Can you learn a new language without seeing how the words are written? Is it possible to learn through songs, catch-phrases and short clips, rather than through books? Why is your emotional well-being a key factor in your learning process?
The Impact of Positive Emotions on Learning
We usually think about learning as a rational process that involves solely the intellect, but recent studies show that our cognitive functions are highly affected by our emotional state. When students experience positive emotions רגשות (reh-gah-shoht) during their studies, not only does it increase their motivation to invest more time and effort in their studies, but it can also help them accomplish more.
We’ve all experienced this phenomenon firsthand: in elementary school, we had that one teacher who believed in us, no matter how chaotic, reckless, or shy and introverted we were. Their constant support and encouragement made us fall in love with math, science, and literature. Perhaps you had the unfortunate experience of the opposite type of teacher—the one who made you feel inadequate, stupid, and out of place, and you remember the negative impact it had on your learning experience.
How One Teacher Transformed My Confidence
In their article “Emotion in Educational Contexts”, Paul A. Schutz, P. D. Quijada, S. de Vries, and M. Lynde from the University of Texas claim that “having successful experiences that students attribute to themselves may result in pleasant emotions, which can increase interest and focus on the activity. This link between emotional experience and self-regulatory processes was demonstrated by Boekaerts (2007), who found that pleasant affect was associated with increases in competence and value judgments as well as effort, whereas unpleasant affect lowered competence and was associated with less effort.”
When I was a drama student at Tel Aviv University, I had a teacher who once told me in private that he didn’t understand why I had been accepted into the drama department in the first place. I would always ask him for feedback, hoping he would provide some constructive criticism. Eventually, I gave up and just waited for the production to be over. Fortunately, I had another teacher that same year who told me that I was talented and that he could see all the effort I was putting into class—and that it would pay off in the future. This restored my self-esteem and made me realize that not all teachers are “right.”
Choose Your Own Learning Environment
But what does this have to do with learning Hebrew? Well, learning a new language is not an easy feat. It takes courage and vulnerability to make mistakes in front of others and stay motivated even when faced with challenges. For that reason, it’s important to be in a supportive environment that not only embraces your mistakes, but focuses on having fun through positive experiences. Lessons at Citizen Café incorporate music clips, comedy sketches, games, and short debates because we believe that a stress-free environment is the best learning environment. As a student, you hear and repeat the words before seeing how they’re written—allowing you to focus on pronunciation and truly experience the language. With a class full of surprises and an energetic pace, combined with a teacher who guides you through each lesson, you’ll be excited to attend every class.
Our method centers around creating moments of micro-success for students as they repeatedly form full sentences in Hebrew. These sentences will later serve you in real-life conversations outside of class, creating a bridge from structured dialogue in class to spontaneous dialogue with family and friends. These frequent moments of success and immediate gratification help build the confidence necessary to become a fluent speaker. Imagine yourself immersed in Hebrew, speaking it in a comfortable environment and just growing step by step – without a sense of failure, like a yoga class, or a friendly basketball game in the neighborhood. Just come as you are, we’ll take care of the rest.
