A good language learner knows that he or she has to focus on the meaning of what he or she can understand, by not getting confused, and by going on talking and listening without necessarily understanding every word (Rubin and Thompson 1982).
In the followings I would like to state what the characteristics of a good language learner are inside the classroom. First of all, he or she actively participates in the lessons. It means that he or she brings his/her books with him/herself to the lessons. Surprising, but it can cause great difficulties in the process of the lesson. It also means that he or she pays attention and participates actively in the activities. A good language learner who is motivated always tries, I mean no matter whether he or she knows the correct answer, but I should see the willingness in his or her eyes. They can express the willingness by asking questions and reflecting to me. Of course, it needs that they should be present physically as well as mentally. To achieve this, the teacher should be interesting; I mean that he or she has to do his or her best to make the lessons colorful and enjoyable. If the lesson is boring and monotonous, we cannot expect them to be interested in the material or creative. We should be creative to make them creative.
The next very important quality of a good language learner is that he or she comes prepared to the lessons. It is very hard to work with such students who do not know what we have learnt last time, in these cases we have nothing to build on and proceed. In most cases students just study for a test, but a good language learner learns for acquiring the language and not for a grade. These students are aware of the fact how important it is to speak in another language. They are willing to be taught and not feel it as a pressure. The students who love what we are learning make use of the class time. They work hard in lessons, participate wholly in activities and enjoy when we are playing games. They express their interest by asking questions all the time. It often happens that they bring into class magazines or songs to translate, because they are interested in its meaning. Of course I am very happy to help them, because I know that they care about the target language outside the class as well.
The frequent questions from them are not the proof of their weakness, but of their interest. If they do not understand something they ask me to tell it again. It always makes me happy, because I know that they are willing to understand it. Those students who never ask are uninterested and do not care whether they understand it or not.
Good language learners do not feel language learning as a waste of time. They always do the homework and it often happens that they do extra tasks and ask me to correct them. As I experienced most of them has his or her techniques to learn the language at home. In most cases these students have to learn and practice on their at home, because their parents are not able to help them. After asking advice from me and trying out several tactics they are able to find out which technique fits them best. Some learners prefer visual information, while others are more likely to learn by hearing, and still others are better off when physical action is involved in learning. The teachers’ task is to be aware of these facts and apply them when planning the lesson.
As Sinclair suggests (1989), a good language learner is always self-critical which means that he or she estimates his/herself continuously and follow his or her advance. They should be curious and tolerant; he or she is interested in how language works, and he or she easily accepts the difference between the first and second language, ambiguity and uncertainty. As Sinclair (1989) goes on listing the characteristics of a language learner he also says, that he or she should be willing to make experiments, willing to try different learning methods and new activities to find the one that fits him or her the best. He also states that a good language learner is able to organize the time for language learning and is able to make the best of the opportunities to use the language (Sinclair 1989).
As a consequence, I would like to state that, even the fact that the essay is about the qualities of a good language learner; we should not handle it as a recipe. I do not think that we are able to find someone among our students who fits the whole list. Unless seeking for the very best learner we should discover the worth in every student.
References:
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Ellis, G. and Sinclair, B. Learning to Learn English. Teacher’s Book, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1989.
- Rubin and Thompson, 14 Characteristics of a Good angau
