Learning Strategy Instruction in L2 Acquisition and Metacogn(2)

2 Issues of strategy training in L2

Ellis (1994) identified 5 key issues in language learning strategies training after reviewing the major studies on strategy training. He gave a warning that issues should be paid much attention to before strategy training is implemented:

⑴more work is needed to discover what strategies and, in particular, what combinations of strategies should be taught.

⑵ways have to be found of taking into account learners’ own preferred learning strategies.

⑶Some learners may need convincing that strategy training is worthwhile.

⑷It is not clear whether learner training will work best when it exists as a separate strand in a language program or when it is fully integrated into the language teaching materials.

⑸whether learners should be made conscious of the strategies they are taught, or whether just

providing practice opportunities is sufficient.

Why is the issue of strategy training so complex? It may be due to the different factors that interact to influence the teaching and learning of strategies: age, gender, personal learning style and teachers’ attitude and beliefs. For example, the learning strategies employed by the child learners and adult learners are different.  The studies made by researchers (e.g., O’Malley et al 1985; Chamot et al 1987) suggest that learners’ ability to use a broad range of strategies flexibly may depend to a large extent on the nature of and range of the instructional tasks in the classroom. However, it may not be possible to predict the kinds of strategies that a learner will employ in a particular task. On the one hand, strategy instruction is dependent on the tasks; on the other hand, the tasks is unlikely to specify certain strategies to be used by the learners. Maybe it is better to cite Ellis’ words (1994): specific tasks may predispose learners to use particular strategies, but they cannot predetermine the actual strategies to be used. (p.545)

3.Role of metacognition in L2 training

The goal of strategy instruction is to help learners to learn how to employ strategies flexibly and how to select appropriate strategies to perform a particular learning task.  But here is the problem for the teachers and the learners: how to define the word “appropriate”?

Among three types of strategies in the classification of O’Malley and Chamot , metacognitive strategies may be thought of as core learning strategies because they are applicable to a variety of learning tasks and also because they are overarching strategies above cognitive strategies and social/affective strategies. Metacognive strategies are higher order executive skills entailing goal identification, planning, monitoring and evaluation. According to Anderson (2002), understanding and controlling cognitive processes may be one of the most essential skills in the classroom.

The distinctions between cognitive and metacognitive strategies are important, partly because they give some indication of which strategies are the most crucial in determining the effectiveness of learning. It seems that metacognitive strategies, which allow students to plan, control, and evaluate their learning, have the most central role to play in this respect, rather than those that merely maximize interaction and input. Thus the ability to choose and evaluate one’s strategies is of central importance.

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