Foreign

Language Anxiety
How can teachers help their students
to overcome it?

Authors: García, Akemi

Brito, Lissette Viti, Priscila
López, Fabianna Quintero , Gabriela
What is Foreign/Second Language Anxiety?

Were the first to develop

Horwitz & Cope
the concept FLA

The feeling of tension

MacIntyre &
associated with FL
Gardner contexts

Defined anxiety as a
Zhang
psychological tension
dsadads
The Importance of the Teacher’s Role in
Alleviating FLA/SLA
Teacher’s Attitude = Student’s Anxiety Level

Negative
Teacher’s Stressful
consequences
Authoritative Environment
on the
Attitude in Class
Students
 Professor’s Awareness is the Key

Implementation Enhance
Professor’s
of Specific Learning
Awareness
Techniques Opportunities
What does it means to be an Educator?

EDUCATOR
 The final role of the professor in alleviating
Foreign Language Anxiety

Conscious Increase
Less Anxiety-
Words and Student’s
Provoking Place
Actions Confidence
How to help your students to overcome
Foreign Language Class Anxiety
 1. Mistakes are not bad

Make Learn from

Repeat
mistakes them

Strategy to be used:
Remind the students every time you can that mistakes are
welcomed in the class.
 2. Make it fun

DO: DO NOT:

Force the students

Thus, offer incentives, as participation points and extra credit, that will encourage
Make the class
them to be a more active part of the class. to participate and
dynamic and
penalize them if
relaxed.
they do not.

Strategy to be used:
Use different types of aids that will encourage participation,
such as music, videos, games, among others.
 ¡Bien hecho!
3. Incentive your student Well done!
Bien fait!

Success Decreased levels

Student of anxiety
Better academic Appreciation
performance Less stress

Strategy to be used:
Tell each one of them how much they have improved and how
proud you are. Thus, offer incentives, as participation points and
extra credit.
 4. Avoid Pressure

Students often feel ● Their teacher

pressured when it ● Other classmates
comes to foreign ● Spoken presentations
languages by: ● Oral tests

Strategy to be used:
Create a more relaxed atmosphere by talking with your students
about how they feel in order to help them overcome their fears.
 No Foreign
Better student
Language
performance
Classroom Anxiety
Thank you for your attention