Shahid Adam Esat
Word count: 1055
Learner Profile
Gaby Kabengue is a 20 year old refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo. He has been living in Johannesburg, South Africa for just over two months and attends the English language lessons offered at Language Lab. Gaby has a lively persona and a keen interest in learning the language, it is for these reason that I chose him for this assignment. Although Gaby holds no formal higher education qualifications he has had some experience with learning English, specifically, whilst he was in the DRC. Gaby has approximately six years of formal education, where he learnt most of the English he uses to communicate with; and a further two weeks of lessons he received whilst at a BBC centre. Gaby currently has no formal work experience; however, he is knowledgeable in the field of electrical engineering and has had some informal experience in this sector. He is highly motivated to learn the English language and his primary goal for this is that so he may one day attend University; perhaps to further his appreciation and love for music or to continue and learn more in the field of electrical engineering. This goal motivates Gaby and is highly evident in the way he endeavours to be an astute student.
Learning Styles and Preferences
Whilst observing Gaby in the classroom and through speaking to him one-on-one it is apparent that his preferred style of learning is more centred on visual/spatial and kinaesthetic modes of receipt. His completion of the sensory styles quiz compounds these assumptions and show that Gaby is able to receive and process information more efficiently if it is visually presented to him either by flashcards, pictures or realia. During classroom observation it was evident that Gaby is highly interpersonal; during pair-work activities he discussed the task enthusiastically with his partner and also listened attentively to their views. When nominated to answer a question Gaby