by Teach ELD on 05/08/2012
in Theory
Have you heard about the affective filter and how it relates to language learning? If you haven’t heard about it then you most certainly have experienced its effects if you have ever attempted to learn a second language. The affective filter is that invisible device that many of us have that sometimes causes us to stutter, stammer and not be able to speak well in another language. Sometimes we can’t even understand the second language very well due to anxiety, stress or lack of confidence. If our affective filter isn’t lowered, we may never become fully proficient in a second language.
It’s important that as ESL teachers we reflect on our own experiences with the affective filter so that we can put ourselves in the shoes of the English language learners that we teach. Have you ever felt insecure or unsuccessful when learning a second language? When you felt like that, did you notice if you seemed to be less successful with the language? Have you ever been in an environment where you felt humiliated or made fun of when learning a language? Have you ever been in an environment that encouraged you to take risks with practicing the language?
As teachers we have all been evaluated by an administrator and have experienced the anxiety provoked by a formal classroom observation. Many of us sweat, we stumble, and we make mistakes. Some of us even think, “What the heck is wrong with me?” as we struggle through a lesson that our principal is observing. Sometimes we teach a lesson more unsuccessfully when someone is watching us because of the anxiety that we feel when being observed. This is called the affective filter and the same dynamics are involved when learning a second language.
If you are interested in reading more about the affective filter, check out these additional resources:
What is the Affective Filter?
The Role of the Affective Filter in Language Learning
The Curious Case of the Affective Filter
Many teachers of English language learners often wonder if it would improve students’ proficiency in English if parents spoke to students exclusively in English at home. It makes perfect sense to assume that someone will get better at a task if they practice it enough. However, encouraging parents of English language learners to speak exclusively to their children in English at home might not be the best advice. Here are two reasons why:
The stronger you are in your primary language, the stronger you will be in your second language.
Research has consistently demonstrated that primary language development promotes second language development. Parents of English language learners should therefore be encouraged to build literacy at home in the language in which they are strongest. If they have a stronger foundation in a language other than English, it will benefit students to talk, read, use academic language, write, and develop other concepts in the family’s primary language.
If parents have limited proficiency in English and speak to their children in English, they may promote a lower level of cognitive development and may also be modeling incorrect use of standard English. It’s best that parents build as much literacy in the language in which they are proficient.
If students are taught how to read in one language, they will be able to read in another language.
Reading is reading, no matter what language. Students who are read to at home in another language begin to learn how to hold a book and that print carries meaning. In most languages, books are read from top to bottom and left to right. Languages are composed of sounds, letters or symbols, sentences, punctuation and paragraphs. If children learn how to retell or summarize a story in one language, they will easily be able to retell or summarize a story in another language, provided that they are taught key vocabulary.
Many letter sounds are similar across languages. Parents should therefore be encouraged to teach their children letter sounds, how to write letters, and other important concepts in their primary language so that students can easily pick it up in their second language. If a student can write an upper and lower case B in Spanish, they will be able to easily write the same letter in English. If children know how to elaborate or speak in compound sentences in French, they will easily learn how to do it in English.
