Over the Wall of Silence

32 Over the Wall of Silence

We had that experience too. When we look back on it, we now realize how instructions that we thought were crystal-clear were ac tually leaving our students in the dark. Simply put, we didn’t give them enough information so they didn’t perform well. In fact, it’s not only a question of instructions and how they are phrased, it’s a question of making the whole class situation well-defined and within students’ comfort levels.

Social scientists have noted that the trait known as uncertainty avoid ance is particularly high in Japanese culture. This means that, in gen eral, people actively avoid what is unclear. When they are unable to avoid it, uncertainty has a paralyzing effect on them. In the class room, even small hesitations and blocks have a strong negative ef fect when they accumulate to a huge waste of time and energy. As a result, valuable class time is lost, learning is poorer than it ought to be and teachers are far more frustrated than they should be. To put it more positively: at least in the first crucial lessons of a semester, Japanese language learners are much more relaxed and ac tive when they know what is coming and what will be expected of them. Japanese students like, no, need peace of mind. So for that rea son, it might be said that reducing uncertainty in your classroom is vital.