TEMA 25 EL PROCESO DE ENSEÑANZA Y APRENDIZAJE EN LA LENGUA EXTRANJERA CENTRADO EN EL ALUMNO: FUNDAMENTOS Y APLICACIONES. LA IDENTIFICACION DE LAS MOTIVACIONES Y ACTITUDES ANTE LA LENGUA INGLESA. APLICACIONES PRACTICAS. 1.4.– GAMES AND MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES This theory of human intelligence, developed by psychologist Howard Gardner, suggests that there are at least seven ways that people have of perceiving and understanding the world. Gardner labels each of these ways as a distinct "intelligence" in other words, a set of skills allowing individuals to find and resolve the genuine problems they face. Gardner defines an a core set of informationevolutionary history While Gardner suggests that his list of intelligences may not be exhaustive, he identifies seven, each of which is related to a different type of game: 1. Verbal-Linguistic: The ability to use words and language 2. Logical-Mathematical: The capacity for inductive and deductive thinking and reasoning, as well as the use of numbers and the recognition of abstract patterns 3. Visual-Spatial: The ability to visualize objects and spatial dimensions, and create internal images and pictures 4. Body-Kinaesthetic: The wisdom of the body and the ability to control physical motion 5. Musical-Rhythmic: The ability to recognize tonal patterns and sounds, as well as a sensitivity to rhythms and beats 6. Interpersonal: The capacity for person-to-person communications and relationships 1 also accept active pupil involvement in learning methodology, but learner-centred teaching is more radical because it believes that every single one activity can be based on the knowledge, experience, and expertise of our pupils. Learner-centred teaching can be used in different ways in the English classroom. It can be any of the following: - the only method used in the classroom - a complement of other materials, providing topicality and practising language not covered by other materials - a set of remedial procedures to use in unpredicted situations such as poor attendance 1 Humanistic approaches consider the following principles important: the development of human values; growth in self-awareness and in the understanding of others; sensitivity to human feelings and emotions; active pupil involvement in learning. See unit 13 for further information. 1. LEARNER-CENTRED FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHING AND LEARNING: We next study tile most important aspects of a learner-centred curriculum: - advantages - methodology - materials - assessment - the role of the teacher - problems 1.1. Advantages. Campbell (1992) mentions nine advantages of using learner-centred teaching: - the potential of the learner - constant needs analysis - topicality - previous learning experience - learners as authors - pace - the element of surprise - peer teaching and correction - group solidarity The potential of the leanier. Our pupils bring a lot with them into the classroom. They have their own ideas, beliefs, attitudes and interests. These things are very important for them, so, if they can see them reflected in the way they learn English and the activities within the classroom they will be more motivated to use language for effective communication. It is easier for a pupil to talk freely about a topic he himself has chosen, and therefore, he can draw on his knowledge to talk about, than about a topic which may be totally irrelevant. The way to fluency is more direct this way. It is also important not to forget that a great part of the knowledge our pupils bring with them into the classroom is their mother language and culture. Learner-centred teaching encourages them to incorporate this into their target language competence. Constant needs anaNsis. In learner-centred teaching, analysis is a continually developing process. Activities are chosen to met the current needs of its members. As our pupils carry out an activity, we spot the problems they have and introduce suitable practice activities in subsequent lessons. As we can see, the analysis never stops. Topicality. Learner-centred teaching allows us to introduce those issues our pupils are interested in into the classroom. This may be used to supplement or replace unsuitable coursebooks topics. Previous learning experience. A learner-centred approach offers an open-ended experience to our pupils. We give them a basic framework that they must complete according to their interests and needs. This way, the same framework can evolve in completely different ways with different groups. Even if we repeat the same activity it may be different if the members of the group are different. Learners as authors. Language practice is doubled in learner-centred learning because our pupils are involved not only in using the materials but also in preparing them as well. They will be interested in seeing how other people will use the materials they have prepared so they have a real-life reason to pay attention in the feed-back stage. Pace. Preparation work is longer in learner-centred activities. However, as the activity progresses, the pace increases. Also, the involvement of our pupils is total from the very beginning.