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LEARNERS’ NEEDS, GOALS AND MOTIVATION. DIFFERENCES BETWEEN LEARNING AND TEACHING

UNIT 3: Learners’ needs, goals and motivations

* In which ways can I ‘listen’ to Emilio?

1. What are learner’s needs

Each student will have a different reason for wanting to take an English class; and their reasons have to do with their goals. Their goal is their objective, what they want out of the class. English may be necessary for their work or they may think that a good command of English may open doors in their careers. Many students take English for academic reasons, as an extra-curricular activity. Some students may have a genuine interest in languages and be doing classes just because of that. Others may just be doing it as a hobby or for socializing. They may see the class as a way to meet people and have fun, while at the same time studying something useful and productive. Then, depending on why they are in the classroom, they will have different motivations, needs and expectations.

If a student is taking classes because of their job, they may need particular vocabulary related to their line of work. They may be under stress to learn quickly as they have an important meeting with a foreign client.

If the classes are for an academic purpose then the teacher may have to focus on preparing the student for an exam.

If the students are just learning for fun, then the classes themselves need to be fun and engaging.

As if all that wasn’t enough to worry about, it is also important to bear in mind that your students’ needs will often fluctuate. There are several other emotional factors that can affect your students’ learning ability. A student could be shy, anxious or self-conscious. Also, some students are visual learners while others are auditory learners. Emotions, personality and learning styles can play a big part in the student’s learning experience and teachers should be aware of this to adapt their lessons accordingly.

2. Influence of learning styles and affective factors on learners’ needs and goals

* Why is Emilio always eager to participate in discussions but when asked to write something down he totally switches off?

One of the most well-known models which categorizes different learning styles is known as the VAK model and was developed by Neil Fleming. He claimed that there were three different learning styles: visual, auditory and kinesthetic.

Visual learners have a preference for seeing (pictures; visual aids, overhead slides, diagrams, handouts, etc.). Auditory learners best learn through listening (lectures, discussions, tapes, etc.). Kinesthetic learners prefer to learn via experience (moving, touching, and doing). This model allows teachers to prepare classes that address each of their students’ needs. Students can also use the model to identify their preferred learning in order to focusing on what benefits them the most. What kind of learner are you?

Another influential model is Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences Theory. He identified 9 different types of intelligences, which are:

and while they were uniquely defined, Gardner stressed that learners should not be branded as one type of intelligence or another. Learners were to be ‘empowered’ by his theory rather than to be restricted to one modality of learning.

*Should I not ask Emilio to write things down and maybe just focus on him speaking?

Since Gardener’s theory came along, there have been two distinct reactions from pedagogues: some believe that everyone should have each intelligence nurtured, devising curricula which address each intelligence, and others have focused on developing specific intelligences, like the personal ones.

But how to teach should also consider other factors that influence the learning experience in both positive and negative ways; like affective factors and personality. Someone who is shy or self-conscious is less likely to succeed in language learning than an outgoing person, or someone is not afraid to make mistakes. Some students may be under certain stress or have other worries in their personal lives, outside of the classroom, which may hamper their ability to focus and learn.

While personality and personal problems are out of the teacher’s hands, it is still the teacher’s job to try and tackle some of these problems. Teachers need to learn how to make the shy student feel comfortable and come out of their shell or the stressed student relax and forget about their worries when they arrive to class. To be a successful teacher you must know how to build rapport and cater to your students’ needs.

3. Influence of age on learners’ needs and goals

Goals and needs are intrinsically related if one thinks about what having a goal produces. For example, if a child’s objective in class is to gain recognition from the teacher, then they would need attention in order to feel noticed; and if an adult’s goal is to learn English to get a job then they would need to progress fast and focus on vocabulary related to their line of business. In this sense, goals are influenced by age, but not directly determined by it. They’re determined more by what the specific person wants to achieve depending on life circumstances, and needs would be what they would need to achieve those specific objectives.

Goals can greatly influence a student’s engagement, and even though (as stated in the last unit) it’s more difficult for an adult leaner to reach native-like mastery of the language because of the memory system, the cognitive abilities and the social situations of an adult, engagement can bring about success. Any age is a good age to start learning a second language. As examples taken from our practice, we’ll mention three cases of elder learners for whom the age factor has never been a handicap in learning and perfecting their English skills.

Adela, a Spanish learner, started actively learning English at the age of 65, so that she can speak to her grandchildren, who were being raised in England and spoke little Spanish. Hers is a clear example of motivation. Her progress was amazing as she strongly believed in learning and put into practice everything she learnt in class.

Let’s also consider the case of Francesc, who started as a complete beginner and in a few months was able to maintain a fluent conversation in English. In his case perseverance and exposure to the languagewas key, as Francesc took classes every single day for at least one hour. After classes he would watch films and read online magazines so that he would progress even faster. He was a passionate collector of sea shells and loved interacting on-line with others that shared his hobby. Very soon he was much more fluent than his teenage son, who was as surprised as Francesc himself with the progress made.

Lastly we’ve had an adorable elderly learner, Enric, who had used English during his younger years but still felt he needed to improve his speaking skills and used to take classes just for the pleasure of learning something new every day! Enric was the most inspired of our students and the most inspiring for all our staff!

4. Learners’ needs versus learners’ motivations

What is motivation

Motivation is the desire to do something, or the reason behind behaving in a certain way; it being the most important factor in language learning. It is what keeps students going to class and what encourages them to practice and self-study when at home.

There are two types of motivation: intrinsic and extrinsic. Intrinsic motivation means that the stimuli come from within, so the task wants to be performed because the task itself is important. On the other hand, in extrinsic motivation the desire to perform the task is controlled by outside forces, for example: passing an exam and being socially recognized.

Both types of motivation have to do with results, but in the case of intrinsic motivation those results are in accordance with the belief system of the learner and the experience itself is what’s important, whereas in extrinsic motivation the result is sought because of a reward that’s not learning for the sake of learning.

Some students can be very motivated, whether it’s due to a passion for the language, because they need it for work, or for travel. Most students will be motivated if they have taken the decision to seek and pay for English tuition. Adult learners will normally have plenty of motivation. It is the teacher’s job to maintain, or even increase motivation if possible.

Young learners can be a very different story. Motivated teenagers are few and far between. Very few of them have made their own choice in having extra English classes outside of school. For them English classes are taking away valuable PlayStation time or time with their friends.

Unit 4: Differences between learning and teaching

We’ve been going over students’ goals, needs and motivations, and now it is time to think about possibilities the teacher has when dealing with individual differences. Of course students’ characteristics are extremely important, but it is even more important to know how to work with what we get in order to achieve our goals.

Who has more responsible of student success or failure, the student or the teacher? Well, teaching depends solely on the teacher, but learning depends on both the student and the teacher. Teachers have to be strategic, since their in charge of the teaching-learning situation. Ideally, there are ways of making teachers’ goals and students’ goals be in consonance. Ideally, in every class teachers find a way of constantly directing students’ attention to the goal at hand so it’s met.

To achieve this, one of the circumstances we can take advantage of is the fact that motivations are not set, but constantly changing.

1. How to motivate students

* Emilio’s fairly engaged in class, but Sonsoles keeps saying things are too difficult and I know that if it weren’t for her boss wanting it, she wouldn’t even attend class. What can I do to motivate her to learn?

The million dollar question: how to motivate students.

As we have already established, students choose to learn English for a variety of different reasons. In most cases they will have their own motives for learning English. Often students will start a course highly motivated, but teachers may notice a deterioration as the course progresses. A teacher’s job is not only to pass on information to their students. They must also ensure that students remain eager and keep attending their classes. Here are some tips on things you can do to achieve that, but bear in mind that some of them can lead to intrinsic motivation and others to extrinsic:

- Be positive. It is essential for an ESL teacher to always be positive. If you are optimistic and enthusiastic this will rub off on your students. Corrections are fundamental to the learning process and teachers must learn how to correct properly and positively. The words ‘WRONG’ and ‘INCORRECT’ are strongly advised to be erased from all ESL teachers’ vocabulary.

- Praise your students. Everybody likes to be praised. Unfortunately, in today’s world, people are quick to be told if they have done something wrong but rarely praised if they have done something well. Teachers should always praise their students, even if they have achieved something fairly simplistic. Praising is not only about what you say. It’s about how you say it. Praising will motivate students so much more if you do it genuinely and enthusiastically.

- Have realistic expectations. Nothing demotivates students more than a lack of progress. Learning a new language is not like learning to ride a bicycle. Language learning is a slow process and requires constant effort and motivation. Students must always be reassured and the teacher has to ensure that frustration never creeps in.

Having realistic expectations is not only important for students. It is equally important, if not more, for teachers. When planning classes or setting out a syllabus, teachers must be aware of what their students realistically can achieve by the end of the class or the end of the course. If we push our students too hard by moving too fast or by making the class too challenging, we risk frustrating the students. They will feel they are not learning and lagging behind. While we should aim to challenge our students, we must give them the chance to feel their own progress. For any student, it is rewarding to make a mistake and then self-correct, and also to say something they couldn’t before the class started. This can only be done if the teacher’s goals for the class are well structured and realistic.

- Have fun, engaging classes. Humans are hedonistic creatures. We do some things out of necessity but we do most things out of enjoyment and for pleasure. Most people work out of necessity, but the most self-satisfied people are those who work doing something they enjoy. The same thing can be said about learning. English learning may be a necessity for some and may not be immediately enjoyable for them. To make these students happy and motivated the teacher must make the classes fun and engaging. The more your students laugh the more likely they are to come back to class. Listen to your students, find out their interests and build your classes around them. Make what you are teaching fun, don’t just recite verb tables and learn lists of vocabulary. Think of a funny context or a real life situation where they would actually use the language.

- Build rapport. Make an effort to learn your students’ name. Take a genuine interest in what your student tells you, even if it is unrelated to your class goals. If your student tells you they have a daughter, use their daughter in an example when relevant and appropriate. Be enthusiastic and passionate about what you are teaching. Respect your students, don’t put them down or demand too much of them. Crack a joke and laugh at your students bad ones. Be approachable. If you build a good relationship with your students you will be giving them enough motivation to persist with something that they might not necessarily been motivated to do otherwise.

2. The teacher’s perspective on learners’ needs and goals

* What exactly does Emilio learn? How can I make him learn what I want him to learn?

As we have already established, each students’ needs vary according to their reasons for learning, style of learning and different emotional factors.

A student’s reason for learning a language will normally be made clear at the beginning of a course and teachers will be able to plan accordingly, but most may not be aware of their preferred learning style. It will be likely that there will be several students in your class, each with a different style of learning too! The teacher has to be prepared to accommodate all types of learners. Create good attachments with clear pictures and texts for visual learners. Give clear examples and recommend pod-casts or films for auditory learners. If a student feels like they need to write things down, let them do so. Make your students feel comfortable to learn in their own way.

Successful teachers also need to learn how to adapt to specific personalities within a classroom. If a student is very shy or self-conscious they can’t be put under too much pressure but they can’t be ignored either. Give them a question that you know they’ll be able to answer and praise them when they do it well. If you have a very demanding student, be prepared to challenge them as much as you can. Provide hard examples and activities and be ready to give them extra information when they ask for it. If you have a dominant or over-confident student, the teacher needs to know when to stop the student in their stride. Correct them when they make mistakes and use them to help with other less confident students.