teacher training: learning strategies instruction

Correct “learning strategy instruction” is a key element in effective language learning. Students must ne helped, instructed not only of what but how to learn at class and at home, and why to do it. Research has made it possible to identify effective approaches to strategies instruction. Today I’d like to present a few guidlines for strategy instruction by Pressley, Harris and Marks (1992), guidlines that should be used by language teachers too:

- Teaching only a few strategies at a time

- Providing strategy ptactice with different types of tasks

- Teacher modeling of the strategies

- Telling students why strategies are important

- Identiying ways in which students can transfer strategies to new task

- Maintaining students’ motivation to learn

- Encouraging students to reflect on their own learning