Learner Characteristics: age, learner differences, proficiency levels, and motivation.
The age of
learner is divided into three; young, teenagers, and adult. Young learners
usually respond to the meaning. They do not understand the meaning of each word
yet they do what is asked. They both learn directly and indirectly. In the
direct way, they use their senses such as touching, seeing, hearing, tasting,
and smelling. Interaction is emphasized in this way. Also, indirectly learning
directs to the adult unconsciousness where they mention a word and the children
will memorize and use it. Since they are very enthusiastic and curious, more
attention should be given or they will be mad if they do not get what they
want. The ego makes them become the center of the topics. Since they have
limited vocabulary, the activities should be simple and the task should be
within their abilities and world. In addition, there should be variations of
the classroom activities because the have limited span.
Teenagers are
the period where the learners try to find their individual identity. In the
learning process, they have great capacity to learn, great potential for
creativity and passion in proving that they can do it. However, they generally
have more problems in social life such as free sex, bullying, hiv, etc. Those
actually are not their goals yet they do it to get respect, approval, and
appreciation.
The third type
of learners age is adult where they study not because it is compulsory but
necessary. Teaching adults is easier than young learners and teenagers. They
generally have expectations of the learning process. They also have more
experiences which help them to understand the material easily. The last, they
are more discipline.
Since learners
are unique, there are some types of their differences; based on multiple
intelligence, aptitude, style, and characteristics. Rhytmic, linguistics,
spatial, kinesthetic, and mathematical are the types of multiple
intelligencies. It means that each student has his own ability. Learners’ style
deals with the way they are learning, for example, he likes to read a book
while listening to the music. Aptitude relates to the natural ability about
one’s intelligence. The characteristic generally includes tolerance of
ambiguity and ego involvement.
Talking
about proficiency levels is debatable because levelling creates new problem.
However, determining the good and lower students may help the teacher to decide
the right method and technique. Also, the treatment for those are different. It
is also supported by the motivation which take a big role in the process.
Motivation comes both from the individual and the environments such as their
family.
Commonly Found Question
The
first question is actually relates to the second question. That is how to
accomodate the learners’ differences yet the second question specifies it to
the young learner and students with special needs. To accomodate those two
types of students, the teacher may accomodate them with the strategy from the
teacher himself. He can adapt the the situation and the students’ needs. Cheerful
environments suit best for young learners. The presenter did not mention the
specific method or technique and did not answer question of the students with
special needs. A general option offered by the presenter is by paying attention
to the special need student without ignoring the other students.
Critical
Analysis
Analysing from
the presentation especially the learning style of the students, in fact, there
are some teachers who cannot facilitate the students who learn through moval.
Worsely, the institution supports the teacher and call the students
hyperactive. It is actually caused by the lack of the teacher’s knowledge in
knowing the students’ learning styles. They assume that good students are they
who listen and participate in the process in a common quiet way. However, it
causes problems if the teacher leaves them behind without finding the right
method and technique. This analysis also relates to the second question about
the students with special need. An educational video from Thailand shows a
teacher who has to teach a class in a primary school with one student with
autism. Since the system of primary school in Thailand and Indonesia is similar
which one class is handled by a teacher in certain subjects, one teacher is
responsible. In language learning, autism is definitely a poor student.
However, by presenting the material through the interesting things like a fan
and using colored chalk on the board, the autism is able to count faster than
the normal children. Therefore, before judging a student with poor knowledge
and ability, the teacher should find the factors disrupt the process. Then,
finding the ways to solve is the next step.
The presenter
shows some findings both from Indonesia and other countries which have very
different issues. By comparing those, she implicitly argues that Indonesian
issues leave behind because they still focus on the teaching and learning
problem. Meanwhile, the foreign issues already discussed about the social
problem happened to teenagers such as pregnancy, drugs, HIV, etc. In my
opinion, there are big gaps in that argument. First, the foreign countries
which already analyzed the social issue are English native country. Second, the
area of the findings relates more to psychological issue rather than language
teaching. Third, the current revised curriculum in Indonesia emphasizes the PPK
(Penguatan Pendidikan Karakter). Although we cannot monitor the students’
activities outside the classroom, maximising that element will impact to their
behavior. Hopefully, it will be beneficial in anticipating the issues as the
foreign country already had.
References
Harmer, Jeremy.
2007a.
The Practice of English Language
Teaching. Malaysia
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