Importance of considering learning styles throughout the teaching process in efl lessons

Importance of Considering Learning Styles Throughout the Teaching Process in EFL Lessons


















Marvel Ugalde Rodriguez graduated from Universidad Nacional and is currently majoring his undergraduate degree in English teaching at Universidad Latina de Costa Rica in Pérez Zeledón. Correspondence concerning this essay should be addressed to Marvel A. Ugalde Rodriguez.Email address is marvelariel@hotmail.com







Abstract
This paper considers the concept Style, in the study of individual differences and learning. The origin and elaboration of learning style as a concept is discussed, tracing the influence of cognition and a learning-centered approach to the psychology of individual difference. In here we can defend the different learning stylesthat any individual may have when facing situations like learning a different language, other than the native. This composition makes a good relationship among some relevant aspects mentioned in the II Written Examination Anthology for Undergraduate Seminar for students of Universidad Latina de Costa Rica (2011). Besides, it expresses some relationships with information from the web and books,which supports with great arguments about the learning styles and acquisition of a target language and the possible either positive or negative effects on the learning process of a second language.











Importance of Considering Learning Styles Throughout the Teaching Process in EFL Lessons
Years of learning research have lead to the creation of a highly precise learning theorythat can be used to understand and predict how and under what circumstances most humans and animals will learn. Because most behavior is learned according to the principles of instrumental conditions, the learning theory can be used to help people understand how to change their behaviors. The different conditions in which a learner develops have a lot to do in the results on the way to a learningprocess. Many approaches have been analyzed and researched to get to solution of what the best way to learn is; nonetheless, there is no such thing as the best way for learning, but every individual’s way of learning. We can identify this phenomenon as Learning Style. Brian Tomlinson provides a definition for this term as:
¨The way that particular learners prefer to learn. Some languagelearners have a preference for hearing the language (auditory learners), some for seeing it written down (visual learners), some for learning it in discrete bits (analytic learners), some for experiencing it in large chunks (global, holistic or experimental learners), and many prefer to do something physical while experiencing the language (kinesthetic learners). Learning styles are variable and peopleoften have different preferences in different learning contexts¨ (pg.13).
We will make a better distinction among the learning styles types and an association with different learning situations in the following paragraphs and also will make a specific explanation about the importance of such behaviors when the learning process is developed. So, we have to emphasize several aspects whenreferring to a process of learning of a human being and this is the reason why teachers have to provide equal chances for learning, be able to identify and know about the different learning styles in the teaching/learning environment, and they have to design activities and materials specially designed for the specific learning styles present in the classroom environment.
First of all, it is of greatrelevance to take into account that teachers need to provide equal chances for learning to every single learner that is trying to face the vast counterparts that learning involves. In this content we ought to make a big difference in the way young children, adolescents and adult learners learn. For instance: children are learners who are always in search of individual attention, they respond to...