A REFLECTION OF TEACHER’S AFFECTIVE ELEMENT TO LOWER ADULT LEARNERS’ AFFECTIVE FILTER AND ENCOURAGE INCLUSIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

Abstract

This paper is a reflective study of how teachers’ positive affective element affects the way students react to the lessons during my observation period on online English classes for teachers. The classes were set to prepare English teachers for proficiency exams. Hence, the students were English teachers (participants) and the teachers were expatriate English teachers (facilitators). I found observing these classes to be interesting mainly because the subjects were English teachers. Preparing English teachers for an English exam is not an easy task, especially when the teachers have been teaching for over a decade. Many viewed being tested as being doubted on their expertise and thus, showed reluctance to participate in the learning process. This corroborates earlier research that claimed being a facilitator for disinclined and demotivated participants could be emotionally draining (Kyriacou, 2000, as cited in Abu-Rmaileh, 2020). The course was set based on a predetermined syllabus to meet the needs for exam readiness; and the proficiency of the participants was significantly lower than expectation. This was in contrast to Krashen and Terrel’s Natural Approach (1983), founded on the principle that involving learners in meaningful communicative and interactive activities at the suitable complexity level is the foundation of a language learning, compared to teaching the predetermined materials. This is probably why the classes did not quite yield the expected outcome for the participants. This reflective study is based on live observation report, reflective journals that I wrote while observing the classes, and interview with participants. There were 5 lessons with two facilitators who are both expatriate English teachers that the participants specifically requested. Each class lasted for 2 to 3 hours. I concentrated my reflection on the affective element shown by the facilitators in the classes. The facilitators demonstrated different approaches in their teaching which then resulted in different outcomes.