates them to

1learn more vocabulary to Internalize structures and to keep their Interest high

Movies and videos are activities which are part of the Communicative

48 MOVIES AND VIDEOS

Approach and the Direct Method

For visual learners movies and videos provide input they are visual aids

Students can exploit a frame or a scene describing it or describing the characters I Teachers may use videos to reinforce or present structures or tOPICSFor example

students watch a scene or a video about how the British people live their habits the

meals etc to present cultural aspects of their people

For reflective learners movies and videos are used to provide input

concerning a topic to be discussed later Reflective students watch some parts of a

movie in class or at home and then have a discussion in the )rlloWing class This

technique is also a good way to work with self-correction Anoter suggestion is to

have students record a video performing a sketch or just speaking Then they

watch it and analyze their performances observing their strong and weak aspects of

them

30

For inductive learners movies and videos are good sources of real examples

Teachers can exploit either the sound or the subtitles Teachers may ask students to

watch the video and write down examples of simple present or kst ask questions to

make students use the structure exploring the video ITeachers can prepare a quiz for impulsive and motor learners The students

are divided in two teams and watch a scene or sequence of a movie Then they take

turns answering the questions prepared by the teacher a1d based on visual

elements or characters lines of the sequence Whenever a tear answers correctly

it wins fake money The winner is the team which gets the largest amount of money

For auditory students teachers should use science fiction or horror movies

but just the sound The screen should be black or covered withla piece of cloth and

students listen to the sound writing what is happening desCribi1gthe situation After

completing the activity students watch the sequence and compare it with their

stories Another idea is to select a scene with a dialogue and 1rit9 some questions

about it numbering them eg 1 to 6 Then the teacher cuts paper squares and write

the numbers of the questions on them Each number is writlen on two or three

Isquares so that the teacher has two numbers 1 three numbers 2 three numbers 3

I and so on The teacher covers the screen With the paper squares In order to prevent

students to watch the scene Then students listen and answer the questions orally

The teacher should take out the numbered squares correspondent to the questions

students answer correctly enabling them to see the whole scenJ

Kinesthetic students will enjoy preparing a performance ~ased on a movie or

the teacher can record them role playing a task for example being a reporter or a

news announcer They can also use a movie to explore contrasts and similarities

and make a chart about them

5 CONCLUSION

31

What has been discussed in this paper is for certain only the first step to find

a good and effective way to teach and learn a foreign language However something

that must be kept in mind is that learners all over the world hale their own needs

preferences and perceptions related to learning Teachers lust be trained to

perceive these differences and to take advantage of them Tlchers should plan

I middotmiddotf hmiddotlessons to match students learning styles while encouraging them to dlversl y t air

learning style preferences IAs for the controversy that using learning styles is or is rot beneficial for the

learning process it can not be harmful for either the teacher or the students just

because if they are consciously involved in the process this involvement may be

part of teachers and students own improvement as learners rt only for language

purposes but also for learning strategies development and it fay bring significant

results at the end Unquestionably all this process is time consuming but valid

Teachers can adapt the ideas to their environment and I time availability A

suggestion for teachers who are beginners in this area is to Rroceed carefully and

step-by-step This field is wide so teachers ought not to usJ activities for all the

learning styles and methods at once otherwise it will beCOle very complex and

difficult to control

Teachers are not expected to use all the activities proposed in this paper in

every class Teachers can provide them little by little wher the students need

support There are many strategies to help students develop ieir weaknesses It is~~ middot- middot ~l~00 0I

I

32

T h h Id h kSomething that must be aVOidedISto Individualize too much eac ers s au c ec

h d 11 If Ithe average of the group It IS easier to deal Wit an Stl e ectlve

IAmong all the theones concerning learnmg the most feasible way to solve

the style conflicts in a class is adapting the material Most teachrs have a textbook

to be followed and it usually includes a methodology So it is rportant to present

materials with a different focus to attend each learning preference

IOnly presenting a mulh-style class ISnot enough If a teacher decides to work

I I Th hWith these suggestions heshe has to think about evaluation as we 1 e teae er

must provide various ways of assessing not only written and I oral tests but also

other ways of measuring what students learn and in which the other styles are also I Involved Students can be evaluated while working In small gIOUPSperforming or

debating through journals among other suggestions

It is clear that teachers can not be paSSiveThey have to work exhaustively if I they want to help their students to fully develop They should also be open-minded In

relation to old methods present methods and brand-new one1sThey may be all

significant and helpful I

There are many approaches and methods nowadays aid probably there is

one coming out right now Each of them has been created to slve the problems in

the learning and teaching process but they may not be able to Researchers are still

trying to find a better way to teach or why not the prefect formLa It is complicated

to say not to follow a method I

In conclusion whatever teachers decide to apply in class they just need to

keep in mind that the students interests are the priority and theJ must be syntonized

with the teachers own beliefs respecting each ones paL and information

processing

REFERENCES

II

Bras G R de C (1998) Bnncando e aprendendo com logOS sensonals RIo deJaneiro Sprint I

Ellis R (1997) Second Language AcqUisition Oxford Oxford University Press

Guimaraes R (1997) Teaching Ught Teaching Bette~ a handI book for languageteachers Sao Paulo Senae

Hood K (1995) Exploring Learning Styles and Instruction The University ofGeorgia (Department of Mathematics Education) Retrieved 08072002 fromhttp lIwllson coe uga eduEMT705EMT705 Hood html I

Larsen-Freeman D (1986) Techmques and pnnclples In language teaching (2 ed)Oxford Oxford University Press I

~~nLp (9)s~~n~ t~9)0~n~a~ a~~Jd Oxford

University Press ILindsay P (JuI12001)SWingsof the Pendulum New Routes 14 pp 12-15

Richards J amp Rodgers 1 (2001) Approaches and Methods In Language Teaching(2 ed) Cambridge Cambridge University Press I

Rodgers T (Apr2000) Methodology in the new millenium English Teaching forum382 pp2-12 I

Rodgers S T (2001) Language Teaching Methodology ERIG Clearinghouse onLanguages and Linguistics Washington DC 20016-1859 Retrieved03052002 from hUpllwwwcalorgericclldigesUrodgershtml

Skehan P (1998) A cognitive approach to language learning 010rd OxfordUniversity Press

20

GAME lEARNING STYLES APPROACHMETHODSSpelling competition and

Iscrabbles Visual e motor GTM

Crosswords and word searchers Visual and reflective I GTM

Visual auditory motor and

IBingo inductive CAAlM

Miming Visual motor impulsive I CA TPR DMVocabulary categories and stop Visual and impulsive I GTMD

Can you name Auditory impulsive reflective(categories) and visual GTM

Build up a word Visual motor and reflective GTM

Betting game Visual inductive reflective and(correction of mistakes) auditory DM

Song game Auditory and motor CAD

Reflective motor visual andFind the murderer auditory DM Cll

Quiz Impulsive motor and auditory DMCA

Drill game Auditory impulsive and inductive AlM

Find the target Motor and auditory TPR Cll

Build up the picture Motor reflective and visual TPRCll

Most of the games are well known but there are lme for which an

explanation of the procedures is needed Bingo is an activity thbt is found in many

different ways Teachers may work with bingo to review some JocabUlary students

have learned or review structures To play bingo students have td read their words in

the cards listen to the selected word and mark the options which have been called

Vocabulary categories is a competition which is played by two teams the

students have to write down as many words in the category aSJhey can Teachers

make cards with different categories written on them Students Irite the words on a

paper or on the board The winner is who has the most words There are two

0 I vanatons for this kind of game ne IS the game stop and the other IS can you

name The former is played individually using just paper anld pencil Students

write down pre-selected categories and put them in columns One student calls out a

~~

I 11Ililr(CA- bullbullbilr u

letter and everybody has to write one word for each category rtil they comple

of the categories As soon as one student completes them he says stop and the I

other students stop wntlng In a group they call out the answer For each different

answer students score 10 points and for the same answers they score 5 points The

C I dwinner ISthe one who gets the most pOintsat the end an you name ISplaye

in two groups Students receive a sheet of paper with some dategOrieS(Example

Can you name 3 things you can open and close) Then they dlcide in their groups

what words to write in the categories After that one group h1asto discover what

words the other group selected in one minute and Vice-versa The winner is the

group which discovers more words IBuild-up a word is another well-known game which is basically spelling and

thinking The teacher writes letters of the alphabet in small carbs and places them

SI

face down on the floor tudents one-by-one have to turn over a card until any of

I hthem can bUild up a word When students notice that a word In be bUild up t ey

~ank eaI~em in front of them to form a war The winner is the

The betting game is usually played in pairs Students receIve a sheet of paper

with sentences The sentences may be right or wrong Students analyze them and

decide if they are right or wrong correcting the wrong ones The1 they bet from $10

to $100 on their answers If they correct the sentence in the right way they will win

the amount they bet but if their correction is wrong they will lokie the money The

winner is the pair who wins the most money at the end

The song game is played in two groups with students in line The first

students in each line listens to a line of a song using headphones lnd has to whisper

it in his neighbors ear This students whispers to the next until t~e last listens to it

Then this student has to go to the board and write the sentrce Students keep

dOingthe activity until the song finishes For thiSreason the SOlg should not be long

and fast After the song finishes the teacher analyzes the sentences correcting

I where It IS necessary and sconng when there IS no mistakes The winner IS the

group which has less mistakes

Find the murderer is a game with clues Students haVj to discover who is

the murderer following the clue cards they have In order to 10 the task students

have to read the clues and interact with their group to link them and find out who is

the criminal

The drill game is also very well known The teacher starts saying a sentence

to be completed by one student Example I went to the supermarket and I

boughLchocolate breadcake Students take turns comPleting the sentence

without repeating the words The students who do not say a wori within the time limit

or repeat a word are out of the game The winner is the student who remains until

22

game

the end of the game Vocabulary and grammar structures can be exploited in this

Two efficient examples of quiz are like torta na caraand topa tudo por

dinheiro two TV programs in SBT The former consists in arSWering questions

about a topic or general vocabulary Two teams play against each other and who

rings the bell first has the right to answer The winner is the teamwhich scores more

pOintsThe latter consists in watching a sequence of a movie wHich is full of details

and after that answer questions based on these details The gale is also played in

teams and the competitors win fake money for each right ansler they give The

winner is the team which gets the largest amount of money

23

picture and they have to impersonate the people in the pictures organizing

the pair or trio which gets to the target first

Build up a picture is a competition played in groups Students receive a

themselves as the people in the picture Only one or two students from each group

can see the picture and have to give directions to the others t+ry to build it up The

winner is the group which gets the closest to the picture organization

These techniques which can be found in the Direct Method the

42 PICTURES GRAPHS REALIA AND POSTERS

Communicative Approach and Desuggestopedia are very useful for visual motor

inductive and deductive learners I

Visual students exploit everything they can see and if it is colorful or real they

will internalize the information better As they picture things in Itheir minds teachers

should use images numbers or words to help them showing Pi1cturesto start a class

presentation or to make students produce language based on them Teachers ought

Ito use the board and provide handouts to explain grammar ports Teachers should

also guide students to underline important information with cOlorul highlighters

Motor students need to do things so they can make Itheir own posters or

graphs about a topic or a grammar explanation working in pairs or groups They I also match or classify Information which can be vocabulary 0 anything related to a

topiCand place it in posters These learners also like to work with realia It is very

24

guess Students are blindfolded and they have to taste smell or touch the items in

order to guess what they are

For inductive and deductive learners the usage of pictures graphs or posters

may be useful if exploited in the right way Inductive students ban be provided with

1

visual material to try to work out examples of a structure Whit deductive students

receive the structure itself in colorful charts to make it more memorable

43 ROLE-PLAYSWITH TEXTS AND DIALOGUES

Role-plays and dialogues are present in the comiunicative Approach

Desuggestopedia and the Audio-Lingual Method They may be applied to motor

For example students read a text or the script of a dialogue (visual)

auditory visual inductive and reflective learners

exchange ideas with their peers (auditory reflective and inductive) prepare a

1 presentation and perform It (motor auditory and Inductive) ThiS ISthe main skeletonI

of a role-play and teachers can adapt or vary some elements Scenano clothes

Jaccessones and sound effects are usually Included In thiSactlvl[Y

Creating identities is another good activity The students close their eyes

and listen to a very soft song (classical or baroque) The tealer makes questions

Ilike What IS your name Where do you live What do you do etc and the

students answer them mentally but their answers should + an invention They

should create different people with their profiles After that thy talk to partners and

Introduce themselves uSing thelf new Identities Then In a group they can create a

story uSing the new characters and perform It For thiS activit the learning styles

that will take more advantage are reflective

25

and

kinesthetic

44 TPR GESTURES AND BODY LANGUAGE

The use of imperative gestures and body language are part of Total Physical

Response and the Communicative Approach These techniques are very useful for

visual kinesthetic and inductive students When teachers make any gestures they

Iare helping the visual students When they ask students to use body language or

TPR they are helping kinesthetic students IAn effective example is miming Kinesthetic students like performing for the

others to guess and impulsive learners love trying to discover Jhat is being mimed

So teachers can exploit grammar structures like present continLus and vocabulary

this way A good example is to divide the group in two teiams and place two

~sOolr~thaah~tht~ecs ~~derb ~hO~

teams have to mime It to help their partners guess the word IWhen teachers provide tasks uSingTPR kinesthetic students do better They

can perform and understand what IS being asked Inductive Istudents also learn

betier uSingTPR because they Internalize the examples and hOr to use them while

performing or providing imperatives for the other students to perform For instance

while teaching prepositions teachers may present Ihem and lSk the students to

follow directions John stand behind Mary Ann put yourself nixt to John and so

on unlil you have involved all the studenls Then teachers In vary selecting a

26

some of the structures which may be explored

student to give the directions Directions actions prepositions d conditionals are

45 DEBATES

Debates are part of the Communicative Approach and the Direct Method ThisI

activity works well for visual reflective auditory impulsive an motor learners The

students need time to prepare the arguments and at this mOlent visual refiective

and mechanical work better because they have to write dOWl the ideas and think

about the topic Auditory and kinesthetic students can also participate Auditory

students will discuss the ideas orally and the kinesthetic will classify good and bad

arguments At the moment of speaking all of them will be pr+ared to discuss and

state their point-of-view but auditory kinesthetic and impulsive learners will probably

do better in this task They have to move around the room be fast-talking and use

the right words An interesting way of applying this idea is to prsent a sequence of a

n~ ~c~sn ao~~ aar~cte~~t~l~~~~~se

Then they start the trial defending and accusing the man Twol students are chosen

to be the JudgesAt the end of the activity the students watch the final trial to check

what the verdict was In this activity there is time to prepare lanalyze and discuss

information there is visual and auditory support and there is movement during the

trial itself with which motor students feel comfortable I

It is necessary to divide the group so that the students rre organized to use

different abilities for instance a reflective with an impulsive arnd a mechanical or a

27

improve their abilities through contact with their peers

visual with an auditory and a kinesthetic working together This way students

46 INDUCTIVEAND DEDUCTIVE EXPLANATION

Inductive grammar explanation comes from the iirect Method the

Communicative Approach the Audio-Lingual Method and TiR while deductive

grammar explanation comes from the Grammar-Translation Method Both deductive

and inductive explanations are necessary to be used because t1eaChers usually find I Inductive and deductive students In the same class So It ISsuggested to work with

inductive exposition first for the students to try to find out the ~Ies by themselves

Then teachers may write the grammar rules on the board and elplain them or even

better provide handouts with the explanation so that students Iho really need this

I support WIll internalize the information more easily Teachers can also assign

help the deductive ones

inductive and deductive students to work together The inductive ones will eventually

Another relevant aspect is about oral and written eXPlinations Teachers

should combine them with deductive and inductive explanation Ii teachers adapt the

grammar explanations in this way they will support not only inductive and deductive

students but also visual auditory and motor ones For examfle after students

discuss the examples (auditory and inductive) the teacher hanr clothes-line from

one side to the other side of the classroom and hangs cards with examples or rules

(one word in each card) for visual support and for deductive studehts Then they ask

motor students to help build up other examples

47 MUSIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS AND RHYTHM

28

Music is part of Desuggestopedia the Direct Method amd the Audio-Lingual

For visual students teachers should work with the lyrics and create activities

Method and teachers may adapt it to many different purposes

based on them Example students read the lyrics of a song and have to write a letter

giving advice to the person in the song Another task which works for mechanical

S I Istudents too ISto draw a story based on the Iyncs tudents are placed In a CIrCe

backs to the center and each of them has a piece of paper The~ listen to the teacherI

tell a story line by line and draw it passing the paper to the classmate beside him

each time the teacher pauses At the end they listen to a song and discover that it is

the story they have drawn Putting the lines of a song in the i9ht order is another

possibility and it also works for reflective learners Teachers cut lout the lyrics in parts

and while students listen to the song they have organize it in the correct order

For motor students teachers should combine songj with the usage of

Igestures demonstrallng feelings or reconstructing the scene from the content of the

song For this activity students listen to the song and read the lyrics Then they

work in groups to elaborate how they will perform it After that ~ey listen to the song

again and at this time they have to perform while the song is Jeing played

Another possibility is to give each student a line of a song and they have to

put it in order by moving around and forming a line according ti the song sequence

The student who has the first line stands at the beginning of theII line the student with

the second line stands next and so on

For auditory students teachers can fully exploit music jey should work with

rhythm and musical instruments One example is when students use rhythms and

29

melody to help them memorize grammar structures rules or vocabulary Students

can also use instruments with the same purpose When teaching verbs that are

h II dfollowed by infinitive or gerund students can create t elf own me 0 y or even a song

to memorize them ITeachers sometimes should play music in the background while students

write a composition or complete a task It helps auditory students concentrate betterI

Furthermore teachers should use songs frequently because It stimulates them to

1learn more vocabulary to Internalize structures and to keep their Interest high

Movies and videos are activities which are part of the Communicative

48 MOVIES AND VIDEOS

Approach and the Direct Method

For visual learners movies and videos provide input they are visual aids

Students can exploit a frame or a scene describing it or describing the characters I Teachers may use videos to reinforce or present structures or tOPICSFor example

students watch a scene or a video about how the British people live their habits the

meals etc to present cultural aspects of their people

For reflective learners movies and videos are used to provide input

concerning a topic to be discussed later Reflective students watch some parts of a

movie in class or at home and then have a discussion in the )rlloWing class This

technique is also a good way to work with self-correction Anoter suggestion is to

have students record a video performing a sketch or just speaking Then they

watch it and analyze their performances observing their strong and weak aspects of

them

30

For inductive learners movies and videos are good sources of real examples

Teachers can exploit either the sound or the subtitles Teachers may ask students to

watch the video and write down examples of simple present or kst ask questions to

make students use the structure exploring the video ITeachers can prepare a quiz for impulsive and motor learners The students

are divided in two teams and watch a scene or sequence of a movie Then they take

turns answering the questions prepared by the teacher a1d based on visual

elements or characters lines of the sequence Whenever a tear answers correctly

it wins fake money The winner is the team which gets the largest amount of money

For auditory students teachers should use science fiction or horror movies

but just the sound The screen should be black or covered withla piece of cloth and

students listen to the sound writing what is happening desCribi1gthe situation After

completing the activity students watch the sequence and compare it with their

stories Another idea is to select a scene with a dialogue and 1rit9 some questions

about it numbering them eg 1 to 6 Then the teacher cuts paper squares and write

the numbers of the questions on them Each number is writlen on two or three

Isquares so that the teacher has two numbers 1 three numbers 2 three numbers 3

I and so on The teacher covers the screen With the paper squares In order to prevent

students to watch the scene Then students listen and answer the questions orally

The teacher should take out the numbered squares correspondent to the questions

students answer correctly enabling them to see the whole scenJ

Kinesthetic students will enjoy preparing a performance ~ased on a movie or

the teacher can record them role playing a task for example being a reporter or a

news announcer They can also use a movie to explore contrasts and similarities

and make a chart about them

5 CONCLUSION

31

What has been discussed in this paper is for certain only the first step to find

a good and effective way to teach and learn a foreign language However something

that must be kept in mind is that learners all over the world hale their own needs

preferences and perceptions related to learning Teachers lust be trained to

perceive these differences and to take advantage of them Tlchers should plan

I middotmiddotf hmiddotlessons to match students learning styles while encouraging them to dlversl y t air

learning style preferences IAs for the controversy that using learning styles is or is rot beneficial for the

learning process it can not be harmful for either the teacher or the students just

because if they are consciously involved in the process this involvement may be

part of teachers and students own improvement as learners rt only for language

purposes but also for learning strategies development and it fay bring significant

results at the end Unquestionably all this process is time consuming but valid

Teachers can adapt the ideas to their environment and I time availability A

suggestion for teachers who are beginners in this area is to Rroceed carefully and

step-by-step This field is wide so teachers ought not to usJ activities for all the

learning styles and methods at once otherwise it will beCOle very complex and

difficult to control

Teachers are not expected to use all the activities proposed in this paper in

every class Teachers can provide them little by little wher the students need

support There are many strategies to help students develop ieir weaknesses It is~~ middot- middot ~l~00 0I

I

32

T h h Id h kSomething that must be aVOidedISto Individualize too much eac ers s au c ec

h d 11 If Ithe average of the group It IS easier to deal Wit an Stl e ectlve

IAmong all the theones concerning learnmg the most feasible way to solve

the style conflicts in a class is adapting the material Most teachrs have a textbook

to be followed and it usually includes a methodology So it is rportant to present

materials with a different focus to attend each learning preference

IOnly presenting a mulh-style class ISnot enough If a teacher decides to work

I I Th hWith these suggestions heshe has to think about evaluation as we 1 e teae er

must provide various ways of assessing not only written and I oral tests but also

other ways of measuring what students learn and in which the other styles are also I Involved Students can be evaluated while working In small gIOUPSperforming or

debating through journals among other suggestions

It is clear that teachers can not be paSSiveThey have to work exhaustively if I they want to help their students to fully develop They should also be open-minded In

relation to old methods present methods and brand-new one1sThey may be all

significant and helpful I

There are many approaches and methods nowadays aid probably there is

one coming out right now Each of them has been created to slve the problems in

the learning and teaching process but they may not be able to Researchers are still

trying to find a better way to teach or why not the prefect formLa It is complicated

to say not to follow a method I

In conclusion whatever teachers decide to apply in class they just need to

keep in mind that the students interests are the priority and theJ must be syntonized

with the teachers own beliefs respecting each ones paL and information

processing

REFERENCES

II

Bras G R de C (1998) Bnncando e aprendendo com logOS sensonals RIo deJaneiro Sprint I

Ellis R (1997) Second Language AcqUisition Oxford Oxford University Press

Guimaraes R (1997) Teaching Ught Teaching Bette~ a handI book for languageteachers Sao Paulo Senae

Hood K (1995) Exploring Learning Styles and Instruction The University ofGeorgia (Department of Mathematics Education) Retrieved 08072002 fromhttp lIwllson coe uga eduEMT705EMT705 Hood html I

Larsen-Freeman D (1986) Techmques and pnnclples In language teaching (2 ed)Oxford Oxford University Press I

~~nLp (9)s~~n~ t~9)0~n~a~ a~~Jd Oxford

University Press ILindsay P (JuI12001)SWingsof the Pendulum New Routes 14 pp 12-15

Richards J amp Rodgers 1 (2001) Approaches and Methods In Language Teaching(2 ed) Cambridge Cambridge University Press I

Rodgers T (Apr2000) Methodology in the new millenium English Teaching forum382 pp2-12 I

Rodgers S T (2001) Language Teaching Methodology ERIG Clearinghouse onLanguages and Linguistics Washington DC 20016-1859 Retrieved03052002 from hUpllwwwcalorgericclldigesUrodgershtml

Skehan P (1998) A cognitive approach to language learning 010rd OxfordUniversity Press

~~

I 11Ililr(CA- bullbullbilr u

letter and everybody has to write one word for each category rtil they comple

of the categories As soon as one student completes them he says stop and the I

other students stop wntlng In a group they call out the answer For each different

answer students score 10 points and for the same answers they score 5 points The

C I dwinner ISthe one who gets the most pOintsat the end an you name ISplaye

in two groups Students receive a sheet of paper with some dategOrieS(Example

Can you name 3 things you can open and close) Then they dlcide in their groups

what words to write in the categories After that one group h1asto discover what

words the other group selected in one minute and Vice-versa The winner is the

group which discovers more words IBuild-up a word is another well-known game which is basically spelling and

thinking The teacher writes letters of the alphabet in small carbs and places them

SI

face down on the floor tudents one-by-one have to turn over a card until any of

I hthem can bUild up a word When students notice that a word In be bUild up t ey

~ank eaI~em in front of them to form a war The winner is the

The betting game is usually played in pairs Students receIve a sheet of paper

with sentences The sentences may be right or wrong Students analyze them and

decide if they are right or wrong correcting the wrong ones The1 they bet from $10

to $100 on their answers If they correct the sentence in the right way they will win

the amount they bet but if their correction is wrong they will lokie the money The

winner is the pair who wins the most money at the end

The song game is played in two groups with students in line The first

students in each line listens to a line of a song using headphones lnd has to whisper

it in his neighbors ear This students whispers to the next until t~e last listens to it

Then this student has to go to the board and write the sentrce Students keep

dOingthe activity until the song finishes For thiSreason the SOlg should not be long

and fast After the song finishes the teacher analyzes the sentences correcting

I where It IS necessary and sconng when there IS no mistakes The winner IS the

group which has less mistakes

Find the murderer is a game with clues Students haVj to discover who is

the murderer following the clue cards they have In order to 10 the task students

have to read the clues and interact with their group to link them and find out who is

the criminal

The drill game is also very well known The teacher starts saying a sentence

to be completed by one student Example I went to the supermarket and I

boughLchocolate breadcake Students take turns comPleting the sentence

without repeating the words The students who do not say a wori within the time limit

or repeat a word are out of the game The winner is the student who remains until

22

game

the end of the game Vocabulary and grammar structures can be exploited in this

Two efficient examples of quiz are like torta na caraand topa tudo por

dinheiro two TV programs in SBT The former consists in arSWering questions

about a topic or general vocabulary Two teams play against each other and who

rings the bell first has the right to answer The winner is the teamwhich scores more

pOintsThe latter consists in watching a sequence of a movie wHich is full of details

and after that answer questions based on these details The gale is also played in

teams and the competitors win fake money for each right ansler they give The

winner is the team which gets the largest amount of money

23

picture and they have to impersonate the people in the pictures organizing

the pair or trio which gets to the target first

Build up a picture is a competition played in groups Students receive a

themselves as the people in the picture Only one or two students from each group

can see the picture and have to give directions to the others t+ry to build it up The

winner is the group which gets the closest to the picture organization

These techniques which can be found in the Direct Method the

42 PICTURES GRAPHS REALIA AND POSTERS

Communicative Approach and Desuggestopedia are very useful for visual motor

inductive and deductive learners I

Visual students exploit everything they can see and if it is colorful or real they

will internalize the information better As they picture things in Itheir minds teachers

should use images numbers or words to help them showing Pi1cturesto start a class

presentation or to make students produce language based on them Teachers ought

Ito use the board and provide handouts to explain grammar ports Teachers should

also guide students to underline important information with cOlorul highlighters

Motor students need to do things so they can make Itheir own posters or

graphs about a topic or a grammar explanation working in pairs or groups They I also match or classify Information which can be vocabulary 0 anything related to a

topiCand place it in posters These learners also like to work with realia It is very

24

guess Students are blindfolded and they have to taste smell or touch the items in

order to guess what they are

For inductive and deductive learners the usage of pictures graphs or posters

may be useful if exploited in the right way Inductive students ban be provided with

1

visual material to try to work out examples of a structure Whit deductive students

receive the structure itself in colorful charts to make it more memorable

43 ROLE-PLAYSWITH TEXTS AND DIALOGUES

Role-plays and dialogues are present in the comiunicative Approach

Desuggestopedia and the Audio-Lingual Method They may be applied to motor

For example students read a text or the script of a dialogue (visual)

auditory visual inductive and reflective learners

exchange ideas with their peers (auditory reflective and inductive) prepare a

1 presentation and perform It (motor auditory and Inductive) ThiS ISthe main skeletonI

of a role-play and teachers can adapt or vary some elements Scenano clothes

Jaccessones and sound effects are usually Included In thiSactlvl[Y

Creating identities is another good activity The students close their eyes

and listen to a very soft song (classical or baroque) The tealer makes questions

Ilike What IS your name Where do you live What do you do etc and the

students answer them mentally but their answers should + an invention They

should create different people with their profiles After that thy talk to partners and

Introduce themselves uSing thelf new Identities Then In a group they can create a

story uSing the new characters and perform It For thiS activit the learning styles

that will take more advantage are reflective

25

and

kinesthetic

44 TPR GESTURES AND BODY LANGUAGE

The use of imperative gestures and body language are part of Total Physical

Response and the Communicative Approach These techniques are very useful for

visual kinesthetic and inductive students When teachers make any gestures they

Iare helping the visual students When they ask students to use body language or

TPR they are helping kinesthetic students IAn effective example is miming Kinesthetic students like performing for the

others to guess and impulsive learners love trying to discover Jhat is being mimed

So teachers can exploit grammar structures like present continLus and vocabulary

this way A good example is to divide the group in two teiams and place two

~sOolr~thaah~tht~ecs ~~derb ~hO~

teams have to mime It to help their partners guess the word IWhen teachers provide tasks uSingTPR kinesthetic students do better They

can perform and understand what IS being asked Inductive Istudents also learn

betier uSingTPR because they Internalize the examples and hOr to use them while

performing or providing imperatives for the other students to perform For instance

while teaching prepositions teachers may present Ihem and lSk the students to

follow directions John stand behind Mary Ann put yourself nixt to John and so

on unlil you have involved all the studenls Then teachers In vary selecting a

26

some of the structures which may be explored

student to give the directions Directions actions prepositions d conditionals are

45 DEBATES

Debates are part of the Communicative Approach and the Direct Method ThisI

activity works well for visual reflective auditory impulsive an motor learners The

students need time to prepare the arguments and at this mOlent visual refiective

and mechanical work better because they have to write dOWl the ideas and think

about the topic Auditory and kinesthetic students can also participate Auditory

students will discuss the ideas orally and the kinesthetic will classify good and bad

arguments At the moment of speaking all of them will be pr+ared to discuss and

state their point-of-view but auditory kinesthetic and impulsive learners will probably

do better in this task They have to move around the room be fast-talking and use

the right words An interesting way of applying this idea is to prsent a sequence of a

n~ ~c~sn ao~~ aar~cte~~t~l~~~~~se

Then they start the trial defending and accusing the man Twol students are chosen

to be the JudgesAt the end of the activity the students watch the final trial to check

what the verdict was In this activity there is time to prepare lanalyze and discuss

information there is visual and auditory support and there is movement during the

trial itself with which motor students feel comfortable I

It is necessary to divide the group so that the students rre organized to use

different abilities for instance a reflective with an impulsive arnd a mechanical or a

27

improve their abilities through contact with their peers

visual with an auditory and a kinesthetic working together This way students

46 INDUCTIVEAND DEDUCTIVE EXPLANATION

Inductive grammar explanation comes from the iirect Method the

Communicative Approach the Audio-Lingual Method and TiR while deductive

grammar explanation comes from the Grammar-Translation Method Both deductive

and inductive explanations are necessary to be used because t1eaChers usually find I Inductive and deductive students In the same class So It ISsuggested to work with

inductive exposition first for the students to try to find out the ~Ies by themselves

Then teachers may write the grammar rules on the board and elplain them or even

better provide handouts with the explanation so that students Iho really need this

I support WIll internalize the information more easily Teachers can also assign

help the deductive ones

inductive and deductive students to work together The inductive ones will eventually

Another relevant aspect is about oral and written eXPlinations Teachers

should combine them with deductive and inductive explanation Ii teachers adapt the

grammar explanations in this way they will support not only inductive and deductive

students but also visual auditory and motor ones For examfle after students

discuss the examples (auditory and inductive) the teacher hanr clothes-line from

one side to the other side of the classroom and hangs cards with examples or rules

(one word in each card) for visual support and for deductive studehts Then they ask

motor students to help build up other examples

47 MUSIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS AND RHYTHM

28

Music is part of Desuggestopedia the Direct Method amd the Audio-Lingual

For visual students teachers should work with the lyrics and create activities

Method and teachers may adapt it to many different purposes

based on them Example students read the lyrics of a song and have to write a letter

giving advice to the person in the song Another task which works for mechanical

S I Istudents too ISto draw a story based on the Iyncs tudents are placed In a CIrCe

backs to the center and each of them has a piece of paper The~ listen to the teacherI

tell a story line by line and draw it passing the paper to the classmate beside him

each time the teacher pauses At the end they listen to a song and discover that it is

the story they have drawn Putting the lines of a song in the i9ht order is another

possibility and it also works for reflective learners Teachers cut lout the lyrics in parts

and while students listen to the song they have organize it in the correct order

For motor students teachers should combine songj with the usage of

Igestures demonstrallng feelings or reconstructing the scene from the content of the

song For this activity students listen to the song and read the lyrics Then they

work in groups to elaborate how they will perform it After that ~ey listen to the song

again and at this time they have to perform while the song is Jeing played

Another possibility is to give each student a line of a song and they have to

put it in order by moving around and forming a line according ti the song sequence

The student who has the first line stands at the beginning of theII line the student with

the second line stands next and so on

For auditory students teachers can fully exploit music jey should work with

rhythm and musical instruments One example is when students use rhythms and

29

melody to help them memorize grammar structures rules or vocabulary Students

can also use instruments with the same purpose When teaching verbs that are

h II dfollowed by infinitive or gerund students can create t elf own me 0 y or even a song

to memorize them ITeachers sometimes should play music in the background while students

write a composition or complete a task It helps auditory students concentrate betterI

Furthermore teachers should use songs frequently because It stimulates them to

1learn more vocabulary to Internalize structures and to keep their Interest high

Movies and videos are activities which are part of the Communicative

48 MOVIES AND VIDEOS

Approach and the Direct Method

For visual learners movies and videos provide input they are visual aids

Students can exploit a frame or a scene describing it or describing the characters I Teachers may use videos to reinforce or present structures or tOPICSFor example

students watch a scene or a video about how the British people live their habits the

meals etc to present cultural aspects of their people

For reflective learners movies and videos are used to provide input

concerning a topic to be discussed later Reflective students watch some parts of a

movie in class or at home and then have a discussion in the )rlloWing class This

technique is also a good way to work with self-correction Anoter suggestion is to

have students record a video performing a sketch or just speaking Then they

watch it and analyze their performances observing their strong and weak aspects of

them

30

For inductive learners movies and videos are good sources of real examples

Teachers can exploit either the sound or the subtitles Teachers may ask students to

watch the video and write down examples of simple present or kst ask questions to

make students use the structure exploring the video ITeachers can prepare a quiz for impulsive and motor learners The students

are divided in two teams and watch a scene or sequence of a movie Then they take

turns answering the questions prepared by the teacher a1d based on visual

elements or characters lines of the sequence Whenever a tear answers correctly

it wins fake money The winner is the team which gets the largest amount of money

For auditory students teachers should use science fiction or horror movies

but just the sound The screen should be black or covered withla piece of cloth and

students listen to the sound writing what is happening desCribi1gthe situation After

completing the activity students watch the sequence and compare it with their

stories Another idea is to select a scene with a dialogue and 1rit9 some questions

about it numbering them eg 1 to 6 Then the teacher cuts paper squares and write

the numbers of the questions on them Each number is writlen on two or three

Isquares so that the teacher has two numbers 1 three numbers 2 three numbers 3

I and so on The teacher covers the screen With the paper squares In order to prevent

students to watch the scene Then students listen and answer the questions orally

The teacher should take out the numbered squares correspondent to the questions

students answer correctly enabling them to see the whole scenJ

Kinesthetic students will enjoy preparing a performance ~ased on a movie or

the teacher can record them role playing a task for example being a reporter or a

news announcer They can also use a movie to explore contrasts and similarities

and make a chart about them

5 CONCLUSION

31

What has been discussed in this paper is for certain only the first step to find

a good and effective way to teach and learn a foreign language However something

that must be kept in mind is that learners all over the world hale their own needs

preferences and perceptions related to learning Teachers lust be trained to

perceive these differences and to take advantage of them Tlchers should plan

I middotmiddotf hmiddotlessons to match students learning styles while encouraging them to dlversl y t air

learning style preferences IAs for the controversy that using learning styles is or is rot beneficial for the

learning process it can not be harmful for either the teacher or the students just

because if they are consciously involved in the process this involvement may be

part of teachers and students own improvement as learners rt only for language

purposes but also for learning strategies development and it fay bring significant

results at the end Unquestionably all this process is time consuming but valid

Teachers can adapt the ideas to their environment and I time availability A

suggestion for teachers who are beginners in this area is to Rroceed carefully and

step-by-step This field is wide so teachers ought not to usJ activities for all the

learning styles and methods at once otherwise it will beCOle very complex and

difficult to control

Teachers are not expected to use all the activities proposed in this paper in

every class Teachers can provide them little by little wher the students need

support There are many strategies to help students develop ieir weaknesses It is~~ middot- middot ~l~00 0I

I

32

T h h Id h kSomething that must be aVOidedISto Individualize too much eac ers s au c ec

h d 11 If Ithe average of the group It IS easier to deal Wit an Stl e ectlve

IAmong all the theones concerning learnmg the most feasible way to solve

the style conflicts in a class is adapting the material Most teachrs have a textbook

to be followed and it usually includes a methodology So it is rportant to present

materials with a different focus to attend each learning preference

IOnly presenting a mulh-style class ISnot enough If a teacher decides to work

I I Th hWith these suggestions heshe has to think about evaluation as we 1 e teae er

must provide various ways of assessing not only written and I oral tests but also

other ways of measuring what students learn and in which the other styles are also I Involved Students can be evaluated while working In small gIOUPSperforming or

debating through journals among other suggestions

It is clear that teachers can not be paSSiveThey have to work exhaustively if I they want to help their students to fully develop They should also be open-minded In

relation to old methods present methods and brand-new one1sThey may be all

significant and helpful I

There are many approaches and methods nowadays aid probably there is

one coming out right now Each of them has been created to slve the problems in

the learning and teaching process but they may not be able to Researchers are still

trying to find a better way to teach or why not the prefect formLa It is complicated

to say not to follow a method I

In conclusion whatever teachers decide to apply in class they just need to

keep in mind that the students interests are the priority and theJ must be syntonized

with the teachers own beliefs respecting each ones paL and information

processing

REFERENCES

II

Bras G R de C (1998) Bnncando e aprendendo com logOS sensonals RIo deJaneiro Sprint I

Ellis R (1997) Second Language AcqUisition Oxford Oxford University Press

Guimaraes R (1997) Teaching Ught Teaching Bette~ a handI book for languageteachers Sao Paulo Senae

Hood K (1995) Exploring Learning Styles and Instruction The University ofGeorgia (Department of Mathematics Education) Retrieved 08072002 fromhttp lIwllson coe uga eduEMT705EMT705 Hood html I

Larsen-Freeman D (1986) Techmques and pnnclples In language teaching (2 ed)Oxford Oxford University Press I

~~nLp (9)s~~n~ t~9)0~n~a~ a~~Jd Oxford

University Press ILindsay P (JuI12001)SWingsof the Pendulum New Routes 14 pp 12-15

Richards J amp Rodgers 1 (2001) Approaches and Methods In Language Teaching(2 ed) Cambridge Cambridge University Press I

Rodgers T (Apr2000) Methodology in the new millenium English Teaching forum382 pp2-12 I

Rodgers S T (2001) Language Teaching Methodology ERIG Clearinghouse onLanguages and Linguistics Washington DC 20016-1859 Retrieved03052002 from hUpllwwwcalorgericclldigesUrodgershtml

Skehan P (1998) A cognitive approach to language learning 010rd OxfordUniversity Press

Then this student has to go to the board and write the sentrce Students keep

dOingthe activity until the song finishes For thiSreason the SOlg should not be long

and fast After the song finishes the teacher analyzes the sentences correcting

I where It IS necessary and sconng when there IS no mistakes The winner IS the

group which has less mistakes

Find the murderer is a game with clues Students haVj to discover who is

the murderer following the clue cards they have In order to 10 the task students

have to read the clues and interact with their group to link them and find out who is

the criminal

The drill game is also very well known The teacher starts saying a sentence

to be completed by one student Example I went to the supermarket and I

boughLchocolate breadcake Students take turns comPleting the sentence

without repeating the words The students who do not say a wori within the time limit

or repeat a word are out of the game The winner is the student who remains until

22

game

the end of the game Vocabulary and grammar structures can be exploited in this

Two efficient examples of quiz are like torta na caraand topa tudo por

dinheiro two TV programs in SBT The former consists in arSWering questions

about a topic or general vocabulary Two teams play against each other and who

rings the bell first has the right to answer The winner is the teamwhich scores more

pOintsThe latter consists in watching a sequence of a movie wHich is full of details

and after that answer questions based on these details The gale is also played in

teams and the competitors win fake money for each right ansler they give The

winner is the team which gets the largest amount of money

23

picture and they have to impersonate the people in the pictures organizing

the pair or trio which gets to the target first

Build up a picture is a competition played in groups Students receive a

themselves as the people in the picture Only one or two students from each group

can see the picture and have to give directions to the others t+ry to build it up The

winner is the group which gets the closest to the picture organization

These techniques which can be found in the Direct Method the

42 PICTURES GRAPHS REALIA AND POSTERS

Communicative Approach and Desuggestopedia are very useful for visual motor

inductive and deductive learners I

Visual students exploit everything they can see and if it is colorful or real they

will internalize the information better As they picture things in Itheir minds teachers

should use images numbers or words to help them showing Pi1cturesto start a class

presentation or to make students produce language based on them Teachers ought

Ito use the board and provide handouts to explain grammar ports Teachers should

also guide students to underline important information with cOlorul highlighters

Motor students need to do things so they can make Itheir own posters or

graphs about a topic or a grammar explanation working in pairs or groups They I also match or classify Information which can be vocabulary 0 anything related to a

topiCand place it in posters These learners also like to work with realia It is very

24

guess Students are blindfolded and they have to taste smell or touch the items in

order to guess what they are

For inductive and deductive learners the usage of pictures graphs or posters

may be useful if exploited in the right way Inductive students ban be provided with

1

visual material to try to work out examples of a structure Whit deductive students

receive the structure itself in colorful charts to make it more memorable

43 ROLE-PLAYSWITH TEXTS AND DIALOGUES

Role-plays and dialogues are present in the comiunicative Approach

Desuggestopedia and the Audio-Lingual Method They may be applied to motor

For example students read a text or the script of a dialogue (visual)

auditory visual inductive and reflective learners

exchange ideas with their peers (auditory reflective and inductive) prepare a

1 presentation and perform It (motor auditory and Inductive) ThiS ISthe main skeletonI

of a role-play and teachers can adapt or vary some elements Scenano clothes

Jaccessones and sound effects are usually Included In thiSactlvl[Y

Creating identities is another good activity The students close their eyes

and listen to a very soft song (classical or baroque) The tealer makes questions

Ilike What IS your name Where do you live What do you do etc and the

students answer them mentally but their answers should + an invention They

should create different people with their profiles After that thy talk to partners and

Introduce themselves uSing thelf new Identities Then In a group they can create a

story uSing the new characters and perform It For thiS activit the learning styles

that will take more advantage are reflective

25

and

kinesthetic

44 TPR GESTURES AND BODY LANGUAGE

The use of imperative gestures and body language are part of Total Physical

Response and the Communicative Approach These techniques are very useful for

visual kinesthetic and inductive students When teachers make any gestures they

Iare helping the visual students When they ask students to use body language or

TPR they are helping kinesthetic students IAn effective example is miming Kinesthetic students like performing for the

others to guess and impulsive learners love trying to discover Jhat is being mimed

So teachers can exploit grammar structures like present continLus and vocabulary

this way A good example is to divide the group in two teiams and place two

~sOolr~thaah~tht~ecs ~~derb ~hO~

teams have to mime It to help their partners guess the word IWhen teachers provide tasks uSingTPR kinesthetic students do better They

can perform and understand what IS being asked Inductive Istudents also learn

betier uSingTPR because they Internalize the examples and hOr to use them while

performing or providing imperatives for the other students to perform For instance

while teaching prepositions teachers may present Ihem and lSk the students to

follow directions John stand behind Mary Ann put yourself nixt to John and so

on unlil you have involved all the studenls Then teachers In vary selecting a

26

some of the structures which may be explored

student to give the directions Directions actions prepositions d conditionals are

45 DEBATES

Debates are part of the Communicative Approach and the Direct Method ThisI

activity works well for visual reflective auditory impulsive an motor learners The

students need time to prepare the arguments and at this mOlent visual refiective

and mechanical work better because they have to write dOWl the ideas and think

about the topic Auditory and kinesthetic students can also participate Auditory

students will discuss the ideas orally and the kinesthetic will classify good and bad

arguments At the moment of speaking all of them will be pr+ared to discuss and

state their point-of-view but auditory kinesthetic and impulsive learners will probably

do better in this task They have to move around the room be fast-talking and use

the right words An interesting way of applying this idea is to prsent a sequence of a

n~ ~c~sn ao~~ aar~cte~~t~l~~~~~se

Then they start the trial defending and accusing the man Twol students are chosen

to be the JudgesAt the end of the activity the students watch the final trial to check

what the verdict was In this activity there is time to prepare lanalyze and discuss

information there is visual and auditory support and there is movement during the

trial itself with which motor students feel comfortable I

It is necessary to divide the group so that the students rre organized to use

different abilities for instance a reflective with an impulsive arnd a mechanical or a

27

improve their abilities through contact with their peers

visual with an auditory and a kinesthetic working together This way students

46 INDUCTIVEAND DEDUCTIVE EXPLANATION

Inductive grammar explanation comes from the iirect Method the

Communicative Approach the Audio-Lingual Method and TiR while deductive

grammar explanation comes from the Grammar-Translation Method Both deductive

and inductive explanations are necessary to be used because t1eaChers usually find I Inductive and deductive students In the same class So It ISsuggested to work with

inductive exposition first for the students to try to find out the ~Ies by themselves

Then teachers may write the grammar rules on the board and elplain them or even

better provide handouts with the explanation so that students Iho really need this

I support WIll internalize the information more easily Teachers can also assign

help the deductive ones

inductive and deductive students to work together The inductive ones will eventually

Another relevant aspect is about oral and written eXPlinations Teachers

should combine them with deductive and inductive explanation Ii teachers adapt the

grammar explanations in this way they will support not only inductive and deductive

students but also visual auditory and motor ones For examfle after students

discuss the examples (auditory and inductive) the teacher hanr clothes-line from

one side to the other side of the classroom and hangs cards with examples or rules

(one word in each card) for visual support and for deductive studehts Then they ask

motor students to help build up other examples

47 MUSIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS AND RHYTHM

28

Music is part of Desuggestopedia the Direct Method amd the Audio-Lingual

For visual students teachers should work with the lyrics and create activities

Method and teachers may adapt it to many different purposes

based on them Example students read the lyrics of a song and have to write a letter

giving advice to the person in the song Another task which works for mechanical

S I Istudents too ISto draw a story based on the Iyncs tudents are placed In a CIrCe

backs to the center and each of them has a piece of paper The~ listen to the teacherI

tell a story line by line and draw it passing the paper to the classmate beside him

each time the teacher pauses At the end they listen to a song and discover that it is

the story they have drawn Putting the lines of a song in the i9ht order is another

possibility and it also works for reflective learners Teachers cut lout the lyrics in parts

and while students listen to the song they have organize it in the correct order

For motor students teachers should combine songj with the usage of

Igestures demonstrallng feelings or reconstructing the scene from the content of the

song For this activity students listen to the song and read the lyrics Then they

work in groups to elaborate how they will perform it After that ~ey listen to the song

again and at this time they have to perform while the song is Jeing played

Another possibility is to give each student a line of a song and they have to

put it in order by moving around and forming a line according ti the song sequence

The student who has the first line stands at the beginning of theII line the student with

the second line stands next and so on

For auditory students teachers can fully exploit music jey should work with

rhythm and musical instruments One example is when students use rhythms and

29

melody to help them memorize grammar structures rules or vocabulary Students

can also use instruments with the same purpose When teaching verbs that are

h II dfollowed by infinitive or gerund students can create t elf own me 0 y or even a song

to memorize them ITeachers sometimes should play music in the background while students

write a composition or complete a task It helps auditory students concentrate betterI

Furthermore teachers should use songs frequently because It stimulates them to

1learn more vocabulary to Internalize structures and to keep their Interest high

Movies and videos are activities which are part of the Communicative

48 MOVIES AND VIDEOS

Approach and the Direct Method

For visual learners movies and videos provide input they are visual aids

Students can exploit a frame or a scene describing it or describing the characters I Teachers may use videos to reinforce or present structures or tOPICSFor example

students watch a scene or a video about how the British people live their habits the

meals etc to present cultural aspects of their people

For reflective learners movies and videos are used to provide input

concerning a topic to be discussed later Reflective students watch some parts of a

movie in class or at home and then have a discussion in the )rlloWing class This

technique is also a good way to work with self-correction Anoter suggestion is to

have students record a video performing a sketch or just speaking Then they

watch it and analyze their performances observing their strong and weak aspects of

them

30

For inductive learners movies and videos are good sources of real examples

Teachers can exploit either the sound or the subtitles Teachers may ask students to

watch the video and write down examples of simple present or kst ask questions to

make students use the structure exploring the video ITeachers can prepare a quiz for impulsive and motor learners The students

are divided in two teams and watch a scene or sequence of a movie Then they take

turns answering the questions prepared by the teacher a1d based on visual

elements or characters lines of the sequence Whenever a tear answers correctly

it wins fake money The winner is the team which gets the largest amount of money

For auditory students teachers should use science fiction or horror movies

but just the sound The screen should be black or covered withla piece of cloth and

students listen to the sound writing what is happening desCribi1gthe situation After

completing the activity students watch the sequence and compare it with their

stories Another idea is to select a scene with a dialogue and 1rit9 some questions

about it numbering them eg 1 to 6 Then the teacher cuts paper squares and write

the numbers of the questions on them Each number is writlen on two or three

Isquares so that the teacher has two numbers 1 three numbers 2 three numbers 3

I and so on The teacher covers the screen With the paper squares In order to prevent

students to watch the scene Then students listen and answer the questions orally

The teacher should take out the numbered squares correspondent to the questions

students answer correctly enabling them to see the whole scenJ

Kinesthetic students will enjoy preparing a performance ~ased on a movie or

the teacher can record them role playing a task for example being a reporter or a

news announcer They can also use a movie to explore contrasts and similarities

and make a chart about them

5 CONCLUSION

31

What has been discussed in this paper is for certain only the first step to find

a good and effective way to teach and learn a foreign language However something

that must be kept in mind is that learners all over the world hale their own needs

preferences and perceptions related to learning Teachers lust be trained to

perceive these differences and to take advantage of them Tlchers should plan

I middotmiddotf hmiddotlessons to match students learning styles while encouraging them to dlversl y t air

learning style preferences IAs for the controversy that using learning styles is or is rot beneficial for the

learning process it can not be harmful for either the teacher or the students just

because if they are consciously involved in the process this involvement may be

part of teachers and students own improvement as learners rt only for language

purposes but also for learning strategies development and it fay bring significant

results at the end Unquestionably all this process is time consuming but valid

Teachers can adapt the ideas to their environment and I time availability A

suggestion for teachers who are beginners in this area is to Rroceed carefully and

step-by-step This field is wide so teachers ought not to usJ activities for all the

learning styles and methods at once otherwise it will beCOle very complex and

difficult to control

Teachers are not expected to use all the activities proposed in this paper in

every class Teachers can provide them little by little wher the students need

support There are many strategies to help students develop ieir weaknesses It is~~ middot- middot ~l~00 0I

I

32

T h h Id h kSomething that must be aVOidedISto Individualize too much eac ers s au c ec

h d 11 If Ithe average of the group It IS easier to deal Wit an Stl e ectlve

IAmong all the theones concerning learnmg the most feasible way to solve

the style conflicts in a class is adapting the material Most teachrs have a textbook

to be followed and it usually includes a methodology So it is rportant to present

materials with a different focus to attend each learning preference

IOnly presenting a mulh-style class ISnot enough If a teacher decides to work

I I Th hWith these suggestions heshe has to think about evaluation as we 1 e teae er

must provide various ways of assessing not only written and I oral tests but also

other ways of measuring what students learn and in which the other styles are also I Involved Students can be evaluated while working In small gIOUPSperforming or

debating through journals among other suggestions

It is clear that teachers can not be paSSiveThey have to work exhaustively if I they want to help their students to fully develop They should also be open-minded In

relation to old methods present methods and brand-new one1sThey may be all

significant and helpful I

There are many approaches and methods nowadays aid probably there is

one coming out right now Each of them has been created to slve the problems in

the learning and teaching process but they may not be able to Researchers are still

trying to find a better way to teach or why not the prefect formLa It is complicated

to say not to follow a method I

In conclusion whatever teachers decide to apply in class they just need to

keep in mind that the students interests are the priority and theJ must be syntonized

with the teachers own beliefs respecting each ones paL and information

processing

REFERENCES

II

Bras G R de C (1998) Bnncando e aprendendo com logOS sensonals RIo deJaneiro Sprint I

Ellis R (1997) Second Language AcqUisition Oxford Oxford University Press

Guimaraes R (1997) Teaching Ught Teaching Bette~ a handI book for languageteachers Sao Paulo Senae

Hood K (1995) Exploring Learning Styles and Instruction The University ofGeorgia (Department of Mathematics Education) Retrieved 08072002 fromhttp lIwllson coe uga eduEMT705EMT705 Hood html I

Larsen-Freeman D (1986) Techmques and pnnclples In language teaching (2 ed)Oxford Oxford University Press I

~~nLp (9)s~~n~ t~9)0~n~a~ a~~Jd Oxford

University Press ILindsay P (JuI12001)SWingsof the Pendulum New Routes 14 pp 12-15

Richards J amp Rodgers 1 (2001) Approaches and Methods In Language Teaching(2 ed) Cambridge Cambridge University Press I

Rodgers T (Apr2000) Methodology in the new millenium English Teaching forum382 pp2-12 I

Rodgers S T (2001) Language Teaching Methodology ERIG Clearinghouse onLanguages and Linguistics Washington DC 20016-1859 Retrieved03052002 from hUpllwwwcalorgericclldigesUrodgershtml

Skehan P (1998) A cognitive approach to language learning 010rd OxfordUniversity Press

23

picture and they have to impersonate the people in the pictures organizing

the pair or trio which gets to the target first

Build up a picture is a competition played in groups Students receive a

themselves as the people in the picture Only one or two students from each group

can see the picture and have to give directions to the others t+ry to build it up The

winner is the group which gets the closest to the picture organization

These techniques which can be found in the Direct Method the

42 PICTURES GRAPHS REALIA AND POSTERS

Communicative Approach and Desuggestopedia are very useful for visual motor

inductive and deductive learners I

Visual students exploit everything they can see and if it is colorful or real they

will internalize the information better As they picture things in Itheir minds teachers

should use images numbers or words to help them showing Pi1cturesto start a class

presentation or to make students produce language based on them Teachers ought

Ito use the board and provide handouts to explain grammar ports Teachers should

also guide students to underline important information with cOlorul highlighters

Motor students need to do things so they can make Itheir own posters or

graphs about a topic or a grammar explanation working in pairs or groups They I also match or classify Information which can be vocabulary 0 anything related to a

topiCand place it in posters These learners also like to work with realia It is very

24

guess Students are blindfolded and they have to taste smell or touch the items in

order to guess what they are

For inductive and deductive learners the usage of pictures graphs or posters

may be useful if exploited in the right way Inductive students ban be provided with

1

visual material to try to work out examples of a structure Whit deductive students

receive the structure itself in colorful charts to make it more memorable

43 ROLE-PLAYSWITH TEXTS AND DIALOGUES

Role-plays and dialogues are present in the comiunicative Approach

Desuggestopedia and the Audio-Lingual Method They may be applied to motor

For example students read a text or the script of a dialogue (visual)

auditory visual inductive and reflective learners

exchange ideas with their peers (auditory reflective and inductive) prepare a

1 presentation and perform It (motor auditory and Inductive) ThiS ISthe main skeletonI

of a role-play and teachers can adapt or vary some elements Scenano clothes

Jaccessones and sound effects are usually Included In thiSactlvl[Y

Creating identities is another good activity The students close their eyes

and listen to a very soft song (classical or baroque) The tealer makes questions

Ilike What IS your name Where do you live What do you do etc and the

students answer them mentally but their answers should + an invention They

should create different people with their profiles After that thy talk to partners and

Introduce themselves uSing thelf new Identities Then In a group they can create a

story uSing the new characters and perform It For thiS activit the learning styles

that will take more advantage are reflective

25

and

kinesthetic

44 TPR GESTURES AND BODY LANGUAGE

The use of imperative gestures and body language are part of Total Physical

Response and the Communicative Approach These techniques are very useful for

visual kinesthetic and inductive students When teachers make any gestures they

Iare helping the visual students When they ask students to use body language or

TPR they are helping kinesthetic students IAn effective example is miming Kinesthetic students like performing for the

others to guess and impulsive learners love trying to discover Jhat is being mimed

So teachers can exploit grammar structures like present continLus and vocabulary

this way A good example is to divide the group in two teiams and place two

~sOolr~thaah~tht~ecs ~~derb ~hO~

teams have to mime It to help their partners guess the word IWhen teachers provide tasks uSingTPR kinesthetic students do better They

can perform and understand what IS being asked Inductive Istudents also learn

betier uSingTPR because they Internalize the examples and hOr to use them while

performing or providing imperatives for the other students to perform For instance

while teaching prepositions teachers may present Ihem and lSk the students to

follow directions John stand behind Mary Ann put yourself nixt to John and so

on unlil you have involved all the studenls Then teachers In vary selecting a

26

some of the structures which may be explored

student to give the directions Directions actions prepositions d conditionals are

45 DEBATES

Debates are part of the Communicative Approach and the Direct Method ThisI

activity works well for visual reflective auditory impulsive an motor learners The

students need time to prepare the arguments and at this mOlent visual refiective

and mechanical work better because they have to write dOWl the ideas and think

about the topic Auditory and kinesthetic students can also participate Auditory

students will discuss the ideas orally and the kinesthetic will classify good and bad

arguments At the moment of speaking all of them will be pr+ared to discuss and

state their point-of-view but auditory kinesthetic and impulsive learners will probably

do better in this task They have to move around the room be fast-talking and use

the right words An interesting way of applying this idea is to prsent a sequence of a

n~ ~c~sn ao~~ aar~cte~~t~l~~~~~se

Then they start the trial defending and accusing the man Twol students are chosen

to be the JudgesAt the end of the activity the students watch the final trial to check

what the verdict was In this activity there is time to prepare lanalyze and discuss

information there is visual and auditory support and there is movement during the

trial itself with which motor students feel comfortable I

It is necessary to divide the group so that the students rre organized to use

different abilities for instance a reflective with an impulsive arnd a mechanical or a

27

improve their abilities through contact with their peers

visual with an auditory and a kinesthetic working together This way students

46 INDUCTIVEAND DEDUCTIVE EXPLANATION

Inductive grammar explanation comes from the iirect Method the

Communicative Approach the Audio-Lingual Method and TiR while deductive

grammar explanation comes from the Grammar-Translation Method Both deductive

and inductive explanations are necessary to be used because t1eaChers usually find I Inductive and deductive students In the same class So It ISsuggested to work with

inductive exposition first for the students to try to find out the ~Ies by themselves

Then teachers may write the grammar rules on the board and elplain them or even

better provide handouts with the explanation so that students Iho really need this

I support WIll internalize the information more easily Teachers can also assign

help the deductive ones

inductive and deductive students to work together The inductive ones will eventually

Another relevant aspect is about oral and written eXPlinations Teachers

should combine them with deductive and inductive explanation Ii teachers adapt the

grammar explanations in this way they will support not only inductive and deductive

students but also visual auditory and motor ones For examfle after students

discuss the examples (auditory and inductive) the teacher hanr clothes-line from

one side to the other side of the classroom and hangs cards with examples or rules

(one word in each card) for visual support and for deductive studehts Then they ask

motor students to help build up other examples

47 MUSIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS AND RHYTHM

28

Music is part of Desuggestopedia the Direct Method amd the Audio-Lingual

For visual students teachers should work with the lyrics and create activities

Method and teachers may adapt it to many different purposes

based on them Example students read the lyrics of a song and have to write a letter

giving advice to the person in the song Another task which works for mechanical

S I Istudents too ISto draw a story based on the Iyncs tudents are placed In a CIrCe

backs to the center and each of them has a piece of paper The~ listen to the teacherI

tell a story line by line and draw it passing the paper to the classmate beside him

each time the teacher pauses At the end they listen to a song and discover that it is

the story they have drawn Putting the lines of a song in the i9ht order is another

possibility and it also works for reflective learners Teachers cut lout the lyrics in parts

and while students listen to the song they have organize it in the correct order

For motor students teachers should combine songj with the usage of

Igestures demonstrallng feelings or reconstructing the scene from the content of the

song For this activity students listen to the song and read the lyrics Then they

work in groups to elaborate how they will perform it After that ~ey listen to the song

again and at this time they have to perform while the song is Jeing played

Another possibility is to give each student a line of a song and they have to

put it in order by moving around and forming a line according ti the song sequence

The student who has the first line stands at the beginning of theII line the student with

the second line stands next and so on

For auditory students teachers can fully exploit music jey should work with

rhythm and musical instruments One example is when students use rhythms and

29

melody to help them memorize grammar structures rules or vocabulary Students

can also use instruments with the same purpose When teaching verbs that are

h II dfollowed by infinitive or gerund students can create t elf own me 0 y or even a song

to memorize them ITeachers sometimes should play music in the background while students

write a composition or complete a task It helps auditory students concentrate betterI

Furthermore teachers should use songs frequently because It stimulates them to

1learn more vocabulary to Internalize structures and to keep their Interest high

Movies and videos are activities which are part of the Communicative

48 MOVIES AND VIDEOS

Approach and the Direct Method

For visual learners movies and videos provide input they are visual aids

Students can exploit a frame or a scene describing it or describing the characters I Teachers may use videos to reinforce or present structures or tOPICSFor example

students watch a scene or a video about how the British people live their habits the

meals etc to present cultural aspects of their people

For reflective learners movies and videos are used to provide input

concerning a topic to be discussed later Reflective students watch some parts of a

movie in class or at home and then have a discussion in the )rlloWing class This

technique is also a good way to work with self-correction Anoter suggestion is to

have students record a video performing a sketch or just speaking Then they

watch it and analyze their performances observing their strong and weak aspects of

them

30

For inductive learners movies and videos are good sources of real examples

Teachers can exploit either the sound or the subtitles Teachers may ask students to

watch the video and write down examples of simple present or kst ask questions to

make students use the structure exploring the video ITeachers can prepare a quiz for impulsive and motor learners The students

are divided in two teams and watch a scene or sequence of a movie Then they take

turns answering the questions prepared by the teacher a1d based on visual

elements or characters lines of the sequence Whenever a tear answers correctly

it wins fake money The winner is the team which gets the largest amount of money

For auditory students teachers should use science fiction or horror movies

but just the sound The screen should be black or covered withla piece of cloth and

students listen to the sound writing what is happening desCribi1gthe situation After

completing the activity students watch the sequence and compare it with their

stories Another idea is to select a scene with a dialogue and 1rit9 some questions

about it numbering them eg 1 to 6 Then the teacher cuts paper squares and write

the numbers of the questions on them Each number is writlen on two or three

Isquares so that the teacher has two numbers 1 three numbers 2 three numbers 3

I and so on The teacher covers the screen With the paper squares In order to prevent

students to watch the scene Then students listen and answer the questions orally

The teacher should take out the numbered squares correspondent to the questions

students answer correctly enabling them to see the whole scenJ

Kinesthetic students will enjoy preparing a performance ~ased on a movie or

the teacher can record them role playing a task for example being a reporter or a

news announcer They can also use a movie to explore contrasts and similarities

and make a chart about them

5 CONCLUSION

31

What has been discussed in this paper is for certain only the first step to find

a good and effective way to teach and learn a foreign language However something

that must be kept in mind is that learners all over the world hale their own needs

preferences and perceptions related to learning Teachers lust be trained to

perceive these differences and to take advantage of them Tlchers should plan

I middotmiddotf hmiddotlessons to match students learning styles while encouraging them to dlversl y t air

learning style preferences IAs for the controversy that using learning styles is or is rot beneficial for the

learning process it can not be harmful for either the teacher or the students just

because if they are consciously involved in the process this involvement may be

part of teachers and students own improvement as learners rt only for language

purposes but also for learning strategies development and it fay bring significant

results at the end Unquestionably all this process is time consuming but valid

Teachers can adapt the ideas to their environment and I time availability A

suggestion for teachers who are beginners in this area is to Rroceed carefully and

step-by-step This field is wide so teachers ought not to usJ activities for all the

learning styles and methods at once otherwise it will beCOle very complex and

difficult to control

Teachers are not expected to use all the activities proposed in this paper in

every class Teachers can provide them little by little wher the students need

support There are many strategies to help students develop ieir weaknesses It is~~ middot- middot ~l~00 0I

I

32

T h h Id h kSomething that must be aVOidedISto Individualize too much eac ers s au c ec

h d 11 If Ithe average of the group It IS easier to deal Wit an Stl e ectlve

IAmong all the theones concerning learnmg the most feasible way to solve

the style conflicts in a class is adapting the material Most teachrs have a textbook

to be followed and it usually includes a methodology So it is rportant to present

materials with a different focus to attend each learning preference

IOnly presenting a mulh-style class ISnot enough If a teacher decides to work

I I Th hWith these suggestions heshe has to think about evaluation as we 1 e teae er

must provide various ways of assessing not only written and I oral tests but also

other ways of measuring what students learn and in which the other styles are also I Involved Students can be evaluated while working In small gIOUPSperforming or

debating through journals among other suggestions

It is clear that teachers can not be paSSiveThey have to work exhaustively if I they want to help their students to fully develop They should also be open-minded In

relation to old methods present methods and brand-new one1sThey may be all

significant and helpful I

There are many approaches and methods nowadays aid probably there is

one coming out right now Each of them has been created to slve the problems in

the learning and teaching process but they may not be able to Researchers are still

trying to find a better way to teach or why not the prefect formLa It is complicated

to say not to follow a method I

In conclusion whatever teachers decide to apply in class they just need to

keep in mind that the students interests are the priority and theJ must be syntonized

with the teachers own beliefs respecting each ones paL and information

processing

REFERENCES

II

Bras G R de C (1998) Bnncando e aprendendo com logOS sensonals RIo deJaneiro Sprint I

Ellis R (1997) Second Language AcqUisition Oxford Oxford University Press

Guimaraes R (1997) Teaching Ught Teaching Bette~ a handI book for languageteachers Sao Paulo Senae

Hood K (1995) Exploring Learning Styles and Instruction The University ofGeorgia (Department of Mathematics Education) Retrieved 08072002 fromhttp lIwllson coe uga eduEMT705EMT705 Hood html I

Larsen-Freeman D (1986) Techmques and pnnclples In language teaching (2 ed)Oxford Oxford University Press I

~~nLp (9)s~~n~ t~9)0~n~a~ a~~Jd Oxford

University Press ILindsay P (JuI12001)SWingsof the Pendulum New Routes 14 pp 12-15

Richards J amp Rodgers 1 (2001) Approaches and Methods In Language Teaching(2 ed) Cambridge Cambridge University Press I

Rodgers T (Apr2000) Methodology in the new millenium English Teaching forum382 pp2-12 I

Rodgers S T (2001) Language Teaching Methodology ERIG Clearinghouse onLanguages and Linguistics Washington DC 20016-1859 Retrieved03052002 from hUpllwwwcalorgericclldigesUrodgershtml

Skehan P (1998) A cognitive approach to language learning 010rd OxfordUniversity Press

24

guess Students are blindfolded and they have to taste smell or touch the items in

order to guess what they are

For inductive and deductive learners the usage of pictures graphs or posters

may be useful if exploited in the right way Inductive students ban be provided with

1

visual material to try to work out examples of a structure Whit deductive students

receive the structure itself in colorful charts to make it more memorable

43 ROLE-PLAYSWITH TEXTS AND DIALOGUES

Role-plays and dialogues are present in the comiunicative Approach

Desuggestopedia and the Audio-Lingual Method They may be applied to motor

For example students read a text or the script of a dialogue (visual)

auditory visual inductive and reflective learners

exchange ideas with their peers (auditory reflective and inductive) prepare a

1 presentation and perform It (motor auditory and Inductive) ThiS ISthe main skeletonI

of a role-play and teachers can adapt or vary some elements Scenano clothes

Jaccessones and sound effects are usually Included In thiSactlvl[Y

Creating identities is another good activity The students close their eyes

and listen to a very soft song (classical or baroque) The tealer makes questions

Ilike What IS your name Where do you live What do you do etc and the

students answer them mentally but their answers should + an invention They

should create different people with their profiles After that thy talk to partners and

Introduce themselves uSing thelf new Identities Then In a group they can create a

story uSing the new characters and perform It For thiS activit the learning styles

that will take more advantage are reflective

25

and

kinesthetic

44 TPR GESTURES AND BODY LANGUAGE

The use of imperative gestures and body language are part of Total Physical

Response and the Communicative Approach These techniques are very useful for

visual kinesthetic and inductive students When teachers make any gestures they

Iare helping the visual students When they ask students to use body language or

TPR they are helping kinesthetic students IAn effective example is miming Kinesthetic students like performing for the

others to guess and impulsive learners love trying to discover Jhat is being mimed

So teachers can exploit grammar structures like present continLus and vocabulary

this way A good example is to divide the group in two teiams and place two

~sOolr~thaah~tht~ecs ~~derb ~hO~

teams have to mime It to help their partners guess the word IWhen teachers provide tasks uSingTPR kinesthetic students do better They

can perform and understand what IS being asked Inductive Istudents also learn

betier uSingTPR because they Internalize the examples and hOr to use them while

performing or providing imperatives for the other students to perform For instance

while teaching prepositions teachers may present Ihem and lSk the students to

follow directions John stand behind Mary Ann put yourself nixt to John and so

on unlil you have involved all the studenls Then teachers In vary selecting a

26

some of the structures which may be explored

student to give the directions Directions actions prepositions d conditionals are

45 DEBATES

Debates are part of the Communicative Approach and the Direct Method ThisI

activity works well for visual reflective auditory impulsive an motor learners The

students need time to prepare the arguments and at this mOlent visual refiective

and mechanical work better because they have to write dOWl the ideas and think

about the topic Auditory and kinesthetic students can also participate Auditory

students will discuss the ideas orally and the kinesthetic will classify good and bad

arguments At the moment of speaking all of them will be pr+ared to discuss and

state their point-of-view but auditory kinesthetic and impulsive learners will probably

do better in this task They have to move around the room be fast-talking and use

the right words An interesting way of applying this idea is to prsent a sequence of a

n~ ~c~sn ao~~ aar~cte~~t~l~~~~~se

Then they start the trial defending and accusing the man Twol students are chosen

to be the JudgesAt the end of the activity the students watch the final trial to check

what the verdict was In this activity there is time to prepare lanalyze and discuss

information there is visual and auditory support and there is movement during the

trial itself with which motor students feel comfortable I

It is necessary to divide the group so that the students rre organized to use

different abilities for instance a reflective with an impulsive arnd a mechanical or a

27

improve their abilities through contact with their peers

visual with an auditory and a kinesthetic working together This way students

46 INDUCTIVEAND DEDUCTIVE EXPLANATION

Inductive grammar explanation comes from the iirect Method the

Communicative Approach the Audio-Lingual Method and TiR while deductive

grammar explanation comes from the Grammar-Translation Method Both deductive

and inductive explanations are necessary to be used because t1eaChers usually find I Inductive and deductive students In the same class So It ISsuggested to work with

inductive exposition first for the students to try to find out the ~Ies by themselves

Then teachers may write the grammar rules on the board and elplain them or even

better provide handouts with the explanation so that students Iho really need this

I support WIll internalize the information more easily Teachers can also assign

help the deductive ones

inductive and deductive students to work together The inductive ones will eventually

Another relevant aspect is about oral and written eXPlinations Teachers

should combine them with deductive and inductive explanation Ii teachers adapt the

grammar explanations in this way they will support not only inductive and deductive

students but also visual auditory and motor ones For examfle after students

discuss the examples (auditory and inductive) the teacher hanr clothes-line from

one side to the other side of the classroom and hangs cards with examples or rules

(one word in each card) for visual support and for deductive studehts Then they ask

motor students to help build up other examples

47 MUSIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS AND RHYTHM

28

Music is part of Desuggestopedia the Direct Method amd the Audio-Lingual

For visual students teachers should work with the lyrics and create activities

Method and teachers may adapt it to many different purposes

based on them Example students read the lyrics of a song and have to write a letter

giving advice to the person in the song Another task which works for mechanical

S I Istudents too ISto draw a story based on the Iyncs tudents are placed In a CIrCe

backs to the center and each of them has a piece of paper The~ listen to the teacherI

tell a story line by line and draw it passing the paper to the classmate beside him

each time the teacher pauses At the end they listen to a song and discover that it is

the story they have drawn Putting the lines of a song in the i9ht order is another

possibility and it also works for reflective learners Teachers cut lout the lyrics in parts

and while students listen to the song they have organize it in the correct order

For motor students teachers should combine songj with the usage of

Igestures demonstrallng feelings or reconstructing the scene from the content of the

song For this activity students listen to the song and read the lyrics Then they

work in groups to elaborate how they will perform it After that ~ey listen to the song

again and at this time they have to perform while the song is Jeing played

Another possibility is to give each student a line of a song and they have to

put it in order by moving around and forming a line according ti the song sequence

The student who has the first line stands at the beginning of theII line the student with

the second line stands next and so on

For auditory students teachers can fully exploit music jey should work with

rhythm and musical instruments One example is when students use rhythms and

29

melody to help them memorize grammar structures rules or vocabulary Students

can also use instruments with the same purpose When teaching verbs that are

h II dfollowed by infinitive or gerund students can create t elf own me 0 y or even a song

to memorize them ITeachers sometimes should play music in the background while students

write a composition or complete a task It helps auditory students concentrate betterI

Furthermore teachers should use songs frequently because It stimulates them to

1learn more vocabulary to Internalize structures and to keep their Interest high

Movies and videos are activities which are part of the Communicative

48 MOVIES AND VIDEOS

Approach and the Direct Method

For visual learners movies and videos provide input they are visual aids

Students can exploit a frame or a scene describing it or describing the characters I Teachers may use videos to reinforce or present structures or tOPICSFor example

students watch a scene or a video about how the British people live their habits the

meals etc to present cultural aspects of their people

For reflective learners movies and videos are used to provide input

concerning a topic to be discussed later Reflective students watch some parts of a

movie in class or at home and then have a discussion in the )rlloWing class This

technique is also a good way to work with self-correction Anoter suggestion is to

have students record a video performing a sketch or just speaking Then they

watch it and analyze their performances observing their strong and weak aspects of

them

30

For inductive learners movies and videos are good sources of real examples

Teachers can exploit either the sound or the subtitles Teachers may ask students to

watch the video and write down examples of simple present or kst ask questions to

make students use the structure exploring the video ITeachers can prepare a quiz for impulsive and motor learners The students

are divided in two teams and watch a scene or sequence of a movie Then they take

turns answering the questions prepared by the teacher a1d based on visual

elements or characters lines of the sequence Whenever a tear answers correctly

it wins fake money The winner is the team which gets the largest amount of money

For auditory students teachers should use science fiction or horror movies

but just the sound The screen should be black or covered withla piece of cloth and

students listen to the sound writing what is happening desCribi1gthe situation After

completing the activity students watch the sequence and compare it with their

stories Another idea is to select a scene with a dialogue and 1rit9 some questions

about it numbering them eg 1 to 6 Then the teacher cuts paper squares and write

the numbers of the questions on them Each number is writlen on two or three

Isquares so that the teacher has two numbers 1 three numbers 2 three numbers 3

I and so on The teacher covers the screen With the paper squares In order to prevent

students to watch the scene Then students listen and answer the questions orally

The teacher should take out the numbered squares correspondent to the questions

students answer correctly enabling them to see the whole scenJ

Kinesthetic students will enjoy preparing a performance ~ased on a movie or

the teacher can record them role playing a task for example being a reporter or a

news announcer They can also use a movie to explore contrasts and similarities

and make a chart about them

5 CONCLUSION

31

What has been discussed in this paper is for certain only the first step to find

a good and effective way to teach and learn a foreign language However something

that must be kept in mind is that learners all over the world hale their own needs

preferences and perceptions related to learning Teachers lust be trained to

perceive these differences and to take advantage of them Tlchers should plan

I middotmiddotf hmiddotlessons to match students learning styles while encouraging them to dlversl y t air

learning style preferences IAs for the controversy that using learning styles is or is rot beneficial for the

learning process it can not be harmful for either the teacher or the students just

because if they are consciously involved in the process this involvement may be

part of teachers and students own improvement as learners rt only for language

purposes but also for learning strategies development and it fay bring significant

results at the end Unquestionably all this process is time consuming but valid

Teachers can adapt the ideas to their environment and I time availability A

suggestion for teachers who are beginners in this area is to Rroceed carefully and

step-by-step This field is wide so teachers ought not to usJ activities for all the

learning styles and methods at once otherwise it will beCOle very complex and

difficult to control

Teachers are not expected to use all the activities proposed in this paper in

every class Teachers can provide them little by little wher the students need

support There are many strategies to help students develop ieir weaknesses It is~~ middot- middot ~l~00 0I

I

32

T h h Id h kSomething that must be aVOidedISto Individualize too much eac ers s au c ec

h d 11 If Ithe average of the group It IS easier to deal Wit an Stl e ectlve

IAmong all the theones concerning learnmg the most feasible way to solve

the style conflicts in a class is adapting the material Most teachrs have a textbook

to be followed and it usually includes a methodology So it is rportant to present

materials with a different focus to attend each learning preference

IOnly presenting a mulh-style class ISnot enough If a teacher decides to work

I I Th hWith these suggestions heshe has to think about evaluation as we 1 e teae er

must provide various ways of assessing not only written and I oral tests but also

other ways of measuring what students learn and in which the other styles are also I Involved Students can be evaluated while working In small gIOUPSperforming or

debating through journals among other suggestions

It is clear that teachers can not be paSSiveThey have to work exhaustively if I they want to help their students to fully develop They should also be open-minded In

relation to old methods present methods and brand-new one1sThey may be all

significant and helpful I

There are many approaches and methods nowadays aid probably there is

one coming out right now Each of them has been created to slve the problems in

the learning and teaching process but they may not be able to Researchers are still

trying to find a better way to teach or why not the prefect formLa It is complicated

to say not to follow a method I

In conclusion whatever teachers decide to apply in class they just need to

keep in mind that the students interests are the priority and theJ must be syntonized

with the teachers own beliefs respecting each ones paL and information

processing

REFERENCES

II

Bras G R de C (1998) Bnncando e aprendendo com logOS sensonals RIo deJaneiro Sprint I

Ellis R (1997) Second Language AcqUisition Oxford Oxford University Press

Guimaraes R (1997) Teaching Ught Teaching Bette~ a handI book for languageteachers Sao Paulo Senae

Hood K (1995) Exploring Learning Styles and Instruction The University ofGeorgia (Department of Mathematics Education) Retrieved 08072002 fromhttp lIwllson coe uga eduEMT705EMT705 Hood html I

Larsen-Freeman D (1986) Techmques and pnnclples In language teaching (2 ed)Oxford Oxford University Press I

~~nLp (9)s~~n~ t~9)0~n~a~ a~~Jd Oxford

University Press ILindsay P (JuI12001)SWingsof the Pendulum New Routes 14 pp 12-15

Richards J amp Rodgers 1 (2001) Approaches and Methods In Language Teaching(2 ed) Cambridge Cambridge University Press I

Rodgers T (Apr2000) Methodology in the new millenium English Teaching forum382 pp2-12 I

Rodgers S T (2001) Language Teaching Methodology ERIG Clearinghouse onLanguages and Linguistics Washington DC 20016-1859 Retrieved03052002 from hUpllwwwcalorgericclldigesUrodgershtml

Skehan P (1998) A cognitive approach to language learning 010rd OxfordUniversity Press

that will take more advantage are reflective

25

and

kinesthetic

44 TPR GESTURES AND BODY LANGUAGE

The use of imperative gestures and body language are part of Total Physical

Response and the Communicative Approach These techniques are very useful for

visual kinesthetic and inductive students When teachers make any gestures they

Iare helping the visual students When they ask students to use body language or

TPR they are helping kinesthetic students IAn effective example is miming Kinesthetic students like performing for the

others to guess and impulsive learners love trying to discover Jhat is being mimed

So teachers can exploit grammar structures like present continLus and vocabulary

this way A good example is to divide the group in two teiams and place two

~sOolr~thaah~tht~ecs ~~derb ~hO~

teams have to mime It to help their partners guess the word IWhen teachers provide tasks uSingTPR kinesthetic students do better They

can perform and understand what IS being asked Inductive Istudents also learn

betier uSingTPR because they Internalize the examples and hOr to use them while

performing or providing imperatives for the other students to perform For instance

while teaching prepositions teachers may present Ihem and lSk the students to

follow directions John stand behind Mary Ann put yourself nixt to John and so

on unlil you have involved all the studenls Then teachers In vary selecting a

26

some of the structures which may be explored

student to give the directions Directions actions prepositions d conditionals are

45 DEBATES

Debates are part of the Communicative Approach and the Direct Method ThisI

activity works well for visual reflective auditory impulsive an motor learners The

students need time to prepare the arguments and at this mOlent visual refiective

and mechanical work better because they have to write dOWl the ideas and think

about the topic Auditory and kinesthetic students can also participate Auditory

students will discuss the ideas orally and the kinesthetic will classify good and bad

arguments At the moment of speaking all of them will be pr+ared to discuss and

state their point-of-view but auditory kinesthetic and impulsive learners will probably

do better in this task They have to move around the room be fast-talking and use

the right words An interesting way of applying this idea is to prsent a sequence of a

n~ ~c~sn ao~~ aar~cte~~t~l~~~~~se

Then they start the trial defending and accusing the man Twol students are chosen

to be the JudgesAt the end of the activity the students watch the final trial to check

what the verdict was In this activity there is time to prepare lanalyze and discuss

information there is visual and auditory support and there is movement during the

trial itself with which motor students feel comfortable I

It is necessary to divide the group so that the students rre organized to use

different abilities for instance a reflective with an impulsive arnd a mechanical or a

27

improve their abilities through contact with their peers

visual with an auditory and a kinesthetic working together This way students

46 INDUCTIVEAND DEDUCTIVE EXPLANATION

Inductive grammar explanation comes from the iirect Method the

Communicative Approach the Audio-Lingual Method and TiR while deductive

grammar explanation comes from the Grammar-Translation Method Both deductive

and inductive explanations are necessary to be used because t1eaChers usually find I Inductive and deductive students In the same class So It ISsuggested to work with

inductive exposition first for the students to try to find out the ~Ies by themselves

Then teachers may write the grammar rules on the board and elplain them or even

better provide handouts with the explanation so that students Iho really need this

I support WIll internalize the information more easily Teachers can also assign

help the deductive ones

inductive and deductive students to work together The inductive ones will eventually

Another relevant aspect is about oral and written eXPlinations Teachers

should combine them with deductive and inductive explanation Ii teachers adapt the

grammar explanations in this way they will support not only inductive and deductive

students but also visual auditory and motor ones For examfle after students

discuss the examples (auditory and inductive) the teacher hanr clothes-line from

one side to the other side of the classroom and hangs cards with examples or rules

(one word in each card) for visual support and for deductive studehts Then they ask

motor students to help build up other examples

47 MUSIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS AND RHYTHM

28

Music is part of Desuggestopedia the Direct Method amd the Audio-Lingual

For visual students teachers should work with the lyrics and create activities

Method and teachers may adapt it to many different purposes

based on them Example students read the lyrics of a song and have to write a letter

giving advice to the person in the song Another task which works for mechanical

S I Istudents too ISto draw a story based on the Iyncs tudents are placed In a CIrCe

backs to the center and each of them has a piece of paper The~ listen to the teacherI

tell a story line by line and draw it passing the paper to the classmate beside him

each time the teacher pauses At the end they listen to a song and discover that it is

the story they have drawn Putting the lines of a song in the i9ht order is another

possibility and it also works for reflective learners Teachers cut lout the lyrics in parts

and while students listen to the song they have organize it in the correct order

For motor students teachers should combine songj with the usage of

Igestures demonstrallng feelings or reconstructing the scene from the content of the

song For this activity students listen to the song and read the lyrics Then they

work in groups to elaborate how they will perform it After that ~ey listen to the song

again and at this time they have to perform while the song is Jeing played

Another possibility is to give each student a line of a song and they have to

put it in order by moving around and forming a line according ti the song sequence

The student who has the first line stands at the beginning of theII line the student with

the second line stands next and so on

For auditory students teachers can fully exploit music jey should work with

rhythm and musical instruments One example is when students use rhythms and

29

melody to help them memorize grammar structures rules or vocabulary Students

can also use instruments with the same purpose When teaching verbs that are

h II dfollowed by infinitive or gerund students can create t elf own me 0 y or even a song

to memorize them ITeachers sometimes should play music in the background while students

write a composition or complete a task It helps auditory students concentrate betterI

Furthermore teachers should use songs frequently because It stimulates them to

1learn more vocabulary to Internalize structures and to keep their Interest high

Movies and videos are activities which are part of the Communicative

48 MOVIES AND VIDEOS

Approach and the Direct Method

For visual learners movies and videos provide input they are visual aids

Students can exploit a frame or a scene describing it or describing the characters I Teachers may use videos to reinforce or present structures or tOPICSFor example

students watch a scene or a video about how the British people live their habits the

meals etc to present cultural aspects of their people

For reflective learners movies and videos are used to provide input

concerning a topic to be discussed later Reflective students watch some parts of a

movie in class or at home and then have a discussion in the )rlloWing class This

technique is also a good way to work with self-correction Anoter suggestion is to

have students record a video performing a sketch or just speaking Then they

watch it and analyze their performances observing their strong and weak aspects of

them

30

For inductive learners movies and videos are good sources of real examples

Teachers can exploit either the sound or the subtitles Teachers may ask students to

watch the video and write down examples of simple present or kst ask questions to

make students use the structure exploring the video ITeachers can prepare a quiz for impulsive and motor learners The students

are divided in two teams and watch a scene or sequence of a movie Then they take

turns answering the questions prepared by the teacher a1d based on visual

elements or characters lines of the sequence Whenever a tear answers correctly

it wins fake money The winner is the team which gets the largest amount of money

For auditory students teachers should use science fiction or horror movies

but just the sound The screen should be black or covered withla piece of cloth and

students listen to the sound writing what is happening desCribi1gthe situation After

completing the activity students watch the sequence and compare it with their

stories Another idea is to select a scene with a dialogue and 1rit9 some questions

about it numbering them eg 1 to 6 Then the teacher cuts paper squares and write

the numbers of the questions on them Each number is writlen on two or three

Isquares so that the teacher has two numbers 1 three numbers 2 three numbers 3

I and so on The teacher covers the screen With the paper squares In order to prevent

students to watch the scene Then students listen and answer the questions orally

The teacher should take out the numbered squares correspondent to the questions

students answer correctly enabling them to see the whole scenJ

Kinesthetic students will enjoy preparing a performance ~ased on a movie or

the teacher can record them role playing a task for example being a reporter or a

news announcer They can also use a movie to explore contrasts and similarities

and make a chart about them

5 CONCLUSION

31

What has been discussed in this paper is for certain only the first step to find

a good and effective way to teach and learn a foreign language However something

that must be kept in mind is that learners all over the world hale their own needs

preferences and perceptions related to learning Teachers lust be trained to

perceive these differences and to take advantage of them Tlchers should plan

I middotmiddotf hmiddotlessons to match students learning styles while encouraging them to dlversl y t air

learning style preferences IAs for the controversy that using learning styles is or is rot beneficial for the

learning process it can not be harmful for either the teacher or the students just

because if they are consciously involved in the process this involvement may be

part of teachers and students own improvement as learners rt only for language

purposes but also for learning strategies development and it fay bring significant

results at the end Unquestionably all this process is time consuming but valid

Teachers can adapt the ideas to their environment and I time availability A

suggestion for teachers who are beginners in this area is to Rroceed carefully and

step-by-step This field is wide so teachers ought not to usJ activities for all the

learning styles and methods at once otherwise it will beCOle very complex and

difficult to control

Teachers are not expected to use all the activities proposed in this paper in

every class Teachers can provide them little by little wher the students need

support There are many strategies to help students develop ieir weaknesses It is~~ middot- middot ~l~00 0I

I

32

T h h Id h kSomething that must be aVOidedISto Individualize too much eac ers s au c ec

h d 11 If Ithe average of the group It IS easier to deal Wit an Stl e ectlve

IAmong all the theones concerning learnmg the most feasible way to solve

the style conflicts in a class is adapting the material Most teachrs have a textbook

to be followed and it usually includes a methodology So it is rportant to present

materials with a different focus to attend each learning preference

IOnly presenting a mulh-style class ISnot enough If a teacher decides to work

I I Th hWith these suggestions heshe has to think about evaluation as we 1 e teae er

must provide various ways of assessing not only written and I oral tests but also

other ways of measuring what students learn and in which the other styles are also I Involved Students can be evaluated while working In small gIOUPSperforming or

debating through journals among other suggestions

It is clear that teachers can not be paSSiveThey have to work exhaustively if I they want to help their students to fully develop They should also be open-minded In

relation to old methods present methods and brand-new one1sThey may be all

significant and helpful I

There are many approaches and methods nowadays aid probably there is

one coming out right now Each of them has been created to slve the problems in

the learning and teaching process but they may not be able to Researchers are still

trying to find a better way to teach or why not the prefect formLa It is complicated

to say not to follow a method I

In conclusion whatever teachers decide to apply in class they just need to

keep in mind that the students interests are the priority and theJ must be syntonized

with the teachers own beliefs respecting each ones paL and information

processing

REFERENCES

II

Bras G R de C (1998) Bnncando e aprendendo com logOS sensonals RIo deJaneiro Sprint I

Ellis R (1997) Second Language AcqUisition Oxford Oxford University Press

Guimaraes R (1997) Teaching Ught Teaching Bette~ a handI book for languageteachers Sao Paulo Senae

Hood K (1995) Exploring Learning Styles and Instruction The University ofGeorgia (Department of Mathematics Education) Retrieved 08072002 fromhttp lIwllson coe uga eduEMT705EMT705 Hood html I

Larsen-Freeman D (1986) Techmques and pnnclples In language teaching (2 ed)Oxford Oxford University Press I

~~nLp (9)s~~n~ t~9)0~n~a~ a~~Jd Oxford

University Press ILindsay P (JuI12001)SWingsof the Pendulum New Routes 14 pp 12-15

Richards J amp Rodgers 1 (2001) Approaches and Methods In Language Teaching(2 ed) Cambridge Cambridge University Press I

Rodgers T (Apr2000) Methodology in the new millenium English Teaching forum382 pp2-12 I

Rodgers S T (2001) Language Teaching Methodology ERIG Clearinghouse onLanguages and Linguistics Washington DC 20016-1859 Retrieved03052002 from hUpllwwwcalorgericclldigesUrodgershtml

Skehan P (1998) A cognitive approach to language learning 010rd OxfordUniversity Press

26

some of the structures which may be explored

student to give the directions Directions actions prepositions d conditionals are

45 DEBATES

Debates are part of the Communicative Approach and the Direct Method ThisI

activity works well for visual reflective auditory impulsive an motor learners The

students need time to prepare the arguments and at this mOlent visual refiective

and mechanical work better because they have to write dOWl the ideas and think

about the topic Auditory and kinesthetic students can also participate Auditory

students will discuss the ideas orally and the kinesthetic will classify good and bad

arguments At the moment of speaking all of them will be pr+ared to discuss and

state their point-of-view but auditory kinesthetic and impulsive learners will probably

do better in this task They have to move around the room be fast-talking and use

the right words An interesting way of applying this idea is to prsent a sequence of a

n~ ~c~sn ao~~ aar~cte~~t~l~~~~~se

Then they start the trial defending and accusing the man Twol students are chosen

to be the JudgesAt the end of the activity the students watch the final trial to check

what the verdict was In this activity there is time to prepare lanalyze and discuss

information there is visual and auditory support and there is movement during the

trial itself with which motor students feel comfortable I

It is necessary to divide the group so that the students rre organized to use

different abilities for instance a reflective with an impulsive arnd a mechanical or a

27

improve their abilities through contact with their peers

visual with an auditory and a kinesthetic working together This way students

46 INDUCTIVEAND DEDUCTIVE EXPLANATION

Inductive grammar explanation comes from the iirect Method the

Communicative Approach the Audio-Lingual Method and TiR while deductive

grammar explanation comes from the Grammar-Translation Method Both deductive

and inductive explanations are necessary to be used because t1eaChers usually find I Inductive and deductive students In the same class So It ISsuggested to work with

inductive exposition first for the students to try to find out the ~Ies by themselves

Then teachers may write the grammar rules on the board and elplain them or even

better provide handouts with the explanation so that students Iho really need this

I support WIll internalize the information more easily Teachers can also assign

help the deductive ones

inductive and deductive students to work together The inductive ones will eventually

Another relevant aspect is about oral and written eXPlinations Teachers

should combine them with deductive and inductive explanation Ii teachers adapt the

grammar explanations in this way they will support not only inductive and deductive

students but also visual auditory and motor ones For examfle after students

discuss the examples (auditory and inductive) the teacher hanr clothes-line from

one side to the other side of the classroom and hangs cards with examples or rules

(one word in each card) for visual support and for deductive studehts Then they ask

motor students to help build up other examples

47 MUSIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS AND RHYTHM

28

Music is part of Desuggestopedia the Direct Method amd the Audio-Lingual

For visual students teachers should work with the lyrics and create activities

Method and teachers may adapt it to many different purposes

based on them Example students read the lyrics of a song and have to write a letter

giving advice to the person in the song Another task which works for mechanical

S I Istudents too ISto draw a story based on the Iyncs tudents are placed In a CIrCe

backs to the center and each of them has a piece of paper The~ listen to the teacherI

tell a story line by line and draw it passing the paper to the classmate beside him

each time the teacher pauses At the end they listen to a song and discover that it is

the story they have drawn Putting the lines of a song in the i9ht order is another

possibility and it also works for reflective learners Teachers cut lout the lyrics in parts

and while students listen to the song they have organize it in the correct order

For motor students teachers should combine songj with the usage of

Igestures demonstrallng feelings or reconstructing the scene from the content of the

song For this activity students listen to the song and read the lyrics Then they

work in groups to elaborate how they will perform it After that ~ey listen to the song

again and at this time they have to perform while the song is Jeing played

Another possibility is to give each student a line of a song and they have to

put it in order by moving around and forming a line according ti the song sequence

The student who has the first line stands at the beginning of theII line the student with

the second line stands next and so on

For auditory students teachers can fully exploit music jey should work with

rhythm and musical instruments One example is when students use rhythms and

29

melody to help them memorize grammar structures rules or vocabulary Students

can also use instruments with the same purpose When teaching verbs that are

h II dfollowed by infinitive or gerund students can create t elf own me 0 y or even a song

to memorize them ITeachers sometimes should play music in the background while students

write a composition or complete a task It helps auditory students concentrate betterI

Furthermore teachers should use songs frequently because It stimulates them to

1learn more vocabulary to Internalize structures and to keep their Interest high

Movies and videos are activities which are part of the Communicative

48 MOVIES AND VIDEOS

Approach and the Direct Method

For visual learners movies and videos provide input they are visual aids

Students can exploit a frame or a scene describing it or describing the characters I Teachers may use videos to reinforce or present structures or tOPICSFor example

students watch a scene or a video about how the British people live their habits the

meals etc to present cultural aspects of their people

For reflective learners movies and videos are used to provide input

concerning a topic to be discussed later Reflective students watch some parts of a

movie in class or at home and then have a discussion in the )rlloWing class This

technique is also a good way to work with self-correction Anoter suggestion is to

have students record a video performing a sketch or just speaking Then they

watch it and analyze their performances observing their strong and weak aspects of

them

30

For inductive learners movies and videos are good sources of real examples

Teachers can exploit either the sound or the subtitles Teachers may ask students to

watch the video and write down examples of simple present or kst ask questions to

make students use the structure exploring the video ITeachers can prepare a quiz for impulsive and motor learners The students

are divided in two teams and watch a scene or sequence of a movie Then they take

turns answering the questions prepared by the teacher a1d based on visual

elements or characters lines of the sequence Whenever a tear answers correctly

it wins fake money The winner is the team which gets the largest amount of money

For auditory students teachers should use science fiction or horror movies

but just the sound The screen should be black or covered withla piece of cloth and

students listen to the sound writing what is happening desCribi1gthe situation After

completing the activity students watch the sequence and compare it with their

stories Another idea is to select a scene with a dialogue and 1rit9 some questions

about it numbering them eg 1 to 6 Then the teacher cuts paper squares and write

the numbers of the questions on them Each number is writlen on two or three

Isquares so that the teacher has two numbers 1 three numbers 2 three numbers 3

I and so on The teacher covers the screen With the paper squares In order to prevent

students to watch the scene Then students listen and answer the questions orally

The teacher should take out the numbered squares correspondent to the questions

students answer correctly enabling them to see the whole scenJ

Kinesthetic students will enjoy preparing a performance ~ased on a movie or

the teacher can record them role playing a task for example being a reporter or a

news announcer They can also use a movie to explore contrasts and similarities

and make a chart about them

5 CONCLUSION

31

What has been discussed in this paper is for certain only the first step to find

a good and effective way to teach and learn a foreign language However something

that must be kept in mind is that learners all over the world hale their own needs

preferences and perceptions related to learning Teachers lust be trained to

perceive these differences and to take advantage of them Tlchers should plan

I middotmiddotf hmiddotlessons to match students learning styles while encouraging them to dlversl y t air

learning style preferences IAs for the controversy that using learning styles is or is rot beneficial for the

learning process it can not be harmful for either the teacher or the students just

because if they are consciously involved in the process this involvement may be

part of teachers and students own improvement as learners rt only for language

purposes but also for learning strategies development and it fay bring significant

results at the end Unquestionably all this process is time consuming but valid

Teachers can adapt the ideas to their environment and I time availability A

suggestion for teachers who are beginners in this area is to Rroceed carefully and

step-by-step This field is wide so teachers ought not to usJ activities for all the

learning styles and methods at once otherwise it will beCOle very complex and

difficult to control

Teachers are not expected to use all the activities proposed in this paper in

every class Teachers can provide them little by little wher the students need

support There are many strategies to help students develop ieir weaknesses It is~~ middot- middot ~l~00 0I

I

32

T h h Id h kSomething that must be aVOidedISto Individualize too much eac ers s au c ec

h d 11 If Ithe average of the group It IS easier to deal Wit an Stl e ectlve

IAmong all the theones concerning learnmg the most feasible way to solve

the style conflicts in a class is adapting the material Most teachrs have a textbook

to be followed and it usually includes a methodology So it is rportant to present

materials with a different focus to attend each learning preference

IOnly presenting a mulh-style class ISnot enough If a teacher decides to work

I I Th hWith these suggestions heshe has to think about evaluation as we 1 e teae er

must provide various ways of assessing not only written and I oral tests but also

other ways of measuring what students learn and in which the other styles are also I Involved Students can be evaluated while working In small gIOUPSperforming or

debating through journals among other suggestions

It is clear that teachers can not be paSSiveThey have to work exhaustively if I they want to help their students to fully develop They should also be open-minded In

relation to old methods present methods and brand-new one1sThey may be all

significant and helpful I

There are many approaches and methods nowadays aid probably there is

one coming out right now Each of them has been created to slve the problems in

the learning and teaching process but they may not be able to Researchers are still

trying to find a better way to teach or why not the prefect formLa It is complicated

to say not to follow a method I

In conclusion whatever teachers decide to apply in class they just need to

keep in mind that the students interests are the priority and theJ must be syntonized

with the teachers own beliefs respecting each ones paL and information

processing

REFERENCES

II

Bras G R de C (1998) Bnncando e aprendendo com logOS sensonals RIo deJaneiro Sprint I

Ellis R (1997) Second Language AcqUisition Oxford Oxford University Press

Guimaraes R (1997) Teaching Ught Teaching Bette~ a handI book for languageteachers Sao Paulo Senae

Hood K (1995) Exploring Learning Styles and Instruction The University ofGeorgia (Department of Mathematics Education) Retrieved 08072002 fromhttp lIwllson coe uga eduEMT705EMT705 Hood html I

Larsen-Freeman D (1986) Techmques and pnnclples In language teaching (2 ed)Oxford Oxford University Press I

~~nLp (9)s~~n~ t~9)0~n~a~ a~~Jd Oxford

University Press ILindsay P (JuI12001)SWingsof the Pendulum New Routes 14 pp 12-15

Richards J amp Rodgers 1 (2001) Approaches and Methods In Language Teaching(2 ed) Cambridge Cambridge University Press I

Rodgers T (Apr2000) Methodology in the new millenium English Teaching forum382 pp2-12 I

Rodgers S T (2001) Language Teaching Methodology ERIG Clearinghouse onLanguages and Linguistics Washington DC 20016-1859 Retrieved03052002 from hUpllwwwcalorgericclldigesUrodgershtml

Skehan P (1998) A cognitive approach to language learning 010rd OxfordUniversity Press

27

improve their abilities through contact with their peers

visual with an auditory and a kinesthetic working together This way students

46 INDUCTIVEAND DEDUCTIVE EXPLANATION

Inductive grammar explanation comes from the iirect Method the

Communicative Approach the Audio-Lingual Method and TiR while deductive

grammar explanation comes from the Grammar-Translation Method Both deductive

and inductive explanations are necessary to be used because t1eaChers usually find I Inductive and deductive students In the same class So It ISsuggested to work with

inductive exposition first for the students to try to find out the ~Ies by themselves

Then teachers may write the grammar rules on the board and elplain them or even

better provide handouts with the explanation so that students Iho really need this

I support WIll internalize the information more easily Teachers can also assign

help the deductive ones

inductive and deductive students to work together The inductive ones will eventually

Another relevant aspect is about oral and written eXPlinations Teachers

should combine them with deductive and inductive explanation Ii teachers adapt the

grammar explanations in this way they will support not only inductive and deductive

students but also visual auditory and motor ones For examfle after students

discuss the examples (auditory and inductive) the teacher hanr clothes-line from

one side to the other side of the classroom and hangs cards with examples or rules

(one word in each card) for visual support and for deductive studehts Then they ask

motor students to help build up other examples

47 MUSIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS AND RHYTHM

28

Music is part of Desuggestopedia the Direct Method amd the Audio-Lingual

For visual students teachers should work with the lyrics and create activities

Method and teachers may adapt it to many different purposes

based on them Example students read the lyrics of a song and have to write a letter

giving advice to the person in the song Another task which works for mechanical

S I Istudents too ISto draw a story based on the Iyncs tudents are placed In a CIrCe

backs to the center and each of them has a piece of paper The~ listen to the teacherI

tell a story line by line and draw it passing the paper to the classmate beside him

each time the teacher pauses At the end they listen to a song and discover that it is

the story they have drawn Putting the lines of a song in the i9ht order is another

possibility and it also works for reflective learners Teachers cut lout the lyrics in parts

and while students listen to the song they have organize it in the correct order

For motor students teachers should combine songj with the usage of

Igestures demonstrallng feelings or reconstructing the scene from the content of the

song For this activity students listen to the song and read the lyrics Then they

work in groups to elaborate how they will perform it After that ~ey listen to the song

again and at this time they have to perform while the song is Jeing played

Another possibility is to give each student a line of a song and they have to

put it in order by moving around and forming a line according ti the song sequence

The student who has the first line stands at the beginning of theII line the student with

the second line stands next and so on

For auditory students teachers can fully exploit music jey should work with

rhythm and musical instruments One example is when students use rhythms and

29

melody to help them memorize grammar structures rules or vocabulary Students

can also use instruments with the same purpose When teaching verbs that are

h II dfollowed by infinitive or gerund students can create t elf own me 0 y or even a song

to memorize them ITeachers sometimes should play music in the background while students

write a composition or complete a task It helps auditory students concentrate betterI

Furthermore teachers should use songs frequently because It stimulates them to

1learn more vocabulary to Internalize structures and to keep their Interest high

Movies and videos are activities which are part of the Communicative

48 MOVIES AND VIDEOS

Approach and the Direct Method

For visual learners movies and videos provide input they are visual aids

Students can exploit a frame or a scene describing it or describing the characters I Teachers may use videos to reinforce or present structures or tOPICSFor example

students watch a scene or a video about how the British people live their habits the

meals etc to present cultural aspects of their people

For reflective learners movies and videos are used to provide input

concerning a topic to be discussed later Reflective students watch some parts of a

movie in class or at home and then have a discussion in the )rlloWing class This

technique is also a good way to work with self-correction Anoter suggestion is to

have students record a video performing a sketch or just speaking Then they

watch it and analyze their performances observing their strong and weak aspects of

them

30

For inductive learners movies and videos are good sources of real examples

Teachers can exploit either the sound or the subtitles Teachers may ask students to

watch the video and write down examples of simple present or kst ask questions to

make students use the structure exploring the video ITeachers can prepare a quiz for impulsive and motor learners The students

are divided in two teams and watch a scene or sequence of a movie Then they take

turns answering the questions prepared by the teacher a1d based on visual

elements or characters lines of the sequence Whenever a tear answers correctly

it wins fake money The winner is the team which gets the largest amount of money

For auditory students teachers should use science fiction or horror movies

but just the sound The screen should be black or covered withla piece of cloth and

students listen to the sound writing what is happening desCribi1gthe situation After

completing the activity students watch the sequence and compare it with their

stories Another idea is to select a scene with a dialogue and 1rit9 some questions

about it numbering them eg 1 to 6 Then the teacher cuts paper squares and write

the numbers of the questions on them Each number is writlen on two or three

Isquares so that the teacher has two numbers 1 three numbers 2 three numbers 3

I and so on The teacher covers the screen With the paper squares In order to prevent

students to watch the scene Then students listen and answer the questions orally

The teacher should take out the numbered squares correspondent to the questions

students answer correctly enabling them to see the whole scenJ

Kinesthetic students will enjoy preparing a performance ~ased on a movie or

the teacher can record them role playing a task for example being a reporter or a

news announcer They can also use a movie to explore contrasts and similarities

and make a chart about them

5 CONCLUSION

31

What has been discussed in this paper is for certain only the first step to find

a good and effective way to teach and learn a foreign language However something

that must be kept in mind is that learners all over the world hale their own needs

preferences and perceptions related to learning Teachers lust be trained to

perceive these differences and to take advantage of them Tlchers should plan

I middotmiddotf hmiddotlessons to match students learning styles while encouraging them to dlversl y t air

learning style preferences IAs for the controversy that using learning styles is or is rot beneficial for the

learning process it can not be harmful for either the teacher or the students just

because if they are consciously involved in the process this involvement may be

part of teachers and students own improvement as learners rt only for language

purposes but also for learning strategies development and it fay bring significant

results at the end Unquestionably all this process is time consuming but valid

Teachers can adapt the ideas to their environment and I time availability A

suggestion for teachers who are beginners in this area is to Rroceed carefully and

step-by-step This field is wide so teachers ought not to usJ activities for all the

learning styles and methods at once otherwise it will beCOle very complex and

difficult to control

Teachers are not expected to use all the activities proposed in this paper in

every class Teachers can provide them little by little wher the students need

support There are many strategies to help students develop ieir weaknesses It is~~ middot- middot ~l~00 0I

I

32

T h h Id h kSomething that must be aVOidedISto Individualize too much eac ers s au c ec

h d 11 If Ithe average of the group It IS easier to deal Wit an Stl e ectlve

IAmong all the theones concerning learnmg the most feasible way to solve

the style conflicts in a class is adapting the material Most teachrs have a textbook

to be followed and it usually includes a methodology So it is rportant to present

materials with a different focus to attend each learning preference

IOnly presenting a mulh-style class ISnot enough If a teacher decides to work

I I Th hWith these suggestions heshe has to think about evaluation as we 1 e teae er

must provide various ways of assessing not only written and I oral tests but also

other ways of measuring what students learn and in which the other styles are also I Involved Students can be evaluated while working In small gIOUPSperforming or

debating through journals among other suggestions

It is clear that teachers can not be paSSiveThey have to work exhaustively if I they want to help their students to fully develop They should also be open-minded In

relation to old methods present methods and brand-new one1sThey may be all

significant and helpful I

There are many approaches and methods nowadays aid probably there is

one coming out right now Each of them has been created to slve the problems in

the learning and teaching process but they may not be able to Researchers are still

trying to find a better way to teach or why not the prefect formLa It is complicated

to say not to follow a method I

In conclusion whatever teachers decide to apply in class they just need to

keep in mind that the students interests are the priority and theJ must be syntonized

with the teachers own beliefs respecting each ones paL and information

processing

REFERENCES

II

Bras G R de C (1998) Bnncando e aprendendo com logOS sensonals RIo deJaneiro Sprint I

Ellis R (1997) Second Language AcqUisition Oxford Oxford University Press

Guimaraes R (1997) Teaching Ught Teaching Bette~ a handI book for languageteachers Sao Paulo Senae

Hood K (1995) Exploring Learning Styles and Instruction The University ofGeorgia (Department of Mathematics Education) Retrieved 08072002 fromhttp lIwllson coe uga eduEMT705EMT705 Hood html I

Larsen-Freeman D (1986) Techmques and pnnclples In language teaching (2 ed)Oxford Oxford University Press I

~~nLp (9)s~~n~ t~9)0~n~a~ a~~Jd Oxford

University Press ILindsay P (JuI12001)SWingsof the Pendulum New Routes 14 pp 12-15

Richards J amp Rodgers 1 (2001) Approaches and Methods In Language Teaching(2 ed) Cambridge Cambridge University Press I

Rodgers T (Apr2000) Methodology in the new millenium English Teaching forum382 pp2-12 I

Rodgers S T (2001) Language Teaching Methodology ERIG Clearinghouse onLanguages and Linguistics Washington DC 20016-1859 Retrieved03052002 from hUpllwwwcalorgericclldigesUrodgershtml

Skehan P (1998) A cognitive approach to language learning 010rd OxfordUniversity Press

47 MUSIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS AND RHYTHM

28

Music is part of Desuggestopedia the Direct Method amd the Audio-Lingual

For visual students teachers should work with the lyrics and create activities

Method and teachers may adapt it to many different purposes

based on them Example students read the lyrics of a song and have to write a letter

giving advice to the person in the song Another task which works for mechanical

S I Istudents too ISto draw a story based on the Iyncs tudents are placed In a CIrCe

backs to the center and each of them has a piece of paper The~ listen to the teacherI

tell a story line by line and draw it passing the paper to the classmate beside him

each time the teacher pauses At the end they listen to a song and discover that it is

the story they have drawn Putting the lines of a song in the i9ht order is another

possibility and it also works for reflective learners Teachers cut lout the lyrics in parts

and while students listen to the song they have organize it in the correct order

For motor students teachers should combine songj with the usage of

Igestures demonstrallng feelings or reconstructing the scene from the content of the

song For this activity students listen to the song and read the lyrics Then they

work in groups to elaborate how they will perform it After that ~ey listen to the song

again and at this time they have to perform while the song is Jeing played

Another possibility is to give each student a line of a song and they have to

put it in order by moving around and forming a line according ti the song sequence

The student who has the first line stands at the beginning of theII line the student with

the second line stands next and so on

For auditory students teachers can fully exploit music jey should work with

rhythm and musical instruments One example is when students use rhythms and

29

melody to help them memorize grammar structures rules or vocabulary Students

can also use instruments with the same purpose When teaching verbs that are

h II dfollowed by infinitive or gerund students can create t elf own me 0 y or even a song

to memorize them ITeachers sometimes should play music in the background while students

write a composition or complete a task It helps auditory students concentrate betterI

Furthermore teachers should use songs frequently because It stimulates them to

1learn more vocabulary to Internalize structures and to keep their Interest high

Movies and videos are activities which are part of the Communicative

48 MOVIES AND VIDEOS

Approach and the Direct Method

For visual learners movies and videos provide input they are visual aids

Students can exploit a frame or a scene describing it or describing the characters I Teachers may use videos to reinforce or present structures or tOPICSFor example

students watch a scene or a video about how the British people live their habits the

meals etc to present cultural aspects of their people

For reflective learners movies and videos are used to provide input

concerning a topic to be discussed later Reflective students watch some parts of a

movie in class or at home and then have a discussion in the )rlloWing class This

technique is also a good way to work with self-correction Anoter suggestion is to

have students record a video performing a sketch or just speaking Then they

watch it and analyze their performances observing their strong and weak aspects of

them

30

For inductive learners movies and videos are good sources of real examples

Teachers can exploit either the sound or the subtitles Teachers may ask students to

watch the video and write down examples of simple present or kst ask questions to

make students use the structure exploring the video ITeachers can prepare a quiz for impulsive and motor learners The students

are divided in two teams and watch a scene or sequence of a movie Then they take

turns answering the questions prepared by the teacher a1d based on visual

elements or characters lines of the sequence Whenever a tear answers correctly

it wins fake money The winner is the team which gets the largest amount of money

For auditory students teachers should use science fiction or horror movies

but just the sound The screen should be black or covered withla piece of cloth and

students listen to the sound writing what is happening desCribi1gthe situation After

completing the activity students watch the sequence and compare it with their

stories Another idea is to select a scene with a dialogue and 1rit9 some questions

about it numbering them eg 1 to 6 Then the teacher cuts paper squares and write

the numbers of the questions on them Each number is writlen on two or three

Isquares so that the teacher has two numbers 1 three numbers 2 three numbers 3

I and so on The teacher covers the screen With the paper squares In order to prevent

students to watch the scene Then students listen and answer the questions orally

The teacher should take out the numbered squares correspondent to the questions

students answer correctly enabling them to see the whole scenJ

Kinesthetic students will enjoy preparing a performance ~ased on a movie or

the teacher can record them role playing a task for example being a reporter or a

news announcer They can also use a movie to explore contrasts and similarities

and make a chart about them

5 CONCLUSION

31

What has been discussed in this paper is for certain only the first step to find

a good and effective way to teach and learn a foreign language However something

that must be kept in mind is that learners all over the world hale their own needs

preferences and perceptions related to learning Teachers lust be trained to

perceive these differences and to take advantage of them Tlchers should plan

I middotmiddotf hmiddotlessons to match students learning styles while encouraging them to dlversl y t air

learning style preferences IAs for the controversy that using learning styles is or is rot beneficial for the

learning process it can not be harmful for either the teacher or the students just

because if they are consciously involved in the process this involvement may be

part of teachers and students own improvement as learners rt only for language

purposes but also for learning strategies development and it fay bring significant

results at the end Unquestionably all this process is time consuming but valid

Teachers can adapt the ideas to their environment and I time availability A

suggestion for teachers who are beginners in this area is to Rroceed carefully and

step-by-step This field is wide so teachers ought not to usJ activities for all the

learning styles and methods at once otherwise it will beCOle very complex and

difficult to control

Teachers are not expected to use all the activities proposed in this paper in

every class Teachers can provide them little by little wher the students need

support There are many strategies to help students develop ieir weaknesses It is~~ middot- middot ~l~00 0I

I

32

T h h Id h kSomething that must be aVOidedISto Individualize too much eac ers s au c ec

h d 11 If Ithe average of the group It IS easier to deal Wit an Stl e ectlve

IAmong all the theones concerning learnmg the most feasible way to solve

the style conflicts in a class is adapting the material Most teachrs have a textbook

to be followed and it usually includes a methodology So it is rportant to present

materials with a different focus to attend each learning preference

IOnly presenting a mulh-style class ISnot enough If a teacher decides to work

I I Th hWith these suggestions heshe has to think about evaluation as we 1 e teae er

must provide various ways of assessing not only written and I oral tests but also

other ways of measuring what students learn and in which the other styles are also I Involved Students can be evaluated while working In small gIOUPSperforming or

debating through journals among other suggestions

It is clear that teachers can not be paSSiveThey have to work exhaustively if I they want to help their students to fully develop They should also be open-minded In

relation to old methods present methods and brand-new one1sThey may be all

significant and helpful I

There are many approaches and methods nowadays aid probably there is

one coming out right now Each of them has been created to slve the problems in

the learning and teaching process but they may not be able to Researchers are still

trying to find a better way to teach or why not the prefect formLa It is complicated

to say not to follow a method I

In conclusion whatever teachers decide to apply in class they just need to

keep in mind that the students interests are the priority and theJ must be syntonized

with the teachers own beliefs respecting each ones paL and information

processing

REFERENCES

II

Bras G R de C (1998) Bnncando e aprendendo com logOS sensonals RIo deJaneiro Sprint I

Ellis R (1997) Second Language AcqUisition Oxford Oxford University Press

Guimaraes R (1997) Teaching Ught Teaching Bette~ a handI book for languageteachers Sao Paulo Senae

Hood K (1995) Exploring Learning Styles and Instruction The University ofGeorgia (Department of Mathematics Education) Retrieved 08072002 fromhttp lIwllson coe uga eduEMT705EMT705 Hood html I

Larsen-Freeman D (1986) Techmques and pnnclples In language teaching (2 ed)Oxford Oxford University Press I

~~nLp (9)s~~n~ t~9)0~n~a~ a~~Jd Oxford

University Press ILindsay P (JuI12001)SWingsof the Pendulum New Routes 14 pp 12-15

Richards J amp Rodgers 1 (2001) Approaches and Methods In Language Teaching(2 ed) Cambridge Cambridge University Press I

Rodgers T (Apr2000) Methodology in the new millenium English Teaching forum382 pp2-12 I

Rodgers S T (2001) Language Teaching Methodology ERIG Clearinghouse onLanguages and Linguistics Washington DC 20016-1859 Retrieved03052002 from hUpllwwwcalorgericclldigesUrodgershtml

Skehan P (1998) A cognitive approach to language learning 010rd OxfordUniversity Press

29

melody to help them memorize grammar structures rules or vocabulary Students

can also use instruments with the same purpose When teaching verbs that are

h II dfollowed by infinitive or gerund students can create t elf own me 0 y or even a song

to memorize them ITeachers sometimes should play music in the background while students

write a composition or complete a task It helps auditory students concentrate betterI

Furthermore teachers should use songs frequently because It stimulates them to

1learn more vocabulary to Internalize structures and to keep their Interest high

Movies and videos are activities which are part of the Communicative

48 MOVIES AND VIDEOS

Approach and the Direct Method

For visual learners movies and videos provide input they are visual aids

Students can exploit a frame or a scene describing it or describing the characters I Teachers may use videos to reinforce or present structures or tOPICSFor example

students watch a scene or a video about how the British people live their habits the

meals etc to present cultural aspects of their people

For reflective learners movies and videos are used to provide input

concerning a topic to be discussed later Reflective students watch some parts of a

movie in class or at home and then have a discussion in the )rlloWing class This

technique is also a good way to work with self-correction Anoter suggestion is to

have students record a video performing a sketch or just speaking Then they

watch it and analyze their performances observing their strong and weak aspects of

them

30

For inductive learners movies and videos are good sources of real examples

Teachers can exploit either the sound or the subtitles Teachers may ask students to

watch the video and write down examples of simple present or kst ask questions to

make students use the structure exploring the video ITeachers can prepare a quiz for impulsive and motor learners The students

are divided in two teams and watch a scene or sequence of a movie Then they take

turns answering the questions prepared by the teacher a1d based on visual

elements or characters lines of the sequence Whenever a tear answers correctly

it wins fake money The winner is the team which gets the largest amount of money

For auditory students teachers should use science fiction or horror movies

but just the sound The screen should be black or covered withla piece of cloth and

students listen to the sound writing what is happening desCribi1gthe situation After

completing the activity students watch the sequence and compare it with their

stories Another idea is to select a scene with a dialogue and 1rit9 some questions

about it numbering them eg 1 to 6 Then the teacher cuts paper squares and write

the numbers of the questions on them Each number is writlen on two or three

Isquares so that the teacher has two numbers 1 three numbers 2 three numbers 3

I and so on The teacher covers the screen With the paper squares In order to prevent

students to watch the scene Then students listen and answer the questions orally

The teacher should take out the numbered squares correspondent to the questions

students answer correctly enabling them to see the whole scenJ

Kinesthetic students will enjoy preparing a performance ~ased on a movie or

the teacher can record them role playing a task for example being a reporter or a

news announcer They can also use a movie to explore contrasts and similarities

and make a chart about them

5 CONCLUSION

31

What has been discussed in this paper is for certain only the first step to find

a good and effective way to teach and learn a foreign language However something

that must be kept in mind is that learners all over the world hale their own needs

preferences and perceptions related to learning Teachers lust be trained to

perceive these differences and to take advantage of them Tlchers should plan

I middotmiddotf hmiddotlessons to match students learning styles while encouraging them to dlversl y t air

learning style preferences IAs for the controversy that using learning styles is or is rot beneficial for the

learning process it can not be harmful for either the teacher or the students just

because if they are consciously involved in the process this involvement may be

part of teachers and students own improvement as learners rt only for language

purposes but also for learning strategies development and it fay bring significant

results at the end Unquestionably all this process is time consuming but valid

Teachers can adapt the ideas to their environment and I time availability A

suggestion for teachers who are beginners in this area is to Rroceed carefully and

step-by-step This field is wide so teachers ought not to usJ activities for all the

learning styles and methods at once otherwise it will beCOle very complex and

difficult to control

Teachers are not expected to use all the activities proposed in this paper in

every class Teachers can provide them little by little wher the students need

support There are many strategies to help students develop ieir weaknesses It is~~ middot- middot ~l~00 0I

I

32

T h h Id h kSomething that must be aVOidedISto Individualize too much eac ers s au c ec

h d 11 If Ithe average of the group It IS easier to deal Wit an Stl e ectlve

IAmong all the theones concerning learnmg the most feasible way to solve

the style conflicts in a class is adapting the material Most teachrs have a textbook

to be followed and it usually includes a methodology So it is rportant to present

materials with a different focus to attend each learning preference

IOnly presenting a mulh-style class ISnot enough If a teacher decides to work

I I Th hWith these suggestions heshe has to think about evaluation as we 1 e teae er

must provide various ways of assessing not only written and I oral tests but also

other ways of measuring what students learn and in which the other styles are also I Involved Students can be evaluated while working In small gIOUPSperforming or

debating through journals among other suggestions

It is clear that teachers can not be paSSiveThey have to work exhaustively if I they want to help their students to fully develop They should also be open-minded In

relation to old methods present methods and brand-new one1sThey may be all

significant and helpful I

There are many approaches and methods nowadays aid probably there is

one coming out right now Each of them has been created to slve the problems in

the learning and teaching process but they may not be able to Researchers are still

trying to find a better way to teach or why not the prefect formLa It is complicated

to say not to follow a method I

In conclusion whatever teachers decide to apply in class they just need to

keep in mind that the students interests are the priority and theJ must be syntonized

with the teachers own beliefs respecting each ones paL and information

processing

REFERENCES

II

Bras G R de C (1998) Bnncando e aprendendo com logOS sensonals RIo deJaneiro Sprint I

Ellis R (1997) Second Language AcqUisition Oxford Oxford University Press

Guimaraes R (1997) Teaching Ught Teaching Bette~ a handI book for languageteachers Sao Paulo Senae

Hood K (1995) Exploring Learning Styles and Instruction The University ofGeorgia (Department of Mathematics Education) Retrieved 08072002 fromhttp lIwllson coe uga eduEMT705EMT705 Hood html I

Larsen-Freeman D (1986) Techmques and pnnclples In language teaching (2 ed)Oxford Oxford University Press I

~~nLp (9)s~~n~ t~9)0~n~a~ a~~Jd Oxford

University Press ILindsay P (JuI12001)SWingsof the Pendulum New Routes 14 pp 12-15

Richards J amp Rodgers 1 (2001) Approaches and Methods In Language Teaching(2 ed) Cambridge Cambridge University Press I

Rodgers T (Apr2000) Methodology in the new millenium English Teaching forum382 pp2-12 I

Rodgers S T (2001) Language Teaching Methodology ERIG Clearinghouse onLanguages and Linguistics Washington DC 20016-1859 Retrieved03052002 from hUpllwwwcalorgericclldigesUrodgershtml

Skehan P (1998) A cognitive approach to language learning 010rd OxfordUniversity Press

30

For inductive learners movies and videos are good sources of real examples

Teachers can exploit either the sound or the subtitles Teachers may ask students to

watch the video and write down examples of simple present or kst ask questions to

make students use the structure exploring the video ITeachers can prepare a quiz for impulsive and motor learners The students

are divided in two teams and watch a scene or sequence of a movie Then they take

turns answering the questions prepared by the teacher a1d based on visual

elements or characters lines of the sequence Whenever a tear answers correctly

it wins fake money The winner is the team which gets the largest amount of money

For auditory students teachers should use science fiction or horror movies

but just the sound The screen should be black or covered withla piece of cloth and

students listen to the sound writing what is happening desCribi1gthe situation After

completing the activity students watch the sequence and compare it with their

stories Another idea is to select a scene with a dialogue and 1rit9 some questions

about it numbering them eg 1 to 6 Then the teacher cuts paper squares and write

the numbers of the questions on them Each number is writlen on two or three

Isquares so that the teacher has two numbers 1 three numbers 2 three numbers 3

I and so on The teacher covers the screen With the paper squares In order to prevent

students to watch the scene Then students listen and answer the questions orally

The teacher should take out the numbered squares correspondent to the questions

students answer correctly enabling them to see the whole scenJ

Kinesthetic students will enjoy preparing a performance ~ased on a movie or

the teacher can record them role playing a task for example being a reporter or a

news announcer They can also use a movie to explore contrasts and similarities

and make a chart about them

5 CONCLUSION

31

What has been discussed in this paper is for certain only the first step to find

a good and effective way to teach and learn a foreign language However something

that must be kept in mind is that learners all over the world hale their own needs

preferences and perceptions related to learning Teachers lust be trained to

perceive these differences and to take advantage of them Tlchers should plan

I middotmiddotf hmiddotlessons to match students learning styles while encouraging them to dlversl y t air

learning style preferences IAs for the controversy that using learning styles is or is rot beneficial for the

learning process it can not be harmful for either the teacher or the students just

because if they are consciously involved in the process this involvement may be

part of teachers and students own improvement as learners rt only for language

purposes but also for learning strategies development and it fay bring significant

results at the end Unquestionably all this process is time consuming but valid

Teachers can adapt the ideas to their environment and I time availability A

suggestion for teachers who are beginners in this area is to Rroceed carefully and

step-by-step This field is wide so teachers ought not to usJ activities for all the

learning styles and methods at once otherwise it will beCOle very complex and

difficult to control

Teachers are not expected to use all the activities proposed in this paper in

every class Teachers can provide them little by little wher the students need

support There are many strategies to help students develop ieir weaknesses It is~~ middot- middot ~l~00 0I

I

32

T h h Id h kSomething that must be aVOidedISto Individualize too much eac ers s au c ec

h d 11 If Ithe average of the group It IS easier to deal Wit an Stl e ectlve

IAmong all the theones concerning learnmg the most feasible way to solve

the style conflicts in a class is adapting the material Most teachrs have a textbook

to be followed and it usually includes a methodology So it is rportant to present

materials with a different focus to attend each learning preference

IOnly presenting a mulh-style class ISnot enough If a teacher decides to work

I I Th hWith these suggestions heshe has to think about evaluation as we 1 e teae er

must provide various ways of assessing not only written and I oral tests but also

other ways of measuring what students learn and in which the other styles are also I Involved Students can be evaluated while working In small gIOUPSperforming or

debating through journals among other suggestions

It is clear that teachers can not be paSSiveThey have to work exhaustively if I they want to help their students to fully develop They should also be open-minded In

relation to old methods present methods and brand-new one1sThey may be all

significant and helpful I

There are many approaches and methods nowadays aid probably there is

one coming out right now Each of them has been created to slve the problems in

the learning and teaching process but they may not be able to Researchers are still

trying to find a better way to teach or why not the prefect formLa It is complicated

to say not to follow a method I

In conclusion whatever teachers decide to apply in class they just need to

keep in mind that the students interests are the priority and theJ must be syntonized

with the teachers own beliefs respecting each ones paL and information

processing

REFERENCES

II

Bras G R de C (1998) Bnncando e aprendendo com logOS sensonals RIo deJaneiro Sprint I

Ellis R (1997) Second Language AcqUisition Oxford Oxford University Press

Guimaraes R (1997) Teaching Ught Teaching Bette~ a handI book for languageteachers Sao Paulo Senae

Hood K (1995) Exploring Learning Styles and Instruction The University ofGeorgia (Department of Mathematics Education) Retrieved 08072002 fromhttp lIwllson coe uga eduEMT705EMT705 Hood html I

Larsen-Freeman D (1986) Techmques and pnnclples In language teaching (2 ed)Oxford Oxford University Press I

~~nLp (9)s~~n~ t~9)0~n~a~ a~~Jd Oxford

University Press ILindsay P (JuI12001)SWingsof the Pendulum New Routes 14 pp 12-15

Richards J amp Rodgers 1 (2001) Approaches and Methods In Language Teaching(2 ed) Cambridge Cambridge University Press I

Rodgers T (Apr2000) Methodology in the new millenium English Teaching forum382 pp2-12 I

Rodgers S T (2001) Language Teaching Methodology ERIG Clearinghouse onLanguages and Linguistics Washington DC 20016-1859 Retrieved03052002 from hUpllwwwcalorgericclldigesUrodgershtml

Skehan P (1998) A cognitive approach to language learning 010rd OxfordUniversity Press

5 CONCLUSION

31

What has been discussed in this paper is for certain only the first step to find

a good and effective way to teach and learn a foreign language However something

that must be kept in mind is that learners all over the world hale their own needs

preferences and perceptions related to learning Teachers lust be trained to

perceive these differences and to take advantage of them Tlchers should plan

I middotmiddotf hmiddotlessons to match students learning styles while encouraging them to dlversl y t air

learning style preferences IAs for the controversy that using learning styles is or is rot beneficial for the

learning process it can not be harmful for either the teacher or the students just

because if they are consciously involved in the process this involvement may be

part of teachers and students own improvement as learners rt only for language

purposes but also for learning strategies development and it fay bring significant

results at the end Unquestionably all this process is time consuming but valid

Teachers can adapt the ideas to their environment and I time availability A

suggestion for teachers who are beginners in this area is to Rroceed carefully and

step-by-step This field is wide so teachers ought not to usJ activities for all the

learning styles and methods at once otherwise it will beCOle very complex and

difficult to control

Teachers are not expected to use all the activities proposed in this paper in

every class Teachers can provide them little by little wher the students need

support There are many strategies to help students develop ieir weaknesses It is~~ middot- middot ~l~00 0I

I

32

T h h Id h kSomething that must be aVOidedISto Individualize too much eac ers s au c ec

h d 11 If Ithe average of the group It IS easier to deal Wit an Stl e ectlve

IAmong all the theones concerning learnmg the most feasible way to solve

the style conflicts in a class is adapting the material Most teachrs have a textbook

to be followed and it usually includes a methodology So it is rportant to present

materials with a different focus to attend each learning preference

IOnly presenting a mulh-style class ISnot enough If a teacher decides to work

I I Th hWith these suggestions heshe has to think about evaluation as we 1 e teae er

must provide various ways of assessing not only written and I oral tests but also

other ways of measuring what students learn and in which the other styles are also I Involved Students can be evaluated while working In small gIOUPSperforming or

debating through journals among other suggestions

It is clear that teachers can not be paSSiveThey have to work exhaustively if I they want to help their students to fully develop They should also be open-minded In

relation to old methods present methods and brand-new one1sThey may be all

significant and helpful I

There are many approaches and methods nowadays aid probably there is

one coming out right now Each of them has been created to slve the problems in

the learning and teaching process but they may not be able to Researchers are still

trying to find a better way to teach or why not the prefect formLa It is complicated

to say not to follow a method I

In conclusion whatever teachers decide to apply in class they just need to

keep in mind that the students interests are the priority and theJ must be syntonized

with the teachers own beliefs respecting each ones paL and information

processing

REFERENCES

II

Bras G R de C (1998) Bnncando e aprendendo com logOS sensonals RIo deJaneiro Sprint I

Ellis R (1997) Second Language AcqUisition Oxford Oxford University Press

Guimaraes R (1997) Teaching Ught Teaching Bette~ a handI book for languageteachers Sao Paulo Senae

Hood K (1995) Exploring Learning Styles and Instruction The University ofGeorgia (Department of Mathematics Education) Retrieved 08072002 fromhttp lIwllson coe uga eduEMT705EMT705 Hood html I

Larsen-Freeman D (1986) Techmques and pnnclples In language teaching (2 ed)Oxford Oxford University Press I

~~nLp (9)s~~n~ t~9)0~n~a~ a~~Jd Oxford

University Press ILindsay P (JuI12001)SWingsof the Pendulum New Routes 14 pp 12-15

Richards J amp Rodgers 1 (2001) Approaches and Methods In Language Teaching(2 ed) Cambridge Cambridge University Press I

Rodgers T (Apr2000) Methodology in the new millenium English Teaching forum382 pp2-12 I

Rodgers S T (2001) Language Teaching Methodology ERIG Clearinghouse onLanguages and Linguistics Washington DC 20016-1859 Retrieved03052002 from hUpllwwwcalorgericclldigesUrodgershtml

Skehan P (1998) A cognitive approach to language learning 010rd OxfordUniversity Press

I

32

T h h Id h kSomething that must be aVOidedISto Individualize too much eac ers s au c ec

h d 11 If Ithe average of the group It IS easier to deal Wit an Stl e ectlve

IAmong all the theones concerning learnmg the most feasible way to solve

the style conflicts in a class is adapting the material Most teachrs have a textbook

to be followed and it usually includes a methodology So it is rportant to present

materials with a different focus to attend each learning preference

IOnly presenting a mulh-style class ISnot enough If a teacher decides to work

I I Th hWith these suggestions heshe has to think about evaluation as we 1 e teae er

must provide various ways of assessing not only written and I oral tests but also

other ways of measuring what students learn and in which the other styles are also I Involved Students can be evaluated while working In small gIOUPSperforming or

debating through journals among other suggestions

It is clear that teachers can not be paSSiveThey have to work exhaustively if I they want to help their students to fully develop They should also be open-minded In

relation to old methods present methods and brand-new one1sThey may be all

significant and helpful I

There are many approaches and methods nowadays aid probably there is

one coming out right now Each of them has been created to slve the problems in

the learning and teaching process but they may not be able to Researchers are still

trying to find a better way to teach or why not the prefect formLa It is complicated

to say not to follow a method I

In conclusion whatever teachers decide to apply in class they just need to

keep in mind that the students interests are the priority and theJ must be syntonized

with the teachers own beliefs respecting each ones paL and information

processing

REFERENCES

II

Bras G R de C (1998) Bnncando e aprendendo com logOS sensonals RIo deJaneiro Sprint I

Ellis R (1997) Second Language AcqUisition Oxford Oxford University Press

Guimaraes R (1997) Teaching Ught Teaching Bette~ a handI book for languageteachers Sao Paulo Senae

Hood K (1995) Exploring Learning Styles and Instruction The University ofGeorgia (Department of Mathematics Education) Retrieved 08072002 fromhttp lIwllson coe uga eduEMT705EMT705 Hood html I

Larsen-Freeman D (1986) Techmques and pnnclples In language teaching (2 ed)Oxford Oxford University Press I

~~nLp (9)s~~n~ t~9)0~n~a~ a~~Jd Oxford

University Press ILindsay P (JuI12001)SWingsof the Pendulum New Routes 14 pp 12-15

Richards J amp Rodgers 1 (2001) Approaches and Methods In Language Teaching(2 ed) Cambridge Cambridge University Press I

Rodgers T (Apr2000) Methodology in the new millenium English Teaching forum382 pp2-12 I

Rodgers S T (2001) Language Teaching Methodology ERIG Clearinghouse onLanguages and Linguistics Washington DC 20016-1859 Retrieved03052002 from hUpllwwwcalorgericclldigesUrodgershtml

Skehan P (1998) A cognitive approach to language learning 010rd OxfordUniversity Press

REFERENCES

II

Bras G R de C (1998) Bnncando e aprendendo com logOS sensonals RIo deJaneiro Sprint I

Ellis R (1997) Second Language AcqUisition Oxford Oxford University Press

Guimaraes R (1997) Teaching Ught Teaching Bette~ a handI book for languageteachers Sao Paulo Senae

Hood K (1995) Exploring Learning Styles and Instruction The University ofGeorgia (Department of Mathematics Education) Retrieved 08072002 fromhttp lIwllson coe uga eduEMT705EMT705 Hood html I

Larsen-Freeman D (1986) Techmques and pnnclples In language teaching (2 ed)Oxford Oxford University Press I

~~nLp (9)s~~n~ t~9)0~n~a~ a~~Jd Oxford

University Press ILindsay P (JuI12001)SWingsof the Pendulum New Routes 14 pp 12-15

Richards J amp Rodgers 1 (2001) Approaches and Methods In Language Teaching(2 ed) Cambridge Cambridge University Press I

Rodgers T (Apr2000) Methodology in the new millenium English Teaching forum382 pp2-12 I

Rodgers S T (2001) Language Teaching Methodology ERIG Clearinghouse onLanguages and Linguistics Washington DC 20016-1859 Retrieved03052002 from hUpllwwwcalorgericclldigesUrodgershtml

Skehan P (1998) A cognitive approach to language learning 010rd OxfordUniversity Press

APPENDIX A

GLOSSARY

AlM - Audio-Lingual Method

CA - Communicative Approach

Cll - Community Language learning

o - Desuggestopedia

OM - Direct Method

TM - Translation Method

TPR - Total Physical Response

34

35

APPENDIXB

EXAMPLE OF AN INVENTORY AND ACTTTIES

Learning Styles IModality Preference InventoryRead each statement and select the appropriate number response as it appliej to you

Often (3) Sometimes (2) SeldomNever (1)

Visual ModalityI remember information better if I write it down=== Looking at the person helps keep me focused

__ I need a quiet place to get my work doneWhen I take a test I can see the textbook page in my head

--I need to write dawn directions not just take them verbally==Music or background noise distracts my attention from the task at hand__ I dont always get the meaning of a joke

I doodle and draw pictures on the margins or my notebook pages==have trouble following lectures__ react very strongly to colors

Total

Auditory Modality__ My papers and notebooks always seem messy__ When I read I need to use my index finger to track my place on the line

-- I do not follow written directions well I__ If I hear something I will remember it__ Writing has always been difficult for me__ I often misread words from the text-(ie them~ for then1__ I would rather listen and learn than read and learn__ Im not very good at interpreting an individuals body language__ Pages with small print or poor quality copies are difficult for me to read__ My eyes tire quickly even though my vision check-up is always fine I__ Total

KinestheticfTactile Modality__ I start a project before reading the directions__ I hate to sit at a desk for long periods of time__ I prefer first to see something done and then to do it myself__ I use the trial and error approach to problem-solving__ I like to read my textbook while riding an exercise bike__ I lake frequent study breaks__ I have a difficult time giving step-by-step instructions__ I enjoy sports and do well at several different types of sports__ I use my hands when describing things

I have to rewnte or type my dass notes to remforce the malenal ITotal

Total the score for each section A score of 21 pomts or more In a modality mdlcates a strength In that area Thehighest of the 3 scores mdlcates the most effiCient method of information mtake I The second highest score

~~~~ tr~gd~~a~~~~n~O~~h I~~~b~~~~o~oh~~~~ ~~~~n~~ ~~~~sthrav~~ale~O~~I~second highest score is auditory them the individual would benefd from audio tapes lectures etc If you arestrong kinesthetically then taking notes and rewriting class notes will reinforce infOrmlation

This questionnaire was taken from the web page of Middlese)( commun]ty College available inwwwm)(cccommnetedulclclsurveyhtmin 1511112002

Activity 1

36

Teachers should prepare copies of the cards for three Quarters of the studenf in the class eg for a

class with 12 students prepare 3 copies of card A 3 copies of card Band 3 copies of card C

CardA I

Sfanhopen4l8eetnotTvo

stanhopen= something you use Beefnofryo~ on animal r canto weigh things ride

IWaybergast= a beautiful Moyvdny~ a monsfer jichcolorful insect michlikes spits fireflowers

1The students are told to get a card with four new words that come from an exotic language from Africa

to memorize They will have a few minutes to learn the words and what thef mean but they can not

show their cards to their peers They have to memorize them silently studenf who get cards A and B

should stay in their chairs Students who get card C should stand up and lry to memorize the new

vocabulary while walking around the classroom The remaining students are asked to leave the

classroom with the teacher and stay outside where the others can not ear what the teacher is

Card B

stanhopen = Scale Beetnatryo~ Hose I

Mayvolny= DragonWaybergost= Butterfly

Card C

I37

saymg The students listen to the words and their meaning said by the teacher to memonze them In

this way They can not see the words IAfter a few mmutes the teacher gets everybody together and asks who IS able to tell you the new

words and their meaning Then the teachers divides the students in groups of 4 ( different cards) and

asks them to discuss how difficult or easy it was for them to memorize the neJ vocabulary

When they finish the teacher asks them if they could choose among the four tays to learn which one

they would prefer Then the teacher discuss with the students about the leamng styles to make them

aware of them

Activity 2

The teacher provides different posters which represent the different learning styles visual

auditory and motor and hang them around the classroom Then students look around and choose

one of them and stand in front of it The students usually choose the posteSil1corresponding to their

preferred learning style Example a poster containing musical instruments and musical signs for

auditory students a poster containing a beautiful landscape or visual art for visual students a poster

wrth anything that symbolizes movement (a man running a car race people Wrrllting)

These activities were taken from the book Teaching Ught Teaching Better written by ReginaGuimaraes 1997

35

APPENDIXB

EXAMPLE OF AN INVENTORY AND ACTTTIES

Learning Styles IModality Preference InventoryRead each statement and select the appropriate number response as it appliej to you

Often (3) Sometimes (2) SeldomNever (1)

Visual ModalityI remember information better if I write it down=== Looking at the person helps keep me focused

__ I need a quiet place to get my work doneWhen I take a test I can see the textbook page in my head

--I need to write dawn directions not just take them verbally==Music or background noise distracts my attention from the task at hand__ I dont always get the meaning of a joke

I doodle and draw pictures on the margins or my notebook pages==have trouble following lectures__ react very strongly to colors

Total

Auditory Modality__ My papers and notebooks always seem messy__ When I read I need to use my index finger to track my place on the line

-- I do not follow written directions well I__ If I hear something I will remember it__ Writing has always been difficult for me__ I often misread words from the text-(ie them~ for then1__ I would rather listen and learn than read and learn__ Im not very good at interpreting an individuals body language__ Pages with small print or poor quality copies are difficult for me to read__ My eyes tire quickly even though my vision check-up is always fine I__ Total

KinestheticfTactile Modality__ I start a project before reading the directions__ I hate to sit at a desk for long periods of time__ I prefer first to see something done and then to do it myself__ I use the trial and error approach to problem-solving__ I like to read my textbook while riding an exercise bike__ I lake frequent study breaks__ I have a difficult time giving step-by-step instructions__ I enjoy sports and do well at several different types of sports__ I use my hands when describing things

I have to rewnte or type my dass notes to remforce the malenal ITotal

Total the score for each section A score of 21 pomts or more In a modality mdlcates a strength In that area Thehighest of the 3 scores mdlcates the most effiCient method of information mtake I The second highest score

~~~~ tr~gd~~a~~~~n~O~~h I~~~b~~~~o~oh~~~~ ~~~~n~~ ~~~~sthrav~~ale~O~~I~second highest score is auditory them the individual would benefd from audio tapes lectures etc If you arestrong kinesthetically then taking notes and rewriting class notes will reinforce infOrmlation

This questionnaire was taken from the web page of Middlese)( commun]ty College available inwwwm)(cccommnetedulclclsurveyhtmin 1511112002

Activity 1

36

Teachers should prepare copies of the cards for three Quarters of the studenf in the class eg for a

class with 12 students prepare 3 copies of card A 3 copies of card Band 3 copies of card C

CardA I

Sfanhopen4l8eetnotTvo

stanhopen= something you use Beefnofryo~ on animal r canto weigh things ride

IWaybergast= a beautiful Moyvdny~ a monsfer jichcolorful insect michlikes spits fireflowers

1The students are told to get a card with four new words that come from an exotic language from Africa

to memorize They will have a few minutes to learn the words and what thef mean but they can not

show their cards to their peers They have to memorize them silently studenf who get cards A and B

should stay in their chairs Students who get card C should stand up and lry to memorize the new

vocabulary while walking around the classroom The remaining students are asked to leave the

classroom with the teacher and stay outside where the others can not ear what the teacher is

Card B

stanhopen = Scale Beetnatryo~ Hose I

Mayvolny= DragonWaybergost= Butterfly

Card C

I37

saymg The students listen to the words and their meaning said by the teacher to memonze them In

this way They can not see the words IAfter a few mmutes the teacher gets everybody together and asks who IS able to tell you the new

words and their meaning Then the teachers divides the students in groups of 4 ( different cards) and

asks them to discuss how difficult or easy it was for them to memorize the neJ vocabulary

When they finish the teacher asks them if they could choose among the four tays to learn which one

they would prefer Then the teacher discuss with the students about the leamng styles to make them

aware of them

Activity 2

The teacher provides different posters which represent the different learning styles visual

auditory and motor and hang them around the classroom Then students look around and choose

one of them and stand in front of it The students usually choose the posteSil1corresponding to their

preferred learning style Example a poster containing musical instruments and musical signs for

auditory students a poster containing a beautiful landscape or visual art for visual students a poster

wrth anything that symbolizes movement (a man running a car race people Wrrllting)

These activities were taken from the book Teaching Ught Teaching Better written by ReginaGuimaraes 1997

Activity 1

36

Teachers should prepare copies of the cards for three Quarters of the studenf in the class eg for a

class with 12 students prepare 3 copies of card A 3 copies of card Band 3 copies of card C

CardA I

Sfanhopen4l8eetnotTvo

stanhopen= something you use Beefnofryo~ on animal r canto weigh things ride

IWaybergast= a beautiful Moyvdny~ a monsfer jichcolorful insect michlikes spits fireflowers

1The students are told to get a card with four new words that come from an exotic language from Africa

to memorize They will have a few minutes to learn the words and what thef mean but they can not

show their cards to their peers They have to memorize them silently studenf who get cards A and B

should stay in their chairs Students who get card C should stand up and lry to memorize the new

vocabulary while walking around the classroom The remaining students are asked to leave the

classroom with the teacher and stay outside where the others can not ear what the teacher is

Card B

stanhopen = Scale Beetnatryo~ Hose I

Mayvolny= DragonWaybergost= Butterfly

Card C

I37

saymg The students listen to the words and their meaning said by the teacher to memonze them In

this way They can not see the words IAfter a few mmutes the teacher gets everybody together and asks who IS able to tell you the new

words and their meaning Then the teachers divides the students in groups of 4 ( different cards) and

asks them to discuss how difficult or easy it was for them to memorize the neJ vocabulary

When they finish the teacher asks them if they could choose among the four tays to learn which one

they would prefer Then the teacher discuss with the students about the leamng styles to make them

aware of them

Activity 2

The teacher provides different posters which represent the different learning styles visual

auditory and motor and hang them around the classroom Then students look around and choose

one of them and stand in front of it The students usually choose the posteSil1corresponding to their

preferred learning style Example a poster containing musical instruments and musical signs for

auditory students a poster containing a beautiful landscape or visual art for visual students a poster

wrth anything that symbolizes movement (a man running a car race people Wrrllting)

These activities were taken from the book Teaching Ught Teaching Better written by ReginaGuimaraes 1997

I37

saymg The students listen to the words and their meaning said by the teacher to memonze them In

this way They can not see the words IAfter a few mmutes the teacher gets everybody together and asks who IS able to tell you the new

words and their meaning Then the teachers divides the students in groups of 4 ( different cards) and

asks them to discuss how difficult or easy it was for them to memorize the neJ vocabulary

When they finish the teacher asks them if they could choose among the four tays to learn which one

they would prefer Then the teacher discuss with the students about the leamng styles to make them

aware of them

Activity 2

The teacher provides different posters which represent the different learning styles visual

auditory and motor and hang them around the classroom Then students look around and choose

one of them and stand in front of it The students usually choose the posteSil1corresponding to their

preferred learning style Example a poster containing musical instruments and musical signs for

auditory students a poster containing a beautiful landscape or visual art for visual students a poster

wrth anything that symbolizes movement (a man running a car race people Wrrllting)

These activities were taken from the book Teaching Ught Teaching Better written by ReginaGuimaraes 1997