The document discusses how to motivate language learners by making language learning more affective and effective. It argues that the attitudinal climate of the classroom and consideration of affective factors can promote learning by helping students miss fewer classes, improve self-concept, achieve more academically, and cause fewer behavioral issues. Success depends more on the relationships between people in the classroom than on materials alone. Both individual learner factors like motivation, anxiety and learning styles, and relational dynamics between learners impact the learning process. Teachers can enhance motivation and learning by displaying confirming behaviors that build learner confidence and identity.

1. MOTIVATING LEARNERS: MAKING
LANGUAGE LEARNING MORE
AFFECTIVE AND EFFECTIVE
ECIS, Lisbon
November2011
Jane Arnold
arnold@us.es

2. Affect refers to a wide range of
phenomena that have to do with
emotions, moods, dispositions
and preferences.
(Oatley and Jenkins)

3. The attitudinal climate of the classroom is a major
factor in promoting or inhibiting learning.
In classes where the affective, attitudinal aspects
are taken into consideration, students:
miss fewer days of class
have a higher self-concept
achieve more academically
cause fewer discipline problems
use more higher order thinking
(Aspy and Roebuck)

4. The mind without affect
isn’t really mind at all.
(Joseph LeDoux)

5. The dinosaurs of the future will be
those who try to live and work only
from the head.
Dr. Robert K. Cooper

6. TEACHING:
The art of changing the brain.
(Zull)

7. Success in learning depends less on
materials and tecniques and more on
what goes on inside and between the
people in the classroom. (Earl Stevick)
Success in learning depends less on
things –and more on people – and the
affective side of learning

8. AFFECT IN LANGUAGE LEARNING
Individual factors Relational factors
motivation between cultures
anxiety in the classroom
learning styles
self-concept, self-esteem

10. The existential competence (savoir-etre ) includes
Attitudes
Motivation
Values
Believs
Learning styles
Personality factors
-self-confidence
-self-esteem
.....greatly affect not only the language users’/
learners’ roles in communicative acts but also their
ability to learn CEFR

11. Technique is what the teacher
uses….
until the real teacher is there.
(Parker Palmer)
*****
“To know” and “to do” is part of being a
good teacher….
but above all “to be”.

12. Lecturer
Teacher
Facilitator
knowledge of the language, of methods
….and of ways to create a
psychological atmosphere conducive
to high quality learning
It includes the consideration of what
happens inside and between the
people in the classroom.
(Adrian Underhill)

13. Between the people

14. Learning is first intermental – between
minds that interact – and only later does
it become intramental. (Vygotsky)

15. FACTORS THAT ENHANCE INTERGROUP
ACCEPTANCE
•Learning about each other
•Proximity, contact
•Interaction
•Cooperation
•Satisfaction of completing whole-group tasks
•Extracurricular activities
•Joint hardship
•Common threat
•Intergroup competition
•Teacher’s attitude, modelling
(Dörnyei and Murphey)

16. Teacher Confirmation
The process by which a teacher
communicates to students that they are
significant, valued individuals.
Research has shown an important
influence of teacher confirmation on
students’ motivation and their affective
and cognitive learning.
(Katherine Ellis)

17. Teacher confirmation and identity
Students are often striving to find out who
they are, where they fit in, whether they
can succeed…
The role of confirmation is to help individuals
discover and establish their identities and
personal significance as human beings.
(K. Ellis)

18. Confirming behaviour
Transmit feelings of confidence in students
Give constructive feedback and praise
Smile, make eye-contact
Show interest in answering students’
questions
Take personal interest in students
Check for understanding
Listen to students
MOTIVATION
(Inmaculada León)

19. Inside the person

20. Effect of motivation of
learning
Motivation action success
(desire+energy)

21. The ideal self –
the attributes that I would like to have
***********
Zoltán Dörnyei (2009)
I consider the concept of the ideal self
to be the strongest and most versatile
mechanism of motivation. The image
of our ideal self can help us to
formulate goals for our future and to
reach them.

22. FIVE COMPONENTS OF
SELF-ESTEEM
Security (I know I am safe)
Identity (I know who I am)
Belonging (I know others accept me)
Purpose (I know what I want to achieve)
Competence (I know I am capable)
(model of Robert Reasoner)
“I’m ok”

24. Language anxiety:
A feeling of tension and apprehension specifically
associated with second language contexts,
including speaking, listening and learning.
A good deal of research has suggested that
anxiety causes cognitive interference in
performing specific language learning tasks.
(MacIntyre and Gardner)

25. Anxiety inhibits learning
Input stage: With listening or
reading, the language doesn’t
“get in”.
Processing stage: limits the
cognitive work involved in
learning and thinking in the L2.
Output stage: With speaking
or writing the language doesn’t
“get out”.
(Tobías)

26. Using only the textbook greatly limits
your capacity to participate in
innovative and creative teaching.
Leo Van Lier

27. Students appreciate teachers who prepare
their classes and the use of your own
materials shows clear and tangible
evidence of preparation.
(David Block)

28. Multiple Intelligences.
Multiple ways to learn.

30. cognitive
affective physical
-------------------------------------------
Bodily-kinaesthetic intelligence

31. Learning is also in the body
Physical movement and engagement of
the body and senses are essential for
learning. (Caine and Caine)
The human brain and the rest of the body
constitute an unseparable organism… The
whole organism interacts with the
environment as one unit: the interaction is
neither of the body alone nor of the brain
alone.
(Antonio Damasio)

32. I consider images
the basis of
mind.
Antonio Damasio
( Prince of Asturias
Prize for science,
2005)

33. The image is the great instrument of
instruction… what learners get out of any
subject is merely the images they
themselves form in regard to it.
John Dewey (1897)

34. In language learning
work with mental imagery can:
Increase learner’s attention, cognitive skills and
creativity
Enable them to remember what they learn
Enhance their motivation
Strengthen their self-concept
Improve their reading and listening comprehension
Provide things they want to say when they speak or
write

35. Paivio’s Dual Coding Theory and
second language learning
It is especially important to learn the
second language in association with
appropriate nonverbal referents –either
visible or in imagery - which represent
the knowledge of the world.
(Alan Paivio)

36. If students don’t see mental images of
what they read, it will be difficult
for them to get a full understanding
of the text and their experience of it
will be fragmented and superficial.
(Brian Tomlinson)

37. If teachers are motivated to teach,
there is a good chance that their
students will be motivated to learn.
(Dörnyei y Ushioda)