Methods

Last class, I presented the following terms:

Learning Strategy

Studying strategies, also called learner strategies, are ways of learning. Good learners use these strategies to make their learning more efficient.

I)(in language learning) a way in which a learner attempts to work out the meanings and uses of words, grammatical rules, and other aspects of a language, for example by the use o GENERALIZATON and INFERENCING.
In first Language learning, a child may not pay attention to grammatical words in a sentence, but in trying to understand a sentence may use the learning strategy that the first mentioned noun in a sentence refers to the person or thing performing an action. The child may then think that the sentence The boy was chased by the dog means the same thing as The boy chased the dog.

II) (in second language learning, studying, reading etc)intentional behavior thoughts that learners make use of during learning in order to better help them understand, learn or remember new information. These may include focusing on certain aspects of new information, analyzing and organizing information during learning to increase comprehension, evaluating learning when it is completed to see if further action is needed. Learning strategies may be applied to simple tasks such as learning a list of new words, or more complex tasks involving language comprehension and production. The effectiveness of second language learning is thought to be improved by teaching learners more effective learning strategies.
Learning strategies refer to methods that students use to learn. This ranges from techniques for improved memory to better studying or test-taking strategies. For example, the method of loci is a classic memory improvement technique; it involves making associations between facts to be remembered and particular locations. In order to remember something, you simply visualize places and the associated facts.
There are two main types of learning strategies, the first are strategies for planning how to learn, and secondly strategies for learning.
Recording yourself: record yourself speaking, either on your own, or with other people. Later you can review the recording, listen for problems such as saying "Um" too much, and research anything that you didn't know how to say.
Repetition: You can repeat a word out loud or silently to practice pronunciation. Be careful to listen to a model to make sure that you pronunciation is correct.

Comprehensible input

Hypothesis, developed by Stephen Krashen. This theory was originally called the Input Hypothesis.
Input language which contains linguistic items that are slightly beyond the learner’s present linguistic competence.
According to Krashen, we acquire language only when we receive comprehensible input (CI). This hypothesis claims that we move from i to i+1 by understanding input that contains i+1. In this equation, i represents previously acquired linguistic competence and extra-linguistic knowledge. Extra-linguistic knowledge includes our knowledge of the world and of the situation- that is, the context. The +1 represents new knowledge or language structures that we should be ready to acquire.
According to Krashen's theory of language acquisition, giving learners this kind of input helps them acquire language naturally, rather than learn it consciously.
Examples
The teacher selects a reading text for upper-intermediate level learners that is from a lower advanced level course book. Based on what the teacher knows about the learners, the teacher believes that this will give them 'comprehensible input' to help them acquire more language.
In the classroom
Trying to understand language slightly above their level encourages learners to use natural learning strategies such as guessing words from context and inferring meaning. As the example suggests, a teacher needs to know the level of the learners very well in order to select comprehensible input, and in a large class of mixed ability, different learners will need different texts.

By:
http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/strategy.html
http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/think/knowledge-wiki/comprehensible-input
http://faculty.ksu.edu.sa/aljarf/Grad%20Students/Definitions%20of%20Spelling%20Terms.pdf