Week 4

Listening Strategies,

I never saw listening strategies as a process to be taught teach. I always integrated listening strategies for fun, get meaning, or vocabulary in class. But I never, until now, thought about listening skills as method. Now I'm more aware of the importance of TEACHING the listening strategies to my students.
As I think back of Puerto Rico and how languages are taught there, I ubderstand why it is that French, Italian, Portuguese German and other languages programs work se well contrary to the way we teach English.

We believe that English in Puerto Rico is ESL. I have come to understand with this class that it is EFL. We do not speak English on the streets of Puerto Rico.
I guess we all assume in Puerto Rico that after 13 years of English classes through the k-12 program, students know and understand the language. Yet, English should be taught as a Foreign Language.

Meta cognitive strategies as well as cognitive strategies are also a new way of seeing things for me. the meta cognitive process is important in the way you teach the language and plan your lessons as well as important when you are a learner and know your abilities, strengths and weaknesses. The meta cognitive strategies can serve as a tool for self-efficacy and as a tool for a responsible teacher to plan ahead and make sure that the lesson is understood and well accepted by the students.