I'm too embarrassed to speak. TESL0110 - Grammar and Speaking

I remember being in my French class and thinking I knew the answer to a question posed by my professor, and being too frightened to put myself out there and answer her question for fear of showing everyone just how stupid I was.  This is particularly true for me when it comes to grammar.

The required video in Unit #1 of TESL 0110 - Grammar Fundamentals course is a TED talk entitled "Does Grammar Matter" states that historically, people who did not use correct grammar were thought to have low social status or were thought to be committing a language "corruption".  This made me wonder if in our classrooms today, does the embarrassment and shame associated with making grammar mistakes stem from theses ancient ideas that improper grammar means you are lower in status, education or intellect.  And if so, how do we overcome these potential barriers on the classroom?

Thinking back to my language learning experiences, I would often understand much of a lesson being taught, however, would continuously get stuck on the grammar, feeling that if I couldn't say it perfectly, I wouldn't say it all.  Unfortunately, this often was the barrier that kept me from getting involved in a conversation or participating in a class discussion.  

An article called Embarrassment in the Language Classroom written by Allison Lewis, discusses a book called Embarrassment:  And the Emotional  Underlife of Learning  by Thomas Newirk.  Allison speaks to the importance of creating a supportive classroom by getting to know you students and opening up to allow them to know and understand you.  Also, sharing stories about how you, as a teacher, made (and continue to make) mistakes is helpful to create this environment.  Newkirk writes: “Failure or disappointment is less scary if we can name it, share it, and see it as a normal and expected feature of thinking and working” (p. 73).  

Allison continues by outlining the importance of authentic communication opportunities and that students will be more successful with speaking if we allow them to participate in real-life communication where there is no wrong answer, only ideas expressed by the student.  Therefore, the interaction and communication is the driver of continued participation.  Increased participation can only lead to confidence building and more confidence can lead to more participation, and the snowball grows.

Whether our hesitation in speaking comes from a legitimate language learning struggle with so many different aspects to learn, a lack of confidence resulting from language barriers and difficulty communicating in a new country/culture,  or it is a deep seated shame that dates back to when improper grammar meant you were lower in status, the need to address this in the classroom is important for optimal learning. 

Resources:

Newkirk, T. (2017). Embarrassment: And the emotional underlife of learning. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.