Positives and Negatives

The four positives we chose today were: connection, intercultural competence, engagement, and accomplishment. Among the four, intercultural competence seems to be the most significant one. The ultimate goal of learning a language is to properly interact in the target language culture and having intercultural competence makes us survive this globalized world, while at the same times being capable of using languages as a key to open various doors—different aspects/fields of daily life.

The four negatives were: frustration, boredom, anxiety, and insecurity. Being aware of the fact that anxiety might “greatly influence a student’s language learning” is something a teacher should always keep in mind. Anxiety might sometimes stop students from learning actively; however, it can also be the reason that motivates students to practice more, and to push themselves to a higher level.

-Chung-Hui Kim Liao