Sunday, September 21, 2014
Reducing anxiety in the foreign language classroom
Students often are afraid to answer questions even if they really have studied the material because they are afraid that they will mess up and become embarrassed in front of classmates
The great majority of language classes are focused primarily on verbal communication.
Students that are used to mastering nonverbal subject need to be able to demonstrate oral proficiency in order for us as teachers to know that they comprehend the concepts and can effectively be understood while communicating. Ultimately, this fear of verbal communication can be a barrier to effective foreign language learning.
I have always been an auditory learner and have thus always had relative ease in learning foreign languages. For students whose primary learning style may be different, the foreign language classroom may be one of the most intimidating environments. For myself, it was actually one of the most comforting environments because I knew that I could actively participate in the class with almost no barriers.
There are many things that can be done in the foreign language classroom. Encouraging students to practice by applying their second language outside of the school setting and/or to real life situations within the classroom are two effective strategies that could be used to assist students in conquering their anxiety. For example a teacher may implement the use of Skype with native speakers or pen pals when teaching particularly culturally relevant concepts such as music or food.
All of these methods that I mentioned should be implemented with the ultimate goal of reducing communication apprehension or learner anxiety. Varying methods in the language classroom is one of the most effective ways to create an anxiety free classroom.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Variety is definitely the spice in life! I agree that a variety of teaching methods is the best way to go since you will always have a variety of students in your classroom. No one learns the same way so we have to cater to everyone. I'm personally a visual learner so I hate when teachers explain things without a visual. Plus, using different methods provides repetition of the material which is needed to make concepts in a foreign language stick.
ReplyDeleteI think that the anxiety that comes in foreign language classrooms is, in a way, representative of some of the flaws that are in our education system. In my classes outside of foreign language, students mostly practiced rote memorization. That meaning that students remembered material so that they could pass the exam, then they would forget it. With a foreign language, students can't forget what they learn in previous years because the information always builds on itself. In addition, many students can get by in these other classes without speaking and by just listening. However, in foreign language classes, they cannot only listen, they must speak, and a lot of students don't need to speak in their other classes.
ReplyDeleteGreat point, Jess. It is also part of the challenge of teaching a foreign language. I think students need to be told that language skills are compounded and rely on mastery of the more basic forms (e.g. knowing gender before learning declension). My high school and college experience required that I did a lot of speaking/presenting/discussing, but I can see where you are coming from. Most educational experiences don't require such active participation in order to do well - the focus is all on the test rather than real learning.
DeleteThat's a good point, Jess. I agree that you have to engage yourself in a foreign language class differently than in other classes where you can be successful with relatively little participation. I think about some of the exams I took in my non-Spanish classes in undergrad, and I knew that stuff well right around the exam, but I couldn't repeat most of it for you now. I don't have to apply theories of foreign policy or Rousseau's Discourse on the Origin of Inequality in everyday speech. On the other hand, Spanish actually IS speech, and to utilize it effectively I need to speak it on a regular basis and continue to apply concepts I learned in my first few years of language learning. I still have to choose between ser and estar or preterite and imperfect on a daily basis, and I learned that in high school. Students who want to be successful with a language have to be willing to constantly build on prior knowledge.
ReplyDeleteI must agree that I too have always been very comfortable in the foreign language classroom—perhaps that is why we are all here, on our way to teaching it! I always felt, than in the beginning stages of learning a foreign language, I was on an equal playing field with my classmates (we all knew relatively nothing, and it was difficult for all of us!) Do you think that "playing up" the idea that everyone is "in it together" and will inevitably make mistakes will encourage students to participate with less fear?
ReplyDeletegreat points!
ReplyDelete