Language learning
is not about knowing how to pronounce certain words. It is all about loving the
language and accepting it as it is. The intellectual bit of learning is easy
because children speak it; what hinders adult-learning is the psychological
aspect, something that resists learning. As long as you are laughing at the
language, you are not learning it; when you start laughing with the language,
you open the doors of twisting your tongue automatically, effortlessly and
almost unconsciously plunge into learning the language. Even neutralization of accents becomes
automatic. If you have closely watched My Fair Lady, you will see Eliza
Doolittle speaking like a duchess when Higgins, for the first time, maybe out
of sheer fatigue, empathized with her... would advise all trainers and
instructors to see the film again; you will see Higgins hoity-toity and
high-handed treatment towards Elisa transforms into teacherlessness, his body
language, his vocal clues do not have any arrogance, they urge Elisa to think,
to help her understand what her aim is, what she has set out for.
"I know your
head aches. I know you're tired. I know your nerves are as raw as meat in a
butcher's window. But think what you're trying to accomplish.
Just think what
you're dealing with. The majesty and grandeur of the English language....It's
greatest possession we have. The noblest thoughts that ever flowed through the
hearts of men... are contained in its extraordinary, imaginative... ... musical
mixtures of sounds. And that's what you've set yourself out to conquer, Eliza.
And conquer it you
will."
Epiphany or magic
happens after this, the teacher and the taught could not believe what they
heard; Eliza started speaking in a tongue which was not a disgrace to Milton
and Shakespeare, and from then on, there was no looking back. Trainers and
instructors, especially course designers cannot ignore this significant aspect,
this turning point, this moment of transformation while creating and or
delivering their respective modules.
Whenever one is
preparing any language learning material, it is effective to factor this; the
way in which we can inject empathy into the learning atmosphere. Though the
success of Higgins was far too easy because of the ideal teacher student ratio
(1:1), Elisa's 24/7 assiduity and
Pickering’s indulgent sponsoring of the whole affair; however, trainers who
prepare training materials need to focus on elements that empower the learners;
it’s a fascinating process and it works in all modules on training. The method
which does not boast the knowledge of the trainers/ instructors/professors, but
that which makes the process of learning easy, fearless, communicative,
something that helps learners take off into an auto-learning mode, when the
learner does not have to be told to do the homework, when they take the
learning beyond the classrooms; it happens in any field.
O yes I have tried
this a number of times with my learners and I had completely submitted to them,
placed them as high as possible, not to show how learned I am, or how difficult
the topic I am dealing with is, but to focus on how easy and fascinating the
content is and what they can achieve if they learned; I urged them to teach the
content to me and to their peers. Of course, I tried to polish the pebbles, but
without dimming the diamonds in my class. It feels unkind using this metaphor
but I kept my feet on the ground while understanding the ability of learners,
tried and tested how a learner relatively weak on a given topic took off when
they were asked to explain it to the whole class; it works with every group
irrespective of age and career level.
By placing myself
at the lowest, I made me almost disappear in class, as the most redundant
subject, not required at all, especially during activities, to get the highest
from the beautiful learners with whom I interacted.
The objective of
this article is to underline the importance of developing methods keeping in
view the psychological and emotional aspects of learning more than its
elements; to enjoy the moments of class, moments of learning.
