Emotional Intelligence ESL

Many of you will have heard of the affective filter. The affective filter relates to the emotional needs of the student and can affect their success in learning another language. Emotional Intelligence plays a specific role in the development of this.

Anxiety, shyness and a host of other factors can affect a student’s performance in an ESL class.

Teachers can follow these tips to help create a good learning environment for their students.

In the words of J Cohen “The depth of the teacher-child relationship is the single most important factor that will contribute to the teacher’s ability to help any child, and particularly the at-risk child, develop emotionally and socially.”

Build your students’ self-esteem
Both what you say and what you do contribute to building self-esteem in students. Saying things like “I’m glad to see you”, “I’m happy you are in my class” and “That was a wonderful idea” are a few ways to acknowledge students in a positive way. However, your actions can also help improve the self esteem of children. As they saying goes, actions often speak louder than words… so it is very important to give equal turns to students, make eye contact, remember their names, asking about their interests, share their work with the class, keep your promises and smile!

The brain and learning
Eric Jensen, one of the prominent writers and researchers on the brain tells us about the importance of feelings in relation to the brain. Read more about the learning brain here.

Setting realistic expectations
Teachers are sometimes forced to give exams or tests they know are above student’s grade levels. However, whenever we can we should try to teach with realistic expectations. That is not to say we should not aim high, on the contrary, however giving students a task you know they will fail is surely going to diminish their self esteem. Scaffolding students work to help them achieve a higher level is not only the key to good teaching but it will also empower students to feel better about themselves and their capabilities. Emotional Intelligence ESL students maybe especially nervous and need manageable goals set. Developing the

Generalizing and Comparing
Teachers are very busy! Sometimes we may find that we are generalizing which can be unfair on students. Try to minimize phrases such as never, always…ie You never do your homework…you’re always late for class. Teachers should also avoid comparing students. Just as parents are advised not to compare siblings, teachers must be aware of the negative impact that comparing students would have as well. Michael certainly does not want to hear his teacher asking why he can’t be more like Jamie! Teachers need to respect each child as an individual with strengths and weaknesses.

Remember behavior can be criticized not the person
When working with children remember not to criticize the person but the behavior. For example, instead of saying “you are a very naughty boy” you can say “it is naughty to throw your cup at Michael. I know you are a good boy so please don’t do it again”. In this way the child’s self esteem is not damaged while he still knows what he did was inappropriate. Remember poor behaviour is often linked to boredom or an outlet for fear of not understanding which could be an issue for developing the emotional intelligence ESL students.
intrinsic motivation of ESL students is key to successful language development.

More activities to develop emotional intelligence can be found here.

English as a Second Language Resources

Emotional intelligence ESL is a powerful topics for ESL teachers to learn about. It can make all the difference between a student who moves forward in their learning and one who doesn't. To read more about the theory and practical ideas of EQ and the affective factor check out our books about emotional intelligence ESL.