Learner Identity

Does identity awareness facilitate better foreign language learning?Florentina Taylor, Sunday 17th April

“Foreign language classes tend to be skipped by occasional truants more than the other classes,” she said at the beginning of her talk. It a very unfortunate situation, but it is clearly related to learner identity and how teachers see their learners.

Her suggestion is to let students be themselves in English classes. Students who feel appreciated as individuals by teachers are more likely to become confident, love English and internalise language learning into their identity.

I want to conclude with a thought-provoking quotation from a student interviewed by her: “If s/he is a good teacher, who knows how to approach the students, who also jokes and knows what to do, I’m pleased to answer questions in the class, but if the teacher is not so, I’m not really interested.” It is unbelievable that a secondary school student said that!