This document discusses characteristics of good language learners and how teachers can support learners at different levels. It notes that good learners are motivated, participate actively, and take responsibility for their own learning. Teachers must consider learners' backgrounds and individual differences. While beginners benefit from simple language and activities, advanced learners need challenging tasks and subtle language use. The key is providing engagement and clear goals appropriate for each learner's level of proficiency.

1. How to be a good
learner
J. Harmer
Why is it difficult to describe a
good learner?
Garcia Giménez Agostina, Martins Sofía
y Dominguez Sala Maira (2012)

2. We have to consider:
 Backgrounds (learning experiences)
 Why they are in the classroom
 Different methods.
 Student’s personality
 How much they practice.

3. What teacher’s think is a
good learner
 Always does his/her homework.

4. How important is the
students’ motivation?
 When they are highly motivated,
or afraid of failure, or they love
the subject, or have a practical
reason; they learn fantastically fast.
 Integrative motivation is more
important than Instrumental
motivation.

5.  Positive attitude.
 Class participation.
 Conscientiousness.
 Humour.
Real motivation comes from within
each individual.

6. Who is responsible for
learning?
 Self-study (Textbooks, exercises,
tape and video recorders)
 Self-access (Their own interests and
needs)
 Learning is a partnership between
teachers and students.

7.  Some students think teacher’s job is
to provide learning.
 Teachers should not impose a
pattern of learner independence.
 Start very gradually.
 Be sensitive to their own
expectations of learning and act
accordingly.

8. Characteristics of
good classroom
learners
 A willingness to listen: paying
attention not only to the class, but
also to analyse how language is being
used, absorbing what might be
useful for them
 A willingness to experiment:
prepared to take risks

9.  A willingness to ask questions: are
curious and judge when it is appropriate to
ask relevant questions
 A willingness to think about how to
learn: invent and find their own methods of
studying, both in a lesson and when they
study on their own.
 A willingness to accept correction:
interested in receiving feedback and prepared
to be corrected.

10. Teaching adults
 Long history of past experience
 Success and failure
 More nervous of learning and anxiety
about the process of learning
 They consider the importance of
learning

11.  Greater attention span
 Less likely to have discipline
problems
 More serious learning
 Necessity of understanding the
reason of learning something
 Well response to entertaining
activities

12. Different levels
Three basic levels: beginner,
intermediate and advanced.
Beginner: Those who do not know
any English

13. Intermediate: Those who have
basic competence in speaking and
writing and can fairly understand
listening and reading activities. This
level involves comprehension of
general real language in use.
Advanced: Those who manage the
language competently and are able to
communicate ideas fluently (with
native speakers)

14. Other descriptive terms
• False beginner: Those who cannot
use the language, but actually know
quite a lot. Through learning, this
knowledge can be easily activated.
• Elementary: Students who can
communicate using simple vocabulary.

15. • Upper intermediate:
Students with intermediate
proficiency and an extensive
knowledge of grammatical
constructions. They have not
acquired the accuracy of
advanced learners yet.

16. •Beginners:
•Success is easy to see and arrange.
•To adults is more stressful than
expected.
•Teaching beginners becomes
stimulating and great fun for
teachers.
•To see the success in language
learners is invigorating.

17. •Intermediate
Students:
•Success is not easy to perceive,
because they have achieved a lot.
•“Plateau Effect” as regards
students’ improvement.
•Avoid it creating challenging tasks
and make them analyze language
more thoroughly.
• Set clear goals to measure their
achievement.

18. •Advanced students:
•Students already know a lot of English.
•There is still the danger of the “Plateau
Effect”.
•Need to create a classroom culture
where learning is not seen as learning a
language.
•Need to show them what they still have
to learn and also their improvements.

19. •Concentrate on style and
perceptions of appropriacy,
connotation and inference.
•Use language more subtlety.
•Encourage responsibility.

20. How should we teach
the different levels?
•Many activities can be used at more
than one level, but there are some
which are more appropriate.
Pronunciation practice, simple
introduction dialogues for beginners.
Discursive essay writing or formal
debating.

21. •Main difference is language:
Beginners: Simple language to
make them understand and get
pleasure plus good learning.

22. •Level of language affects the
teacher’s behavior:
To rough tune our speech by
exaggerating the tone of voice and
gestures
Get meaning across
But at higher levels is not so
significant, they will feel patronized
For advanced students we have to
be richer and more subtle.

23. To sum up, teachers react
overtly and subconsciously to
different levels. The materials
they use and the engaging
activities they provide fulfill
the students’ needs, at the
level in which they are.