Risky learning

Talk in my ESL course has turned to Flow and the joy of learning. The concept inspired me to look at the flip side, and consider what are the risks involved in learning. "Learning...", I hear you say, "shouldn't be risky. We choose to learn, and we only learn what we want, so... what's the risk?"

Well, I'm glad you asked, because it gives me reason to continue writing this particular blog.

The risk(s) in learning can be many-fold, especially when the learning takes place in a group or pair-work setting. I have no fear or concern in learning on my own, in a secluded setting such as through an online course. However, put me in a classroom and I appear to go through a personality change. I sit quietly, listening to the instructor's words, following the text, and observing my classmates. Put me on the spot, and I become a stammering, stuttering fool without a brain. Does this mean I have no brain? Certainly not... I have a very good brain, and it serves me well in most situations. Perhaps I suffer from nerves, or a condition such as Classroom Phobia (yes, it really exists!). Well, actually, no to both of those premises as well. I do, however, suffer from a fear of being wrong. Arrogant? OK, but it is a fear that has been with me since childhood, and I am far too old to change my ways now :)

Many learners suffer the same or similar anxieties in learning situations. Particularly when placed in group settings, or learning teams. They won't raise their hand or ask questions in the classroom, for fear of creating the impression that they are uneducated or ignorant. When this fear is placed firmly in a situation of different cultures, where the fearful one cannot even gauge what the other learner's reactions might be, this fear increases in intensity. If they ask for help, they run the risk of appearing incompetent. If they make mistakes, they may seem to be lacking in ability.

The learner group that I instruct comprises largely professionals. These young people have - for the most part - had significant careers in their short lifespans. These youth have an image to maintain, and even more so now that they are in a country where they need to make an excellent impression just to get an entry level position in a career where they were already supervisors and managers. Damaging their reputations through group learning, even when the topic is not field-specific, is a high risk maneuver for most.

So, what should we do as teachers to reduce these perceived risks and encourage the Flow and joy of timeless learning? How can we develop in our learners the confidence they once had before they came to this country?

I try to let my learners know that nothing has changed in them as a person. The only thing that has really changed in their lives is the view from their window when they wake up in the morning. They are still those knowledgeable individuals that stepped off the plane, with their education and career backgrounds. They still possess all of their skills and abilities, just at another time in another place. I tell them that, if they open their learning up to listening to others, they will become richer for the experience. I tell them that there is no risk in my classroom, and that we all feel that fear... even me. I cannot fail my learners. For if I do, I doom them also to failure, and I will not allow that to happen as long as it is within my power to prevent it.

To encourage Flow and joy, mitigate risk and fear. Be strong, confident, and a leader as well as a guide, and your learner's will follow your example.