The Impact of Stress on Language Acquisition
Stress is a silent intruder in the classroom, significantly impacting language learning. When students feel anxious or overwhelmed, their brains shift into “survival mode”, hindering their ability to absorb new information. (this comes from our “reptilian brain”, previously mentioned in my other newsletter articles as well as my linkedin posts, check them out!)
The stress hormone cortisol interferes with the brain’s memory and cognitive functions, essential for language acquisition. This can make it harder for the students to feel comfrotable enough to “open” their brain to new information. Our role a teachers, is to be able to show students that they can learn a language without feeling the heavy weight of stress on their shoulders by making it fun and giving them enough time to process the information before moving on to the next activity or the next content of the lesson.
To foster a better learning environment, consider implementing stress-reducing strategies. Some ideas can be to incorporate special techniques like mental breaks. It is understood from the neuroscience perspective that our brain can only hold new information for about 15-20 minutes before it needs to actuall process it and store it in the “short term memory” or “long term memory” space. This can then let the brain have a better understanding of the content given and know when and how to bring it back to our minds to continue an activity.
It’s very important to prioritize student well-being through physical activity, our brain can’t be on “sleep” mode when we are pushing information to our students. Some activities can be walking around class to fill out a worksheet, having a writing race on the board, and more activities that I will soon publish !
By creating a stress-free zone, you’ll optimize students’ brains for language learning and set them up for success.