esp model for learning

INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY ISLAMABAD

SUBJECT: ESP

ASSIGNMENT # 1

TOPIC: A MODEL FOR LEARNING

Date of submission: 03/04/2013

A Model for Learning

The ability to learn is one of the most outstanding human characteristics. Learning occurs continuously throughout a person's lifetime. To define learning, it is necessary to analyze what happens to the individual. It is basically an individual's way of perceiving, thinking, feeling, and doing may change as a result of a learning experience. . For example, children learn to identify objects at an early age; teenagers may learn to improve study habits; and adults can learn to solve complex problems. Pilots and aviation maintenance technicians (AMTs) need to acquire the higher. Thus, learning can be defined as a change in behavior as a result of experience. This can be physical and overt, or it may involve complex intellectual or attitudinal changes which affect behavior in more subtle ways.

Learning theory or approach may be described as a body of principles advocated by psychologists and educators to explain how people acquire skills, knowledge, and attitudes. Various branches of learning theory are used in formal training programs to improve and accelerate the learning process. Key concepts such as desired learning outcomes, objectives of the training, and depth of training also apply.

In spite of numerous theories and contrasting views, In following chapter of book, ESP: approach not product writer suggests to take an eclectic approach, taking what is useful from each theory and trusting also in teachers evidence of her/his own experience because psychologists generally agree on many common characteristics of learning, most of them even do agree that learning may be explained by a combination of two basic approaches behaviorism and cognitive theories.

A model of learning also includes these theories and some other strategies. Here the model of learning is explained through a picture. In the picture we take the mind as a network of connections that look like a road map. Individual houses towns and villages represent bundles of knowledge. The mind of learner is like a development agency that wants to bring the settlement into the network to develop their potential and to achieve this communication links must be established. Any communication network links can only be established from existing links. The picture shows that point X, Y and Z can be connected easily with one another by developing a link while connecting that to existing links. But if we want to connect all these with F, L, K so there must be a tunnel and a bridge to connect all of them. Same is the case with learning process where for the sake of learning anything we have to built connections or links among different things while covering all obstacles that come in this process. If a learner wants to achieve a higher level of competence then he must work hard and have to pass all difficult stages.

Individual items of knowledge have little significance. They acquire meaning when they are connected into the network of existing knowledge. For example, In ESP, specific vocabularies, terminologies and forms are there when these forms are associated with a specific profession, they get a direction and their meaning becomes more and more clear. When a man works in his specific field, he knows specific items of knowledge of his profession when these terms are used in the network of existing knowledge, they get meaning. He has existing knowledge and uses individual items that give meaning. A person belongs to a medical profession; he has already read medical terminologies and texts that are concerned with his profession, when he practically enters this profession, he uses that knowledge which gives it meaning.

A person’s knowledge about his professional language that he has already studied helps him to construct new connections. In order to gain new knowledge, person’s existing knowledge guides a man towards various new directions that makes it possible to learn new items. For example, a doctor who has practically adopted his profession and starts doing experiments in his field. He learns more and more in that field and builds new connection to his concerned field and increases in his existing knowledge. It is his existing knowledge that helps him get to know new things and terminologies about his professional language and builds various connections. As long as he works in his profession, his existing knowledge improves and by and by with the passage of time, he becomes capable of getting proficiency in his professional language that is English, its requirement and changes according to the need analysis of a man.

Another main point about learning is that to get knowledge about different things is not so easy at beginning level. As at initial level learning seems as difficult but with the passage of times learning becomes an easy process. To gain knowledge about some items is difficult to acquire as all the knowledge about all things are not having same status. But whenever a learner learn anything through a hard or difficult process after that it becomes easy to further learn. Even the potential for further learning becomes increase. In learning process there can be obstacles and difficulties but when a learner met with those difficulties he becomes able to overcome those problems occur during learning process. For example through different theories we come to know about different levels of students through which they learn different techniques, skills and strategies. As skills are those that we learn at beginning level with a little effort and with the passage of time it becomes the part of our life for example cooking and driving. While coming towards the point there is an example of audio lingual method in which a child at basic or

primary level he can not speak English fluently as for example a teacher at a primary class ask students to say library. When they can not speak this word teacher ask them to say lib-ra-ry separately. Then it becomes easy for the students to speak this word. Although with the passage of the time these learners become fluent.

Further elaborating the learning process and the importance of English for specific purposes there is another strong claim that every work requires complete planning. Planning of any work makes it easy. Even in the learning process there should be complete planning. As a road builder knows how to construct a road and what are the strategies he should use for the construction as well as what will be the problems he will face and how to solve them. Same is the case with learning process. In learning process a learner learns and tries to learn in a better and complete way .Although a learner can learn in a better way by developing different strategies for the problems that occur during learning process to them. We can take the example of learning theories here we can say that a teacher before going to class mostly plan first what he is going to deliver the lecture. He must have to plan the time as well as the whole lecture. Secondly teachers mostly know and must know what are and will be problems to students during lectures as well as how he should be able to solve those problems. Although in learning and teaching strategies and planning plays a significant role.

We also observe in the picture that communication network is a system; if a planner or builder can see the whole system it becomes easy for him to manage all, similarly Language is also a system and a learner too feels easy when he can see the whole system and connections of the whole otherwise it becomes very difficult when he sees every thing haphazardly. For example if a learner knows all learning theories, methods and skills and understand the whole system that how to use all by making connections then it will be easier to manage all the obstacles in leaning a language or teaching a language for specific purpose.

Last but not the least, it is very important for learner to be motivated to do so like writer of the book explains while referring to the picture of model for learning that if the traveler will be motivated to cross the obstacles e.g. mountains, river etc than he will enjoy the journey and will desire for it once more otherwise some travelers do this only once just for the sake of need. So here we can also quote two types of motivation either instrumental (motivated by need) or the integrative (motivated by desire or want instead of need). So if a leaner will be eager for learning because of his desire or want then he will surely enjoy learning like the first traveler mentioned before.