3. Learning strategies

Learning strategies

Learning strategies are the methods students choose and use to learn a language. These include methods of helping ourselves to recognize what is needed to learn, process new language and work with other people in order to learn. Use of the correct strategy at the appropriate time can aid us to learn the language better and also make us more independent (autonomous) learners. Given below are a few learning strategies:

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  Repeating words that are new to you over and over in your head until you commit them to memory.
  
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  Guessing the meaning of words that are unknown to you
  
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  Asking someone who speaks the language to repeat what they have said
  
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  Making a recording of yourself speaking, then listening to it and analyzing and correcting your speaking and pronunciation
  
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  Experimenting and taking risks by using the language that you have just learnt in conversations with others
  
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  Making the decision to use the foreign language as much as you can by talking to tourists
  
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  Asking the teachers or your friends or classmates to give you their opinions about how well you use your language
  
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  Recognizing which area of vocabulary that you need to learn or practice and then learning it
  
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  Paraphrasing (using other language to say what you need to)
  
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  making the decision to write all the new words you come across in every lesson on a separate card
  

Different students use dissimilar strategies. According to experts, the strategies that are used by students most successfully are dependent on the student’s personality and learning style. Therefore, it means that there are no strategies to be considered ‘best’. However research shows clearly that use of strategies is sure to make the learning more successful and that students can be trained to use them.