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Minimizing Learner Anxiety and Maximizing Communicative Competence through the Implementation of Indirect Language Strategies in the Taiwanese ESL/EFL Classroom

(透過間接性語言策略減低學習焦慮與增進溝通能力—在台灣的外語教室中)

Robert E. Johanson

（周若漢）
東華大學英美語文學系
語言中心主任/助理教授

As arguably every public and private institution of learning in Taiwan, ranging from preliminary education in the form of pre-kindergarten bushibans to post-doctoral student training programs at top-notch universities, continues to “feel the pinch” of what has come to amount to the English 2008 Challenge fever, it is becoming increasingly important for everyone involved (politicians, principals, parents, students, tutors, etc.) to step back for a moment to re-define, re-examine, and re-assess our collective ideas, attitudes, and goals regarding what it means to learn and teach English as a Foreign Language in Taiwan in the first place.

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“When and how did L2 (second) language study become a form of torture practiced upon Taiwanese youth?”

“Does forcing our cute little kids to learn English in the traditional way harm their future proficiency levels?”

“Why are we teaching to the test and not teaching how to apply what we learn to real life situations?”

"How did this entire learn-English-vocabulary/grammar-or-suffer-the-consequences theater begin?"

"What, if anything, is broken? Whatneeds to be fixed? Why will Taiwan probably NOT reach its EFL goals?"

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While a complete and fair discussion of the above sentence would require its own constellation of series of conferences and seminars ..., the presenter’s goal today is to show that the “silver bullet” we are chasing might more accessible than we have been led to believe - if we are willing to redefine ourselves less as “instructors” and “teachers,” and more as “enablers,” “illuminators,” and “language-learning consultants.” Probably the most effective way to turn this mirror onto ourselves is to look far back at Canale and Swain’s (1980) concept of communicative competence (and its four pillars: grammatical, sociolinguistic, discourse, and strategic competence) and strive to provide our students with learning environments that show them how to look into themselves to find their own idiosyncratic language-learning strengths, aptitudes, and abilities so that they can arm themselves with the panoply of tools necessary to reach their own Z.P.D. (zones of proximal development) in their struggles to learn EFL.

As can be inferred by the title of this presentation, the presenter maintains that one of the most effective means of achieving these lofty goals is to examine Rebecca Oxford’s landmark work on language-learning strategies, specifically her treatment of the second, yet arguably most necessary type of such strategy for the Taiwanese English classroom, ...INDIRECT STRATEGIES.

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~PRESENTATION OUTLINE~

I.
Discussion of the presentation title (above) and its implication for today’s conference.

II.
What is communicative competence and how do Canale and Swain’s (1980) original four pillars (grammatical, sociolinguistic, discourse, and strategic) combine to form this quite simplistic, yet frequently misunderstood, construct?

III.
What is the relationship between communicative competence, language-learning strategies, and learner anxiety? And how might defining this relationship improve our teaching of EFL in Taiwan?

IV.
What are the two types of language learning strategies (direct and indirect) and how do they differ?

[Direct: Memory Strategies, Cognitive Strategies, and Compensation Strategies]

[Indirect: Metacognitive Strategies, Affective Strategies, and Social Strategies]

V.

Why might basic instruction on language-learning strategies, especially indirect strategies, be a NECESSARY ADDITION TO the Taiwanese language-learning classroom?

VI.

How can we take the steps necessary to implement instruction that encourages us to impart to our students facility in employing indirect strategies while still satisfying the need to “teach to the test.”

VII.
Conclusion & After-thoughts

VIII.
Question & Answer Session

For further information regarding the topics presented herein, please contact R.J. @ rejohanson@usa.net