PDF #50 – Learning Strategies in Second Language Acquisition Jenny X Montano-Gonzalez
Learning strategies refer to a set of tactics that people use in order to gain control over their own learning process. Nowadays, enhancing strategies in second or foreign language classrooms is one of the teachers’ roles, since their mission is to facilitate the learning among their students and make their thinking process visible. In order to teach a second language (L2) effectively, educators must take into consideration the needs and biographies of each learner, as a result, they are able to employ methodologies that guide students in using strategies which enhance their L2 learning process. This paper helps readers understand the concept of such strategies and its importance in terms of accelerating and facilitating English learning by putting forth a number of the definitions of the concept as posited by different authors. Then, it discusses three differing approaches to L2 instruction such as Grammatical, Communicative, and Cognitive in order to identify which of these approaches promote useful learning strategies in the classroom. And finally, based on the Biography Driven Instruction (BDI) model, this paper analyzes on how four learning strategies were put into practice in settings of English as a Foreign Language (EFL).