Learning Languages: How to Inspire Students

By Andreina Ibarra

Learning a language is not easy, which is why the teacher’s ability to motivate his or her students is essential. From children to adults, it’s never too late to learn a foreign language.

What motivates you to learn a language? That is the question you need to ask your students while explaining to them that the curriculum is not as relevant as the goal they want to achieve after they learn the language. Other questions you can ask your students are:

• What does learning a language means to you?
• Why do you want to learn a language?
• How can language help you achieve your goals?

To inspire language learning, teachers need to highlight their students’ achievements and show them where they need to improve. For the classroom, it is best to use learning techniques that are engaging for today’s students, such as videos and podcasts.

Interaction between students is also essential to keep them inspired. Students and teachers can use vocabulary, mime, or guessing skills to create a positive environment and to encourage teamwork.

To inspire students, teachers can also offer small rewards to reinforce individual and group learning progress. Another productive way to encourage language learning is to have students watch a film or television program in the target language. 

The student must be entirely sure that he or she wants to learn a language and that it is not someone else’s decision. Many students are learning a language because of an academic requirement because they have to and not because they necessarily want to, however, learning a language allows students to explore and use skills that can be applied to other areas of their learning, as well as in their personal lives.

In today’s global environment, learning a language offers students the opportunity to view their community from a different perspective, understand others’ culture, and show a critical aspect of how we as humans should interact to see life from another angle.

To inspire a person, it is necessary to get down to work. The decision to learn a new language is already a step forward. Try to set specific goals tailored to each student’s needs and show them that they have a chance to succeed.