Learner differences

Learner differences

1. AGE

   • Children
     • 2-14
       • individual attention from the teacher
       • activities that focus on their lives and experiences
       • ability to become competent speakers
       • games, songs and puzzles
   • Adolescents
     • 12 - 17
       • can talk about more abstract ideas
       • don’t look for teacher approval
       • use activities with things that interest them
       • peer group, topics will reflect their emerging interests
   • Adults
     • 16 and 20
       • have a wider range of life experiences to draw on
       • more disciplined
       • understanding of why they are learning things
       • They may arrive late for class

2. LEARNING STYLES

   • Neuro-Linguistic Programming
     • showing how some students are especially influenced by:
       • visual: remember things if they see them
         • auditory input: respond to things they hear
           • Kinaesthetic: involved in physical activity
   • Multiple Intelligence
     • by Howard Gardner
     • we all have a number of different intelligences
       • Develop an intelligence and be less advanced in other
       • mathematical, musical, interpersonal, spatial, emotional, etc.

3. LEVELS

   • Beginners
     • have never heard any English
     • fake beginners they can't seem to use any English but they actually know quite a bit that it can be activated quickly
   • Elementary
     • able to communicate in a basic way
   • Pre-intermediate
     • they have come across most of the basic structures and lexis of the language
   • Upper-intermediate
     • competence of intermediate + knowledge of grammatical construction and skill use
   • Common European Framework
     • document setting out in detail what students ‘can do’ at various levels, levels ranging from Al to C2.

4. EDUCATIONAL AND CULTURAL BACKGROUND

   • Educational cultures
     • students articulate and question their teachers, in others, students are calm
     • learning by rote (memorizing facts) more attractive than learning by doing
   • Children environment
     • from backgrounds where no such support is offered
     • from homes where education is highly valued and where parental help is available

5. CONCLUSION: A teacher must also focus on each individual student, because each student is different in age, learning styles, and educational and cultural background, so a teacher must select each task to cover all contexts and differences, respect all students and their needs, this implies that the teacher is empathetic and prepare different materials and resources to achieve the educational goals