It is a fact that understanding the way learners learn is not an easy task. Think about this: since we are born, we are pushed into reality, OUR reality. Parents raise us as they believe is the best way; we are taught values that are considered to be important, we develop different skills according to our needs, we learn to speak and behave immitating others and, in the end, we meet with a new world that seems not to be prepared for us: the Educative World.
School is like a giant place where people still believe that boys and girls can learn altogether at the same time while sharing the same classroom. Well, old news... that is not possible. First, take into account this: there are 20 children that belong to utterly different places, live in different houses, etc. One of them lives with their mother and father. The other one lives with their grandmother. Finally, there is one that spend most of the day with an older brother or sister because mom and dad are working all day long. One girl loves cheese cake while the other one loves chocolate. One boy is keen on Listening while his classmate sucks at Writing. Now, let's put all these people together in one place and teach them English. How do I get to think that they can learn in the same way when their daily lives are crossed out by so different circumnstances? How does anyone get to the idea of teaching something and expecting so alike results?! It freaks me out, really. I just mentioned common differences, of course that there are others realities more complicated. Each child comes from the very beginning with signs of personality incorporated and we must not only respect that but help them to develop it.
I'm aware that there are pieces of new beliefs flourishing, but I still hear teachers complaining about the 'lack of process' they find in their learners, and guess what? It never comes up to their minds the idea of 'okay, maybe I'm not doing well. Maybe it is me who needs to adapt my strategies'. Never. I have the feeling that it is taking forever for things to change. This new generations need to be understood right away. I am full commited to this as I have never been before.
