Direct strategies

In this Unit we will: Compensation strategies 1) Guessing meanings

◗◗ Consider what direct strategies are and why they are (when learners have
significant 2) Using words from their own
insufficient knowledge) L1 and making them sound/look
◗◗ Identify ways of developing direct strategies in students ‘English’
◗◗ Become more familiar with activities in New Challenges 3 3) Using a general expression to
which promote direct strategies convey meaning when the specific
◗◗ Complete tasks for the teacher portfolio word is not known, for example
saying ‘it’s something you put on
First things first the roof’, when the student does
not know the word for ‘tile’.
What are direct strategies? They are strategies which help
us make sense of and use language more effectively.
They include memory strategies, cognitive strategies and Memory strategies
compensation strategies. The application of these strategies As you will see from the above, memory strategies are very
in the learning environment helps students to become significant in language learning. Students need and want
more effective and autonomous learners. to learn vocabulary and expressions, and need to develop
a range of strategies which help them do this, for example,
Here are some examples of direct strategies. In your study ways of storing vocabulary, ways of retrieving it, ways of
group or on your own, try and complete the following with developing and expanding it. In other units in the Teacher
at least two more practical examples for each one. Development Workshops you will have read about some
of the ways we can help students develop these strategies
Direct strategies Examples
and help them to become more autonomous with their
Memory strategies 1) Learners associate vocabulary learning of grammar and vocabulary.
(vocabulary) with visual images
Task: Have a look at the following activities in New
2)
Challenges 3. How will each one help to develop their
3) memory strategies? (page 37, Exercise 7; page 38, Study
Help; page 58, Study Help)
Cognitive strategies 1) Practising: learning through
repetition/using patterns Can you think of other activities from the book that help
2) Analysing and reasoning: students develop their memory strategies?

3) Receiving and sending messages

Cognitive strategies
Cognitive strategies are when students apply their thinking
(e.g. approaching a reading text):
and reasoning skills to the learning process. They use
reflection, analysis and deduction to help them learn from
Compensation strategies 1) Guessing meanings previous experiences and apply it to work in hand or to
(when learners have 2) future work. One example of cognitive strategies in use is
insufficient knowledge) when students use their reasoning to work out the meaning
3) of the language. There are many ways that this strategy is
developed in New Challenges 3. Here are a few examples:
Feedback page 47, Exercise 1; page 57, Exercise 5; page 61, Exercise 8.
Direct strategies Examples Language learning is a cognitive process and it is through
taking on achievable cognitive challenges that students
Memory strategies 1) Learners associate vocabulary
learn, get satisfaction from learning and derive the
(vocabulary) with visual images
motivation to continue learning. This concept of a cycle of
2) Learners make personal links to challenge, achievement and success lies behind the series
remember and recall words and led to naming the series New Challenges, as you will
3) Learners organise their have read in the introduction to the series.
vocabulary books in a system
which is meaningful to them Task: Have a look through New Challenges 3, Module 2,
Talent. How many activities can you find that challenge
Cognitive strategies 1) Practising: learning through students cognitively? What cognitive strategies can you help
repetition/using patterns them learn from these activities?
2) Analysing and reasoning:
working out the meaning of new
expressions

3) Receiving and sending messages

(e.g. approaching a reading text):
skimming and scanning to get
information from a text

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 Teacher development workshops

Compensation strategies Over to you!

These are very useful strategies. In ‘real life’ people use Here are a few ideas and activities to help you develop your
them all the time. So it is important to help students understanding of Direct strategies:
develop them in the classroom. Compensation strategies Discuss with other teachers ways of developing and
are how students make up for gaps in their knowledge enabling students to use compensation strategies in the
and there are many ways they can do this. They can classroom. Find out what the other teachers do, swap ideas
guess at meanings of words in a text, using top-down and try them out. Review how well they worked at your
(knowledge about the topic) and/or bottom-up (knowledge next meeting.
of the language) processes. They can use gesture to mime
something when they do not know the word. They can talk TP As you teach the material in New Challenges 3, keep a
about an object by describing what it looks like or what record of activities in your teacher portfolio which involved
it’s used for when they don’t know its name in English. direct strategy development. Look back regularly at this
They can create English words, using a combination of record and review how balanced your coverage has been.
their knowledge of their L1 and of how English works. If you feel that your students need particular focus on
Sometimes in the classroom we can be too quick to supply an aspect of direct strategies, build it into the following
the missing word, ask another student to provide the lessons.
answer or show them that their created word is not the one
we wanted. This reduces students’ opportunities to use and
develop compensation strategies.

Task: Have a look at New Challenges 3, Across Cultures,

pages 36–37.
As they read the text, students will probably come across
language and concepts that they are unfamiliar with. How
can you enable and encourage students to use top-down
and bottom-up strategies to compensate for these gaps in
their knowledge?
After they have read the text, students will want to talk
about their own experiences of different foods after the
reading. How can you enable and encourage students to
use mime, gesture and creative language to compensate for
English words they do not know?

In the classroom
◗◗ Give students thinking and processing time. Language
learning is a cognitive process and students need time to
think and reflect before answering. Don’t expect answers
too quickly and don’t be impatient with students.
◗◗ Listen to what students actually say. They may not know
the exact words or say what you expect them to, but they
may be communicating the right message.
◗◗ Encourage students to take risks with language and
praise students’ attempts at compensation strategies.
◗◗ Vary the activities and advice you give students on how
to record, store and retrieve vocabulary and expressions
so students can develop a range of memory strategies.
◗◗ Reflect regularly on how students approach their work
so that you can talk about direct strategies with the
group and how different students make use of different
strategies.

Remember,
the application of direct strategies helps students become
better learners;
students won’t naturally learn and apply these strategies.
We need to help raise students’ awareness of them;
teenage students are still developing their metacognitive
skills and so some students might find it easier to reflect on
their learning than others;
students need to be challenged and to take risks. This helps
them learn; 15

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