What kind of language learner are you?
1. Tick the three activities you think are most similar to language learning, ans say
why. Do you think learning a language is like learning:
 To ride a bike
 To play the piano
 To play chess
 To walk
 Words in a play
 Mathematical formulae
 To swim
 Dates for a history exam
 To play cards
2. Try to number the sentences in order: 1=most useful way fro me 2=least useful
way for me. Which do you think are the best ways to learn English?
 Learning lists of vocabulary by heart
 Writing down the translation of every new word or phrase
 Learning grammar rules, with example sentences
 Reading as much as possible in or out of class
 Speaking as much as possible in class
 Writing everything down in a notebook and learning it
 Forgetting about grammar and listening to people talking instead
 Doing lots of written grammar exercises
 Doing lots of oral grammar exercises
 Getting the teacher to correct you every time you say a sentence
 Trying to think in English and not translate into your own language
 Writing essays and getting tem corrected by the teacher
3. What aspects of language do you feel you need most help or practice with?
Number them in order: 1=need to practise most 2= need to practise least
 Grammar
 Vocabulary
 Reading
 Listening
 Speaking
 Writing
 Pronunciation
4. How do you think the following people can help you best?
 Your teacher
 Your family
 The other people in your group
 People in the street, in shops, etc
 Yourself
Learning a language: experience and expectations
Think about your previous experience of learning a language. Tick the sentences that are true
for you:
1. learning a language:
 involves hard work
 is interesting
 is difficult
 is frustrating
 is painful
 is confusing
 is boring
 can be fun
 is easy
 comes naturally
 requires a lot of memorization
2. when I am speaking a foreign language, I feel:
 shy
 frustrated
 stupid
 confident
 challenged
 happy
 embarrassed
 tongue-tied
 as if I am a different person
3. learning a language in class involves
 reading texts and answering questions
 translating texts
 reading literature
 writing grammar exercises
 doing a project
 learning about British and American culture
 learning grammar rules
 dictation
 listening to the teacher
 acting a play or dialogue
 making a TV or radio programme
 reading aloud
 learning lists of vocabulary
 frequent tests
 role play, mime and drama
 following a textbook
 making a newspaper
 letter writing
 practising speaking in pairs or groups
 listening to a tape or CD and answering questions
 games
 repeating in chorus
 practising pronunciation
 songs
 class discussion and debates
 writing stories or essays