The human brain is amazing, but it's not perfect! If you've ever been stressed out in a test and not done as well as expected or found that speaking a foreign language causes you anxiety, there is a reason (and a solution!) to that…..
Rachel Paling's excellent book Neuro-language Coaching (the Choir Press, 2017) explores how our brain responds to perceived threats, how this can impact on language learning and what teachers can do to ensure their students don't find language learning threatening. Let's explore this in a little more detail:
What is a perceived threat? A perceived threat is a situation that an individual finds threatening. For example, some English learners are happy to make friends with people who speak English while other learners find this a threatening situation and prefer to make friends with people who speak their language. The situation is the same but the perception of it depends on the individual, hence is it a perceived threat rather than a 'real' one. A bomb exploding, a gun being fired or a grizzly bear charging towards you are real threats.
So why would language learning be seen as a threat?
Why language learning can be threatening First, learning a new language can threaten our sense of identity and who we are. If we are asked to change something about the way we speak in a way that feels alien to us, it can feel like an assualt on the self and all that we know to be true about speaking. An example would be asking a Korean speaker to use a wider range of intonation; Korean has a particularly narrow intonation range so it is very weird for Koreans to try and use a wider range when speaking English.
Another reason why learning a language can be threatening is when students are taught by a teacher who is very strict or punitive or when students experience bullying in the class. In these cases, the class itself can be seen as a threat and the student can feel understandably afraid of attending class or speaking up. Finally, there's also the fear we experience when we have to 'perform' in English such as during exams or interviews. These are challenging enough in our first language let alone a foreign one!
What happens when we feel threatened?
When our brain perceives a threat, we experience the fight or flight response. Common symptoms of this include a rapid heartbeat, a dry mouth, cold or shaking hands, weak or shallow breathing and so on. None of these symptoms help anyone speak a foreign language well, so if you experience these, you definitely need to know how to overcome them!
The fight or flight response also affects your ability to concentrate which explains why it can be so challenging to remember questions in speaking exams or interviews! It feels like your brain is running at 100 miles per second while your hands tremble, your heart pounds and you cannot think of vocabulary or how to answer the simplest question. If the fight or flight response is so bad for our concentration and ability to speak a foreign language, it seems obvious that we need to opposite in order to succeed - a nice, calm, quiet mind!
The importance of a calm brain during language learning
The calmer your brain is, the easier it will be to learn and perform. I know from personal experience that if I am feeling stressed out, I am less capable of completing simple tasks, much less complex ones. I've also found that teaching in a way that is calm and unhurried makes my students feel safe and allows them to learn at their own speed. A calm brain is more receptive, more responsive and more aware than a brain that is stressed.
Here are three suggestions for maintaining a calm brain while studying or performing in English:
Learn how to breathe! Yes, of course you can breath, otherwise you wouldn't be reading this post! However, there is a world of difference between the kind of breathing most of us do when we are stressed and the kind of breathing which is helpful in dealing with stress. When we are stressed, anxious, angry or deep in fight or flight, our breathing may be fast, hard, shallow or dysregulated. And breathing in this way unfortunately enhances and continues our negative feelings. Recently, I worked with a young woman who was trying to pass IELTS with a Band 7. This woman had an excellent level of English and there was no reason why she could not score a 7. However, she was so nervous and anxious that she couldn't think clearly or answer the questions. After one session focusing on breathing more healthily, her speaking improved and her confidence flooded back. Healthy breathing is really simple; just breathe in nice and slow then breathe out for slightly longer than you breathed in. The beauty of this is that you can do this everywhere and anywhere; during tests, exams, interviews, conversations…… You can always come back to the breath.
Don't work with teachers who make you feel bad I hope that if you are working with a teacher, they are kind and respectful towards you. However, not all 'teachers' are. Some may be anxious people themselves and therefore pass their anxiety onto you. Others may actually be unpleasant or unprofessional, in which case you need to stop having lessons with them immediately! And if you have a teacher you do like but who is causing you anxiety through, for example, giving too much homework or overwhelming you with information, please tell them! Don't suffer in silence, it's just not worth it.
Be ambitious, but be realistic I am all for ambition. You want to reach C2? Amazing! Go for it. You want to reach C2 in one year when you are at B1 today? Hmm, you may need to rethink the timeframe. Unrealistic expectations is a massive cause of stress for language learners, particularly around learning IELTS, for some reason. IELTS candidates often underestimate the complexity and difficulty of the exam and assume if they learn enough words they will get a Band 7 in two months. It doesn't work like that and I have seen countless IELTS students who are demoralised and unhappy because Band 7 seems perpetually out of their reach. To be ambitious and realistic means that you are willing to work towards a big goal but understand that language learning is a long term process and IELTS Band 7 or reaching C2 will not come quickly or easily. Having to work at something over and extended period of time is not always what people want; we want hacks and quick fixes but sometimes, there just aren't any. Good study habits and consistency over time are what get you to your goals.
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