LEARNING STRATEGIES: A GUIDE FOR STUDENTS

 

The learning strategies could help learners to determine the goals to be more directed. Learners will confuse and get bored without the right learning methods because they do not have a benchmark of what they have to achieve. Learning strategies could regulate and manage the learners to learn and stay focused on the learning goals.

The book “English for Computer: Communication skills in ICT” contains integrated language skills. Theoretically, learners will learn several ways to improve communication skills. They sometimes read some books related to the strategies to enlarge vocabularies. The learners may also ask the teachers the methods to make their pronunciation better. Then, they try to search for ways to make them fluent in English from the internet. In comparison, practically, all these skills could not be separated. They are integrated and interconnected among others.

Whether the learners realized it or not, they will carry out a series of processes to gain benefits in improving vocabulary, pronunciation, and speaking fluency that involves input, process, and output. So, this cognitive strategy is an activity undertaken to facilitate the human throught process, including the acquisition, storage, retrieval, understanding, and use of knowledge.

In line with this investigation, specifically, the author proposes five steps of learning strategies based on the study done by herself in 2019-2021. It is introduced as a Neuro-cognitive learning strategy.

The flow of Neuro-Cognitive Strategy

 

Practically, EFL learners do a series of actions to improve their speaking or communication skills: getting input, taking notes, reviewing, imitating, and practicing. Based on the figure, the author proposes these strategies to the users of this book, especially for the learners. Below are the explanations:

At school, the students may get the inputs from listening to material such as podcasts, songs, movies, some YouTube contents, or other internet sources. Other inputs can be from reading texts and writing materials given by lecturers, teachers, or facilitators. Then, the vocabulary inputs can be noted in various ways, such as grouping the words, defining, finding synonyms or antonyms, making sentences, etc. The strategies are believed to enhance vocabulary. The vocabularies noted or listened to can be then reviewed by rereading or relistening many times in every opportunity to be stored well in users’ minds. The actions can be done silently. After reviewing, the users imitated the words or sentences loudly. The imitating is done to make a copy of good pronunciation. In this strategy, the users relisten the source, then they can follow it directly. The users can also check the articulations in the dictionary to make them sure. This way is aimed to improve the pronunciations. Lastly, the users practice all the words or sentences daily or set speaking activities with friends.

 

Source:

Pratiwi, W. R. (2021). EFL Learners’ Motivations and Speaking Learning Strategies in an English Village-based Immersion Program at kampung Inggris Pare (Unpublished Doctoral thesis), State University of Makassar, Indonesia.

TEACHING METHODS: A GUIDE FOR LECTURERS

            The book entitles “English for Computer: Communication skills in ICT” is designed to achieve the learners’ ability for communication. However, to achieve these goals, lecturers are not suggested only concerned about speaking skills because all basic English skills are interdependent. Learners who enrolled in speaking classes, for example, would also learn how to listen, write, and read because they are interconnected among others. Thus, this book contains integrated language skills.

As English is considered difficult and uninteresting, most learners face challenges when learning this compulsory subject. Thus, as lecturers or teachers, of course, our duty is not only to deliver this material. We have to encourage and motivate the learners to love English and keep positive thinking. Therefore, building the learners’ motivation as a mental defense is the first strategy to teach English for computers. 

Next, teachers or lecturers should create a comfortable atmosphere in the classroom. It is introduced by Talkative and Interesting Classroom (TIC) activities (Pratiwi, 2021). This book consists of six chapters, which are started by teaching guidelines in each chapter.

Each chapter is divided into two meetings. While, each session has its’ stages, target focus, activities experiences, and time allocation. The author provides these guidelines as the reference to do the learning process, which the users can follow or adjust with the learning condition and their own creativity.

To achieve the learning goals, some inputs can be distributed to the learners, such as teaching speaking through reading practice, teaching speaking through listening practice, teaching speaking through a writing exercise, teaching communicating through visual material, etc. Specifically, this book is taught by distributing reading materials related to computers as the input. The reading materials are then created into some activities. 

Teaching Speaking through Reading Material

To master English for communication goals, teachers or lecturers can design the above activities by starting from understanding the reading text. Indirectly, giving reading texts could improve learners’ vocabulary mastery and result in better pronunciation.

In the reading text, there are many words in bold. They are the terms related to computers and ICT. The bold words indicate that they need special attention. In the first activity, the teachers or lecturers can apply the drilling method. Students are required to read silently two or three times. After that, the teachers or lecturers instruct the learners to read the text loudly in turns. Each student read one to two paragraphs and would return to read after the last student had finished reading. The activity of reading aloud is carried out in three rounds. After that, the whole class, both lecturers and students, can discuss the storyline, look for meanings in bold words, and pronounce them well.

Furthermore, the activity can be developed into the speaking area by discussing, drawing conclusions, or verbally answering reading questions. These activities further enlivened the classroom atmosphere because students moved from one place to another and talked from one pair to others because the actions are carried out in couples or groups. At the end of the activity, several students are randomly asked to retell the reading content individually.

Overall, the learning experience will be better when it is started by greeting students, giving ice breaking, and stimulating students’ motivation. Then, closing the class by giving conclusions, delivering thanks, or appreciating the students for the excellent attention, and sending warm regard to students to establish a good rapport with them.

 

Source:

Pratiwi, W. R. (2021). EFL Learners’ Motivations and Speaking Learning Strategies in an English Village-based Immersion Program at kampung Inggris Pare (Unpublished Doctoral thesis), State University of Makassar, Indonesia.