Project: Project:

Learning Styles and the Learning Styles and the WebWeb

Universidad Central de VenezuelaFacultad de Humanidades y EducaciónComisión de Estudios de PostgradoMaestría en Inglés, Mención Lengua Extranjera

María Fernanda Liendo

Caracas, December 15, 2009

- Learners share characteristics and personality preferences which have been classified into learning styles.

- ‘Sensory preferences’: learners are divided into four types: visual, auditory, kinesthetic and tactile A learning style is simply a

pattern or a consistent behavior of how people understand, process and gain knowledge

Learning Styles

- Learners share characteristics and personality preferences which have been classified into learning styles.

- ‘Sensory preferences’: learners are divided into four types: visual, auditory, kinesthetic and tactile - Learners usually show a combination of more than a single style, but one learning style generally predominates.

- There is no “good” learning style or “bad” learning style; there are just preferences for each individual

- A learner can increase the amount of intake of the language by changing the kind of input that is being received. Example

Learning Styles

Problem Statement

- UCV-School of Modern Languages: English was separated into four components: reading and writing, listening and speaking, grammar and laboratory; each one with its own learning material and teacher

-Strong feeling of dislike towards the language

Curriculum modification:

New book and Workbook + Novel

- English seems to be understood better this academic year. However, the novel has been difficult to comprehend

Why? Presentation of input

ProposalProposal

Use the Web to provide a different presentation of input

- Can the Web help teachers to present information in a way that translates into a greater amount of intake?

Two courses – English 1

Group A –Control

-Text taken from the Web

-Reading, analysis and discussion in the classroom

-Summarize the text

-Answer questions

Group B - Experimental

-Link to the text taken from the Web

-Explore the site, read the text, listen to it (audio tool), discuss it in a Wiki

-Summarize the text

-Answer questions

Objectives

AimTo assess how the presentation of input through different Web tools influences intake in English language learners.

Objectives: -To analyze the nature of intake depending on different presentations of input (traditional classroom input vs. Web tools input)-To identify what type of input presentation increases the amount of intake.-To observe if the presentation of input through pictures, colors, audio and video results in better intake of information.