Preview of Ch. 8: Affect (Ben)

Rather than clutter this blog with duplicate summaries and thoughts, it was agreed that Megumi would write up a summary/preview of Ch. 8 (which she did) and I would pose some questions for you, our esteemed peers, to answer before and after completing the chapter. For the sake of ease I have posted the pre-reading questions first. Please answer these BEFORE reading the chapter as it would be silly to do them afterwards.
Thanks.

Pre Reading Questions:

What is affect?


Before peeking ahead to the chapter, how do you think affect plays a role in L2 learning?



Have you read the chapter and answered the pre-reading questions? Ok if the answer is yes, please move on, if the answer is no, return to the pre-reading questions.
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Post Reading Questions:

-Think of your own language learning experiences. Which areas covered in the chapter had a beneficial or detrimental impact on your L2 learning?



-It was stated in the chapter that:
“It appears that intuitive thinkers are likely to be attracted to the study of foreign languages, perhaps because they enjoy the intuiting or holistic demands of working with words and meaning symbols as well as the thinking or analytical demands of grammatical analysis. Rather unexpectedly, many introverts are also attracted to the study of foreign languages.”
What are some possible explanations for introvert’s interest in foreign language learning? Can introverts enjoy the intuiting or holistic demands as well? Do you think they are as likely to be successful learners? Why?



-In the classroom, what are some things you can do as a teacher to help students with different personalities, extra/introversion, anxieties, levels of willingness to communicate, and styles succeed?



-How can/Can a teacher anticipate stressful conditions affecting introverted students discussed in section 8.2 and anxiety in 8.3 to successfully ease the negative impact on their students?



-How much (if any) of an L2 teacher’s time should be spent on myth busting? For example: Dispelling the belief that studying only vocabulary and grammar should allow a learner to speak and write without errors.
Why?



-How much of the anxiety felt by low students is due to low ability? How much of an anxious students low ability is due to anxiety?



-How can the results of the research on field independence and sensitivity change the way we look at how material should be presented in the L2 classroom?