|
“You
see, really and truly, apart from the things anyone can pick up (the dressing
and the proper way of speaking and so on), the difference between a lady
and a flower girl is not how she behaves, but how she is treated. I shall
always be a flower girl to Profesor Higgins, because he always treats
me as a flower girl, and always will, but I know I can be a lady to you
because you always treat me as a lady, and always will.” The word we are looking for here is self-esteem . Self-esteem depends on how we see ourselves and how the people who are important to us (parents, teachers and peers) see us. Studies results indicate that low self-esteem can be the explanation for many of the problems that our students suffer at school. When children have negative feelings about themselves, they are more likely to display negative feelings towards others, to underachieve in school, and to develop behavioural problems and/or anti-social behaviour. Some students with a poor self-image may be excessively fearful and timid, expect failure and find it difficult to make decisions and express opinions. Others, may be bullying and bragging. It seems that the most important social need is the one for a positive regard. Human beings need to be liked and feel loved and valued. This need is especially important for young school children as they are still building their self-image. However, a study carried out in 1982 showed that on avarage children receive 460 negative or critical comments and only 75 positive ones. Many children are humilliated in the classroom in pursuit of achievement and controlled behaviour. This makes students feel tense and overwhelmed and block their learning process. On the contraty, creating a positive verbal environment in the classroom and avoiding negative ways to deal with behaviour at school enhance students´ self-confidence and improve their academic performance. Motivation is considered as one of the main conditions for learning to take place. The most important form of motivation is intrinsic motivation. Students who feel good about themselves are intrinsically motivated and therefore more likely to be successful. Success in one area allows pupils to be risk-takers and triers in other areas. This seems to be especially significant for foreign language teachers. Our students´ performance will be greatly influenced by the way they view the classroom: as a place where their weaknesses will be revealed or as a space for growth and development. A supportive classroom environment makes pupils feel secure and helps them to face challenges presented by school life. There are five key components of self-esteem we should try to develop in class: a sense of security, a sense of identity, a sense of belonging, a sense of purpose and a sense of personal competence. The usefulness of using self-esteem activities in the foreign language classroom to promote values and positive attitudes has been largely proved. If teachers encourage students to use language to express their feelings, both their linguistic abilities and their emotional development are greatly enhanced. According to Verónica de Andrés, the objectives to be pursued are: 1. To develop children´s undestanding of themselves: to learn
about their uniqueness; to enhance their ability to express feelings;
to encourage them to think positively about themselves. To conclude, just a recipe for success: “Expect a lot from people. You´ll get more. Have high expectations and reinforce them with positive messages, even if requires being a good actor” (adapted from Prof. Dov Eden). For
futher information see references. References: De Andrés, Verónica. Self-esteem in the classroom or the metamorphosis of butterflies. From Affect in Language Learning, edited by Jane Arnold. 1999. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Bonet, José-Vicente. Sé amigo de ti mismo. 1997. Cantabria: Sal Terrae. Dalgleish,
Tanya. 2002. Activities and ideas to develop children´s self-esteem,
across the Curriculum.London: A Et C Black Publishers Limited. University
of Texas KidsHealth Nacional
Assocaition for Self-Esteem Self-Esteem
Test for Adults Self-Esteem
Tests for Kids. Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. Self- Esteem Resources. Free
Self-Esteem worksheets for kids. Wikipedia
|
||||