EVENT 3 Vulnerability
My dear students,
Learning a language most of the time has to do with vulnerability, doesn’t it? It has to do with embracing the courage to speak and make connections! Above all, it involves the courage to be imperfect and make mistakes!
Listen to the following Ted talk by Brené Brown:
https://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_the_power_of_vulnerability
Try to answer these questions:
-How do you define vulnerability?
-What makes you feel vulnerable?
-How do feel when you have to speak English in class?
So, most of us have this problem! We feel vulnerable when we have to speak in
public, especially when we have to speak another language!
What can we do to avoid emotions such as fear, shame, uncertainty in class, and allow ourselves to be seen in our English class? What advice would you give students so that they can cope with the vulnerable world of a language class?
Join a group of 3 students and prepare a product that might help other students cope with their emotions and discomfort of speaking in class.
The product can be an animation, video, movie, or any other creation you think might help students facing this problem. You might also wish to tell your experience and mention what strategies you use when you have to embrace the necessary courage needed to learn a new language! Start by reading the following excerpts from the talk I have prepared for you and talk to your classmates about it!
The power of vulnerability by Brené Brown
Excerpts:
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong
man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The
credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred
by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short
again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but
who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the
great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows,
in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he
fails, at least fails while daring greatly.” T. Roosevelt
“When we spend our lives waiting until we’re perfect or bulletproof before we
walk into the arena, we ultimately sacrifice relationships and opportunities
that may not be recoverable, we squander our precious time, and we turn our
backs on our gifts, those unique contributions that only we can make,” says
Brown. “Perfect and bulletproof are seductive, but they don’t
exist in the human experience.”
“I define vulnerability as uncertainty, risk, and emotional exposure. With
that definition in mind, let’s think about love. Waking up every day and
loving someone who may or may not love us back, whose safety we can’t ensure,
who may stay in our lives or may leave without a moment’s notice, who may be
loyal to the day they die or betray us tomorrow — that’s vulnerability.”
“Raising children who are hopeful and who have the courage to be vulnerable
means stepping back and letting them experience disappointment, deal with
conflict, learn how to assert themselves, and have the opportunity to fail. If
we’re always following our children into the arena, hushing the critics, and
assuring their victory, they’ll never learn that they have the ability to dare
greatly on their own.”
Reading Activity
Read this article:
https://rachaeltesol.wordpress.com/2013/06/30/the-vulnerability-of-language-learning/
Oral Discussion:
Come to class ready to discuss the topic "Vulnerability in Language Learning".
State your position on the role of the teacher in creating an atmosphere in
which students can cope with anxiety and feel free to speak in the language
class.
Let us all assume that life is messy and love it with a whole heart? Let’s
fully embrace vulnerability and understand that:
At the core of vulnerability, there is: shame, fear, struggle, and
worthiness.
But vulnerability is also birthplace to:
JOY, CREATIVITY, BELONGING, AND LOVE!
Video by Raul Caetano and Rafaela Zanetti, 1st semester of 2020
Video by Thiago Alves, 1st semester of 2020
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