VIDEO REFLECTION PAPER

INDIVIDUAL LEARNER DIFFERENCES

The video tells us about the differences o individuals learning. Students on a classroom are similar and
different at the same time. Some students learn better if they just watch their teacher do the activity, while
other have to be involved on the activity to understand and learn what they have to learn. Also teachers
have to keep in mind that they must understand the duality and be aware at the different ways students
learn.

When a teacher enters for the first time to a new classroom, there are some learner differences that must
be easy to recognize, such as age, gender, socio-economic conditions and level of education. However, as
there are easy differences to see at the first look, there are others that can be difficult to recognize. They
could be the cognitive ability or intelligence and the development in younger learners. Also the language
proficiency levels with the motivation for language learning, why students want to learn a new foreign
language? How much they know about the language and how it works? Teachers do not know why their
students are there to learn. And finally, personal traits a long with learning strengths, styles and
preferences. Students do not have the same way to learn something new, that is why teachers have to be
aware of some learning differences.

For some reasons, teachers have to vary teaching approaches and techniques to help facilitate learning for
a wide variety of students. Some of them could be:

 Vary the type pf language input.

 Vary learner tasks.
 Teach learning strategies.
 Help students take responsibility to their own learning.
 Use group work appropriately.

Students learn faster and better if teachers let them know new ways of learning something. It is better if
students have to participate on those new strategies.

On the video, I could see that a teacher used on her students different skills. She let them choose a song
to work on and learn. Students put in practice listening, speaking, drawing, reading, writing, music and
drama skills in order to create a humorous and new way of learning. The teacher made her students aware
they were using the song to learn English vocabulary.

Another strategy I could see on the video was about a Self-access area and stations. That kind of rooms
help the students a lot since learners have choices, they can work at their pace. Also they have an access
to a variety of materials and tasks that let them practice and understand more the language, and of course,
the teacher has more time to interact with individuals or groups.

But a self- access area not only must be a whole room, it can be on a corner of a classroom or even on a
cart that moves from class to class. Students can work individual or together since those areas give them
many opportunities to help them learn.

Caren Cristina Panana Vera