The Other Side of the Desk: Experiencing Learning a New Language

Abstract

The article discusses the comments of thirty in-service ESL teachers who participated in introductory lessons to an unknown language (Russian). The comments indicate high levels of anxiety and a need for security before and during instruction. Culturally conditioned needs such as the display of competence and control may influence these feelings with adults in particular. Various cognitive techniques employed to master the material as quickly as possible were sometimes highly idiosyncratic and seemed to reflect the need to retain control. In general, the participants evidently gained a number of practical insights into different aspects of classroom second-language instruction.