Mastering Effective Learning Strategies for Students

Effective Learning Strategies for Students

Learning strategies are extremely personal and different for each student. There is no right or wrong way of studying; however, studying is a technique which must be taught and learned. For this reason, teachers try to provide students with various models to choose the best strategies. Pupils must select the strategy that provides them with better learning. It is important to point out to students that they must learn for themselves; the teacher cannot learn for them.

Comprehension and Grammar

Learning strategies for structural language usually involve students performing activities that display comprehension of the grammar rules involved. The goal of these exercises is for students to understand the mechanisms of auxiliary verbs.

Memorizing Vocabulary

The best method for stimulating memory for vocabulary is ensuring children see and hear words as much as possible. Ask yourself how useful a word will be to the students. Remember that students only retain words they actually use; therefore, the vocabulary must be of interest to them.

Teachers should encourage students to learn vocabulary in two distinct stages:

• Stage 1: Usage. Learn how to use the words. For example, ask students to learn five words about the house (e.g., bedroom, bathroom). Test them orally by asking what they do in each room (e.g., "Where do you sleep?").
• Stage 2: Writing. Learn how to write the words. Give students a picture of a house and ask them to label the rooms.

This process allows you to monitor who is learning effectively. Teachers must work with new vocabulary while also recycling previous lessons. You need to teach students a practical way of storing vocabulary so that they can refer to it in the future.

Fostering Student Responsibility

When children transition from kindergarten, they depend heavily on the teacher. Consequently, teachers must teach students to be independent. The first step toward achieving autonomy is teaching students to be organized and to take care of the materials they have in class. Teachers must instruct children to take care of everything in the classroom, especially if something is not theirs.

It is easier to increase this sense of ownership if they do their homework by customizing it (painting, decorating, etc.). At the same time, teachers have to leave time at the end of the class for tidying up the classroom. Once your students are learning to be responsible for their belongings and their classroom, you can start to demand responsibility in their learning. One effective way to introduce responsibility in the class is through group work.