Is Learning a Foreign Language Easily Achievable?

After having taught Spanish for many years, I never imagined I would have the opportunity to teach English to Chinese children online and fall in love with them like I did teaching face-to-face. I am often asked how I teach English to Chinese children if I don’t speak Chinese. The answer is simple; we build a relationship together!

My Chinese students range from ages four to fourteen. My experience these past eighteen months has been incredible. I want to share how easy it is to make connections with students and parents. I have taught over 800 students on a full-time basis and have earned 2,000 positive feedback from parents.

I believe that educators have a responsibility to preserve the intrinsic interest and curiosity that each student possesses. At the end of the day, the student is our client. We must empower them to be proud of their effort, which will manifest in improved pronunciation and vocabulary retention.

The length of the foreign language acquisition journey and the quality of the output can vary greatly. No one and no course creator can guarantee you a result in three months. That is simply a sales pitch. The reality is that it takes a lifetime to excel in grammar, even in our native tongue. What can we expect with a second language? It all starts with our motivation. At Fitness Latinos, our goal is to help transform the way our students think about life in general. We encourage you to shed your insecurities and go out and form exciting new friendships.

Let’s breakdown intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, the overjustification effect, the forces behind motivation, and the self-esteem of second language learners.

Undermining Children’s Intrinsic Interest with Extrinsic Rewards 

Click here for the full article.

A child cannot explain or understand his actions and their causes. Self-perception and other-perception can put a child at an advantage or disadvantage. When a young student observes another student engaging in an activity, if he desires to assume that task, he will do it through intrinsic motivation. The observing student might find themselves in a place to evaluate why it is fun, not necessarily essential to learn a foreign language. 

On the other hand, an adult thinks he needs extrinsic motivation to reinforce the purpose of learning a second language. At the end of the day, the control of circumstances lies in the hands of students. The real reason both young and adult foreign language students should find it attractive to learn a foreign language is because it is transcendent. It will help fulfill personal interests and desires beyond they could have ever imagined.

When students are forced to “engage in unpleasant, attitudinally inconsistent behavior under conditions of either clearly sufficient or psychologically inadequate external justification” (Lepper, Green Nisbett, pg 131), the educator has placed the student in a battle of wills which is not advantageous for either party. Building trust, adding fun and building a relationship built on mutual respect with clear expectations places both the educator and student at peak performance. The goal is for students to believe that their performance comes from intrinsic behaviors. Praise and rewards should be used appropriately with each student. The teacher should neither insult the students’ intelligence with overpraising or over rewarding them. It is counterintuitive, and even the youngest child is wise enough to know what is happening. Education is not a platform for a battle of wills. Education is where the indisputable transformation begins. 

Overjustification Effect: Lepper, Greene, and Nisbett (1973) concluded that anticipated external rewards for engagement in an activity do negatively decrease the “pleasures and satisfaction of [the activity] in its own right” (p. 135), mainly when the activity’s intrinsic value was initially high.

“If the external justification provided to induce a person to engage in an activity is unnecessarily high and psychologically over-sufficient, the person might come to infer that his actions were motivated by external contingencies of the situation, rather than by any intrinsic interest in the activity itself. In short, a person induced to undertake an inherently desirable activity as a means to some ulterior end should cease to see the activity as an end.” (Lepper, Green Nisbett, pg 131) Students catch on quickly when they are reduced to a token system and recognize the contractual technique no matter their age. It can backfire with students genuinely interested in the subject at hand. There are long term consequences of systems with extrinsic rewards.

A Brief Case Study: A Preschool Experiment

The article gives a simple example of a controlled experience with a project as simple as drawing a picture. “The present results indicate that it is possible to produce an overjustification effect. In the expected-award condition, children showed decreased interest in the drawing activity after undertaking it to obtain a goal, which was extrinsic to the pleasures and satisfaction of drawing in its own right. In the unexpected-award condition, on the other hand, children receiving the same extrinsic reward showed undiminished or increased interest in the activity. This detrimental effect of the expected-award procedure manifested in both the quality of performance during the experimental sessions and in subsequent unobtrusive measures of intrinsic interest in the classroom setting.” (Lepper, Green Nisbett, pg 135) 

“Many of the activities we ask children to attempt in school are of intrinsic interest to at least some of the children. One effect of presenting these activities within a system of extrinsic incentives is to undermine the intrinsic interest in these activities of at least those children who had some interest, to begin with. The quite limited manipulation employed in this study, involving a symbolic reward, not unlike those routinely employed in the classroom, was sufficient to produce significant differences in the children’s subsequent behavior in a natural preschool classroom.” (Lepper, Green Nisbett, pg 136)  

"There is nothing in the present line of reasoning, or the current data, to suggest that contracting to engage in an activity for an extrinsic reward will always, or even usually, result in a decrement in intrinsic interest in the activity.” (Lepper, Green Nisbett, pg 136) Extrinsic incentives can be beneficial when intrinsic interests are not present or are low. The only way to generate initial interest may be extrinsic incentives. When learning a foreign language, it is vital to make the learning more attractive by having fun and focusing on building a relationship that fosters thinking about future relationships where the subject at hand has long term use and can become meaningful with a little mastery. The goals should always be to transfer the responsibility, passion if you will, to the student. Students need to own the joy and reward that comes from going through the journey of language acquisition. When a student reaches a point of comfort and feeling of satisfaction based on their efforts, it is a cause to celebrate for everyone.

Aiding Motivation

My goal as a teacher is to change my student’s perspective of their ability or lack thereof. I believe in them, even if they don’t believe in themselves. This simple act incentivizes my student to stay on the path and keep trying. If people feel like they lack the skills or knowledge to achieve the desired outcome, they will be less motivated to work. On the other hand, people who feel capable will be more likely to try to reach a new goal.

Learning a foreign language drives an individual to learn and acquire a second cultural system and a new identity. Our learning must have meaning. Relationships are meaningful. Who doesn’t like new friends? Let’s talk about incentives. The incentive theory is one of the major theories of motivation and suggests that a desire for reinforcement or incentives motivates behavior. Motivation is the force that initiates, guides, and maintains goal-oriented behaviors. The forces that lie beneath motivation can be biological, social, emotional, or cognitive. Each individual (motivation) theory tends to be somewhat limited in scope. Two people may act in different ways in the same situation based entirely on the types of incentives that are available to them at that time. Incentives only become influential if the student places importance on the reward. Intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation can have different effects on behaviors and how people pursue goals. As a teacher, we have to continually monitor a student’s demeanor towards learning a foreign language.

Let’s ask ourselves? Is the goal realistically achievable in a short time, or will the student need to work slowly to achieve the goal in a long period? Is the student motivated? It is a teacher’s responsibility to help discover the motivation and encourage the student to find new ways to stay motivated. When the student understands why it is beneficial to have that intrinsic motivation, then they can coach themselves to stay motivated and eventually help others become motivated. We all have the power to inspire a beginner student. 

Extrinsic Motivation

You want to earn a reward or avoid punishment. 

You over-exhaust yourself in the pursuit of extrinsic prizes.

Examples: 

Preparing for an exam, cleaning because friends are coming over, wanting the best co-worker award, losing weight for a special event, recognition, attracting others, feeling a higher sense of worth.

Intrinsic Motivation

Personally rewarding.

Examples:

Eager to learn a skill or accomplish a goal. Learn to relieve stress, get organized, lose weight, join an activity because of the connections that can be made, fill a need for interpersonal (the relationship between two or more people), or intrapersonal (relationship exclusively with one person.)

Intrapersonal and Interpersonal Relationships

What about students who can’t memorize quickly, don’t like to read, or write? These students require more time to bond over the lesson. If they think of the experience as a hobby rather than a project with a deadline, they may learn the material easier.

My youngest child is a perfect example. He struggled with everything. He struggled to speak his native tongue, reading, writing, tying his shoes, buttoning his pants, and even getting to the bathroom on time. I was a stay at home mom and homeschooled my children. I worked on enforcing all these skills every day without him knowing it. The key was patience. We made it part of life to read together every night. He loved it when his oldest sister would read to him during the day. Reading should not be forced; it should be instilled. When he took Spanish with his friends, he did amazing! He was ready. He can roll his ‘r’s like a native speaker. I have to attribute this success to the value we have put in relationships. This is an excellent article about helping struggling students love to read. With fifty really funny books, the world could be saved from illiteracy.  With consistent, kind persistence, a reluctant reader can become an active participant in his reading journey. Parents are willing to put forth this sort of effort where musical or athletic skills are involved. Reading is critical to their future. Behaviors are learned when we associate a friendly relationship with a favorable outcome. Reinforcement strengthens a behavior while punishment weakens it. How are we preparing students for life outside the classroom? The greatest intrinsic motivator is love. Let’s instill a passion for learning!

Building Relationships

The one common thread that unites us is the need to feel loved. When we value someone’s efforts, we break down barriers instantly. Imagine if the student could reward you for the way you teach them. I like the online platform VIPKID because it allows parents, teachers, the company’sLearning Partners, and students to have open communication to focus on the needs of the students. The student can show his appreciation to teachers by giving ten hearts during class. The teacher can use external rewards such as toys or digital effects as well as five stars given through various points in a 25-minute lesson. The parents can give the teacher a five apple review for each class and write the teacher a note. 

Even with all the praise given, the greatest satisfaction comes when a student can be promoted based on their natural ability and intrinsic motivation. Our best reward comes from the relationships we build. I have enjoyed meaningful connections outside the classroom with several parents. The best surprise I had my first year teaching was when a family took their vacation in my hometown Orlando, Florida, so that we could meet! How is that for relationship building!

VIPKID has a community of 90,000 teachers worldwide, teaching 700,000 students. Students are placed at a perceived level based on their initial test performance. Unfortunately, we are not teaching children to perform but to learn to communicate. I have made suggestions to parents to move students up 60 to 120 lessons based on our “Free Talk.” After teaching 4,500 classes in 18 months, I can assess if the student can do immeasurably more than the curriculum requires. It is a great feeling to know the student will be challenged and not just have to go through the motions because their parents or the program standards dictated the level chosen by the initial assessment! There is a difference between proficiency and aptitude. You know the student appreciates you when she ends class saying, “I love you, teacher!”

As a foreign language teacher, I am more focused on student-centered learning than when I was a homeschool parent teaching all the other subjects. Wikipedia’s definition of pedagogy includes the essential teaching approach. “Student-centered learning, also known as learner-centered education, broadly encompasses teaching methods that shift the focus of instruction from the teacher to the student. In original usage, student-centered learning aims to develop learner autonomy and independence by putting responsibility for students' learning path. Student-centered instruction focuses on skills and practices that enable lifelong learning and independent problem-solving.” 

As a foreign language teacher, I am more focused on student-centered learning than I was as a homeschool parent due to the variety of grades and subjects I taught privately and in groups. Wikipedia’s definition of pedagogy includes the essential teaching approach. “Student-centered learning, also known as learner-centered education, broadly encompasses methods of teaching that shift the focus of instruction from the teacher to the student. In original usage, student-centered learning aims to develop learner autonomy and independence by putting responsibility for the learning path in the hands of students. Student-centered instruction focuses on skills and practices that enable lifelong learning and independent problem-solving.”

We cannot apply a traditional approach to teach anymore. We are creating world citizens, and there is not a better approach than to focus on the needs of our student. Online learning offers teachers the freedom to address these unique needs. We need to train both men and women to gain these skills that impact the world. This quote is heartbreaking to me: “When you educate a woman, you educate a village; when you educate a man, you educate an individual,” Ms. Marope. An educator is a leader and should train everyone to lead.

Foreign language teachers have an additional challenge. When students learn a second language, their minds are conditioned to be biased in their native language. They will need to learn to compartmentalize a new set of rules both in grammar and pronunciation. This can be more challenging for some than for others. Nonetheless, we need to continue to challenge students not to slow down the process and cause the student to lose complete interest and end the learning prematurely.

When we look at teaching a foreign language, we have to take into account the psychology insights into how learners view themselves, and how these self-beliefs can develop and affect the progress of an individual’s language learning. The number one goal is to keep the student engaged and help them feel valued through this journey. Things like proper grammar are not as much of a priority at first as gaining a passionate student who will eventually care about grammar by himself or herself.

Learning a Foreign Language Bridges Cultural Gaps

Here are some techniques I use to help my students feel at ease. Adjust depending on your relationship with the student.

I always start my first class by taking the first risk. I need to lead by example by being vulnerable first. I ask the students for their Chinese names. Often they are surprised that I want to learn from them how to speak and write it. I will start writing before they do. Ninety-nine percent of the time, I misspell their names. I try pronouncing their name one or two more times. I ask them to write it for me and make sure I use it in the parent feedback. Within the first minute, I made them the teacher, and they love it. I have created our first rule in class without them knowing it; there are no rules, let us be open to learning. Check out this excellent article about the roles of self-esteem in language learning. Click here:

“Another important factor in determining one’s success in the oral performance of the second language is the level of inhibition. Inhibition refers to the degree to which individuals allow their ego boundary to be open to a new set of knowledge and value systems. Brown (1994) describes the “language ego,” a concept coined by Guiora. He says: The human ego encompasses what Guiora called the language ego to refer to the very personal, egoistic nature of second language acquisition. Meaningful language acquisition involves some degree of identity conflict as language learners take on a new identity with their newly acquired competence (p. 138).”

Allow your students to make mistakes. It’s better to have the student attempt than give up altogether in fear of being judged because of the expectation to be perfect. Even on the 10th attempt, be kind.

Make learning fun. Have you ever tripped over a crack on the floor? It’s the same thing with language. We can’t always speak straight; we can trip, but we will get back up. Laughing at ourselves and with the student is vital to help them maintain high self-esteem. 

When a student mispronounces a word, write it down and say it out loud so they can visually see and take a mental photo of the differences. The most common (and comical) mispronunciation I hear from Chinese students is the words: smell and smile. The subtle difference between this two-letter sounds /e/ for an /i/, and it changes the entire meaning of the word. Make a sentence with each, act it out, and laugh with them. The memory of you two discussing this small change will be permanently embedded in their minds.

Set the tone for who is in charge of the classroom from the beginning. Parents tend to want to compensate for their children’s lack of knowledge by answering for them or translating everything the teacher says. This is a disservice to the student, the parent, the teacher, and the system. Parents are investing in a process they are supposed to trust. Fear of failure overtakes common sense. The parent perceives these 25 minutes of their recorded class as a permanent record of their child's language proficiency. Some parents want their children to succeed every second and are relentless in correcting their child. With a smile on, I begin speaking immediately into my phone’s Google Translator and say, “Mom/Dad, sit back, relax, and let’s see what your child can do. I can see they want to participate, and this is great! We have plenty of time. Allow me the opportunity to assess where I can help them.” I have diffused the situation from the get-go. I am assuring parents they were wise to invest in a system that places a native speaker in front of their child. They have to trust the system from this point on. That system is now in my hands.

A parent’s behavior will directly influence a child’s behavior. We are a team, and the team needs to have open communication. Not only does the student hear the message, but the parent is now committed because I set my expectations from the beginning. I have had a few students take advantage of and get sassy with their parents in the class, as well. Immediately I lovingly but firmly correct the student and expect them to respect their parents. We all have to respect each other’s roles, from the youngest to the oldest.

Silence is the best tool for self-evaluation. We want the students to go from teacher-led to self-monitoring. Parents tell me I am very patient with their children. Students can hear and recognize their errors. Silence is golden! Students must realize their ability to teach themselves. Noone likes silence, at least I don't, and my students don't. It's awkward.

When a student is “stuck” I give them the first letter of the word. I will write it and sound one letter out and wait. If I have shown them the word with a prop previously, I will show them again and give them time. I can also ask them to draw what they are trying to say. They love this approach. Often the mind relaxes, and they recall the word on their own. I am teaching them to use resources that will help them remember words in the future. Sometimes just picking up an item is enough to spark the memory bank into action. The real joy of learning comes when an individual finds his power to learn. 

1. I always start my first class by taking the first risk. I need to lead by example by being vulnerable first. I ask the students for their Chinese names. Often they are surprised that I want to learn from them how to speak and write it. I will start writing before they do. Ninety-nine percent of the time, I misspell their names. I try pronouncing their name one or two more times. I ask them to write it for me and make sure I use it in the parent feedback. Within the first minute, I made them the teacher, and they love it. I have created our first rule in class without them knowing it; there are no rules, let us be open to learning. Check out this excellent article about the roles of self-esteem in language learning. Click here:

“Another important factor in determining one’s success in the oral performance of the second language is the level of inhibition. Inhibition refers to the degree to which individuals allow their ego boundary to be open to a new set of knowledge and value systems. Brown (1994) describes the ‘language ego,’ a concept coined by Guiora. He says: The human ego encompasses what Guiora called the language ego to refer to the very personal, egoistic nature of second language acquisition. Meaningful language acquisition involves some degree of identity conflict as language learners take on a new identity with their newly acquired competence (p. 138).”

2. Allow your students to make mistakes. It’s better to have the student attempt than give up altogether in fear of being judged because of the expectation to be perfect. Even on the tenth attempt, be kind.

3. Make learning fun. Have you ever tripped over a crack on the floor? It’s the same with language. We can’t always walk straight; we can trip, but we will get back up. Laughing at ourselves and with the student is vital to help them maintain high self-esteem. 

4. When a student mispronounces a word, write it down and say it aloud so they can visually see and take a mental photo of the differences. The most common and comical mispronunciation I hear from Chinese students are the words: smell and smile. The difference between two letter sounds, the /e/ for an /i/ and it changes the meaning. Make a sentence with each, act it out, and laugh with them. The memory of you two discussing this small change will be permanently embedded in their minds.

5. Set the tone for who is in charge of the classroom from the beginning. Parents tend to want to compensate for their children’s lack of knowledge by answering for them or translating everything the teacher says. This is a disservice to the student, the parent, the teacher, and the system. Parents are investing in a process they are supposed to trust. Fear of failure overtakes common sense. The parent perceives these 25 minutes of their recorded class as a permanent record of their past contribution in their child’s life. They want them to succeed every second and make corrections incessantly. 

With a smile on, I begin speaking immediately into my phone’s Google Translator and say, “Mom/Dad, sit back, relax, and let’s see what your child can do. I can see they want to participate, and this is great! We have plenty of time. Allow me the opportunity to assess where I can help them.” I have diffused the situation from the get-go. I am assuring parents they were wise to invest in a system that places a native speaker to lead their child. They have to trust the system from this point on. That system is now in my hands.

A parent’s behavior will directly influence a child’s behavior. We are a team, and the team needs to have open communication. Not only does the student hear the message, but the parent is now committed because I set my expectations from the beginning. I have had a few students take advantage of and get sassy with their parents in the class. Immediately I correct the students and expect them to respect their parents. We all have to respect each other’s roles, from the youngest to the oldest.

6. Silence is my best tool for self-evaluation. We want the students to go from teacher-led to self-monitoring. Parents tell me I am very patient with their children. When they are distracted, are being disrespectful, or just don’t want to read the lesson, I wait quietly. Students recognize their errors. Silence is golden! Students must realize their ability to teach themselves. Nobody likes silence. It feels strange. 

7. When a student is “stuck” I give them the first letter of the word. I will write it and sound one letter out and wait. If I have shown them the word with an object previously, I will show them again and give them time. I can also ask them to draw what they are trying to say. They love this approach. Often the mind relaxes, and they recall the word on their own. I am teaching them to use resources that will help them remember words in the future. Sometimes just picking up an item is enough to spark our memory into action. The real joy of learning comes when an individual finds his power to learn. 

8. I intentionally learned a few Chinese commands. I know my pronunciation is not great, but the parents and the kids get a kick out of it, and I laugh with them. They appreciate the effort. The child can understand what I am asking them to do at a moment’s notice. These keywords I use daily are: you read /nǐ dú/, you write, /nǐ xiě/ and show me /gěi wǒ kàn kàn/. They especially love to hear me say /gěi wǒ kàn kàn/. It’s freeing to understand someone who says to you in your language, “share something with me.” Powerful! 

I have shown interest in learning about their culture, and they take an interest in hearing about mine. Because the Spanish language has a few accents, I noted that the Chinese language also has accents. I found a 30-minute video explaining how to pronounce vowels with accents correctly. I still get it wrong sometimes, but I love to try. I want to be on an even playing field with my students, so they see that we are learning together. I want to be on an even playing field with my students, so they know that we are learning together. I have several parents who are English teachers who are so nervous about speaking to me that they forget simple words, and their child has to help them! 

My student Happy recently shared with me about a trip to McDonald’s. He said he met a group of men from India who were visiting China looking into a start-up company. He approached them, and they engaged in conversation about things to do in the area. Happy took a picture with them and said to me, “it was such a meaningful conversation. I can’t explain how happy I am.” 

There it is in a nutshell: learning has to be MEANINGFUL! After all, education is a process, not a product. The ultimate reward a student can gain from learning a second language is learning about cultural affinity. When we accomplish this, we have bridged the gap and gained another global citizen.

Visit us at Fitness Latinos for more information on how to transform your life through relationships. Take 1, 2, or 3 free Spanish classes today!

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