Foreign Ways of Thinking

-




Foreign languages reflect foreign ways of thinking. Learning to think in different ways can upset comfortable patterns. Then we may become anxious because things are not as predictable as they used to be. To make this process easier learn as much as you can about these foreign cultures and foreign customs. The more you know, the less likely you are to make a faux pas – and the less anxious you are likely to feel about doing so. Also, try to think about the unfamiliar customs as adventures, not as threats, and native speakers and teachers as wanting to help you rather than criticize you. Even if you make mistakes in etiquette, most people will know you are foreign, and they will make allowances. They want to have a good relationship with you, just as you do with them. It might be the combination of sounds that does not sound pleasant to their ear, or perhaps the manner of expressing ideas seems inaccessible or just plain weird. In some cases, learners like the language but not the culture. In both these cases – not liking the language and not liking the culture – you can experience mixed emotions (and mixed motivation) toward your learning tasks, your classmates, your teacher, and native speakers. Remember that anxiety is not always bad. If it is in small amounts to get you moving, or if you really are in a dangerous situation, then it’s appropriate. It is only when anxiety gets in your way that you should be concerned. There are several ways in which anxiety can be managed before it becomes debilitating: through acceptance, reframing, goal-setting, and game playing. If you get anxious about being anxious, you may end up multiplying the negative effects of your anxiety. Reframing is a cognitive strategy in service to an affective purpose: it has to do with changing how you think about something and, as a result, how you feel about something. Another strategy you can use is setting goals, by deciding what you want to do with the language. That will indicate how close to native-like language you need to aim for, and it can be another way to forgive yourself for making mistakes. You can evaluate your progress and performance in terms of your goal, not some kind of abstract perfection. In setting goals, make them realistic. If you are a beginner and are trying to read something written for native speakers, be glad when you can figure out what the passage is about in general or even if you can understand 5–10 per cent of it. Make a game of trying to say as much as you can with what you know. One will try to say something with a native speaker knowing that it is probably wrong and then feel pleased when she is corrected, especially when she is working with someone who might not explain it to her if she asked directly.

Performance anxiety is probably best handled through preparedness. One of the reasons that teachers like to do role plays in the classroom is that they performance anxiety automatically due to the classroom practice, and you will know that you dealt with the situation at least once already.



Bibliography:
1.    Brown, H.D. (2000): Principles of Language Learning and Teaching. White Plains, NY: Addison Wesley Longman, Inc. Gass,
2.    S.M. I L. Selinker. (2008): Second Language Acquisition. An Introductory Course. New York: Routledge. VanPatten,
3.    Leaver, B.L; Ehrman, M; Shekhtman, B. (2005): Achieving Success in Second Language Acquisition. CUP
4.    B. i J. Williams. (red.) 2007: Theories in Second Language Acquisition. Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers.
§  ©

Komentarze

Prześlij komentarz

Popularne posty z tego bloga

Dark Side: Some Kind of Justice From Behind The Grave

-
Obraz
Some pathologists, usually those not normally concerned with criminal and litigious cases, claim that an autopsy report should be a bare recitation of the physical findings, with no discussion or interpretation of the significance of those findings. This is an abdication of the pathologist's responsibility because, especially in criminal deaths, it is these condusions that are of most interest and use to che investigating officers, lawyers and courts. After the detailed description of the external and internal appearances, a short resume should be offered of the major positive findings and their relationship to the cause of death. In many cases this will be obvious, as in a gunshot wound of the head. Matters such as the probable type of weapon, the range, the direction and the likely rapidity of death, however, should also be discussed. When the findings are less clear cut, or are multiple, then the alternatives should be discussed, giving a differential diagnosis of the cause of d...
Czytaj więcej

Methodology in Language Learning: The Ehrman & Leaver Construct

-
Obraz
The complex pattern study has an elaborate underlying theoretical construct and has undergone extensive field-testing and validation at the Foreign Service Institute. Therefore it represents a serious attempt to reconceptualize cognitive styles in the service of language learning and warrants a closer inspection. The E&L Construct, as Ehrman and Leaver have named their new system, is similar to Riding’s theory in that it reorganizes a number of established style dimensions under a new, comprehensive, and parsimonious construct. However, unlike Riding’s taxonomy, here only one superordinate style dimension is provided, with the two poles labeled ectasis and synopsis. The main difference between the two extremes is that an ectenic learner wants or needs conscious control over the learning process, whereas a synoptic learner leaves more to preconscious or unconscious processing.  The complete system is made up of 10 subdimensions, and many of those are similar to the ones target...
Czytaj więcej

Under the Microscope: The Formation of Adipocere

-
Obraz
  Most of the discussion concerning the definitions of death belongs to the field of legal medicine and even that of ethics, rather than forensic pathology. Notwithstanding this, a quick review of this complex problem is appropriate here, as when we come to describe the various post-mortem phenomena, some appreciation is necessary of the zero point from which such changes are timed. It is conventional to describe two types of death:      somatic death, in which the person irreversibly loses its sentient personality, being unconscious, unable to be aware of (or to communicate with) its environment, and unable to appreciate any sensory stimuli or to initiate any volunrary movement. Reflex nervous activity may, however, persist, and circulatory and respiratory functions continue either spontaneously or with artificial support so that the tissues and cells of the body, other than those already damaged in the central nervous system, are alive and functioning. ...
Czytaj więcej