DOWNLOAD PDF TRANSCRIPT

00:00:02 

[Pilar Capaul] 

Hi, guys. How are you doing? Hope you're ready. We're going to be sharing some practical ideas today. So let's see. 

Can you all see my screen? Are we ready to start? Yeah. All right, good. So let's see. 

There we go. Let's start by talking a little bit about what the effective feature is. Many of you might know a little bit about it already. Maybe you know a lot about it. Maybe it's something new. 

So basically it comes from Krashen Second Language acquisition theory. And it basically says that if a learner feels stressed or anxious, if they're not very motivated, if they feel self conscious when they walk into a classroom, they might not find it very easy to learn. Right. They might be thinking about things that could go wrong. And what if I. 

00:01:06 

What if my pronunciation is not very good? And what if I'm not good at this? So they'll get back home that day and go, I don't remember what happened in the classroom. Everything was confusing, difficult. It wasn't no good experience. 

But if a learner feels calm and confident, if they are motivated, maybe they want to sit for an exam, maybe they want to travel, maybe they want to do something with the language they are learning and, you know, they really feel like making an effort and learning. If they feel like the classroom is a safe environment, they are going to find it easier to learn, to focus on what's going on in the class, to notice new language, to take risks and try different things. So this is what we're going to be talking about today. And I wanted to ask you guys, if you think about elearners for a moment, how do they feel in class? Do they feel stressed? 

00:02:12 

Do they feel confident? Do they take risks? What do they do? 

All right. Oh. Oh. It depends on the class that. That's a good answer. 

Yeah, that's true. Depends on the class, the student, the group. Right. All thoughts, okay. All right. 

Got it. Happy all the time. That's amazing. I'm glad to hear that. Cool. 

So let's go with an example. Imagine you work for a company, right? And they say that they're going to pay for you to learn a new language. I don't know, Japanese. Right. 

They need someone to be able to speak Japanese and they chose you. So they're going to pay for that. Okay, fantastic. I'm going to learn a new language. I don't have to pay for it. 

I'm going to meet new people. It's going to be a new experience. Let's do it. Right. But you walk into the classroom that day, and instead of focusing on what the teacher is saying, you start thinking, oh, my God, what if my pronunciation is not very good? 

00:03:18 

And what if I'm not good at learning languages? What if I share something in class and everyone laughs at me? But, you know, I'm, you know, now that I think about it, I don't want to share any ideas. I don't want to try to pronounce things in front of other people. I don't. 

You know what? I'm just going to sit here and I'm just going to see what other people do. Yeah, that's it for today. So you get home that day, right? And instead of thinking about all the new words that you've learned, and I don't know, the useful phrases that you're going to be using in meetings with your colleagues, you think about all your negative thoughts. 

Maybe I'm not good. What if this is a waste of time? What if they're wasting money on me? What if I'm not good? Right? 

00:04:08 

So that is the topic for today's session. We're going to be sharing some practical ideas to make sure this does not happen to our learners. So just to summarize everything, if a learner's effective filter is high, they're not going to take risks, right? They're not going to participate. They're going to be like, no, I don't want to risk it. 

What if it goes wrong? They probably won't remember the things they hear in class or explanations, the new words. Right? They won't notice new language. They won't enjoy the process, which is a pity, because I can't think of anything that's more enjoyable than learning a new language. 

And many of them might go, I'm bad at this. I don't get it. Even if they do get it, I want you guys to tell me, has that ever happened to you? Have you ever heard a student go, I don't get it. I cannot do this, but when you give them some time, turns out they did get it. 

00:05:10 

They just didn't want to, I don't know, share something. They didn't feel very comfortable. Has that ever happened to you? Yes. Okay. 

All right, so we're not alone. We're not alone, definitely. All right. But if a learner's effective failure is low, they're going to feel supported. They're going to feel like the classroom is a safe environment. 

They're going to be open. They. They're going to be confident. They're going to say, hey, that Is a new word. I don't know if I'll be able to pronounce it correctly, But I'm going to give it a try because if I don't get it right the first time, I can do it again and again. 

And my teacher is going to help me and my classmates are here to practice with me. So I'm going to give it a go. They're going to take risks. They're going to experiment. I've never read a book in a different language. 

I'm going to give it a try and see how it goes. And if I can't do it, I just ask for help. Right? Because I feel supported. And again, they're going to notice new language. 

00:06:13 

And sorry, what? What's that word there in that sentence? What does it mean? Also, how do I use it? Do I need an object? 

Do I need a preposition? Do I use it just like that? Right. How does that work? How can I use it when I want to share something? 

Right. Let's see. Yeah, yeah. It's very important to make sure students can enjoy the process. Right. 

Establishing support, establishing rapport helps. Yes. Low with the lower students. Effective filter, for sure. Yes. 

There are lots of things that we can do as teachers to be there for our learners and help them and be part of this process. Absolutely. All right, so let's start thinking about the things that may cause this. Right? Because maybe there are things that we are doing as teachers that are raising our students Effective filter.  

And maybe we're just not aware of it. So let's see. Let's go over different elements that can have an impact on our students. The first one can be motivation. Right? 

00:07:18 

Maybe a student is really motivated because they want to travel. And every time they walk into the classroom, they're thinking, what word can use when I go to the supermarket in this country that I want to visit? And how am I going to use this phrase when I don't know? I ask for help on the streets. Right. 

But if a student is not very motivated, they might not be willing to persist or make an effort. Think about students at school. Teenagers, Many of them are not there because they want to. They're there because they have to go to school. Their parents send them to school. 

I don't want to sit for this exam. My mother wants me to sit for this exam. So what can we do as teachers to make sure those students say, you know what, maybe I don't want to sit for that exam. But every time I listen to my teacher or every time I have A chat with my classmates in English. I am able to talk about myself and my feelings and who I am and my interests and what I want to do. 

00:08:23 

So, yeah, I don't really care about the exam, but I do enjoy my English lessons very, very much because I get to do this and this thing, right? Why not? That's something that we can do as teachers, right? We can make sure those moments are there. Self confidence. 

Maybe learner feels that they're not very good at language learning. I'm not good. My pronunciation is good. Not good. But there are some things that we can do as teachers. 

Maybe we can help make sure that students can build their confidence, right? With time. Instead of giving them very complex tasks, maybe we can give them small tasks. And every time they are able to do something to achieve something, to complete a task, they go, you see? You were able to do it.  

Congratulations. Are you ready for what's next? So, oh, okay, sure. I mean, I did a very good job, so I might as well try something else, right? And little by little, they start feeling more confident because their brains are picking up this evidence like, I was able to do this, I was able to do that, I was able to do this other thing. 

00:09:35 

I might as well keep going, right? Anxiety. Maybe a learner feels stressed, like, what if I am not good at this and I fail? And what if I cannot pass the subject at school? Or what if I fail my exams at the end of the year, right? 

There are so many things that we can do as teachers to make sure that students feel like they are learning, they're making progress, and numbers shouldn't be a problem. Right now I'm going to be sharing some more practical ideas. What about complex instructions? Maybe there are games or activities that we absolutely love as teachers. I love this game. 

I use it all the time. Everyone loves it. Learners enjoy it. And so we share that game with a new group. And because we know how the game goes, maybe we end up sharing too much information, right? 

And for some learners, that might be overwhelming. So we can go little by little and say, okay, now we're going to do this, and now we're going to do this other thing, right? And we're going to take baby steps, right? And, and do something together, right? Or what about negative experiences, right? 

00:10:53 

Imagine I go, guys, today we're going to be using a new platform. I think you're going to love it. It's going to be useful, engaging, fun, right? And maybe a learner goes, no, I'm not good at using technology, all right? What makes you say that now? 

Because in the past one day I had this problem with a. A platform that was very difficult to use and I didn't enjoy it. All right, I get it. But now things are different because I am here and we're going to do this together and your classmates are also here. So we're going to be working as a group together. 

If you need a hand, we're here for you. Right. There are always things that we can do as teachers to make sure that everyone feels included and safe. Right. Are these things that you do with your learners? 

00:11:44 

You tell me in the chat. Yes. Scaffolding super important? Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. 

You do? Yeah. All right. Yes. Practice makes perfect. 

Yeah. Yeah. Cool, cool, cool. Yes, of course I do. I do. 

Yes. All right, great. So here I have some more practical ideas. Take a look at all the things that we can do as teachers to help our learners. By the way, there's a lot of information here. 

I know. I just wanted to make sure everything was here together so that you can take a screenshot maybe, and keep this handy when you're planning or maybe reflecting on your lessons. 

So clear, simple instructions. Right. We can just. We. We can be straightforward. 

We're doing this and now we're doing this and now we're doing that. Right. And we can keep it very, very simple. We can use low pressure tasks before we do something more important, bigger, something that's going to be graded. Right. 

00:12:50 

We're just practicing. Nothing's going to happen if you don't get it right. That's okay. Nothing's going to happen. It's not the end of the world. 

We can rehearse, right? Before students share something in class, they can. I know. Write down their ideas, organize them, let us know if they need a new word. Right. 

There's something that they need help with. They can practice with a classmate and then they can share things with the rest of the class. So they. By the time they share things with, with the whole group, they will have rehearsed. They will have had some time to organize their thoughts, to see where they're going. 

Right. So that can help a lot. A warm tone is always helpful. Right. It makes us all feel comfortable and good. 

Celebrating effort. Right. Maybe there, There are some things that we'll need to work on. Focus on change. Improve. 

Correct. Upgrade. But you did it. You completed the task. You were able to communicate an idea, and that is fantastic. 

00:13:54 

That was the goal. I mean, why are we learning a language? We want to communicate and you did it. So congrats we can give students wait time, right? Ask your question. 

Give them some time to think, to get ready. 

There are lots of things that we can do. We can check in emotionally every now and then. Nice. We've been using a new platform for some weeks now. How do you feel about it? 

Do you like it? Do you find it useful? Would you like to change it? Is there something that I can do as a teacher to make sure you, I don't know, enjoy using it even more? Right? 

So you tell me, I'm here, I'm just going to listen to you. You tell me. 

Or predictable routines, right? Maybe if we want to do new things or want to use new tools with our students, some of them might go, oh my God, how am I supposed to do this? Where are we going? What's the goal here? Is this okay? 

00:14:52 

But if we say guys, we walk into the classroom, we say, hello. What? Right? We do a little warm up activity to make sure we're all here, we're all on the same page, and we're going to check our homework and then we're going to use this app to go over the vocabulary that we worked on during our previous class, for example, so they know what to expect, they know where we're going. And that can help a lot when it comes to lowering our students effective filter. 

And you might be wondering, why are we even talking about this in the first place? I mean, things have changed a lot, right? With AI and technology in the classroom. But we're talking about this because learning environments, especially digital ones, can accidentally. Right. 

00:15:45 

Without us noticing, cause overwhelm. Some students can feel frustrated. Imagine you ask learners to set up an account, right? We're going to be using this website, set up an account. You have two minutes. 

But they cannot do it in two minutes. They need 10, 15 minutes. They cannot get it right. This was supposed to take two minutes and it's taking 15. This is so frustrating. 

I don't want to use this anymore. Look at all the time I'm wasting, right? So there are lots of things that we can do to make sure that students don't feel this way and that they can enjoy the process. So some other things that may cause some problems, right? Is the fear of making mistakes, right? 

00:16:37 

I. If I make a mistake while using this app, are my parents going to see that? Right? Because now, now I'm panicking. Are they going to see that? 

I hope not. What if I make a mistake? Or how about timers? You know, how many times have you heard a student say, I actually Knew the answer, but I panicked and I couldn't think of the right word or I couldn't organize my thoughts right. Has that ever happened to the learners? 

Yeah, that's true. Yeah. May happen, may happen, yeah. Isolation, maybe. We're using this amazing, revolutionary app, and students use it at home to practice independently. 

But, you know, they need a hand, they have a question, and there's no one there to help them. What are they going to do? Or, you know, that maybe the interface is a bit confusing. The platform is fantastic, but, you know, students don't love it. They don't feel very comfortable using it. 

00:17:41 

Tech glitches, unclear instructions. Maybe the platform that we're using is not very clear. Can we share some more examples? Can we record a video tutorial that we can share with our students? What else can we do as teachers to help our learners, to supplement all the tools that we want to use this year? 

Right. So here are some practical ideas and some principles that can help. Again, we have a lot of information here. I know, but it's for you to take a screenshot. Make sure you keep this handy when you're planning. 

Maybe you're in class, something goes wrong. What can I do? Well, here you have some practical ideas so we can make sure that students are not overwhelmed when we give instructions. So instead of saying, we're going to work on this long, beautiful, complex project, we're going to do this one thing today, and now we're going to use whatever we created, wrote, design, whatever, and we're going to do something else, and now we're going to use that and we're going to do this other thing right? And maybe one day you can say, guys, today I'd like to take some minutes to look back and think about all the things we did right, and say, hey, you guys were able to do that? 

00:19:00 

Did you notice? Have you realized, come on, that was fantastic. That was amazing. We're not overwhelming students at the beginning. We're going slowly. 

We're just giving them the information they need, Right? And sometimes we. It's all a matter of taking a moment to look back and say, hey, look at everything. You did that. That was fantastic. 

Right? You can do this and more. Another thing that we can do is maybe the platform or the app that we want to use with our learners, you know, doesn't include, like, a practice mode. That is okay. So something that we can do, for example, is say, instead of doing this activity once, we are going to do it three times. 

I don't care about the results. Or numbers or grades or whatever that you get when you do it the first time, like the very first time we do this, we're just practicing. I just want you to understand how the platform works. That's all we're doing. Then we're going to do it once again and you're going to try to feel more comfortable, improve what you didn't like about the first time. 

00:20:11 

Right. We're going to try again. And the third time. Yes. We're going to pay attention to the language that we're using. 

We're going to try to be clear, accurate. Right. We're going to pay more attention to how we're using certain words. Right. But we're going to take it slowly to make sure that we all feel comfortable. 

Maybe the app or platform that we want to use, you know, he's one of those that go, incorrect, wrong answer. Try again, try again. And for some learners, that can be, you know, a bit demotivating. So what can we do as teachers? Well, lots of things you say, okay, it says incorrect. 

Okay, got it. What would you change? Or if you had the, the chance to do it again, what would you do differently? Is there something you would reorganize, change? Would you use other words? 

What would you do? Right. Another thing that we can do is think about how comfortable our students feel using those apps and platforms. Can they all see clearly? Are the colors good? 

00:21:21 

Can they see? What will they have to do? Are the instructions clear? Do we have captions? Will students need to slow things down? 

Maybe there's a recording, right? And then, you know, we, and then we can also do some other things. We can adjust speed, difficulty, sound. Hence, I know what some of you might be thinking. Well, I cannot adjust everything because I'm a teacher, I'm not a programmer. 

I cannot change the platforms that I want to use with my learners. You know, the tools, the apps, they are the way they are. I cannot change much. But there are lots of other things that we can do. Right. 

For example, pre training students are going to get this notification or a pop up or whatever. I'm going to show them what's going to happen so they know what to expect and they're ready for it. Right. And they also know what to do when that moment comes. Also, we can make sure we can record some videos and share them with them. 

00:22:30 

Something that we can do that I tried last year is if you happen to use a platform or an app with a group, they already know how to use it. They feel comfortable, lovely. At the end of the year ask students to get in groups. Or maybe this is something that they can do individually. They can record their own video tutorial showing the students you will be working with the following year how that app platform works. 

Or if they don't feel comfortable making a video, maybe they can write a list of tips. Right. Or recommendations or things that those students should keep in mind the moment they start using this platform or app. Right? So there are lots of things that we can do. 

And it's not just, I mean, we can help, we can solve problems, but we can also use our. Our other students as a resource and say, okay, let's work on listening. This student is going to tell us how to do this, and we're all going to listen and do what he says. Let's give it a try. Why not? Right? 

And we can also allow learners to personalize their goals. For example, the platforms and the apps that we might want to use are the same for everyone, right? You. You have level one, level two, level three. Lovely. 

00:23:59 

So you tell me, you have been using the platform, you know how it works, you know how much free time you have at home. What would be a realistic goal for you for this week? Level five. Getting to level five. Lovely. 

Beautiful. Let's do it. All right, great. Then you have a chat with another student. What would be a good realistic goal for you this week? 

Level two. Level two sounds fantastic. So it's the same app, the same tool, the same platform, the same whatever. But students don't have to do the very same things, right? They can do different things. 

They can work in pairs, they can work in groups. Right? And it's just a matter of having a chat with them and asking them how they feel about the tools we are using and what they think they can do. Right? And also inviting them to say, okay, I'm not going to tell you what to do. 

00:24:55 

You tell me what you want to do. Right? All right. So something that I think is really, really important and wanted to share with you guys is the following. Shall we get rid of everything that might affect our learners? 

Right. Imagine they say, I don't feel comfortable using technology. All right? We're not using technology. I don't feel comfortable using. 

I don't know this game. All right, so we're not using this game. Do you think, guys, you tell me in the chat, would you get rid of everything that might affect your learners? No. No, not really. 

No. No, no, no, no, no. All right, you got it. So this is the thing. We're all teachers. 

We know our Learners, we know what they need. We know the schools where we work. We know our context. We know everything. So we might, in the, you know, having different opinions, but in my personal opinion, the answer is no. 

00:25:52 

I agree with you guys. And this is the thing. I want to show you an example. This beautiful, colorful rainbow can represent our learners. One of our learners, their interests, their skills, the things they're good at, the things they enjoy doing. 

Right. And you can also represent the things we use in class. Timers and lead and leaders, board and points and different apps. Right. There are lots of things that we can do with our learners. 

But imagine this. One of our learners comes up to us and goes, teacher, I don't like using timers because I panic and I freeze and I cannot share my ideas. I don't feel comfortable when we stop doing that. And I'm like, you know what? Yeah, forget about it. 

Gone. No more timers. Yeah, no problem. Then another student comes up to us. Teach, sorry, I don't like having elite dispos there because I'm number five. 

00:26:57 

I don't like that. I don't want everyone to see that. Can we stop doing that? Absolutely. Forget about it. 

Gone. Not a problem anymore. Good. Then another student comes up to us then, sorry, teacher, I don't like using points because I got 15 points the other day and one of my classmates got 50. So I don't know, is there. 

Is there something that we can do about it? Oh, you know, you don't feel comfortable. Forget about points. We're not using them anymore. All right, Gone. 

You feel. You feel good? Feel better? All right? That's what matters. 

Great. Another skin comes up to us. I don't like using technology at home because I. I mean, there's no one at home who can help me when I need a hand, and I don't like it. I would rather do something else. I just want to fill in gaps and that's about it and call it a day. 

All right. You don't like technology. You don't like using apps at home. All right, we're not going to do that anymore. Good. 

00:27:55 

Feeling better? Yes. All right. Beautiful. Now, this is what might happen if we allow our learners to stay in their comfort zones. 

They're going to be very comfortable. Right? But this is what may happen if we motivate our learners to try different things, little by little, taking baby steps and, you know, try different things and something that is also really important. We don't need to overwhelm our learners. We don't need to push them Right. 

We can do something like this. So this can be day one, week one, the first part of the year. We're going to use a leaders board to see how we're doing. We're going to be using an app for you guys to practice at home, and we're also going to use technology in the classroom. All right? 

00:28:55 

Yeah, we all feel comfortable. No, you don't feel comfortable today. What is it that is. Is preventing you from feeling comfortable? What can we do as a group to make sure that we all feel comfortable? 

Tell us how you feel and together we'll be able to do something about it. Right? And then once we all feel comfortable, we're going to change things. Now, this could be day two, week two, month to the second part of the year, right? Up to us. 

Now we're going to be using timers, Right? You don't feel comfortable. That is okay. But think about this. When. 

When you're having a chat with someone, do you have all the time in the world? No, not really. Right. We have to do things. We. 

We have responsibilities. We don't have all the time in the world. We might be able to ask someone to repeat something, but that's about it. Right? So why don't we use it to work on that? 

00:29:52 

Right. Points. You don't like points. That is okay, but let's do something instead of thinking I got 15 points and my classmate got 50, and I don't like that. Why don't we ask your classmate if they can share some tips? 

Okay. That's a different way to see it. Right. So there are lots of things that we can do as teachers to make sure that our learners feel comfortable. By the way, this lovely rainbow metaphor is not mine. 

Is by a woman called Julie. She's a psychologist. I saw it on TikTok and I really wanted to share it because I thought it was a very nice way to represent things. Right. And as teachers, we know that there are lots of things that we can do for our learners. 

Right. To make sure they all feel comfortable. And yeah, those were some practical ideas. I hope you guys enjoyed the session. Yeah. 

00:30:55 

Let me know which one you'd like to try with your students. 

Yeah. All right. Cool. Great. All right. I'm really glad to hear that. 

And thank you guys for sharing your ideas for being so active there in the chat box. 

[Will Rixon] 

Thank you, Pilar. 

[Pilar Capaul] 

Thank you.

[Will Rixon] 

I'm gonna let that run for a second. Let's just let it run. 

[Pilar Capaul] 

It's really nice to share practical ideas and also your experience when you get to do it with teachers like the ones here today. 

[Will Rixon] 

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Isn't it? 

[Pilar Capaul] 

Yeah.

[Will Rixon] 

Just so. 

It also just reminds you that you're not in a bubble. You know, no one here is in their own bubble.  

[Pilar Capaul] 

Yeah.

[Will Rixon] 

I think a lot of what you're saying probably chimes with at least some things you were saying. Chimes with everybody, I think. 

00:32:00 

[Pilar Capaul] 

Yeah. Thank you, guys. 

[Will Rixon] 

All right, so a couple of questions. Firstly, in the age of AI, so Tess Fey is asking, in the age of AI, how does it both offer powerful tools to lower the effective filter through personalized and low stakes practice? So do you have experience with that? 

Using AI to help students become more at ease? 

[Pilar Capaul] 

Not becoming at ease. I do use AI quite a lot, but when it comes to making sure they all feel comfortable using it, I feel like that's my responsibility as the teacher. And I also make sure we all work together as a group so that everyone feels comfortable. But it's not like there's an AI that has helped me make sure everyone feels comfortable. 

I feel like that's the human part, let's say. 

[Will Rixon] 

Yeah, yeah, no, agreed. I think that's definitely. Let's not invite AI to help us feel calm. 

00:33:08 

Thank you, Pilar. I think that's all we've got, actually, questions wise. So I think we're going to have. 

[Pilar Capaul] 

I'm going to.

[Will Rixon] 

I'm going to stop it there. So we've got time for a five minute break and to give you time, a chance now to go and have a good whack of a break, sort of five or six hours now, A big old chunk of it. So thank you again, Pilar, so much for putting this together. Wonderful talk. And we'll see you again in about five hours.

[Pilar Capaul] 

Great. Fantastic. Thank you, Will. And thank you guys for joining this session.