How We Got Our Students to Gel

Jessica ToroInternational House Zaragoza, Spain

IH Zaragoza 20th Anniversary

• 2010 Friday afternoons

• In the past, teens stayed in our school usually till the last term before finishing secondary school.

• No official exams but Trinity were offered.

• All of the sudden: “What was happening with this Friday Afternoon class?”

• 12 students, stayed the whole year and came to class.

How was the teacher working with them!

Developing English through “Self Esteem”

Why is self Confidence so important in language learning?

• “Affect is, by definition, an intrinsic motivator. Positive affect sustains involvement and deepens interest in the subject matter”

Stated by: Rodriguez, Plax and Kearney (1996:297)

• Moskowitz (1999:178)

“Students are more likely to do well when we incorporate activities which, while providing good language practice, take affect into account by supporting self-esteem or developing positive relationships”

• Stevick (1980:4):

“ Success… depends less on material, techniques and linguistic analyses and more on what goes on inside and between the people in the classroom”

Healthy Self-Esteem

• Not talking about creating unrealistic expectations and egocentric behaviour.

• We want our students to have:• Positive and Accurate belief about themselves and

their abilities• Commitment• Responsibilty• Self confidence• Motivation• Make an effort

Factors involved

• A sense of security• A sense of identity• A sense of belonging• A sense of purpose• A sense of competence (recognition)

ACTIVITY TYPES USED…

TARGET LANGUAGE

- Do you like the language?

- Do you think it is difficult to learn?

- What exactly is ‘language’ for you?

THE TARGET LANGUAGE COMMUNITY / CULTURE

• Stereotypes

• Integrative motivation v Ideal L2 Self (Dörnyei 2005)

• Individual experience / preferences

THE LANGUAGE LEARNING EXPERIENCE

• Group dynamics

• Experiences at school

• Success

• Motivation

• Objectives

ENGLISH NOW

WHY?DIFFERENT

FROM SCHOOL?

FRIENDS WHO SPEAK

ENGLISHFLUENTLY?

OUTSIDE CLASS?

FAMOUS PEOPLEWHO SPEAK

ENGLISHFLUENTLY?

TRAVEL?

Tutoring

FUTUREENGLISH

LEVEL? EXAMS?

THINGS YOU’DLIKE TO DO

ROLE MODELS?

HOW MUCH TIME?

Learning another language is…

A journey?

Learning another language is…

A holiday?

Learning another language is…

A struggle?

Learning another language is…

A race?

Learning another language is…

WHY?

Learning to work together…

Spider web

Toot your Horn

In Groups:1.I like myself because…2.I´m an expert at:3.I feel good about…4.My friends would tell you I have a great…5.My favourite place is…6.I´m loved by…

Self Esteem Quiz

Respond all the questions with:“Always” “Sometimes” “Never”

Usually do it standing up with a part of the room representing each option.

1. How I feel about myself depends on what others think of me.

2. When I am criticized I berate myself for being stupid.

3. I easily ask for and accept help from others…

4. I easily accept compliments

5. I am anxious to admit that I don´t know or understand something

6. I am uncomfortable expressing my opinion…

7. In a restaurant, when I receive food that doesn´t match my order, I say nothing and eat it anyway…

A sense of BELONGING

A sense of SECURITY

A sense of PURPOSE

A sense of COMPETENCE

A sense of IDENTITY