Learning Styles and Motivation in the ESL/EFL Classroom.

Cycles about learning styles and techniques, the learning strategies. 

  When it comes to Kolb's theory of learning styles we can see a cycle that combine student's LS orderly and sequentially which established that teacher's techniques in the classroom must adapt the enviroment in order to acknowledge the student's intelligences and have several outcomes to measure. This means that assessment in class possibly could be measure or not, and it is such a complicated process which teachers have understand to include several factors that influence in the learning students' process. So, It is clear that LS are not the only instruments to use in a class, so lesson class should match to preferred student's learning styles, then every day the activities got to be simplier, clearer but match with students needs and also engage students with a communicative approach learner-centered. We have to avoid wrong enviroments so students can be able to achieve short academic goals in classroom even when they have different needs, troubles or issues at home, so otherwise teachers will not identify  what the activities must embrace and maybe because they are not willing to create correct enviroments and work more.

 "A foreign language is a language studied in an environment where it is not the primary vehicle for daily interaction and where input in that language is restricted" Rebecca Oxford (2003). The fantastic and idealistic enviroment that we can only imagine it could happen, only if you only practice, present, and product daily in classroom. The day that these factors come value to yourself as teacher it will be the consistency, discipline and your own motivation to work harder. So, when Honey and Mumford produced a questionnarie the identify the student's preferred learning styles, literally they started to measure several results with specific ideas added to the Kolb's experiential learning cycle, which let teachers to consider other outputs in short terms, therefore teachers will know how to foster the learning styles with students so they can acknowledge their outcomes on long terms considering their learning styles, because we explained them with what behaviors and styles they preferred to learn.  

These factors, the correct enviroments and the desired behaviors are what teachers praise or reinforce to students so they can comprehend or understand that learning styles are the abilities they are able to do, like see, listen or do, so in order to achieve this understanding we use VAK's learning styles which are really clear about the way they can learn together, some students with strenghts and others with weaknesses working together can get interesting outcomes in the classroom.

After 50 years education had gone through several deep changes who skilled teachers that understand to start using learning strategies according to the learning styles, in this case, they neccesarily gave a tremendous value to thoughts process and the learning process in students. They also added other learning styles which matched with all of these learning strategies. The next graphic organizers can show these techniques and general concepts that mix students' abilities and also their preferred styles in a different but similar approach:

Rebecca L. Oxford, Ph.D.  

LANGUAGE LEARNING STYLES AND STRATEGIES: AN OVERVIEW

Rebecca L. Oxford, Ph.D.  

LANGUAGE LEARNING STYLES AND STRATEGIES: AN OVERVIEW

Motive-tion.

After I shared a brief summary about the learning cycles and the preferred styles in students, we have come to clear as teachers the routes as the new leader group in education around the country in how motivation helps or demotivate students in classroom settings. There are two forms of motivation, the intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, both refer to the learning process as a set of goals that have to be reached in order to feel motivated or to feel self-motivated while we experience the learning process. Therefore, we have to explain the differences among both of them.

Regardless of the results they offer, the intrinsic motivation is related to the feelings and thoughts that come with positive outcomes after work and study harder willing to do it without any rewards, in Japan there is a real concept about intrinsic motivation called “Ikigai” sense of life, after work pretty hard you find a purpose for life, it does not matter if you are a businessman, this worth it at all. Afterwards, there are other types of learners who do not like to be reward with words or compliments, they are not seeking for sense of life, they need something physical or real reward (money, praise, promotion, gifts or rewards), so we have got to be cautious with our students because they have to know that motivation in real life it is something natural that come up from working hard and fight to earn the positive outcomes based on effort and hard work.

Conclusion:

Therefore, the students' learning process it is directed by the teachers in several ways, the classroom management, even the ice-breakers when the class begins are very important to engage and embrace a real class that let you bond with your students, but also there is something pretty amazing when you are speaking with your pupils, they are humans, real people with real issues in life, the social factors and personal needs are the key to inspire them afterwards a dynamic class with different activities that let them understand and learn the new information (visuals, lectures, podcasts, walking in the classroom, role-playing) in order to let the students do something or come up with positive outcomes that absolutely improve their skills to communicate with the real world.

By Angel Guijarro.

References:

• H. Pashler, M. McDaniel, D. Rohrer, (2009) Learning Styles: Concepts and Evidence Research Article:  https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1539-6053.2009.01038.x
• Honey, P. and Mumford, A. (1986a) The Manual of Learning Styles, Peter Honey Associates
• McLeod, S. A. (2013). Kolb - Learning Styles. Retrieved from www.simplypsychology.org/learning-kolb.html 
• R. L. Oxford, Ph.D. (2003) LANGUAGE LEARNING STYLES AND STRATEGIES: AN OVERVIEW  
• Ikigai. Sentido de Vida. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQOeEy03yq0