PAC7 at JALT2008 Proceedings Article Data

Article title, keywords, abstract, and writer profiles

Title:
Helping students bring about a revolution in their out-of-class learning

Keywords:
learning strategy, strategy training, autonomous learner, executive motivation, TOEIC

Abstract:
Learning is a process of transformation. I believe it is every teacher’s dream to have a positive impact on students and help their learning change for the better. This paper examines how teacher’s explicit teaching of various learning strategies changes students’ out-of-class leaning activities. The study took place over a period of three months in a university TOEIC class in Japan. One questionnaire was administered to the whole class at the beginning of the course. Among them, three students kept a weekly journal and answered the same questionnaire at the end of the course. The results revealed that each student’s way of learning showed remarkable improvement, and what promoted the changes were not complicated strategies but simple, basic strategies that advanced learners might take for granted. Teachers do influence students, and just one piece of basic advice can revolutionize our students. Because of the limitation of time students can stay in the classroom, it must be important for teachers to seek a better way to help students become autonomous learners.

Writer profiles:

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