LANGUAGE LEARNING

STRATEGIES-
What every teacher should know.

Rebecca Oxford
1990
Why are learning strategies important?

“Learning strategies are the steps taken by students

to enhance their own learning.

“They are the tools for active, self-directed involvement, which

is essential for developing communicative competences”.

“Appropriate language learning strategies result in

improved proficiency and greater self-confidence”.
Classification of language learning strategies

DIRECT
LANGUAGE
LEARNING
STRATEGIES
INDIRECT
 Direct strategies

Memory

Direct strategies Cognitive

Compensation
 Direct strategies
Grouping
Creating mental
linkages Associating/elaborating

Placing new words into a

context

Using imagery

Applying images Semantic mapping

Memory and sounds
strategies Using keywords

Representing sounds in memory

Reviewing well Structured revewing

Using physical response or sensation

Employing action
Using mechanical techniques
 Direct strategies
Repeating
Formally practicing with
sounds and writing systems
Practicing Recognizing and using
formulas and patterns
Recombining

Practicing naturalistic

Receiving and Getting the idea quickly

sending
messages Using resources for receiving
and sending messages

Cognitive Reasoning deductively

strategies Analuzing expressions
Analyzing and
reasoning Analyzing contrastively (across
languages)
Translating

Transferring
Creating structure
for input and Creating notes
output Summarizing
Highlighting
 Direct strategies
Repeating

Guessing intelligently
Formally practicing with sounds and
writing systems

Switching to the mother tongue

Compensation
strategies Getting help

Using mime or gesture

Avoiding comunication partially or totally

Overcoming Selecting the topic

limitations in
speaking and writing
Adjusting or approximating the message

Coining words

Using a circumlocution or synonym

 Indirect strategies

Metacognitive

Indirect
Affective
strategies

Social
 Indirect strategies
Overwelming and linking with
already known material
Centering your learning Paying attention
Dealying speech production to focus
on listening

Finding out about language learning

Organizing

Metacognitive Arranging and

Setting goals and objectives
planning your learning
strategies Identifying the purpose of a language
task(purposful
listening/reading/speaking/writing)

Planning for a language task

Seeking practice opportunities

Self-monitoring
Evaluating your
learning
Self-evaluating
 Indirect strategies
Using progressive relaxation, deep
breathing, or meditation
Lowering your anxiety
Using music

Using laughter

Making positive statements

Afective Encouraging yourself Taking risks wisely

strategies
Rewarding yourself

Listening to your body

Using a checklist
Taking your emotional
temperature
Writing a language learning diary

Discussing your feelings with someone

else
 Indirect strategies

Asking for clarification

Asking questions

Asking for correction

Cooperating with peers

Social Cooperating with
strategies others
Cooperating with proficient users of the new
language

Developing cultural understanding

Empathizing with others

Becoming aware of others’ thoughts and
feeling
A new system for language learning
strategies