October 17 Blog

Chapter 11 talked a lot about different strategies that language learners use, whether it is conscious or not.  As a language learner, I was able to personally relate to these strategies, and it got me thinking about the strategies that I use myself.  I don't think I actually starting cognitively thinking about which strategies I used until I was in high school.  I would use different strategies to study for exams or projects, and the more I mixed them up, the lower my grades were.  So I played around with different ones until I realized ones that worked best for me.  So once I figured out these strategies, I made sure that I used them as much as possible. I used them not only when I was studying, but when I did assignments, projects, even just participating a lot in class helped my grades go up.  I soon realized that I use a variety of social strategies, and that when I do, my grades are the highest.  I am a very cooperative person and that actually speaking my thoughts out loud help me understand a new concept better.  I thrive on group environments and excel when I can bounce ideas off of my fellow classmates.  After reading all of the strategy categories, I realize how important it is for the students to be consciously aware of all of them not only to benefit their participation and study habits, but to challenge and improve their higher order thinking skills.  As educators, it is our job to not only encourage our students to think outside the box, but to question them and have them question themselves about why they think that way, how they think, and how they can approach learning in different directions.  It is our job as educators to not only teach the students the content materials and lessons, but to also help them learn a little bit about themselves.