Speaker
Description
Much has been written about how learner anxiety both contributes to and is sustained by perceived cultural and linguistic barriers between students and language users because of diverse backgrounds. Special focus will be placed on constructing shared identities as a means of bridging the perceived cultural and linguistic barriers that can lead to anxiety. Teachers and researchers can employ new strategies to encourage language learners to better engage with their educational context and larger culture.
Abstract
Much has been written about how learner anxiety both contributes to and is sustained by perceived cultural and linguistic barriers between students and language users because of diverse backgrounds (Dörnyei, 2017), while at the same time effective negotiation of meaning is essential to effective communication (Verspoor, 2017). Language education remains a robust industry and yet this anxiety has in many cases gone inadequately addressed by the training given to students. In this presentation, I will discuss meaning-making techniques and practices that can facilitate effective communication between researchers and participants, teachers and students, between students, etc. by exploring the observations of researchers and students of language themselves. Special focus will be placed on constructing shared identities as a means of bridging the perceived cultural and linguistic barriers that can lead to anxiety. Attendees will learn different perspectives and new applications for communication strategies to improve the accuracy and precision of their communication with language learners, whether in research, classroom, or professional settings. By approaching community-building in innovative ways, language learners can be encouraged to better participate and engage with both their educational context and their larger culture.
References
Dörnyei, Z. (2017). Conceptualizing learner characteristics in a complex, dynamic world. In L. Ortega & Z. Han (Eds.), Complexity theory and language development: ln celebration of Diane Larsen-Freeman (pp. 79-96). John Benjamins Publishing Company. https://doi.org/10.1075/lllt.48
Verspoor, M. (2017). Complex dynamic systems theory and L2 pedagogy: Lessons to be learned. In L. Ortega & Z. Han (Eds.), Complexity theory and language development: ln celebration of Diane Larsen-Freeman (pp. 143-162). John Benjamins Publishing Company. https://doi.org/10.1075/lllt.48
Keywords
Anxiety
Identity
Social Construction
Negotiation
Short summary
Much has been written about how learner anxiety both contributes to and is sustained by perceived cultural and linguistic barriers between students and language users because of diverse backgrounds. Special focus will be placed on constructing shared identities as a means of bridging the perceived cultural and linguistic barriers that can lead to anxiety. Teachers and researchers can employ new strategies to encourage language learners to better engage with their educational context and larger culture.
| Title | Strategies for Communication with Perceived Cultural or Linguistic Barriers |
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