Learning Styles

Introduction It is believed that if teachers match their teaching methods to the students’ learning styles, the students will be more successful and more interested in the language. Researchers have developed many different types of the learning styles. Field dependence/independence is one of the most widely studied classifications. The present article aims at unveiling the issue of learning styles by coming with a brief concept, the types and the differences of the so-called learning styles. Factors influencing Second Language Learning Second language (L2) learners are different. They learn with different speed and different results. It is worth highlighting that there are several factors that influence second language learning, these factors are:  age of acquisition & the CPH  Intelligence  aptitude  learning styles  motivation and attitude In this article, we are just going to focus on the learning styles. Learning styles The term is used to describe an individual's natural, habitual, and preferred way of absorbing, processing, and retaining new information and skills. Keefe (1979, cited by Ellis 1994:499) described learning styles as “the characteristic cognitive, affective and physiological behaviours that serve relatively stable indicators of how learners perceive, interact with, and respond to the learning environment.” Students’ learning styles can be influenced by many factors among which are their genetic background, their culture and previous learning experience. What are the Learning Styles?

Information enters your brain in three main ways: sight, hearing and touch, which one you use the most is called your Learning Style.  Visual Learners learn by sight.  Auditory Learners learn by hearing.  Kinaesthetic Learners learn by touching or physical action a) Visual Learners

 Prefer to see information such as pictures, diagrams, cartoons, demonstrations, Picture words and concepts they hear as images  Benefit from using charts, maps, notes, and flash cards when studying. b) Auditory Learners

 Prefer to hear information spoken  Can absorb a lecture with little effort  May not need careful notes to learn.  Often avoid eye contact in order to concentrate  May read aloud to themselves  Like background music when they study c) Kinaesthetic Learners

 Prefer touch as their primary mode for taking in information  Create study sheets connected to vivid examples  Role-playing can help them learn and remember important ideas. The other learning styles are described by William, (1997), who distinguished: 1. Concrete learning style - direct means of processing information; people-oriented; spontaneous; imaginative; emotional; dislikes routinized learning; prefers kinaesthetic modality. 2. Analytical learning style - focuses on specific problems and proceeds by means of hypothetical-deductive reasoning; object oriented; independent; dislikes failure; prefers logical, didactic presentation 3. Communicative learning style - fairy independent; highly adaptable and flexible; responsive to facts that do not fit; prefers social learning and a communicative approach; enjoys taking decisions. 4. Authority-oriented way of learning - reliant to other people; needs teacher’s directions and explanations; likes a structured learning environment; intolerant to facts that do not fit; prefers a sequential progression; dislikes discovery learning (Ellis 1994:507). Conclusion In conclusion, it has to be said that individual differences are important factors in Second Language Acquisition. They influence the way learners encounter language learning and may hinder or support them in their efforts to master L2. Moreover, these elements seem to be an essential part of the learning process, which can contribute to the success or failure of a learner. To be a good language learner does not mean to acquire languages easily and quickly but to have an ability to continue studying steadily and with determination in spite of difficulties, to overcome frustrations, to be ready to make many trials and errors before achieving success (Naiman et al. 1978). REFERENCES:  Ellis, R. 1994. The Study of Second Language Acquisition. Oxford: Oxford University Press  Naimann, N., Fröhlich, M., Stern, H. H. and A. Todesco. 1978 The Good Language Learner. Research in English Series, no. 7.Toronto: Ontario Institute for Studies in Education.