Hello dear student. I understand this question very well because I, like you, have learned different foreign languages and I have always been very afraid of failure, of rejection by the natives for not knowing how to speak their language well. These feelings of fear, embarrassment, anxiety, lack of confidence were very recurrent a few years ago when I arrived to Russia without knowing how to say a word.
As time went on and I learned more Russian I gradually became more confident, but it was a long road. Language allows us to survive in a society and not knowing it can be very frustrating. So let’s go back to the question, what is the magic formula for becoming more confident? I’m going to start talking to you about the affective filter, but first what is that? It is a hypothesis formulated by S. D. Krashen in 1983 where he explains that attitude, feelings, mood and motivation can influence positively or negatively during the language acquisition process.
When we are children and learn our first language, we need to communicate with the people around us. Although the acquisition can be a very difficult process, children in most cases succeed because they are curious, they want to learn, they are not afraid, not ashamed, not anxious and many times their mistakes make us laugh, encouraging them to continue learning.
This positive attitude that the little ones have allows them to acquire any language because their affective filter is very low and they are open to receive all the linguistic input that their parents, grandparents, friends, etc. are providing them.
So, the solution to have more confidence is to have the affective filter low?
Well, yes, mainly. However, it is difficult as adults to create this atmosphere in which we feel safe.
What can I do, Andrea?
There are many things you can do!
The internet now offers us a gigantic opportunity to find information that is relevant to each person. Find the resources that make you feel motivated. When I say resources, I mean reading books, watching movies, finding stories that delight, inspire, entertain and teach you.
There is another very important aspect, as I said before, we need languages to communicate, so it is necessary to find a group of people who have the same interests so that your motivation is stronger. As social beings we also need a sense of belonging. Have you ever wondered why your friends are our friends? Because there are stories that unite us, there is a sense of belonging, of community. Mainly you would have to find good friends who speak Spanish and share your interests to create motivation, sense of belonging and autonomy.
All these elements will create the atmosphere for you to feel protected, without fear, without shame, without anxiety.
Professional teachers are here! Yes, see I am in charge of motivating my students, we create stories that give us a sense of belonging and we also have the autonomy to create the craziest stories that come to our minds.
As a teacher I go at your pace, at your level, I’m not going to give you a text from Don Quixote that even native speakers don’t understand, I want you to be motivated! If you give me your confidence to be your teacher, I will take care of creating the necessary atmosphere so that you have a low emotional filter and can feel totally confident when speaking and interacting with anyone who speaks Spanish.
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