Dispelling the Student's Fear of the Ridiculous
Professor of Spanish Linda Metzler builds students' confidence and foreign-language proficiency through patience, sensitivity, and a large, flexible tool kit of teaching methods.
Stay sensitive to student anxieties
As someone who was painfully shy as a young woman, Linda Metzler is attuned to the challenges of overcoming self-consciousness, and she knows that having to speak a foreign language can make even the most outgoing student bashful. "The fear of sounding ridiculous is hard to overcome," Metzler says. So when she teaches introductory Spanish, she always begins by helping students see that they are all in the same boat: none is proficient in the language. The shared bond makes it easier for students to move beyond their fears. Metzler is also sensitive to the way she corrects students. It used to be that when students mispronounced words or made grammar mistakes, she'd routinely correct them in class. "But that undermines their confidence and interrupts the conversation," she says. Now she often waits until after class to offer corrections, while modeling the correct pronunciation herself in the classroom. And she pays attention to body language, to see which students are nervous. She finds ways to boost their confidence, either by offering special encouragement in class or by talking with them privately.
Learn from your students
One of the biggest mistakes teachers make, Metzler says, is to believe they have nothing to learn from their students. "Students want to have a role in formulating the questions the class will address," says Metzler, who teaches a range of courses in Spanish literature and civilization in addition to language courses. She notes that she's gained a lot from listening to students; after all, their perspective on Spanish culture has been shaped by the experience of growing up in a global community that didn't exist when Metzler was a college student. Giving the students' opinions serious consideration helps them become more invested in the subject matter. "You can't impose an excitement; it needs to come from the students," Metzler says. "When that happens, students begin to bear the responsibility of producing knowledge and sharing it." Metzler promotes that kind of leadership by trying to make her own presence in the classroom less noticeable. Sometimes she even leaves the classroom, letting the students continue with their Spanish conversations. "It frees them up to be completely themselves," she says. "They can make mistakes without being judged."
Recognize when the tried-and-true gets tired
The tried-and-true methods are not always the best ones to use, Metzler warns. Teachers often fall into a routine, a perfectly normal response to teaching the same course year after year. But while a long-standing technique might be effective with one class, it may fall flat with another. "As teachers, we must learn to relinquish the certainty we prize and accept that sometimes an old, favorite approach isn't working," Metzler says. Language instruction, especially, requires a large and flexible tool kit. Metzler points out that foreign language courses traditionally rely on vocabulary drills and memorization. While such exercises provide necessary building blocks at the outset of a course, they go only so far in advancing effective communication skills and fostering an understanding of the culture. Students will always have to conjugate verbs, Metzler says. But she feels that it's vital to encourage students to converse among themselves in Spanish. "It helps to make them more self-sufficient and builds their confidence," she says. "And that's key to learning a language--or anything else."
Be patient when a student doesn't immediately respond
The awkward silence is every teacher's nightmare. But it shouldn't be, Metzler suggests. "It's unfortunate that silence is viewed as awkward," Metzler says. "Silence can be very useful. It can be fertile ground for thought." Sometimes students need a moment to gather their thoughts and formulate a response. Listening to a teacher give a lecture or deliver a lesson--and absorbing the ideas--requires a great deal of concentration. The seemingly uncomfortable silence allows time for mental processing. Just when does silence shift from useful to counterproductive? Unfortunately, Metzler says, there's no rule of thumb. Teachers who know their students will be able to tell when it's time to move on.
Do you have feedback on this page?