Differences between learners

What affects the success in learning a FL?
the methods and materials
the teacher’s qualities and personality
the learning conditions (e.g. age, time, learning outside school, opportunities for authentic contact with L2)
the personality of the pupil
tolerance of ambiguity
a high capacity for empathy
willingness to take risks
a high level of self-esteem
a low level inhibition
Overall, language aptitude and motivation are the two most influential factors in terms of success in learning a FL.

Ability to learn
There is a link between general intelligence and second-language learning.
Success in learning L2 is related to language-specific set of learning abilities called language aptitude:
the ability to identify and remember sounds
the ability to memorize words
the ability to recognize how words function grammatically in sentences
the ability to induce grammatical rules from language examples

Motivation
Positive attitudes and motivation are related to success in L2 learning.
Motivation is the crucial force which determines whether a learner makes progress, how much energy he devotes to learning, how long he perseveres.
? Remember a concrete „motivated“ and „unmotivated“ pupil from a class you teach.
What characteristics and behaviours do we associate with the image of these learners?

Motivated learner
Motivated learner: one who is willing or even eager to invest effort in learning activities and to progress.
Characteristics of motivated learners
Positive task orientation. The learner is willing to tackle tasks and challenges and has confidence in his or her success.
Need for achievement. The learner has a need to achieve, to overcome difficulties and succeed in what he or she sets out to do.
Goal orientation. The learner is aware of the goals of learning and directs his efforts towards achieving them.
Perseverance. The learner consistently invests a high level of effort in learning and is not discouraged by setbacks or apparent lack of progress.

Types of motivation
Integrative
A learner with integrative motivation has a genuine interest in the second language community. He wants to learn the language in order to communicate and to gain closer contact with the people and their culture.
Instrumental
A learner with instrumental motivation is more interested in how the second language can be a useful instrument towards furthering other goals, such as gaining a necessary qualification or improving employment prospects.
? Can you apply this classification to your own motivation for learning a foreign language?

Types of motivation
Extrinsic
derived from external incentives, can be affected to a certain extent
Intrinsic
the urge to engage in the learning activity for its own sake
typical of young children, tends to deteriorate with age
largely rooted in the previous attitudes of the learners

Ways of affecting extrinsic motivation
Some aspects cannot be affected, e.g. peer-group influences, the wish to succeed in an exam.
Teachers can work with success and failure:
Success
learners who have succeeded in past tasks will be more willing to engage with the next one, more confident and more likely to persevere
teachers should also recognize the investment of effort and care
? In what ways do you inform your pupils of their success?

Ways of affecting extrinsic motivation
Failure
learners should be aware that they are failing if they have done significantly less than they could have
too much anxiety hinders learning, a certain amount can stimulate a learner to invest more energy in the task – so called facilitative anxiety (just enough tension to get the job done, slight feeling of nervousness)

How to create interest in lessons and learning English:
clear goals (both short and long term)
varied and meaningful topics and tasks
contact with authentic L2 situations (native speakers, a trip to the UK, Internet…)
appealing materials (visuals, booklets, realia…)
fun activities (games, jokes, stories, songs, video clips…)
personalisation (tasks that have to do with the learners’ opinions, experiences, ideas; teacher must show interest in these, be open, accepting and encouraging)
needs analysis (find out and take into consideration)