Language Patterns and Embedded Suggestions for Motivating Learners

Language Patterns and Embedded Suggestions for Motivating Learners Brian Cullen and Sarah Mulvey, Japan

Dr. Brian Cullen is an associate professor at Nagoya Institute of Technology. He has authored and edited edited many EFL texto textoo!s o!s and resear research ch articl articles. es. His curren currentt researc research h intere interests sts includ includee learne learner  r  autonomy" neuro#linguistic programming $NL%&" materials design" and L' creati(ity. He is a master   practitioner and trainer of NL%. NL%. )ore information information is a(ailale at ***.riancullen.net E#mail+ cullen.rian,gmail.com -arah )ul(ey is an instructor at Nanan /ni(ersity in Nagoya" 0apan. Her current research interests include learner de(elopment" creati(e *riting" and gender issues. E#mail+ sarahmul(ey,yahoo.ca Menu Introduction Bac!ground to the Language %atterns )ilton )odel of Language %atterns /sing the th e )ilton )odel %atterns % atterns Learning more and going deeper  1eferences

Introduction

2ou proaly rememer a teacher *ho moti(ated you *hen you *ere in elementary school" high school" or uni(ersity. uni(ersity. 3hen you you thin! aout that teacher again no*" you may also e ale to rememer  some of the po*erful *ords that teacher used" *ords that moti(ated you to learn much faster and more easily than in other classes. 4s teachers" *e are a*are that students may e moti(ated or demoti(ated depending on *hich *ords and phrases *e choose to use in the classroom. 4n effecti(e teacher  carefully uses *ords and language patterns that influence students positi(ely in their learning. In this  paper" *e *ill pro(ide some examples of language patterns p atterns that you can use in your o*n classroom to moti(ate students. %erhaps in many years" those *ords *ill still e resounding in the minds of your  students as they continue to moti(ate themsel(es in learning and other important s!ills. Bacground to the Language Patterns

The language patterns in this paper are dra*n from the field of neuro#linguistic programming $NL%&" and in particular the Milton the Milton Model . NL% postulates that the most effecti(e *ay to learn ho* to do a s!ill or to teach it to others is is to model excellent performers of that particular particular s!ill. In the 5678s" the founders of NL%" 1ichard Bandler and 0ohn 9rinder $567:&" egan to model excellent communicators. ;ne of the people they chose to model closely *as the highly reno*ned hypnotherapist" )ilton Eric!son" generally regarded as an excellent communicator. Eric!son used his !no*ledge of linguistic s!ills as a means to moti(ate people to learn or to change in positi(e *ays y using selecti(e language. 4s users and teachers of language" there is much that *e can learn from this modelling of excellence in communicati communication. on. The )ilton )ilton )odel language patterns patterns presented presented in this paper are dra*n directly from his use of language in promoting learning and positi(e change.

Milton Model of Language Patterns

Belo*" *e introduce the main language patterns of the )ilton )odel and gi(e examples that are suitale for the language classroom. ;f course" the actual moti(ational language that you use *ith your  students *ill depend on their le(el and the type of course you are teaching and you *ill proaly *ant to experiment until you find the language that *ill really moti(ate the students in your o*n classroom. 1. Presuppositions The sentence that the teacher says presupposes something else. Belo* are some examples *ith the main presupposition sho*n in rac!ets. 2ou *ill learn the (ocaulary at some time.? 4t least one section of the reading *as interesting?. 2ou learned it already at unior high school" so you !no* it.? 3hen *e spea!" e(ery phrase includes its o*n presuppositions. -omething as simple as" The all is on the floor" presupposes on some le(el that it must ha(e got there someho*. 4t a more existential le(el" it also presupposes that a all exists and that a floor exists. 3e cannot not use presuppositions" and in the classroom" e(ery sentence *e say also has presuppositions. It is useful to consider *hether these  presuppositions are moti(ating or demoti(ating your learners. For example" thin! of the different  presuppositions in the follo*ing+