Málfríður - 15.09.2003, Blaðsíða 6

6
eru ekki endilega „rangar“. En hvort sem
þær hafa við rök að styðjast eða ekki þá
verðum við að gera ráð fyrir að þær hafi
áhrif á námshætti nemenda.
Richards og Lockhart (hér vitnað í
Garnder og Miller 1999: 39) hafa skipt
hugmyndum nemenda um ensku og
enskunám í 8 flokka:
Learners’ beliefs about language learning
Beliefs about ... Description
the nature of EngHsh Learners often see learning a language in different ways. Some per- ceive grammar as being difficult to master, others find a problem with pronunciation. Some may have a very positive attitude towards a language like Enghsh, whereas others may see it more negatively as something they have to learn rather than something they want to learn.
the speakers ofEnghsh Learners may have stereotypical perceptions about speakers of their target language which influence how they themselves use the language. For example, some learners may perceive Australian peo- ple as very friendly but British people as more reserved.These befi- efs may affect individual learner’s own use of Enghsh, especially when interacting with native speakers and/or their teachers.
the four language skills Learners may be instrumentafly motivated to learning the langu- age, e.g. they want to pass the end of term test. If the learners beh- eve that concentrating on one of the language skills wifl help them achieve their goals then they may ignore other learning opportu- nities.
teaching Learners have very definite perceptions ofwhat teachers should do in class, e.g. provide information, follow the book, give examples.
language learning Learners have definite learning strategies which they bring with them to their learning. However, in a classroom situation they are often forced into adopting learning strategies imposed on them by the teacher and/or the materials.
appropriate classroom behaviour Learners from different cultures often have different perceptions about what is or is not appropriate classroom behaviour.
self Learners may view themselves as good or poor language learners, or may know that their strengths as a language learner he in one area but not in others.
goals DifFerent learners may have different personal goals in learning the language. For some, being able to pass a test or have minimum competence might be a goal, for others they want native-like pro- nunciation and full command of the language.
Rannsókn sem Wifling (hér vitnað í Gard-
ner og Miller 1999:40—41) gerði á við-
horfum 517 tungumálanemenda leiddi í
ljós að þeir meta ákveðna þætti tungu-
málanámsins mjög misjafnlega. Nunan
notaði sama spurningalista og Willing til
þess að kanna viðhorf kennara til sömu
þátta. Niðurstöður þessara tveggja rann-
sókna sýna að nemendur og kennarar hafa
oft fremur ólíkar skoðanir á mikilvægi
ákveðinna þátta tungumálanámsins (hér
vitnað í Gardner og Mifler 1999:41)..
Þessar niðurstöður eru áhugaverðar því
ef hugmyndir nemenda og kennara eru
ólíkar þá er mikilvægt að þeir beri saman
bækur sínar. Annars er hætt við því að
erfitt verði að stefna að sameiginlegum
markmiðum. Ef hlutverk kennarans er að
hjálpa nemandanum að læra þá verða
bæði nemendur og kennarar að hafa ein-
hverja hugmynd um viðhorf þeirra til
tungumálanáms. Ef kennari álítur til
dæmis að mikilvægt sé að nemendur
uppgötvi sjálfir villur þá er mikilvægt að
hann útskýri fyrir nemendum sínum
hvers vegna.