SLA RESEARCH ON SELF-DIRECTION: THEORETICAL AND PRACTICAL ISSUES

“Please, sir, can you write the word on the blackboard (for me to understand it)” means: 1 know I am a
visual learner, so I learn better when I see a word than when I listen to it.

Interindividual differences:

“I am aware that I always beat my parents in this memory game” may mean: / think I am more
intelligent that my parents

“I think that my parents never jump into decisions” may mean: My parents are more reflexive than
some of my friends

Universals of cognition

“I am sure that he is not going to remember the telephone number I gave to him” may mean: short-
term memory is fallible and of a limited capacity.

TASK

The knowledge that we have about the nature of the different types of information that we have to
process and about the type of process that we have to carry out.

“This is very difficult” may mean: According to my experience, dense and complex information is
difficult to process. In order to understand it, it is necessary to proceed slowly and carefully . It may also
mean: According to what I know about my own knowledge and abilities, I don ^,t think I can carry out this
task.

“This is very easy” may mean: This information carries very little content, most of which 1 already know.
To understand this I don't have to pay a lot of attention

“For me this exercise (to tell about the poem I read) is easier than the other one (to memorise the
poem)” may mean: It is easier to get the gist of certain type of information than learn it by heart.

STRATEGY:

The knowledge that we have about different strategies (cognitive and metacognitive) that we can (or
cannot) carry out.

(See photocopy with list of strategies from O’Malley and Chamot, 1990)

297

<<   294   295   296   297   298   299   300   >>

More intriguing information