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Faculty Focus | Higher Ed Teaching & Learning

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January 22nd, 2014

By: Maryellen Weimer, PhD

I've seen lots of lists that identify the characteristics of good teachers. They're great reminders of what we should aspire to be as teachers. I haven't seen many corresponding lists that identify the characteristics of good learners. I decided to put one together and invite your input. This could be a list for our students or anybody who aspires to learn well.

1. Good learners are curious - They wonder about all sorts of things, often about things way beyond their areas of expertise. They love the discovery part of learning. Finding out about something they didn't know satisfies them for the moment, but their curiosity is addictive.

2. Good learners pursue understanding diligently - A few things may come easily to learners but most knowledge arrives after effort, and good learners are willing to put in the time. They search out information-sometimes aspiring to find out everything that is known about something. They read, analyze, and evaluate the information they've found. They talk with others, read more, study more, and carry around what they don't understand; thinking about it before they go to sleep, at the gym, on the way to work, and sometimes when they should be listening to others. Good learners are persistent. They don't give up easily.

3. Good learners recognize that a lot of learning isn't fun - That doesn't change how much they love learning. When understanding finally comes, when they get it, when all the pieces fit together, that is one special thrill. But the journey to understanding generally isn't all that exciting. Some learning tasks require boring repetition; others a mind-numbing attention to detail; still others periods of intense mental focus. Backs hurt, bottoms get tired, the clutter on the desk expands, the coffee tastes stale-no, most learning isn't fun.

4. Failure frightens good learners, but they know it's beneficial - It's a part of learning that offers special opportunities that aren't there when success comes quickly and without failure. In the presence of repeated failure and seeming futility, good learners carry on, confident that they'll figure it out. When faced with a motor that resists repair, my live-in mechanic announces he has yet to meet a motor that can't be fixed. Sometimes it ends up looking like a grudge match, man against the machine, with the man undeterred by how many different fixes don't work. He's frustrated but determined to find the one that will, all the while learning from those that don't.

5. Good learners make knowledge their own - This is about making the new knowledge fit with what the learner already knows, not making it mean whatever the learner wants. Good learners change their knowledge structures in order to accommodate what they are learning. They use the new knowledge to tear down what's poorly constructed, to finish what's only partially built, and to create new additions. In the process, they build a bigger and better knowledge structure. It's not enough to just take in new knowledge. It has to make sense, to connect in meaningful ways with what the learner already knows.

6. Good learners never run out of questions - There's always more to know. Good learners are never satisfied with how much they know about anything. They are pulled around by questions-the ones they still can't answer, or can only answer part way, or the ones without very good answers. Those questions follow them around like day follows night with the answer bringing daylight but the next question revealing the darkness.

7. Good learners share what they've learned - Knowledge is inert. Unless it's passed on, knowledge is lost. Good learners are teachers committed to sharing with others what they've learned. They write about it, and talk about it. Good learners can explain what they know in ways that make sense to others. They aren't trapped by specialized language. They can translate, paraphrase, and find examples that make what they know meaningful to other learners. They are connected to the knowledge passed on to them and committed to leaving what they've learned with others.

Good teachers model this kind of learning for their students, which makes me believe that "good learner" belongs on those lists of good teacher characteristics.
Now it's your turn. What would you add to the list of characteristics of good learners?
© 2014 Faculty Focus, Magna Publications. All Rights Reserved. Use of any content without permission is strictly prohibited.

Posted in Tagged with Teaching Professor Blog
autonomous learners, characteristics of effective teachers, lifelong learning

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January 22nd, 2014 By: Maryellen Weimer, PhD I've seen lots of lists that identify the characteristics of good teachers. They're great reminders of what we should aspire to be as teachers. I haven't seen many corresponding lists that identify the characteristics of good learners. I decided to put one together and invite your input.

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The good language learner ( GLL) studies are a group of academic studies in the area of second language acquisition that deal with the strategies that good language learners exhibit. The rationale for the studies was that there is more benefit from studying the habits of successful language learners than there is from studying learners who fossilize at an early stage or stop studying altogether. It was thought that if the strategies of successful learners could be found, then that knowledge could help learners who were not getting such good results.

The original studies were made in the 1970s, but petered out in the 1980s as researchers concentrated on individual learning strategies. However, some research on the topic has also been carried out in more recent years. The main body of GLL research investigated language learning in classroom situations. It found that good language learners could not be distinguished on the basis of observable behavior alone, although personality did seem to have an effect. It also found that teachers did not treat these learners differently from other students, although they could distinguish good language learners from learners who were not so effective.

The first studies in the good language learner tradition were made by Joan Rubin and David Stern, both of which were completed in 1975. Both of these studies proposed similar lists of strategies that good language learners use. On the basis of this, a large-scale study was performed at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) which investigated 34 language learners with good learning habits. This study found a list of six different strategies, which were similar to those proposed by Rubin and Stern:

1. Good language learners find an appropriate style of learning.

2. Good language learners involve themselves in the language-learning process.

3. Good language learners develop an awareness of language as both system and communication.

4. Good language learners pay constant attention to expanding their language knowledge.

5. Good language learners develop the second language as a separate system.

6. Good language learners take into account the demands that second language learning imposes.

In spite of the flurry of interest in the GLL in the mid to late 70s, in the 80s and 90s interest moved more in the direction of socio/cultural influences and individual differences, as well as developing the concept of communicative competence into a communicative approach to language teaching.

In the new millennium, Norton and Toohey re-visited the GLL. Their new perspective emphasized the influence of situation, investment and identity on successful language learning.

Seven years later, Griffiths, harking back to Joan Rubin's original title, published "Lessons from Good Language Learners". Whereas the early work in the GLL field had tended to emphasize the role of strategies, Griffiths' work took a broader view and presented the GLL as a highly complex being involving many different variables, including motivation, age, style, personality, gender, metacognition, autonomy, beliefs, culture and aptitude. In addition, the target variables (including grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, function and skills) and some of the situational factors (including method and error correction practices) which learners must manage if they are to be successful were discussed.

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Good language learner studies - Wikipedia

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The good language learner ( GLL) studies are a group of academic studies in the area of second language acquisition that deal with the strategies that good language learners exhibit. The rationale for the studies was that there is more benefit from studying the habits of successful language learners than there is from studying learners who fossilize at an early stage or stop studying altogether.

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That's right, scientists Joan Rubin and David Stern long before sought the answer to this question you got fed up with trying to learn Spanish for the third time.

The good news is that they found some answers!

They and subsequent researchers found key commonalities among successful language learners. The goal was to study good language learners to see if their methods could be taught to not-so-good language learners or used to help teachers reach language learning students.

The most important takeaway of their research was this: Anybody can become good at learning languages . Gasp!

That's great, but how do you do it? Well, you need to observe and copy the secrets and techniques of the most successful language learners.

Start by thinking of a good language learner that you already know.

We often marvel at good language learners, wondering how they pick up languages so fast.

Unfortunately, that's often where d oubt starts to sink in, and we ask ourselves questions like, "How'd that guy learn German in a year when I've been studying it for the past seven years and can still hardly introduce myself? What is this sorcery?"

Less-successful language learners are sometimes even in awe of good language learners, almost like they think they're mystical gurus, possessors of some rare and special knowledge. " Give us the keys to your exceptional skill, oh Enlightened One," we want to say.

But what if everyone knew the qualities of a good language learner?

By studying what makes the best language learners tick, we can all understand how certain attributes prime you for successful language learning, which ultimately demystifies the process.

Behold: Those coveted characteristics are a mystery no more! I've compiled a comprehensive list of qualities that make good language learners successful and, more importantly, ways you can translate those qualities to success in your own language learning.

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere.Click here to get a copy. (Download)

You'd be hard-pressed to find a good language learner lacking in these qualities. Read on to see which ones you demonstrate well, and which you could be better at.

1. Good Language Learners Have Plenty of Courage
Good language learners have no room for inhibitions.
When you see these learners happily chatting away, they appear to be confident and unafraid of looking like a fool when speaking.

For example, when they don't know the word for "telephone," good language learners place an imaginary telephone to their ears. When they don't know how to conjugate a verb correctly, they say it anyway.

Fear doesn't stop good language learners because they know that practicing, even if done imperfectly, is the only way they'll get better.

They also have tough skin. They don't quit the first time they get laughed at for committing a language faux pas.

Sure, they might get embarrassed because a native speaker doesn't understand them, but they just dust their shoulders off and work to improve their pronunciation. They don't run from their mistakes, they learn from them, and they have the courage to keep on going like a boss.

They're not afraid to guess. Good language learners use context clues to guess at the meaning of unfamiliar words and phrases.

If they hear the sentence "He lives in a big mansion," but don't know the word "mansion," they can guess it means a really big house! They also create new words if they have to.

For example, they'll guess that a newly-learned English verb ends with "-ed" in the simple past tense-even if they know there are many exceptions to that "rule"-and they understand that people will likely understand what they're talking about, even if it's not grammatically correct.

They accept the fact that nobody's perfect, so they take these risks on a regular basis. They realize that in most cases, communication is more important than correctness.

2. Good Language Learners Use Their Keen Observation Skills
Good language learners recognize and learn from their own mistakes and the mistakes of others.
Here good listening and self-awareness come into play. You can't correct mistakes you don't know you're making, so good language learners pay attention and adjust accordingly.

If they conjugate a word incorrectly, they'll note that it's something they need to work on. They listen and learn from native speakers as well, copying them as closely as possible.

They pick up on nonverbal clues. If there's one thing you'll learn about learning a new language, it's that there's a lot more to communication than the words we say.

Good language learners take note of facial expressions, body language and tone of voice to understand how someone's saying something when they don't know what they're saying. With a combination of verbal and nonverbal clues, they can take educated guesses at the meaning.

They identify patterns in the target language. They work to understand the language as a system, identifying key patterns that make learning the language easier and more like the way native speakers learned it.

For example, good learners of Spanish pick up on the fact that, unlike English, the definite articles el and la are commonly used in front of nouns in a sentence. And good learners of English will learn that we really like to use the word "it. "

3. Good Language Learners Are Curious and Creative When Processing New Information
Good language learners ask a lot of questions.
How do you use present continuous in the third person? What's the meaning of this slang word? Why do you say this word in one situation, and that other word in a different situation?

These questions are how they learn more of the target language almost every day. They're naturally curious and always strive to take in more vocabulary and grammar.

They have a unique way of learning that's tailored to themselves. There are different kinds of good language learners just like there are different kinds of general learners (for example, there are auditory, visual and kinesthetic learners, among others).

Over time, good language learners learn the methods that work best for them to remember new vocabulary and grammar structures. Depending on the learner, they might use flashcards, videos or audio recordings to learn, to name just a few techniques. This helps them process new information quickly.

Good language learners are good at improvisation. They creatively use words, phrases and structures they already know to say what they need to say. Instead of pulling out the translation app, they'll use " circumlocution," or the roundabout way of saying things.

For example, if you don't know the word for "a watch," you can say "the thing that shows the time." This promotes fluency as well as self-expression.

4. Good Language Learners Are Abundantly Patient
Good language learners become comfortable with ambiguity.
They don't need to know the meaning of a new word right away, and they don't worry when they don't understand 100% of what a speaker is saying.

There won't be much learning going on if you tune out (or freak out) as soon as you hear an unfamiliar word. Good language learners are patient enough to understand that one day they'll be able to have conversations in which they know all the words.

They know it takes time They're also patient with themselves. to learn a language, so they don't get frustrated easily.

Good language learners accept the language for what it is, forgiving and being kind to themselves if they don't progress as quickly as they'd like. They don't put a lot of pressure on themselves because they see learning the language as a journey. They go with the flow, understanding that things like grammar are not the be-all and end-all.

5. Good Language Learners Are Largely Self-motivated
Good language learners understand their "why."
Whether they need the target language to get a better job, to get into grad school overseas, to survive in a foreign country or simply to connect with their family or roots, good language learners are deeply motivated. Their reason for learning a language often goes beyond getting a good grade in a class. They take language learning very, very seriously.

That motivation leads them to learn independently and practice consistently. Teachers don't have to force them to conjugate verbs each night or to practice with a language partner on the weekends.

Good language learners actively seek out opportunities to practice the language outside the classroom. They practice as much as possible.

What's more, they genuinely enjoy learning the target language. It's fun, even!

That's why it's important to choose the right language. You won't stick with a language that makes you yawn. And in case you were wondering, that also explains why you're probably not fluent in the language they forced you to take back in high school.

Learning from the Good Language Learner

I hope you can now see how learning a new language isn't so mystical. There's no sorcery or witchcraft involved, but there is a secret formula. And now you have it, too!

It's a unique process for everyone, but emulating these qualities is a good first step. It's important to internalize these qualities to reach our language learning goals just like the good language learners of the world.

But remember: All of this information is futile if you don't apply it. So take action, Newly Enlightened One, and start practicing right now !

is a freelance writer based in Maryland. She spends her spare time working on the next Great American Novel and actively plans her upcoming trips each day. Her motto is "keep going imperfectly."

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere.Click here to get a copy. (Download)

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How to Be a Good Language Learner: We've Finally Discovered the Secret Formula!

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That's right, scientists Joan Rubin and David Stern long before sought the answer to this question you got fed up with trying to learn Spanish for the third time. The good news is that they found some answers! They and subsequent researchers found key commonalities among successful language learners.

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This book is one of the most influential research studies on Second Language Learning ever undertaken. The Good Language Learner addresses key problems for teachers about the strategies that successful learners use, the attitudes they show to the language they are learning, the nature of their most successful experiences and similar issues.

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Through a series of engaging metaphors and stories, prospective and current EFL/ESL teachers will identify, summarize, and evaluate 7 basic language learning paradigms. Learners will be presented information on such foundational principles as motivation, risk taking, two different modes of learning, and balancing the teacher profession. Learners are also given an understanding of basic techniques founded on those principles, such as teacher talk, looking "ridiculous" in order to lower the affective filter, and networking. With these foundational principles in mind, ESL/EFL teachers will scrutinize common assumptions about language learning by comparing how they stack up to research-based core principles.

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Video 4: Good Language Learner Strategies - Module 3: Taking Risks and Learner Strategies | Coursera

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Through a series of engaging metaphors and stories, prospective and current EFL/ESL teachers will identify, summarize, and evaluate 7 basic language learning paradigms. Learners will be presented information on such foundational principles as motivation, risk taking, two different modes of learning, and balancing the teacher profession.

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Research on effective learning reveals that an awful lot of what goes on in the classroom simply doesn't matter. There are many pointless activities that take up valuable time in the name of engagement, merely demonstrating progress as opposed to actually making progress. Often, these approaches not only have limited impact on student learning but can have a hugely detrimental impact on teacher workload and wellbeing.

There is significant evidence to suggest that teachers should prune back what they do and focus on a more streamlined approach in the classroom. So it's less about spending hours cutting things up and putting them in envelopes, and more about creating conditions in which students can gain long-lasting knowledge that can be applied in a range of situations. The following six principles are a distillation of key research on what really matters in the classroom.

Revisit previous learning

A core element of effective learning is that a class is exposed to new information a number of times. For education researcher Graham Nuthall, students should encounter a new concept on at least three separate occasions in order to learn it properly. The beginning of a lesson is an excellent place to consolidate previous learning and to create a sense of continuity as Barak Rosenshine notes (pdf):

The most effective teachers in the studies of classroom instruction understood the importance of practice, and they began their lessons with a five- to eight-minute review of previously covered material. Some teachers reviewed vocabulary, formulae, events, or previously learned concepts. These teachers provided additional practice on facts and skills that were needed for recall to become automatic.

Check for understanding

This is a deft skill that needs both a strong knowledge of your students and an understanding of common misconceptions. Various techniques can achieve this, but probably the most useful tool in the box will be judicious questioning that is both open and closed in nature and, crucially, informs what you will do next. Dylan Wiliam suggests that "hinge-point questions" are of great use here:

Firstly, it should take no longer than two minutes, and ideally less than one minute, for all students to respond to the questions; the idea is that the hinge-point question is a quick check on understanding, rather than a new piece of work in itself. Second, it must be possible for the teacher to view and interpret the responses from the class in 30 seconds.

Marking student work is another good way of checking understanding - but doesn't need to be an onerous task. Some marking should simply function as a quick signpost to the teacher of how they could adapt their teaching in response to what students have or have not learned.

Give feedback on students, not work

Once a teacher gets into the habit of regularly checking for understanding, they are in a position to provide meaningful feedback. But marking and feedback are not the same thing. A key aspect of a successful classroom is that feedback is given to improve the student rather than the work, as Wiliam points out:

Too many teachers focus on the purpose of feedback as changing or improving the work, whereas the major purpose of feedback should be to improve the student. If the feedback isn't helping the student to do a better task and a better job the next time they are doing a similar task, then it is probably going to be ineffective.

Affording students the opportunity to consider their own progress against their peers through the evaluation of exemplar work is another way to conceptualise improvement: it's very hard to be excellent if you don't know what excellent looks like. For students, feedback should be more of a mirror than a painted picture.

Create a positive classroom climate

Creating an environment where learning is not just an aspiration but an expectation is the bedrock of any effective learning environment. Tom Bennett, director of ResearchED notes:

Designing and communicating clear, concrete routines to the class long in advance of any misbehaviour will minimise misbehaviour, because students will be aware of the classroom cultural norms. Driven home often enough, it can create tramlines for behaviour to default to. Instead of leaving behavioural choices to chance, the best strategy is for teachers to draw up exactly what is expected of their students from the beginning of the relationship.

Forging strong relationships where students have respect for not just the sanctity of the classroom but the privilege of learning is possibly the most important thing a teacher can do for better teaching.

Offer plenty of guidance

The limitations of working memory can be particularly problematic for novice learners. While there is good evidence that more expert learners can work independently, the vast majority will need careful guidance to get to that place, especially when encountering new information, as Rosenshine says (pdf):

In one study, the more successful teachers of mathematics spent more time presenting new material and guiding practice. The more successful teachers used this extra time to provide additional explanations, give many examples, check for student understanding, and provide sufficient instruction so that the students could learn to work independently without difficulty. In contrast, the least successful teachers gave much shorter presentations and explanations, and then they passed out worksheets and told the students to work on the problems. Under these conditions the students made too many errors and had to be retaught the lesson.

Getting students to a place where they can work independently is a hugely desired outcome, but perhaps not the best vehicle to get there. Providing worked examples and scaffolding in the short-term is a vital part of enabling students to succeed in the long-term.

Reduce cognitive load

Cognitive load theory has been described by Wiliam as "the single most important thing for teachers to know". Reducing the level of information to an optimal amount, which avoids overloading or boring students, is crucial to effective learning. Once learners have built up schemas of knowledge that allow them to work on problems without exceeding their cognitive bandwidth, then they can work independently. Without it, their work might be in vain. Kirschner, Sweller and Clark explain:

If the learner has no relevant concepts or procedures in long-term memory, the only thing to do is blindly search for possible solution steps ... novices can engage in problem-solving for extended periods and learn almost nothing.

Present new information in small steps, providing worked examples and offering images and text simultaneously so that the learner isn't trying to remember too much. This will help create ideal conditions for learning new material.
Carl Hendrick is an English teacher, head of learning and research at Wellington College and co-author of What Does This Look Like in the Classroom? with Robin McPherson. Follow us on Twitter via @GuardianTeach, like us on Facebook, and join the Guardian Teacher Network for the latest articles direct to your inbox. Looking for a teaching job? Or perhaps you need to recruit school staff? Take a look at Guardian Jobs, the education specialist. He tweets at @C_Hendrick. Topics

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Teachers: your guide to learning strategies that really work

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Research on effective learning reveals that an awful lot of what goes on in the classroom simply doesn't matter. There are many pointless activities that take up valuable time in the name of engagement, merely demonstrating progress as opposed to actually making progress.

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Watch David Petrie, Adam Simpson, Lizzie Pinard, Chia Suan Chong, Anthony Gaughan, David Dodgson and Rachael Roberts discuss areas such as establishing learning objectives, giving activities

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The weeks and months leading up to exams can be challenging for students (and parents and teachers alike). Now more than ever, young people seem to be feeling the pressure. So how can students revise better? Which techniques really work, and which don't? What can students do to improve their memory, mood and concentration?

Before you do any revision

1. Eat breakfast
It is estimated that around 27% of boys and 39% of girls skip breakfast some or all of the time. It's not called the most important meal of the day for nothing: research has found that skipping this meal significantly reduces students' attention and their ability to recall information. Simply having a bowl of cereal will give students the concentration and memory boost they need.

Evidence suggests students who study in a quiet environment recall more than those who revise while listening to music

2. Put your phone away
This should be an obvious one, but for many it isn't. Phones can be distracting; they are linked to fomo (fear of missing out), and evidence shows that undergraduate students who spend more time texting and using social media get lower grades. In another fascinating study, researchers found that the mere sight of a phone was enough to reduce a person's ability to focus. The implication couldn't be clearer: out of sight really is out of mind.

During revision sessions

3. Start early and spread it out
Actors don't leave their rehearsals until the day before opening night. Athletes don't only train the day before a match. To commit something to memory takes time. Spreading out your revision sessions on a particular topic (eg one-hour sessions over 10 days) is more effective than spending the same amount of time in one go (ie 10 hours in one day). This effect, known as "spacing", helps because it allows time in between revision sessions to forget and re-learn the material. This strategy has been labelled as "one of the most robust across the entire history of experimental research on learning and memory" (pdf).
4. Test yourself
Leading researchers in the field of memory consider testing yourself as one of the most effective ways to improve your ability to recall information (pdf). Testing yourself also helps you check for any gaps in your knowledge. Practice papers provide a good starting point, as well as quizzing yourself at the end of your revision session.

5. Teach someone
After you have tested yourself, teach the material to someone else. This has been found to help aid memory and recall: it is known as "the Protégé Effect". Teaching someone else requires you to learn and organise your knowledge in a clear and structured manner.

6. Think twice about using highlighters
Despite being the favourite weapon of many students tackling revision, research suggests they don't work very well. People learn and recall information better if they connect it to other pieces of information. Highlighters don't do this, they isolate single pieces of information. Quite often, students end up highlighting whole chunks and passages of text, which can give the appearance of having worked hard, but is of little value.

7. Don't listen to music
Parents around the world rejoice: you now have a legitimate reason to insist that your child stops listening to Justin Bieber on repeat. Students who study in a quiet environment can recall more than those who revise while listening to music. Extroverts, and those with an exceptional ability to control their attention, are not negatively affected as much: but it doesn't help. At best, for these students, it just doesn't hinder them as much as everyone else.

8. Get some fresh air and exercise
You cannot work all day, every day. Nor should you. Revision has to be about quality, as well as quantity. Going outside and getting some fresh air helps people feel refreshed and better able to focus afterwards. Furthermore, doing a little bit of exercise helps people deal better with stressful situations: it reduces anxiety and increases self-esteem.

9. Sleep
Students are encouraged to work hard and revise a lot before their exams: however, there comes a time when they need to stop and go to sleep. Knowing when can be tricky. There is a link between being a perfectionist and struggling to sleep. If a child is falling asleep within five minutes of their head hitting the pillow, they should probably be going to bed earlier. Other sleep tips include having regular bedtimes, not being on your mobile phone in bed, but if you are, turning down the backlight on it.

As research into psychology continues to develop, we learn more and more about how best to help students learn. Revision time can be challenging as it often requires students to monitor their own behaviour when working independently at home. Hopefully, by teaching them about what helps improve their memory, mood and concentration, we can better equip them to meet the challenges head on.

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The science of revision: nine ways pupils can revise for exams more effectively

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The weeks and months leading up to exams can be challenging for students (and parents and teachers alike). Now more than ever, young people seem to be feeling the pressure. So how can students revise better? Which techniques really work, and which don't? What can students do to improve their memory, mood and concentration?

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Advice and information for parents of ESL students on the topic of: What makes a good language learner?.

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In this post-method era, when so many approaches and methods to language teaching have come and gone, where reflective teachers are no longer thinking in terms of which 'label' to follow or which apostle to bow to, it has become more and more evident that TEFL needs to stop contemplating its own navel and turn to general education theories and principles of learning, to reflect on thinking skills, cognitive abilities and the learners' emotional make up, to embrace technology as a tool and not as the panacea for all ills.

In this context, good learner studies conducted in the late 70's and 80's have become much more relevant and worth revisiting.

Many of the studies were conducted in Canada, with notable names and studies listed below in a sample bibliography.

A summary of the various findings of these studies follows below, a compilation of results found in various studies of good language learners who were found to possess an identifiable set of traits and ways of dealing with their language studies, their language use and certain similar attitudes towards language learning and the target language community.

Good Language Learners ...

Can work well with others in the class/group/team

Will not feel pressure or anxious about learning a foreign language

Never feel shy or inhibited about using L2

Look for every available opportunity to use the target language in and out of class

Make a point of listening to, understanding and responding to spoken
English without worrying too much about grammar or unknown vocabulary

Are keen on using study techniques such as word trees/networks, mind maps, etc which are likely to involve attention to form

Will usually be adolescents or adults rather than a children

Are analytical enough to notice, categorise and store features of language and its regularities

Are usually aware of their own and others' mistakes

Are motivated towards foreign language learning

Are motivated through tasks which are involving and challenging

Are prepared to experiment by taking risks

Are not afraid of appearing foolish

Have a high degree of tolerance for ambiguity, unknown words, etc

Can easily adapt to new/different learning conditions and environments

Are usually very good listeners and can acquire through listening

Are also (usually) high achievers in other fields of education

[ A Summary of typical features from a variety of sources/studies; mentioned in H.D.Stern, 1983]

Photo Credit: Damián Navas via Compfight

The following questionnaire is one that I created on the basis of of the results of a number of good learner studies. It can be used to raise learner awareness as to what learning habits and strategies they are currently using and point the way to those they need to develop.

Based on the combined findings of a number of Good Learner Studies, this Questionnaire aims to raise metacognitive awareness in learners studying a foreign language and be used as a basis for a lesson or lessons aiming to help students improve their learning strategies fro FL acquisition

You might like to try it out with your learners or on yourself as a learner of any foreign language, including English, if you are a non-native speaking English language teacher.

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1. Do you like working
a. with other learners in pairs or groups?

b. on your own/alone?
2. During the lesson, are you usually
a. relaxed and comfortable?

b. anxious and uncomfortable?
3. While speaking English, are you
a. confident and relaxed?

b. inhibited & shy?
4.Do you
a. look for opportunities to use English in and out of class? or

b. forget all about English when you leave school?

5. Do you

a. prefer not to wory about grammar rules? or

b. worry about grammar so much that you can't speak?
6. Do you
a. Keep a well-organised notebook from which you can revise easily? or

b. often have to ask your friends for their notes?
7. Are you
a. Aware of your own mistakes? or

b. Unaware of your mistakes ?
8. Are you
a. Able to notice others' mistakes? or

b. unable to spot them?
9. Do you feel
a. relaxed about making mistakes? or

b. worried about making mistakes?
10. Do you
a. recognise similarities and differences in language or

b. is this difficult for you?
11. Do you learn better
a. by seeing words and pictures or

b. by listening to the language or is this a mystery to you

12. How do you feel about learning English?

a. You enjoy it

b. You hate it
13. Do you
a. enjoy participating in classroom activities or

b. do you prefer to just watch and listen?
14. Do you prefer
a. challenging activities or

b. easier activities?
15. Do you prefer to
a. experiment with language or

b. repeat only sentences you were taught?
16. Are you
a. prepared to take risks or

b. do you avoid risks and prefer to be safe?
17. Are you
a. prepared to be playful and not serious or

b. are you afraid of appearing foolish?
18. To understand a message do you feel
a. Comfortable if you don't know all the words or

b. Uncomfortable unless you know all the words
19. Do you attempt to communicate orally
a. even if you don't know every single word, or

b. only when know all the words
20. Do you
a. feel comfortable in your new class or

b. miss your previous teacher and fellow students?
21. Are your feeling towards native English speakers
a. a.positive?

b. negative?
22. Are you
a. an adolescent/adult or

b. a younger or very young learner?
23. Do you know if you are
a. an analytical learner or

b. not sure of what type of learner you are?
24. Are you better at
------------------------------------

Quite obviously, the more a answers you have managed to collect, the closer you tend to be to the ideal profile of the Good Language Learner. Most Good Language Learners average a score of about 70%. If you have scored more than 90%, well then, you are a rare creature indeed!

If your score is less than the Good Learner average, identify the areas of difficulty and plan a course of action for yourself.

For instance, if you answered B for Question 23, make it a point of training yourself to be a better listener by listening to more tapes, switching regularly to watching English speaking TV channels, You Tube videos and films, listening to TED talks on topics of interest.

... Familiarise your learners with these good learner traits

... Remind them of /revise these characteristics actively and often

... Involve your students in deciding on the best ways of acquiring these characteristics

... Show interest in your learners' progress

... Encourage them to be openly reflective and critical about how they are measuring up

A mini-lecture by the teacher, director of studies or an 'expert' - the characteristics mentioned to the learners may be reduced or given fully according to level and age group

Frequent questions after an activity has been completed

A class discussion in groups during which the learners work out some ways of helping themselves and each other to develop these good qualities

Frequent questions to groups and individuals about how they are progressing with regard to any of the dimensions mentioned in the list

A discussion during the feedback to an activity during which learners discuss how they approached the task, how they feel they did and what course of action they must follow in order to improve

Griffiths, C. , Ed, (2008), Lessons from Good Language Learners, Cambridge University Press

Rubin, J. (1975) What the "good language learner" can teach us? TESOL Quarterly, 9(1), 41-51.

Naiman, N., Fröhlich, M., Stern, H.H. and Todesco, A. (1978) The Good Language Learner Research in Education Series No. 7. Toronto: Ontario Institute for Studies in Education.

Stern, H.H. (1975) What can we learn from the good language learner? The Canadian Modern Language Review, 31, 304-318.

Stern, H.H. (1983) Fundamental Concepts of Language Teaching, Oxford University Press.

Wenden, A.L. (1987) How to be a successful second language learner: insights and prescriptions from L2 learners. In A.L. Wenden and J. Rubin (eds.), Learner Strategies in Language Learning. London: Prentice Hall, 103-117.
About the Author
Marisa Constantinides, Dip.RSA, M.A. App Ling, Teacher Educator, Materials Writer, CELT Athens

A teacher, teacher educator and materials writer, Marisa Constantinides is the head of CELT Athens, a teacher education centre established in 1993, She is responsible for the design and training on all courses including Cambridge CELTA and DELTA, face-2-face and online. Marisa has a strong presence in Social Networks, moderates #ELTchat, a weekly discussion on Twitter (recently nominated for an ELTons award in Innovation in Teaching Resources) and maintains a number of blogs ( TEFL Matters, #ELTchat, Teaching & Learning Languages, t he DELTA course blog, the CELTA course blog). She has published materials for young learners as well as for B2 and C2 level classes.

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In this post-method era, when so many approaches and methods to language teaching have come and gone, where reflective teachers are no longer thinking in terms of which 'label' to follow or which apostle to bow to, it has become more and more evident that TEFL needs to stop contemplating its own navel and turn to general education theories and principles of learning, to reflect on thinking skills, cognitive abilities and the learners' emotional make up, to embrace technology as a tool and not as the panacea for all ills.