ZZThrowing a Fit Can Make You Fail Your Spanish Class

Picture this for a moment:

Getting discouraged while studying can actually slow your learning process.

You have a student showing up for probably one of the most boring Spanish classes known to man while maintaining an A average. Somewhere else in the country, there’s an individual working at home with one of those nifty language learning tapes and somehow seems to fail every time.

(Of course, those tapes aren’t Language101.com…. Shameless promotion!)

And to make it funnier, you might find two more people, one failing miserably in class and the other doing pretty darn well with the tapes!

Why is that?

Why Great Learning Programs Fail and Bad Programs Succeed

It’s about your attitude, folks.

That much was clear when I looked at the emotional responses of language students to their language learning opportunities.

Did the student get excited about learning grammar with only a dry textbook? If so, she probably went on to succeed.

If she felt neutral, bored, or stressed with great learning software like this web site, she probably failed.

You have to have a great vocabulary to play Scrabble. First, though, you have to learn your vocabulary!

Emotions play a role in your success to learn any language.

You Still, However, Need to Consider the Effectiveness of the Program

So your emotions really affect how much you learn. But you still have to be using a method that really works. A lot of so-called “learning” games like Scrabble are a lot of fun, but there isn’t much learning.

Once you have a method that really works, anything that helps you feel better will make the method ten times more effective.

So Don’t Get Stressed Out!

Everyone who stresses out or worries about learning will either eventually get over their stress or fail.  It’s that simple.  There are no exceptions.

That’s why we put so much emphasis on feeling good whether you get the answer right or wrong. If today’s study didn’t make you feel good, you probably won’t come back again and do it tomorrow! But if you stay positive, the reward in language learning will be huge.

Remember that when you’re about to throw a fit in Spanish class or at home with the Spanish language learning program you have (hopefully, it’s Language101!). Just stay calm.

Please Tweet This Article

If you liked this article please share it with your friends on Twitter by tweeting the message below.

Why Emotions Matter in Language Learning.
https://language101.com/attitude
Please r/t

Last updated: November 22, 2011