Reducing Anxiety Among English Language Learners Elham Alhudithi, Lauren Porter, & Jenny Strange Colorado State University Activities that Reduce Anxiety among ELLs (Please see handout for a detailed description of each) Abstract Second language acquisition research has shifted to examine the effect of non-linguistic factors, including anxiety, in the last three decades. High levels of anxiety contribute negatively to language learning (Robinson, 2002). However, it is possible to create classroom activities and a learning environment that support language learning and simultaneously reduce anxiety among students.   Teacher Environment Feedback Activities Anxiety Name of Activity Focus/Skill Baseball Pronunciation Game Speaking and Listening Mailing an Imaginary Professor Writing Would You Shape C or U? Listening and speaking What Does Ted Say? Writing, Listening, and speaking No, Apple picking Again! Reading, Listening, and Speaking Fly Swatter Game Listening Smell Game Writing and Speaking Running Dictations Listening, Speaking, reading, and Writing Language Assessment Interaction Defining Anxiety For the purposes of our work, anxiety is deemed to be any level of apprehension or concern that negatively affects a student’s performance or well-being in their academic work, cognitive abilities, social abilities, or on a personal level Role of Assessment Formal assessment is known to make students stressed and unable to perform well on the test (Toth, 2010). For this reason, alternative assessments are a better choice to reduce anxiety. These assessments help language teachers to both track the progress of students, and to also know specific language areas that their learners need to develop. Please refer to the handout for activities that can serve as alternative assessments. Role of Teachers A teacher’s negative response to an incorrect answer may affect a learner’s anxiety and contribute to poor performance. To prevent that from happening, teachers should accept a variety of answers from students, encourage peer support in the classroom, and continually foster a great relationship with their students. Please see the handout for more information on the teacher’s role and effective teaching methods for reducing anxiety. Role of Language Providing comprehensible input that is not too hard or too easy for learners of English to understand would enable learners to be more motivated and less anxious to learn.   Reduces Anxiety Increases Anxiety Working in small groups Student presentations Playing games Being called on randomly Offering opportunities for interaction Receiving negative feedback Making students feel cared for Formal assessments (Toth, 2010) Alternative assessments Being singled out Creating a sense of community Input that is too challenging