Age
Gender
Intellligence
Lateralization
Modality
Memory
Personality
Motivation
AGE
Length of studing provides much more positive
results than the age in which child beginns to learn;
It is better to start learning as early as it’ s
possible;
We learn more if we study longer;
Learning second language is easier for children
than for youth or adults
Features of
children which
have a good
influence on
learning second
language:
•
They have a lot
of spare time;
•
Spontaneity;
•
They are not
affraid to speak;
•
They can adapt
to new sytuations;
•
They are willing
to take a risk;
•
They are active
and trustful
Features of
children which
are not good in
learning second
language:
•
They forget very
quickly new
material;
•
They have a
short
concentration;
•
They can’t write
or read;
•
They don’t know
how to learn
GENDER
GIRLS
BOYS
They have a tendency to
talk more and
spontaneously;
They are slower but
thorough;
They do their homework and
listen to instrustions with
pleasure beacuse they like
to attract teacher’s
attention;
They like to cooperate in
group
They show more
initiative in individual
work;
They have a logical
memory which helps
them to learn grammar;
They like rivalry so they
are active in
competitions and games;
INTELLIGENCE
Role of intelligence is bigger in initial stages of
language learning;
It becomes less important at advanced level when
the role of knowledge and contents growes;
It’s much easier for teacher to work with intelligent
student because of his spontaneous reactions,
quickness of understanding instructions and ability
to deal with new sytuation or new material
7 TYPES OF
INTELLIGENCE
1.
Logical-
mathematical
intelligence
2.
Bodily-kinesthetic
intelligence
3.
Visual-spatial
intelligence
4.
Interpersonal (or
emotional)
intelligence
5.
Intrapersonal
intelligence
6.
Musical intelligence
7.
Verbal-linguistic
intelligence
LATERALIZATION
It is the control of some physical or mental
function by one side of the body or either
hemisphere of the brain;
LEFT HEMISPHERE
RIGHT HEMISPHERE
It contains nerves centres
responsible for language,
verbal communication, linear
learning, analytical and
abstract thinking;
Students with such
hemisphere domination learn
lingustic system-vocabulary
and grammar, speak fluently,
read and write better, are
thorough and right-handed
It contains nerves centres
responsible for non-verbal
communication(understanding
gestures, mimics), emotional
communication, intuition,
imagination, understanding
situations,interpersonal
relations, sensorial sensation;
Students with such hemisphere
domination are good in
mathematics and arts, they
understand situations and
happenings better, they have
extensive vocabulary, they like
to be leaders, they are
energetic, messy and
impulsive, they are left-handed
MODALITY
It is a way of reaction on a new impulse ; it is a
way of learning;
It is divided on: visual, auditory and kinesthetic;
Children display kinesthetic modality;
In adolescence young people develope visual
modality;
Minority of students develope auditory
modality but there is audiovisual modality;
There are different strategies of learning
connected with the types of modality:
a)
Visual strategy of learning – students like to
read, they write down new informations, they
like pictures, tables, diagrams, their
notebooks are thorough;
b)
Auditory strategy of learning – students learn
aloud, they pay attention to the lesson, they
need to have a voice contact so they talk a
lot;
c)
Kinesthetic strategy of learning -
students
learn by their whole body, they fidget,
knock, stand up and move around the
classroom, they can cause difficulties in
discipline
MEMORY
It is very important factor in second language
development;
Individual differences appear in three stages:
a)
Encoding
b)
Storage
c)
Retrieval
STAGE I – Encoding
Some students learn unintentionally so they
remember many things easily but there are
also some who need to concentrate and
repeat new material many times;
Students can have mechanical memory which
helps them to memorize single elements like
words or forms but they have a difficulty to
remember general regularities;
Students with logical memory can remember
general regularities because they have an
ability to analyse new material but they have
a problem with learning new words or irregular
forms of verbs;
STAGE II – Storage
It is hidden stage;
It can be durable if the new material is
associated by students with older material
and if it is often repeated
STAGE III – Retrieval
Some students can remeber new material for a
long time but there are also students who forget
everything next day. It is caused by differences in:
a)
Pace of memorizing – how fast student learns;
b)
Durability of memorizing – how long student
remembers new material;
c)
Loyalty to memory – how precisely student can
capture new material;
d)
Capacity of memory – how much student is able
to remember;
e)
Readiness of memory – how fast student can
remind proper material
EXTROVERT
•
They focus their
attention outwards
and on other
people;
•
They like to talk
and their
pronouncements
are very
spontaneous ;
•
They like to take
part in group work
and in dialogues;
•
They don’t like to
work alone;
•
They can have
problems with
spelling, reading
and grammar
INTROVERT
•
They are
withdrawn
•
They like to be
alone;
•
They don’t talk a
lot;
•
Their
pronouncements
are correct but
not fluent
Self-esteem
Low self-esteem – students underestimate their
abilities, they don’t like to talk, they don’t put
in study any efforts because they think that
they won’t achieve good results;
Middle ground self-esteem and high self-
esteem – students are not afraid to talk, they
have good results in study, too high self-esteem
can lead to reduction of amount of hours which
student dedicates to learning language
Taking and not taking risk
Students who don’t take a risk – have a difficult
start in learning language, they talk only when
they are sure of their pronouncements, they
practice less in talking, process of talking is very
hard and slow for them;
Students who take a risk – they learn how to
communicate in foreign language very quickly
but correctness of their pronouncements is not
always good, success in communication can lead
to reduction of motivation
Level of fear
Low level of fear can help in concentration
and mobilization;
High level of fear can make difficulty for
students to talk and can lead to school
neurosis
MOTIVATION
It is striving to achieve our aim;
There are different motives in learning second
language:
a)
Security motive;
b)
Receive recognition motive;
c)
Achievement motive;
d)
Cognitive motive;
e)
Integration motive;
f)
Instrumental motive
There can also be lack of motivation to learn
caused by other stronger motivation;
When there isn’t any internal motivation
teacher can use compulsion motive;
Motivation is connected with attitude:
a)
To language;
b)
To society and culture of the language
Children motivation
Children get to know language through their
teacher;
Motivation to learning comes from sympathy
to teacher. When child likes teacher he likes
also subject;
The best way to increase motivation is nice
atmosphere in classroom, understanding and
fairness
Youth motivation
Motivation comes from good competences of
teacher;
Motivation can be increased thanks to
interesting topic;
Students like to have an influence on topic of
the lesson and on the form of work
Adults motivation
Motivation is positive;
They learn because they decided to and they
want to do it
