Assignment 1 ‘Focus on the Learner’
Anna Maria Merletti
Learning background






Stefania is 67 years old, she is Italian and she speaks Italian. Her level in English is pre –
intermediate.
The differences between L1 and L2 cause many problems to Italian learners. As stated in
‘Learner English1’ to indicate grammatical functions Italian relies on morphological
inflections whereas English relies on word order and phrase structure. As a consequence
Italian learners complain about English little and unpredictable grammar. Since Italian is
basically phonetically spelled with strict rules for word stress, learners find it difficult to
understand and to be understood in English.
Stefania studied French at school, but she can no longer speak it. She started attending
English classes here two years ago, before that she experienced mainly grammar classes,
with not enough speaking, no translations, and a lot of ‘listen and repeat’.
She is a retired teacher with a degree.
Her ideal teacher would speak slowly, and repeat a lot, to motivate the student she would
use games and role – plays.
She likes the lessons here, but she didn’t like when six teachers taught for 20 minutes, she
found it difficult to follow.
Motivation
She likes travelling and doesn’t want to depend on her husband when they are abroad. Quoting from
her interview she said ‘I don’t want to be inferior to my husband’ and she wants to be able to give
information to tourists when she meets them in the city centre2, this shows a mix of extrinsic,
intrinsic and integrative motivation3 for learning English. She is planning to travel in the future
therefore her focus is on speaking and listening.
Learning style
Stefania is strong in auditory and interpersonal intelligence 4. Amongst her favourite activities there
are listening, speaking and role playing. Her ideal English lesson would start from a topic (e.g. a
reading comprehension), then a focus on its grammar and vocabulary to finish with a speaking
activity related to it. She likes the methodology we use because she finds it effective.
1
Swan, Learner English, CUP, 2011 pp 74,78
Stefania’s interview
3
Harmer, How to teach English, FLTRP, 2000, p.8
4
Scrivener, Learning Teaching, MacMilian Education, 2011, p 85
2
1
Ability in the four skills
Stefania’s strongest skills are listening and speaking. When she speaks she can make herself
understood even though she is not always accurate or fluent and sometimes lacks of vocabulary.
She is not shy and she keeps speaking regardless of her mistakes. When listening she understands
complicated structures even though she cannot reproduce them. When she doesn’t understand she
asks for clarification. Her problems with reading and writing concern lack of vocabulary and
interferences between L1 and L2. She is in the pre – intermediate group nevertheless her production
in poor, she seldom has the chance to read something in English, she doesn’t want to read a book
because she thinks it may be too difficult for her. In her writing she conveys information and ideas,
and she gets across the main points, but this task is the hardest for her, being not used to it.
Phonological and grammatical problems, and suggestions for specific activities.
Analysing her recorded interview and the written text she provided, I was able to identify errors she
regularly makes only from the interview. From the written text it is clear that the mistakes she
makes are interferences between the two languages (e.g.: I love reading, to go 5...love followed by –
ing form in English, but infinitive in Italian), or she forgets the third person singular auxiliary she
usually uses, mistakes she doesn’t make during classes.
Grammar
Grammatical error 1: Stefania uses the present simple instead of the present continuous.
Example 1: ‘The guide speaks’ (oral sample). Correction: The guide is speaking.
Example 2: ‘The tourists sunbathe’ (oral sample). Correction: The tourists are sunbathing.
Suggestion: Hughes and Jones, Practical Grammar 2, Heinle Cengage (2011) pp 26 – 29, ex 1-4 and
1-3 Hughes, Stephenson, Dummett, Life split B, National Geographic Learning Cengage Learning
(2014) (see appendix)
Rationale: The progressive verbs exist in Italian, but their use is more limited than in English6,
when it comes to describe a picture in English the tense to use is the present continuous7 whereas in
Italian we use the equivalent to the present simple. Practice should help her to form the habit. The
above exercises include listening exercises which fit with her auditory learning style.
Grammatical error 2: preposition after to go.
Example 1: ‘I went in the cemetery’ (oral sample). Correction: I went to the cemetery.
Example 2: ‘I went at an Italian school’ (oral sample). Correction: I went to an Italian school.
Suggestion: Murphy, English Grammar in use, (2012) pp 252 – 253 ex 1 - 3 (see appendix)
5
Stefania’s written text (see appendix)
Swan, Learner English, CUP, 2011 p. 80
7
http://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/exams/speaking-exams/describe-photo-or-picture (on 26th November 2017)
6
2
Rationale: The meaning of some prepositions can be a bit difficult to remember in both Italian and
English8. The prepositions of movement and position, to/from, are used to show direction with
movement9, Stefania doesn’t use the preposition to correctly, these exercises should help her, they
include vocabulary related to travelling which is useful and interesting for her future plans.
Phonology
Phonological error 1: Stefania doesn’t pronounce the letter h at the beginning of a word.
Example 1: she says /əʊm/ (oral sample). Correction: /həʊm/
Example 2: she says /ɒl.ə.deɪ/ (oral sample). Correction: /ˈhɒl.ə.deɪ/
Suggestion: Baker, Ship or Sheep, CUP (2006) pp 130 – 132
Rationale: These exercises will help Stefania to practice the sound and get the habit of producing
it. The recording fits with her auditory learning style.
Phonological error 2: Stefania pronounces /t/ the sound /θ/
Example 1: /tri:/ (oral sample). Correction: /θriː/
Example 2: /tæŋk/ (oral sample). Correction /θæŋk/
Suggestion: Baker, Ship or Sheep, CUP (2006) pp 133, 136 – 137
Rationale: These exercises will help Stefania to recognise the difference between the two sounds
and repeating the words will help her to pronounce correctly. The dialogue is entertaining so the
self practice is not boring.
Word count: 1029
8
9
Swan, Learner English, CUP, 2011 p. 87
Alexander, Longman English Grammar Practice Self-study Edition, Longman, 1990, p 108
3
References:
Swan, Learner English, CUP, 2011
Harmer, How to teach English, FLTRP, 2000
Scrivener, Learning Teaching, MacMilian Education, 2011
Alexander, Longman English Gramar Practice Self-study Edition, Longman, 1990
Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, CUP, 2004
http://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/exams/speaking-exams/describe-photo-or-picture
Baker, Ship or Sheep, CUP 2006
Hughes and Jones, Practical Grammar 2, Heinle Cengage 2011
Murphy, English Grammar in use, CUP 2012
Hughes, Stephenson, Dummett, Life split B, National Geographic Learning Cengage Learning
(2014)
4