Running head: LEARNING STRATEGIES – OBSERVING HOW STUDENTS LEARN AT

UNIVERSITY

Learning Strategies:

Observing how students learn at University

Victoria Carolina Galindo Diago

Especialización en Enseñanza del Inglés

Universidad del Norte

Learning Strategies 2

“Teacher, is there any way to improve my English?”, “Teacher, how can I do? I like
your classes but sometimes, I don’t understand”. These and others are frequent questions
and complaints teachers generally receive when it comes to learning issues. Learning a new
language can be an intricate process since it implies a big mindset among learners and, as
every process it involves stages students must follow to succeed. Higher education aims to
make students learn independently but we teachers don’t instruct our students on how to
learn effectively. Therefore, one of our duties as language teachers in the higher education
field is help our students find their own ways to learn by providing tools to approach
knowledge in the way they find more fruitful. Those “tools” or learning strategies, as
informed by Oxford (2018), are actions learners do on purpose to control their L2 learning.
Students usually have their own strategies to learn but teachers should also think of how to
complement them and train students to enhance their learning processes. This reflection
pretends to analyze the learning strategies observed during an English 1 class in the
undergraduate level at Universidad Tecnológica de Bolívar and propose some alternatives
to improve the instruction on effective language learning strategies in this specific teaching
context.

The use of language strategies at university

Having considered that observing classes can constitute a beneficial practice for
teachers and students to connect quality to positive outcomes (Stuhlman, Hamre, Downer,
& Pianta, 2014), a class observation was conducted to detect and have an appropriate
understanding of the strategies used by undergraduate students at Universidad Tecnológica
de Bolívar to learn English as L2. The class was audio-recorded and transcribed for the
observer to count the strategies students used all over the lesson. In accordance with the
mentioned observation exercise and the Language Learning Strategy System proposed by
Oxford (1990), the predominant strategies used by students were direct rather than indirect
strategies. The following table lists and counts the strategies proposed by Oxford to have a
comprehensive perspective on their usage. The strategies are categorized and coded to
make the analysis easier.

Table 1: Use of strategies. Based on Language Learning Strategy System (Oxford, 1990).
 Learning Strategies 3

TYPE STRATEGIES TIME

GROUPS S
CODE STRATEGY USED
D1A Creating mental linkages 1
Memory D1B Applying images and sounds 4
D1C Reviewing well 2
D1D Employing action 0
Direct D2A Practising 45
Cognitive D2B Receiving and sending messages 2
D2C Analysing and reasoning 2
D2D Creating structure for input and output 0
Compensation D3A Guessing intelligently 8
D3B Overcoming limitations in speaking and writing 13
I1A Centering your learning 2
Metacognitive I1B Arranging and planning your learning 0
I1C Evaluating your learning 0
I2A Lowering your anxiety 4
Indirect Affective I2B Encouraging yourself 2
I2C Taking your emotional temperature 0
I3A Asking questions 3
Social I3B Cooperating with others 5
I3C Emphathising with others 0
TOTAL: 93

Based on the table, the three most preponderant strategies were practicing,
overcoming limitations in speaking and writing and guessing intelligently, what shows that
the most used type of strategies were cognitive (53%) and compensation (23%). On the
graphic below the usage of every type of strategy can be observed:

Graphic 1: Usage of strategies

Social Memory
Affective 9% 7%
6%
Metacognitive
2%

Compensation
23%
Cognitive
53%
Learning Strategies 4

Cognitive strategies lead the statistics and it may confirm an influence of the careers
they study (engineering and economic sciences) and the learning strategies they use to cope
with subjects on their field of study which are more analytical as noticed by Oxford, Nyikos
and Ehrman (1988) in their studies. Since it was a class that combined grammar,
vocabulary and pronunciation, practicing, which is a cognitive strategy, was the most
common option used among students. Practising during classes also constitutes a form of
cooperating with the teacher (social strategy) since they are all doing all the exercises with
her. The following is an example of the usage of this strategy:

Teacher: Very good! Next one is easy-peasy! What are these?

Students: (Scattered) Box. Box. Box.

Teacher: Box? How many do you see? (Starts counting with her fingers)

Student 5: One, two, three…

Students: Four box!

Teacher: Box? Remember: one box, four???? (gesture of question).

Students: (Loud and clear) BOXES!

Teacher: Very good! So, repeat, BOXES!

Students: BOXES!

The second leading strategy was compensation by overcoming limitations on

speaking, which is understandable due to the elemental level most students have. This
strategy reveals the interest students have on participate during the class despite either their
shame or lack of prior knowledge on the topic. Students overcome their limitations,
generally, by finding what they want to say and saying it in their mother tongue, so they
show they understand what the teacher said and show their limitation at the same time. The
example below shows the usage of the mentioned strategy:

Teacher: All right. What do we have in this picture, darlings? (Shows the next
flashcard)
Learning Strategies 5

Student 6: Canasta!!!!!!!!

Teacher: Yiuupp but… how do we say “canasta” in English?

Student 5: (Insecure) Basket?

At the end of the previous example, the third leading strategy can be observed:
guessing intelligently, which is another compensation strategy. This strategy is often
observed in language use, when students have prior knowledge and they feel confident to
speak or do writing activities. Compensation strategies aim to make the student make up for
the knowledge they lack (Oxford, 2002) and have feedback from the teacher in order to
enhance their prior knowledge.

Other strategies such as lowering their anxiety by laughing (affective) or

cooperating with others (social, mentioned previously) are also observed since it is
students’ nature to be always joyful and resilient, have good spirits and even help each
other because most of them are classmates in other subjects and/or friends on their daily
basis, which are factors that strongly influence the usage of the variety of strategies they
can use.

Although students apply cognitive, compensation and social strategies that are
significant during the learning process, they still lack tools to perform in a better way and
give the best from their potential. Language learning processes may be improved by
training students on the application of more effective strategies. When students apply and
internalize those strategies, the learning process may expand, optimize, get to be self-
regulated and even result as autonomous learning, as warned by Kumaravadivelu (2006).
The author also points out that teachers could make their learners autonomous by providing
them training on the use of more cognitive, metacognitive, affective and social strategies, in
order to address and maximize their own learning.

What comes next? A training model

As teachers in the higher education field, our main job is making our students
approach to knowledge by themselves. More than teachers, we should be a guidance for
Learning Strategies 6

them to get the best of outcomes in their learning process, in which students are the main
actors. The model that best fits the current context is the Strategies-Based Instruction
Model (SSBI), proposed by A. Cohen in 1998. This model would work in a higher
education context due to its learner-centered features, in which the teacher plays the
following roles, as presented by Liu (2010):

(1) Teacher as diagnostician. The teacher helps the students identify current
strategies and learning styles.

(2) Teacher as language learner. The teacher shares own learning experiences and
thinking processes.

(3) Teacher as learner trainer. The teacher trains the students how to use learning
strategies.

(4) Teacher as coordinator. The teacher supervises students’ study plans and
monitors difficulties

(5) Teacher as coach. The teacher provides on going guidance on students’ progress.
(p. 103)

The SSBI model allows teachers to include implicit or explicit explanations about
the strategies learners should use to enhance their learning and making it more self-
regulated. Besides, it can be adapted for the use of more metacognitive, cognitive, social
and affective learning strategies that help students reach a more autonomous learning (Liu,
2010).

To sum up, observing classes and analyzing how students learn at university is
crucial to track students’ learning processes and improve teaching practices. For us teachers
is absolutely relevant to train our students on a wise use of learning strategies to empower
themselves and tackle knowledge in their L2. In this teaching context, there is a noticeable
lack of instruction on learning language strategies despite of the intuitive use of a variety of
cognitive and compensation strategies by students. A learner-centered training model that
includes the instruction on metacognitive, cognitive, social and affective strategies is
Learning Strategies 7

suggested in order to promote a self-regulated and even autonomous learning. Hopefully,

the execution of Cohen’s SSBI model will be productive, constructive and effective for
learners to be aware of the use of learning strategies and achieve the successful acquisition
of their L2.
Learning Strategies 8

References

Kumaravadivelu, B. (2006). Understanding language teaching: From method to

postmethod. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Earlburn Associates, inc.

Liu, J. (2010). Language learning strategies and its training model. International Education
Studies, 3, (3), 100-104.

Oxford, R.L. (1990). Language learning strategies: What every teacher should know. New
York: Newbury House

Oxford, R. , Nyikos, M. and Ehrman, M. (1988), Vive la Différence? Reflections on Sex

Differences in Use of Language Learning Strategies. Foreign Language Annals, 21:
321-329. doi:10.1111/j.1944-9720.1988.tb01076.x

Oxford, R. (2002). Language learning strategies in a nutshell: Update and esl suggestions.
In J. C. Richards, W. Rendaya (Eds.), Methodology in language teaching (pp. 124-
132). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Oxford R. L., Amerstorfer C. M. (eds) (2018). Language Learning Strategies and Individual
Learner Characteristics: Situating Strategy Use in Diverse Contexts. London:
Bloomsbury. Retrieved from: Google Scholar

Stuhlman, M., Hamre, B.,Downer, J., & Pianta, R. (2019). A Practitioner's Guide to
Conducting Classroom Observations: What the Research Tells Us about Choosing
and Using Observational Systems. University of Virginia. Retrieved from:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/266463750_A_Practitioner's_Guide_to_C
onducting_Classroom_Observations_What_the_Research_Tells_Us_about_Choosin
g_and_Using_Observational_Systems
Learning Strategies 9

Appendix: Observed Class Transcription

Name and type of institution: Universidad Tecnólogica de Bolívar (University/College),

Undergraduate Level.
Date and time: Friday, March 1st, 2019, 12:00 – 12:50 pm.
Level: English I (A1).
Students’ characteristics: 24 Teenagers (16-18 years old). Most of them are Civil
Engineering undergraduate students.
Name of textbook used: Project Success 1 with MyEnglishLab. Pearson Education
International.
Contextualization: The day before, learners had started studying the 3rd unit of the book
(Unit 3: Oscar is in charge) and saw two out of the eleven lessons each unit has. Last
lesson was about traffic signs and students were assigned an activity in which they had
to work in pairs to elaborate a drawing to explain a traffic sign that had to be different
from the ones on the book. Next class, the teacher would ask some students to do a
short presentation for their classmates.

1. Teacher: (Enthusiasticly greets her students and asks them to make a brief presentation
about last class’homework. After 10 minutes she starts with a new lesson). Guys! Right
now, we’re going to watch a video but, first, we’re going to see some new vocabulary
to understand the video, as usual, ok?
2. Students: Ok (Almost unaudible. It is 1:20 pm. They are usually hungry and sleepy at
this time of the day).
3. Teacher: Sooo… (Shows the first of N flashcards – A woman carrying a bag with
vegetables) you guys tell me, what do you see here? What is there on the picture?
(Pointing at the board).
4. Student 1, 2, 3, 4: Shopping (almost unaudible). (D2A, D2C, D3A, I3B)
5. Teacher: Shopping? Hmmm… You four agree that it’s shopping, right? May be but,
guess what? We have a verb! An action! (Louder) And the verb is CARRY. You know
what carry is?
Learning Strategies 10

6. Students move their heads saying no. (D3B) Teacher starts doing gestures like the
woman on the flashcard.
7. Student 5: Ahhh… Como cargar? (D1A, D3A)
8. Teacher: Yes, but in English. The woman on the photo is CARRYING (stresses on this
word) a bag with vegetables, ok? So, everybody is going to repeat with me, carry (slow
and clear).
9. Students: (loud and clear, a little less sleepy) Carry! (D
10. Teacher: Good! And… What is this? (Pointing at the board and showing another
flashcard of a man unboxing cans at a supermarket).
11. Student 2: Arreglar? (D3B)
12. Student 3: Organizar? (D3B)
13. Teacher: Hmm organizing? Arranging? May be but, this guy is UNPACKING (shows
the verb UNPACK) you see, he is taking cans from a box that was closed so he is
unpacking (emulates the action), right? So, repeat with me, UNPACK!
14. Students: (in a better mood) UNPACK! (I2B, D2A, D1C)
15. Teacher: Very good! Next one is easy-peasy! What are these?
16. Students: (Scattered) Box. Box. Box. (D2A)
17. Teacher: Box? How many do you see? (Starts counting with her fingers)
18. Student 5: One, two, three…(D2A)
19. Students: Four box! (D3B)
20. Teacher: Box? Remember: one box, four???? (gesture of question).
21. Students: (Loud and clear) BOXES! (D2A)
22. Teacher: Very good! So, repeat, BOXES! (D2A)
23. Students: (increasing their stamina) BOXES! (D2A)
24. Teacher: So, one box? (Making a repetition gesture with her hands)
25. Students: ONE BOX! (D2A)
26. Teacher: Four boxes…
27. Students: FOUR BOXES! (D2A)
28. Teacher: Great! Easy, right? So, what is this?
29. Student 1: (Unaudible)
Learning Strategies 11

30. Teacher: LOUDER PLEASE!

31. Student 1: (Unaudible, again)
32. Teacher: Without fear! (In a cute tone of voice)
33. Student 1: (a little more confident) Broccoli. (D2A)
34. Teacher: Perfect. Broccoli. Do you guys like broccoli…? Because I love it!!!
35. (Some students say yes, most of students say no, making a disapproval gesture) It is
very healthy, come on, with me, Broccoli!
36. Students: (With disapproving-broccoli face) Broooccoli (D2A).
37. Teacher: Excellent! Now! What is this? (Now the teacher does a disapproving face)
38. Student 2: (Unaudible)
39. Students: (Start laughing) HAHAHAHAHAHHAAH! (I2A)
40. Teacher: What?
41. Student 3: Watermelon! (Confident, sure of his answer) (D3A)
42. Teacher: Eh, nope. Watermelon is what we call “patilla o sandía” in Spanish… But this
is not a watermelon, this is a MELON, like in Spanish! Easy, isn’t it?
43. Students: MELON!! (D2A)
44. Teacher: Do you like the melon?
45. Most of students: Yes!!!!!
46. Teacher: I hate it haha! You know what? We can also call it a CANTALOUPE! So,
everybody, CANTALOUPE!
47. Students: (Struggling) CAAN-TALU (D3B)
48. Teacher: Again! Cantaloupe!!!
49. Students: CANTALOUPE!!!! (D2A)
50. Teacher: All right. What do we have in this picture, darlings? (Shows the next
flashcard)
51. Student 6: Canasta!!!!!!!! (D3B)
52. Teacher: Yiuupp but… how do we say “canasta” in English?
53. Student 5: (Insecure) Basket? (D3A)
54. Teacher: Exactly. So we have a basket but, not a normal one: a SHOPPING basket. Ok?
So, everybody: SHOPPING BASKET!!!
Learning Strategies 12

55. Students: (Happy) SHOPPING BASKET! (D2A)

56. Teacher: Nice! You know? The word “basketball”, you know, the sport? It comes from
basket! Balón más canasta… BASKETBALL!!
57. Students: (Some are surprised) Ohh!
58. Teacher: Ok so, let’s go to the beginning! What is this?
59. Students: CARRY!! (D2A)
60. Teacher: Great! And this?
61. Student 2: (hesitating) Unpack? (D3A)
62. Students: UNPACK! (D2A)
63. Teacher: Good! And…
64. Students: BOXES! (D2A)
65. Teacher: Good!!!! Now…???
66. Students: (Dissaproving-broccoli face) Broooocoli. (D2A)
67. Teacher: AGAIN!
68. Students: BROCCOLI! (D2A)
69. Teacher: Haha ok ok! And this?
70. Students: Melon, melon. (D2A)

(The teacher asks for a second because another teacher knocks the door and interrupts
the class. The other teacher asks her to stop loud repetitions because her students were
complaining about the “noise”. The teacher starts whispering to her students about the
situation and they all start feeling hungry and sleepy again.)

71. Teacher: (whispering) Ok. What is this one?

72. Students:(Inintelligible whispers)
73. Teacher: (a little louder) What?
74. Students: Basket! (D2A)
75. Teacher: Good. A SHOPPING basket. Very good! Now, as usual, we have our third
lesson and we have, of course, a new video right here, ok? With this video we’re going
to learn how to ask for help, right? It is something we all usually do. For example, you
always ask teachers for help when you have homework… like when you ask me to help
Learning Strategies 13

you access MyEnglishLab, right? Haha… Asking for help is a really really REALLY
common activity we have to do every single day, ok? So, first, let’s look at this photo
before watching the video. (The teachers goes back to page 36 on the book and points at
a preview photo). This is Oscar, do you remember him? (There are characters who
appear all around the book) and this is Wen, ok? Oscar is the boss and Wen is an
employee, right? (So slow and clearly repeats the preview question from the book)
WHEN – DO – YOU – ASK – FOR – HELP? Cuándo pides ayuda tú?
76. Students: (Inintelligible – They say something in Spanish) (D3B)
77. Teacher: Ok, when else? For example, when you don’t understand a lesson…
78. Student: Cuando no encuentras un producto en el súper! (D3B)
79. Teacher: Good! When you cannot find a product… when you need to CARRY (makes
mimics) something, etc. There are LOOOOOOOOOTS of situations in which you need
help, right? Now, let’s play the video and you know what to do, ok? (On the book, they
have to circle the correct answer for a set of questions about the video) So Lights,
Camera, Action!!!!
(Plays a video from the ActiveTeach. Project Success Level 1, Unit 3, Lesson 3:
Listening and Speaking, Ask for help. Length: 0:30).
Ok, guys, do you want me to play it again? (makes mimics)
80. Students: Yeeeeeeeeee… (D2B, I3B)
81. Teacher: Ok, let’s play it back… (plays the video back). Right, let’s go back to page 36,
right! Fulano1!! Can you please read the first question?
82. Student: Yes, teacher! Oscar asks Wen for… a) oranges, b) help, c) organic products?
83. Teacher: Very good! So, who says oranges? Raise your hands, please! (mimics) (D1C,
D2A)
84. Students: (a few rise their hands)
85. Teacher: Heeeeeelp? (mimics raising her hand to encourage students)
86. Students: (most of students say) HEEEELP. (D2A)
87. Teacher: And Organic Products??
88. Students: NOOOOO! HELP!!!(D2A)
89. Teacher: Great!! So Oscar asks for HEEEELP.
Learning Strategies 14

90. Students: Heeeeeeelp (D2A)

91. Teacher: Good. Next question, Sutano1!!! Read the next question!
92. Student: (Inintelligible)
93. Teacher: Please, louder!
94. Student: (Stays silent for a few seconds, he seems to be thinking) (D3B, D2C, I2A,
I2B).
95. Teacher: Sutano1…
96. Student: Oscar needs to (silence, blank) a few boxes (D2A).
97. Teacher: Thanks! Who says a) PACK? (mimics, raises her hand)
98. Students: (A few students raise their hands)(I3B)
99. Teacher: b) Hand?
100. Students: (other few students raise their hands)(I3B)
101. Teacher: and c) unload?
102. Students: Yeeeeeeeeeee!!!! (most of them raise their hands)(D3A, D2A)
103. Teacher: So, exactly, the correct answer is unload. Remember what unload is?
104. Student: (makes mimics) descargar?
105. Teacher: yes! But like “descargar mercancía” because “descargar información” is…
(mimics like asking a question)
106. Students: DOWNLOAD!
107. Teacher: Right! Ok, next! Tututututu (scrolling down on the page), Perensejo!!!!
Next question, please!
108. Student: Ehhhhhhhhh… (marked costeño accent, very paused) Wen, needs, to, mov,
the, chopin, car, to, the, (silence), of, the, store? (D2A, D3B)
109. Teacher: the shopping cart, ok? (reinforcing pronunciation) So, what is the answer?
110. Students: Oranch!!(D3B)
111. Teacher: O RAN GES! Remember, oranges! (Reinforcing pronunciation)
112. Students: (Repeating) Oranges. (D2A)
113. Teacher: Good, next! Fulano2! Number four!
114. Student: ehhhhhhh… (inintelligible)
115. Teacher: so, what is the answer?
Learning Strategies 15

116. Students: Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack (D2A).

117. Teacher: Excellent! Back! Nice! Now, let’s watch a fragment from the video and
let’s fill in the blanks, right? (Plays a fragment from the same video for students to
complete the next exercise on the book). Agaaaaaain?
118. Students: again, please! (some of them mimic with their hands to ask for a second
play) (D2B).
119. Teacher: (Plays the fragment again) Now, who wants to be Oscar? Who wants to be
Wen? (The teacher ask for volunteer students to read the dialogue between Wen and
Oscar with the answers required by the book). (Sutano2 voluntarily raises his hand)
Sutano2, you’re going to play Oscar, right? (Fulano1 raises his hand) And you,
Fulano1, are going to be Wen, ok?
120. Student: (Fulano1) Ticher, pero yo no sé la respuesta hahahaha (everybody starts
laughing) (D3B, I2A).
121. Teacher: Ohh my Godness, ok, who wants to help Fulano1? The others can help,
right? Let’s go! Lights, camera, action!
122. Students: (Sutano2 and Fulano1 read the fragment without the answers)
123. Teacher: hmmmmm what is the first answer?
124. Students: unload? (shily) (D3B)
125. Teacher: Good! Unload! So, repeat! (the book suggests to have the students repeat
the fragment) Remember we cannot do a lot of noise, right? Can you help me
UNLOAD these boxes?
126. Students: (almost inintelligible) Can you help me unload these boxes? (D2A)
127. Teacher: Pero no tan pasito, caraaaaaaaaamba! (everybody starts laughing) Can you
help me UNLOAD these boxes?
128. Students: (louder) Can you help me unload these boxes? (D2A)
129. Teacher: YES! Where do you want them?
130. Students: Yes! Where do you want them? (D2A)
131. Teacher: (slow and clear) This box has organic O RAN GES.
132. Students: This box has organic oranges. (D2A)
133. Teacher: Please, put it in the organic section.
Learning Strategies 16

134. Students: Please, put it in the organic section. (D2A)

135. Teacher: Ok. What else do you need help with?
136. Students: Ok. What else do you need help with? (D2A)
137. Teacher: Can you take these BOXES to the back? Thanks, Wen.
138. Students: Can you take these boxes to the back? Thanks, Wen. (D2A)
139. Teacher: Excellent! Now, we have a pronunciation note (a small section on every
single listening and speaking lesson on the book) and it is about one of the MOST
COMMON and MISSPRONOUNCED sounds in English: The TH. Right? Let’s see:
(starts reading the note from the book) “To say the TH sound in THIS and THESE, put
your tongue between your teeth (exaggerates the movement and the sound, everybody
smiles). Use your voice to make this sound”. Ok, let’s listen. Then, we’re going to
listen again and repeat, ok? (Plays an audio on the ActiveTeach with the words THIS,
THAT, THERE, THESE and THOSE. When they had to repeat, they did it).
140. Teacher: Let’s repeat again! THIS!
141. Students: THIS! (The teacher tells them to repeat it two times more). (D2A)
142. Teacher: THAT!
143. Students: THAT! (The teacher tells them to repeat it two times more). (D2A)
144. Teacher: THERE!
145. Students: THERE! (The teacher tells them to repeat it two times more). (D2A)
146. Teacher: THEEEEESE!
147. Students: THEEEESE… (The teacher tells them to repeat it two times more). (D2A)
148. Teacher: THOOOOOSE!
149. Students: THOOOOSE… (The teacher tells them to repeat it two times more).
(D2A)
150. Teacher: Oki doki! Remember this sound is really special, ok? Remember at the
beginning of the course I told you that THREE (shows three fingers) and TREE (draws
a tree on the board) sound different? It is because of this TH sound, right? The same
happens with THIRTY, treinta, right?
151. Students: Thirty, thirty…(D2A, D1B)
152. Teacher: and the number trece, THIRTEEN, right?
Learning Strategies 17

153. Students: thirteeeeeeen…(D2A, D1B)

154. Teacher: and tercero, THIRD!
155. Students: Theeeeeerrrddd… (drowsily) (D2A, D1B)
156. Teacher: Yes! Very good! Don’t forget it! TH (mimics exaggerately putting her
tongue between her teeth, everybody laughs). HAHAHAH! Good, right now, let’s go to
our next lesson on page hmmm… 37!!!! which is aboooooout… This, That, These and
Those! Grammar! Wiiiiiiii… (the teacher makes a boring face in purpose for the
students to laugh and engage more. It worked.). Let’s see… (starts speaking in Spanish
as she sees that most students don’t understand) estos son los que se llaman en Inglés
“demonstrative pronouns” (she writes the title on the board) or pronombres
demostrativos.
157. Students: (Inintelligible).
158. Teacher: (draws an empty table in the board). As I told you at the beginning of the
course, pronouns are words meant to replace nouns… or names, right? Como les dije al
principio del curso, los pronombres son palabras que sirven para reemplazar a los
nombres y no rayaaaarlos (mimics) como a un disco, ok? (students laugh). They are for
us to avoid repeating names, right? These ones, especially, are here to make us talk
about objects respect to our position in space, right? Estos en especial nos sirven para
hablar de objetos o personas respecto a nuestra ubicación en el espacio, por ejemplo, si
un objeto está al alcance de tu mano o si está lejos… si ese objeto es singular o si es
plural… bueno, para eso nos sirven estos pronombres. The first one is THIS, and this is
like “este”, ok? For example: este marcador, que lo estoy agarrando con mi mano y es
un solito marcador… (shows a board marker) in English it is THIS MARKER, right? It
is a singular object you have in your hands or you can REACH (alcanzar) with your
hands because it is close to you, ok? On the book, we have this example (points at the
board) “UNLOAD THIS BOX”, ok? Descarga ESTA caja, right?
159. Student: Teacher! Eso se escribe así? Demonstrative? Con N? (I3A)
160. Teacher: Yiup. (she smiles). THIS and THAT are similar because they are
SINGULAR words, ok? But THAT is for a single object that is not close to me, I
cannot touch it, right? (She points at the teacher’s desk, that is unreachable from her
Learning Strategies 18

position in the classroom) For example: THAAAT is my computer, right? It is my

computer but (stretches herself) I cannot reach it, so I say THAT, ok? On the book we
have another example: Move THAT basket. Right? He cannot reach it from his
position, and he must approach (mimics approaching) to do so, then, I say THAT. Ok?
(Starts filling in the chart with the words CLOSE, FAR, THIS and THAT and arranges
in a ways students get to understand).
161. (Students are paying attention carefully and taking notes as the teacher fills in the
chart and explain examples)(I1A)
162. Oki doki, when I have TWO or MOOOORE objects that I can reach with my hands
I say THESE, ok? En Español sería “estos”, ok? For example, (takes another two
markers) THESE MARKERS! Estos marcadores. I have one, two and three and they
are in my hand, right? (Starts talking with marked costeño accent, imitating students’
cocky attitude towards unknown things they believe they master perfectly) Ticher! Pero
si THIS y THESE suenan igualitico, esa es la misma vaina! (back to English) NOPE!
They are not the same. THESE sounds a little bit longer, THEEEEESE (exaggerates the
ee sound), right?
163. Students: AHAHHHAHAHAHAHAHA AHHHHHHH ok! (I2A)
164. Teacher: the example on the book, Unload THESE boxes, right? It is not only one
but one, two and three boxes on the picture! So we say THEEEEEESE, ok?
165. Students: Ok!
166. Teacher: (goes to the board, writes THESE on the column CLOSE, line PLURAL
from the chart) THESE is here because it means plural objects near me, right?
167. Students continue paying attention and taking notes thoroughly (I1A)
168. Student: Ticher pero THAT también es que, cierto? (I3A, D3A)
169. Teacher: In fact, it is. The word THAT has usages such as demonstrative pronoun
and relative clause, a connector. Sirve de pronombre de estos y sirve para conectar una
oración con la otra, una conjunción… Let’s write an example…
170. Student: Pero eso se puede usar para preguntar? (I3A, D3A)
171. Bueno, por eso es importante tener buena ortografía y entender hasta las tildes
diacríticas en Español (The teacher laughs, students are confused). Qué con tilde es para
Learning Strategies 19

preguntar y su equivalente es WHAT. Que sin tilde es para conectar y ese es el THAT
del que estamos hablando, ok?
172. Students: (They are surprised. The teacher considers that comparing English and
Spanish is a nice way to understand the language and how different is Spanish from
English).(D1B)
173. Teacher: (she continues with a small example with that as a relative clause and as a
demonstrative pronoun in the same sentence and closes the question). Ok, let’s talk
about the last one: THOOOOSE (exaggerating the sound). I have three markers on the
desk, right? (points at the desk, she walks some steps back so she cannot reach it). I say
THOSE MARKERS. There are one, two, three markers, but they are not close to me, so
I say THOSE, right? The example on the book: (points at the board) Move THOSE
baskets. There are one, two, three baskets and the guy cannot reach them unless he
approaches, oki?
174. Students: Yeee…(I3B)
175. Teacher: (Writes THOSE on the chart, column FAR, line PLURAL. The chart is
completed). Now you see (points at the chart): If it’s only one object close to me, THIS.
If it’s a single object far from me, THAT. If I have more than one object close to me,
THEEEESE and if I have more than one object and I cannot reach them, THOOOSE,
right?
176. Students: Ok!
177. Teacher: Are there any questions?
178. Students: (move their heads indicating no).
179. Teacher: Ok! Right now, you have to do the exercises on page 37, ok? Exercises A
and B.
180. Student: A and B?
181. Teacher: Yes, AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA and BBBBBBBBBBBBBB! Ok?
182. Students: Ok!
The teacher sets the chronometer and has the students do the exercises until the end of
the class. Most of students come to the teacher’s desk to get feedback when they
finished.