The Affective Filter

The Affective Filter is related to self awareness. Self awareness is the ability to see oneself from someone else's viewpoint. Self awareness evolves over time. Self awareness gives one the chance to know how one looks, how one feels, why one feels in a certain way. This increases confidence. Self awareness can sometimes be hindering or even paralyzing. Sometimes, and, especially, in new environments, thinking so much about oneself, increases anxiety, and makes one lose confidence. Learning a new language gives students a peculiar kind of self awareness. Students are self aware of their accent, grammar mistakes, and how they are communicating ideas. Learners are uncomfortable. Stephen Krashen, the ESL theorist, explains this concept using the term affective filter. The affective filter is the complex emotions students might have as they process information, and try to produce language.

As language teachers we should never forget how hard it is to learn and perform something new, and how difficult it can be to perform in front of those that are judging us. The affective filter, especially in classroom settings, can be particularly high. As teachers we must create a cozy environment to help lower that filter, and give learners confidence to remember the material that they have prepared and studied. Learning a language is like being on stage because learners constantly deal with performing under pressure. Steps to decrease students' anxiety are relating to learners, from the beginning classes, sharing your own failures and feelings when it comes to learning new things, understanding how difficult it can be to learn a language, describing making mistakes as normal and praising effort. Using phrases such as mistakes are okay, take your time, you almost have it right are really comforting. As a teacher, always assert that success comes in applied continuous effort. Praise process and use formative evaluation. Follow a 80/20 ratio of practice and instruction. As a teacher students should practice 80% of the time. Creating an environment wherein learners can make mistakes without being given a final judgement or grade is perfect for students learning. These practice sessions are times when a teacher shows students that s/he is a coach not a judge. A teacher becomes a guide who helps students prepare for a later testing environment. This helps students to can take risks, and get outside their comfort zone and experiment.

Hand in hand with that thought, however, is the need for a learner to know the proper ways to take risk. In other words, helping students learn correct language learner strategies will help give them more confidence, more motivation and ultimately better language skills. Students should be encouraged to keep trying, using more than one strategy.