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De La Salle University Manila

College of Education

Why should language teaching styles be considered in teaching second language


learners?
RAMSEY S. FERRER
MAELED
Why do individuals differ so much in second language attainment success? After
all, every healthy human being in an intact social environment masters a first language
to a degree of fluency that, in other skill domains, would be recognized as elite or near
elite levels (Segalowitz, 1997, p. 85)

The ways in which a second language learner characteristically acquires, retains,


and retrieves information are collectively termed the individuals learning style.
According to the standard definition, learning styles refer to an individuals natural,
habitual, and preferred way(s) of absorbing, processing, and retaining new information
and skills (Reid, 1995, p. viii). The theory of individual differences can be accounted for
adequate explanation why some L2 learners easily acquire features of the language as
compared to others who may be in the same linguistic context and level of proficiency
(Drnyei, & Skehan, 2003). This has become the locus of several researchers who tried to
investigate other factors that influence SLA and SLL. One of these factors is teaching
style which is thought to be an external factor that influences language learning. How
teaching style affects second language learning has been investigated in the light of
understanding the theory of individual differences. However, it is generally believed that
while language teachers have different teaching styles, L2 learners have also their
learning styles in which mismatches are possible to occur that affect the quality of

learning and their attitudes toward the class and the subject. It is important to note that L2
learners use strategies, and that the crucial issue is whether strategies are used flexibly
and appropriately (Skehan, 1998:264). In this regard, appropriate teaching style is an
important factor that has to be considered among language teachers. There has been a lot
of interest over the years on the effectiveness of different teaching methodologies such as
communicative language teaching, audio lingual, etc. However, language pedagogies
have different types of instruction that may only be limited to the target competency.
Thus, limited competencies are acquired by L2 learners without accounting for other
learning competencies. The teaching style of languages teachers vary according to the
types of instruction whether it is formal or classroom interaction. Although differentiated
instruction affects language learning, it still needs to be enriched and modified in so far as
accommodating individual differences is concerned. In this sense, the challenge now is
how language teachers can make language instruction viable and accessible for learners
having different learning styles. In addition, it is interesting to study the extent to which
the teaching styles and language learning styles match. In doing so, several dimensions of
learning style have to be defined and thought to be relevant to second language
acquisition and learning. In their study, Felder and Henriquez (1995) suggest that
multistyle approach can be useful in second language education. Studies show that
matching teaching styles to learning styles can significantly enhance academic
achievement, student attitudes, and student behavior at the primary and secondary school
level (Griggs & Dunn, 1984; Smith & Renzulli, 1984), at the college level (Brown, 1978;
Charkins et al. 1985), and specifically in foreign language instruction (Oxford et al. 1991;
Wallace & Oxford, 1992). However, it is argued that the privilege of using exclusive

instruction viable to students preferred modes of learning should not be laboriously


utilized. However, Smith and Renzulli (1984) cautioned that stress, frustration, and
burnout may occur when students are subjected over extended periods of time to teaching
styles inconsistent with their learning style preferences. On a different perspective,
educational psychologists supported the study carried out several decades ago, which
concluded that students retain 10 percent of what they read, 26 percent of what they hear,
30 percent of what they see, 50 percent of what they see and hear, 70 percent of what
they say, and 90 percent of what they say as they do something (Stice, 1987). In
conclusion, students learn more when information is presented in a variety of modes than
when only a single mode is used.
Indeed, teaching styles affect second language learners with different learning
styles. Teaching styles also have to consider the extent to which they match the learning
styles of L2 learners. What must be done to achieve effective foreign language learning is
to balance instructional methods, somehow structuring the class so that all learning styles
are simultaneouslyor at least sequentiallyaccommodated (Oxford, 1990).

List of References:

Brown, R. (1978). The effects of congruency between learning styles and teaching styles
on College Student Achievement. College Student Journal 12 : 307-309.
Charkins, R.J., D.M. OToole, and J.N. Wetzel. (1985). Linking teacher and student
learning styles with student achievement and attitudes. J Economic Education,
Spring 1985: 111-120
Drnyei, Z., & Skehan, P. (2003). Individual differences in second language learning. In
C. J. Doughty & M. H. Long, The handbook of second language acquisition (pp.
589630). Oxford: Blackwell.
Felder, R., & Henriques, E. (1995). Learning and teaching styles in foreign and second
language education. Foreign Language Annals-Spring, 22-31.
Griggs, SA., and R.S. Dunn. (1984). Selected case studies of the learning style
preferences of gifted students. Gifted Child Quarterly 28, 3:115-119.
Oxford, R.L. (1990). Missing link: Evidence from research on language learning styles
and strategies, in Georgetown University Round Table on Languages and
Linguistics 1990. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press.
Oxford, R., M. Ehrman, and R. Lavine. (1991). Style wars: teacher-student style
conflicts in the language classroom, in S. Magnan, ed., Challenges in the 1990s
for College Foreign Language Programs. Boston: Heinle and Heinle.
Reid, J.M. (1995). The learning style preferences of ESL students. TESOL Quarterly
21:87- 111.
Segalowitz, N. (1997). Individual differences in second language acquisition. In A. de
Groot, M. B. & J. F. Kroll (Eds.), Tutorials in bilingualism: Psycholinguistic
perspectives (pp. 85112). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Skehan, P. (1998). A cognitive approach to language learning. Oxford: Oxford
University Press.
Smith, L.H., and J.S. Renzulli. (1984). Learning style preferences: A practical approach
for classroom teachers. Theory into Practice 23: 44-50.
Stice, J.E. (1987). Using KoIbs learning cycle to improve student learning. Engineering
Education 77: 29 1-296.
Wallace, B., and R.L. Oxford. (1992). Disparity in learning styles and teaching styles in
the ESL classroom: Does this mean war? AMTESOL Journal 1: 45-68.

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