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IMPORTANCE OF LEARNERS' STRATEGIES IN THE ENGLISH
READING Aminova G.
Aminova Guzal - Teacher, DEPARTMENT OF THE THEORETICAL ASPECTS OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGES, ENGLISH LANGUAGES FACULTY 3, UZBEKISTAN STATE WORLD LANGUAGES UNIVERSITY, TASHKENT, REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN
Abstract: strategies are often seen as ways used by language learners for getting out of trouble in language study in the short term, but a more positive view might be that successful strategies used by learners can promote longer term language development. This article explores the research evidence for benefits that strategy use in reading can bring in learners' language achievement in both the short term and the long term. Keywords: learner strategy, reading, teaching practice.
Teachers and researchers have found it unusual that some language learners are more successful than others in learning a foreign or second language even if they have the same instructors, in the same learning environment and at the same language level. A number of researchers have done a great deal of work in this field and found that learners do apply some strategies while learning a second language and these strategies can be identified and classified. Taken together they constitute the steps or actions consciously selected by learners either for the learning of a second language, the use of it, or both [2, 17]. In 1990, Oxford made an expansion of these definitions, which is more detailed and clearer, by saying that Learning strategies are specific actions taken by the learner to make learning easier, faster, more enjoyable, more self-directed, more effective, and more transferable to new situations [4, 8].
As a number of studies (shown in the above discussion) have been done on the effectiveness of learner strategies in second language acquisition, many researchers advocate that teachers should provide students with direct training on strategy use either in classroom teaching or outside the classroom. Oxford also argued that strategy training is especially necessary in second and foreign languages acquisition, what is more, it should be highly practical and useful for students rather than being abstract and theoretical [4, 201]. Bearing the above discussion in mind, a number of metacognitive, cognitive, and social and affective strategies are suggested to use in the teaching process:
1. Setting a top-down task
This task is actually the same as the warming-up stage of the former one. A topic related to the content is chosen and students are working in groups to express their opinions on that issue with their background knowledge. This stage is regarded as a smooth transition from the students" general knowledge to the specific text. It is a good way to attract the students" attention to the text that they are going to learn.
2. Signpost questions, advance organization and selective attention
Prepare some questions about the text for the students. The purpose is not to test but to guide the students and help to direct their attention to the important points in the text.
3. Identifying and explaining language points with the strategies of inference
Explain the new vocabulary and grammatical points with the strategy of inferring from
the context instead of telling students what they mean directly [1, 23]. Vocabulary and grammar have traditionally been the major component in English teaching programs in former Soviet Union countries. It is advised to reduce students' dependence on English-Uzbek bilingual dictionary encouraging them making inferences about the meanings of new vocabularies from context instead of looking up every new word and making vocabulary lists to learn by heart.
4. Producing summaries with semantic map, text diagram or table of contents
When the whole text is explained, the students should draw a semantic map, text diagram or a table of the content or just a few sentences to summarize the main idea of the text [3, 33]. On the one hand, that is because these strategies will provide a helpful way of probing into text organization, thus it can add to students" understanding of the whole text. On the other hand, they are also beneficial to students' writing.
5. Self-evaluation and self-monitoring
The students will be asked to self-evaluate their comprehension of the text by doing some exercises, such as multiple choice, matching or answering questions about the text. In this process, students will be able to find out their problems and consequently direct them to self-monitor their learning process, integrating the processes of self-evaluation automatically.
6. Social and affective strategies implementation: questioning for clarification, cooperation and lower students' anxiety
Although these kinds of strategies do not make a direct impact on improving the readers" reading ability, they can help students to comprehend a text better with non-linguistic aid and learn to cooperate with others. As a result, it can help the readers have a comprehensive understanding of the reading materials, and accordingly relieve their anxiety in the study.
References
1. Cohen A & Macaro E. (Eds), 2007. Language Learner Strategies: Thirty Years of Research and Practice. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
2. Macaro E, 2001. Learning Strategies in Foreign and Second Language Classrooms. London: Continuum.
3. Nuttall C., 1996. Teaching Reading Skills in a Foreign Language. Oxford: Heinemann.
4. Oxford R., 1990. Language Learning Strategies: What Every Teacher Should Know. Boston, Mass: Heinle & Heinle.
