From correction to connection: Rethinking how we nurture language confidence

Before we correct, we connect

Many times as a student, I hesitated to share my thoughts. I knew what I wanted to share, but self-doubt and fear kept me stuck. Something that could easily be expressed in English became a roadblock in French. Interestingly enough, as an adult, it didn’t matter how much training I had received in French, how frequently I had spoken French as a child or how much practice I had speaking and teaching in French as an adult; the minute an adult would speak to me in French, this old fear would come back. Would they think my French wasn’t good enough? As a child, I was educated in French and deeply involved in the francophone community, yet I still worried that my Western-Canadian accent would make others see me as “Anglophone.” I see this hesitation in my students every year. Like many educators, I find that when I focus on connection and trust first, students become far more open to language correction later on.

What is linguistic insecurity?

Linguistic insecurity happens when someone feels anxious or “not good enough” when speaking a language, whether it’s their first, second or additional language(s) (Talbot et al., 2021). These are common feelings many students have experienced in language classrooms, especially in situations where they felt that there was a linguistic “standard.” Linguistic insecurity can show up in a variety of contexts, including, but not limited to, people speaking English, French or Indigenous languages, and newcomers learning another language.

Why it matters in Canada

Canadian classrooms are linguistically diverse. When we share our language with others, we share our history and our culture, which are tied to belonging. In a country built on many languages, how we use our voice matters. Students can fear judgement, feel pressure to get it right and worry about being misunderstood. When I moved from elementary to middle-school teaching, I saw a shift in how students viewed themselves and their relationships. Middle schoolers had high sensitivity to peer judgement and a strong need for belonging. Without an emotionally safe environment rooted in trust, students would often retreat socially, emotionally and academically, leading to long-term implications for mental health, school engagement and academic achievement (Brown & Larson, 2009; Dellasega & Adamshick, 2005; Schacter & Juvonen, 2018). Expressing oneself in another language can mean exposing mistakes publicly. These students weren’t always lacking ability; they were often protecting themselves, worried about taking risks.

Strategies to build confidence

Dealing with linguistic insecurity in your classroom can be a great opportunity to have conversations with your students and build an inclusive community. Here are five ways I do this in my classroom:

• Normalize mistakes: We can teach our students about how mistakes are part of the process by not just talking about it but also showing this through our actions. Admit as a teacher that you make mistakes too. Show your students that you value the process—where the mistakes happen and are meant to happen—so that they realize that the product isn’t always the most important thing.
• Celebrate accents: All languages and various accents are welcome in the classroom, as they represent a student’s identity, history and community. I used to be a stickler for the rolling of R’s in my French class, then I realized there are so many ways to make the R sound in Canada and beyond. The same can be said about people who are learning English for the first time.
• Use food and storytelling: Most of my research has focused on how food education and hands-on learning can be a way to support students who aren’t ready to talk but are ready to show their learning. I saw students open up in incredible ways in cooking class. Some were excited to show the class recipes from their heritage, all while learning a new language. When we use cooking or cultural traditions as a safe entry point, we’re embracing authentic language use.
• Provide peer support: Teachers can pair students up with the peers that they feel comfortable with. I’d stress letting students choose a peer rather than placing them with another student just because they speak the same language. This can create an imbalance and lead to more judgement and trauma.
• Shift the focus: When we’re designing learning environments for our students, we must remember to co-create with them, shift our plans to embrace teachable moments and remember that students learn best when home or cultural knowledge is honoured in the classroom (Gutiérrez, 2008). Shifting from perfection to connection isn’t always easy, but for our students and for us, it’s a necessary step in building confidence and belonging.

Now more than ever, languages are an important part of our identity. Oral storytelling began with community connection. How can we make our classrooms places where students feel proud of their voices rather than afraid of them?

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