Does English Proficiency Affect The Academic Performance In A Class?
Throughout the process of my teaching practicum, some aspects such as the students´participation in class, the trust teacher-learner, or attendance are interesting for me to analyze and reflect upon, but there is another one that caught my attention the most, and it is the difference among them in the English proficiency level. From the five (of twenty in total) students that can connect to online classes with me, two of them are above the expected level, the other three are a little below it.
I cannot state objectively what I am going to say because it is my perception I am judging with, but during the last classes, I have felt how the students with less knowledge in the language, are less likely to participate in class compared to the ones who can develop more complex structures when they are asked to do so. My hypothesis is that students with a lower level may feel nervous, anxious, and even afraid to participate because their classmates might mock on them for pronouncing bad or not knowing what to say. I can support my idea with my own experience because when I was in high school, I did not know much about the language and I was a shy person and ashamed to participate in front of the class.
Sometimes, we teachers tend to forget how we were in the past, and how we would have acted if we were in their position as students. In my opinion, the keyword in this process is called empathy, but it turns out difficult for me when I try to make all my students participate actively without feeling embarrassed especially in activities that require their speaking skills. I try to motivate them all the time, telling them things like, "do not be afraid to participate, we are all here to learn. I am learning with you too", also, "I was just like you when I started learning English, and look a me know teaching you the language", or "I know you can do it guys, we are here to make mistakes, but most importantly, to learn from them".
I just do not want them to feel minimized for classmates that know more than them because these feelings may affect their academic performances and one day just give up with the language, when the reality is that we are all capable of learning a language and master it, it may take more time for some people, and less for others, and I want to let my students know that they can, but sometimes I feel stuck because I do not know how to make them follow my advice.
I like the way you encourage your students to participate in classes, and I also know how difficult it is to convince them to do it. Sometimes we have to take control in the classroom, for example, asking a specific student instead of just waiting for someone's answer. I have clear the fact that it could feel a little rude, but we as teachers also have to take them a little bit out of their comfort zone in order to learn. Of course, always being respectful.
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