Encouragement and Building Confidence Ulrike Bavendiek The University of Liverpool WORKSHOP: TEACHING LANGUAGES AB INITIO 12 NOVEMBER 2009 The School of Oriental and African Studies London

 The role of affect and emotion in foreign language learning  The challenges of HE ab initio language learning in particular  The role of confidence in ab initio language learning  From theory to practice: Building confidence and sustaining motivation in the classroom

Dimensions of learning  In HE, we have for too long been ‘educating from the neck up’ (Rogers 1975: 40), at the expense of the affective, social and physical dimension of the learner.

The role of affect and emotion  Emotional reactions influence the attention and effort devoted to learning (Schumann 1997:8) = motivation

The challenges of HE ab initio language learning  Intensive, fast track progression - Much ground is covered in a relatively low number of contact hours: - vocabulary - grammar (new concepts) - grammar (to memorise) - little opportunity to practice oral, aural, reading and writing skills - cultural skills

The challenges of HE ab initio language learning  Reliance on and fostering of independent learning skills  In many institutions, learners (soon) have to compete with post-A level learners  Not all learners may be able to cope with the demands (language learning aptitude)  Even good learners may feel overwhelmed and out of control  A feeling of control is crucial for confidence and sustaining motivation

The challenges of HE ab initio language learning Learners need to be highly motivated and able to sustain their motivation throughout the course YET Motivation is difficult if the learners feel out of control

Increasing confidence through the feeling of control  Attribution theory: Individuals tend to ‘search for understanding, seeking to discover why an event has occured’ in order to maintain or build self- esteem (Weiner 1984:18) Dimensionslocus of causality causal stabilityinternalexternal stableabilitytask difficulty unstableeffortluck Taxonomy of attributional causes (Weiner 1980)

Increasing confidence through the feeling of control  Assure learners that the task is manageable (task difficulty), especially for ‘hard’ languages (German, Arabic, Chinese etc.).  Be clear about the effort they need to put in.  Be clear about the aims and objectives.  Distinguish between learning challenges (difficult vs. hard/’tough’).  Point out progress regularly.  Discuss feelings of failure, loss of control, lack of confidence etc. openly.

Increasing confidence through the feeling of control  Reassure them that some lack of control is to be expected in language learning.  Discuss learning and teaching skills and strategies.  Try to create open, trusting relationships between individual learners and learners and teachers.

From theory to practice: Building confidence and sustaining motivation in the classroom  Motivation has a ‘dynamic cyclic relationship with learning experiences and success’. (Ushioda 1996:10)  The teaching and learning environment directly influences motivation.  Teachers can: - develop a positive classroom environment and - promote motivational thinking.

The role of affect and emotion  Scherer (1984) postulates that an event is evaluated on the following: novelty, pleasantness, the relevance to the individual's needs and goals, the individual's ability to cope with the event, and the compatibility of the event with socio-cultural norms or with the individual's self concept.

References Rogers, C. (1975) ‘Bringing together ideas and feelings in learning’ in D. Read and S. Simon (eds) Humanistic education sourcebook Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall Scherer, K.R. (1984) ‘Emotion as a multi-component process: A model and some cross-cultural data’ in P. Schaver (ed.) Review of personality and social psychology: vol. 5 Emotions, relationships and health Beverly Hills: Sage Schumann, J. (1997) The neurobiology of affect in language Boston: Blackwell. Ushioda, E. (1996) The Role of Motivation Dublin: Authentik.

References Weiner, B. (1984) ‘A theory of student motivation’ in R. Ames and C. Ames (eds) Research on Motivation in Education London: Academic Press pp Weiner, B. (1980) Human Motivation. New York: Rinehart & Winston.