Learner differences

The moment we realise that a class is

composed of individuals (rather than being
some kind of unified whole), we have to start
thinking about how to respond to these
students individually.
 Aptitude and inteligence
In the 1950s and 1960s it crystallised the belief that it was
possible to predict a student’s future progress on the basis of
linguistic aptitude tests. After few years was proved that this
was a misguided approach.
Then it were created by the results of the tests two types
of students which are not and can’t ever been one hundred
percent correct.
- students with a high analytical capacity.
- students with a lower analytical capacity.
 After it was seen that these tests could influence the
perspective that teachers had about a student was started an idea
of giving an optimistic approach about the results of the tests and
the relations between teacher and student.

Our own experience of people we know who speak two or

more languages can only support the view that ‘learners'
with a wide variety of intellectual abilities can be successful
language learners.
 Good learner characteristics
Joan Rubin and Irene Tompson listed 14 good learner
characteristics. For them a good learner is also a student who
can find his/her own way (without having to be guide by
teachers), is creative and work to correct him/her own
errors.

As we know, different cultures may value different

learning behaviors, but this does not mean that some students
who may not enjoy grammar exercises are doomed to
learning failure.
 Learner styles and strategies

Tony Wright has observed four different

types of students:
- enthusiast
- oracular
- participator
- rebel
 Keith Willing who work with adult students has
classified as well four types of students:

- convergers: solitary, avoid groups,

independent, analytic and pragmatic.
- conformists: learning about language, non-
communicative classrooms, doing what they are told.
- concrete learners: interested in social aspects,
seeing language as communication not system, enjoy
games and groupwork.
- communicative learners: oriented on language,
interest in social interactions, working without
guidance of a teacher.
 Individual variations
Neuro-linguistic Programming: here we introduce an
acronym VAKOG, which means: Visual, Auditory,
Kinaesthetic, Olfactory, Gustatory.
All people use these systems to experience the world,
nevertheless have one preferred primary system.
Radislav Millrood introduced two different types of
interactive relations between teachers and students:
- C-Zone: interact affectively
- R-Zone: student apply resistance
 MI theory : Multiple Intelligences

Howard Gardner says that we do not posses a

single intelligence, but a range of “intelligences”.
- Musical
- Verbal
- Visual
- Bodly
- Logical
- Intrapersonal
- Interpersonal
- Naturalistic
- Emotional
That means that teacher and students as well have to adapt
their climate of learning in order to use properly at least one of
these types of intelligences.
 What to do about individual differences

The main priority of a teacher is to analyse and make a

conclusion about how many different learning styles exist in
his/her class and to make a plan of different activities in order
to make all of them to learn mostly on their path.

“Our job is surely to broaden student’s abilities and

perception, not merely to reinforce their natural prejudices or
emphasise their limitation”