Latest Issue of the MindBrainEd Think Tank + (ISSN 2434-1002) 5 MindBrainEd Bulletin V4i5 Think Tank Emotion May | Page 15

(1960) differentiated the two and considered them as two different dimensions, not
opposite ends of one continuum. Facilitative anxiety energizes and drives learners to
perform well, while debilitative anxiety impedes performance and hinders learning.
This anomaly can be explained through the above-mentioned, completely different
categorization or explanation our brain comes up with.
What Dr. Barrett shares with us in her book (2017) has profound implications for L2
teachers. I will discuss three of them below. First, we teachers need to think seriously
about the fact that what our students experience today changes how they see the
world tomorrow. Suppose that today some of your students consider L2 learning
activities not as fulfilling but as painful because they cannot present themselves in L2
as they are in L1. Then, in the next class, they will make disadvantageous predictions
and may experience greater tension than before when performing in L2; thus, some
may feel more embarrassed to speak, some may become unnecessarily self-conscious
and feel like avoiding actively taking part in the activities, and others may become
panicked because they anticipate negative evaluation from their peers and teacher.
Teachers need to plan classroom activities and learning materials carefully: The
activities and materials shouldn’t be too challenging to deal with. Teachers also need
to take efforts to provide less threatening environments. Let your students
experience success in the learning environment where they support each other and
build confidence for future encounters. Practical suggestions for teachers are found
elsewhere (eg., Gkonou, Daubney, & Dewaele, 2016).
Second, we tend to think we are passively experiencing specific emotions, but in fact,
what our brains are really experiencing are physiological symptoms or sensations:
our heart beating faster, palms sweating, and stomach shrinking, among others.
With these pieces of information, the brain makes a simple summary of what is
happening inside our body, makes predictions about the situation, and creates
emotions, such as anxiety. When learners understand this function of the brain, i.e.,
that emotions are made by the brain on the basis of basic symptoms and that
emotions can be explained in biological terms, they will understand that they can
take control of their emotions, including L2 anxiety. It is possible to transform their
emotional life and the meaning of their L2 learning experiences by unpacking what
they have constructed as emotion into mere body signals and sensations. They will
learn to make a new meaning and exert agency in pursuing L2 learning (Kashdan,
Barrett, & McKnight, 2015).
The ability to put
feelings into words has
potential to regulate
emotions.
Third, in relation to the above-mentioned second
implication, I suggest teachers discuss L2 learning
experiences with their students and equip them
with more fine-grained emotion words. Past
research has demonstrated that emotions become
real to us through words. The ability to put feelings
into words has potential to regulate emotions and