Misconception Analysis
Khoram Balaee, Iran
Khoram Balaee holds a master’s degree in EFL teaching from Tarbiat Modarres University in Tehran, Iran. He is freelancing for an English language institute and a university. His interests include humanistic language teaching, grammar, emotions in bilingualism, and culture. E-mail: khbalaee@hotmail.com
Menu
Introduction
What is so significant about misconceptions?
EFL and sources of misconceptions
Some real misconceived ideas in EFL context
What should EFL teachers do?
Conclusion
Acknowledgement
References
We learn about the world around us through two main ways: we either experience things directly by ourselves, or others feed us with their experience. What seems to be interesting is the fact that while at the early stage of life we need to experience a thing by our senses to make an image of it in our brain, at later stages we get to depend more and more on language. I guess this is inevitable and very economical. After all, it’s impossible for one to explore the whole world and experience it. Besides, there are many things we have learnt about that nobody has ever seen: bogeyman (I wonder if there is a bogeywoman), monsters, draculas, etc. You may joyfully wonder how far this can go. But, here’s where we should play cautious. There are times when you think that something is real and later you realize it is a myth, or vice versa. By the way, some may start trembling if they just learn how many in the world believe that draculas are a reality. The point is while we are learning about the world, the truth, and the reality we get to collect and form not only new concepts and ideas but also misconceptions. And we labour under our misconception for a long time before they are proved wrong somehow. Well, people lived under the misconception that the Earth was flat and the centre of the world for a long time, didn’t they?
Nobody is free from misconceptions and, we know that they influence the way we live. Misconceived ideas about life in general could easily change your attitude to certain things or people, and as a result change your feelings and behaviour. For instance, what may happen if someone has the misconception that their race is the most superior in the world? Or if someone thinks that everybody is jealous of them and that they do not have any true friends? Don’t you want to control your life? One way is to get to know about our misconceptions. It is important that we inspect our mind for misconceptions. And if they are disturbing our life we should get rid of them. But, what is it like in the context of foreign language learning? Are there any misconceptions born and developed there and then?
Evidently, foreign language learners are likely to form and have their own misconceptions. They could be about different things in language learning; the nature of language, the way(s) to learn a language, the way(s) a language should be taught, importance of language elements, and the culture of the speakers of the target language the last of which is the concern of this article.
EFL learners get to learn about the target culture, if they can not afford to go and see it by themselves, mainly through films, the classroom (including teachers, peers and their books), and relatives. Each of these sources of knowledge could possibly lead EFL learners to shape some misconceived ideas.
Films, in general, can teach us a lot about the culture of the language we are learning. However, we know that things in films are not always the reality. Life is a lot more beautiful or a lot more depressing. People are much kinder or crueler. You can easily change jobs or get divorced, blah, blah, blah. This kind of life pictured by Hollywood’s expertise and technology plus the glamour of the west itself could easily convince every poor EFL learner from a developing country that the west is the Promised Land.
In the classroom, too, learners are prone to receive or form miscons. Some English books seem to have the sole intention of impressing the learners with the target culture. Interchange is all about America, American beauty and nice customs. I as an EFL teacher am really impressed.
Teachers could easily illusion the learners. If they themselves are living with illusions about the target culture they are highly likely to transfer them to their learners. And learners, they just look at their teachers as trustable ones. Peers and relatives who have heard or learned something about overseas might do harm to learners too.
Let’s consider some of the misconceived ideas that I have observed in my classrooms: Americans swear so much and so easily. It is like drinking water to them, natural and necessary. Sex is a resolved problem. People never think about it, and they have it comfortably whenever and wherever they’d like to, even in the public. English people are very honest. If they do not like you they immediately tell you. And, the grass is always greener on the western side of the fence.
It does not take much to imagine the possible consequences of these misconceptions. EFL learners may decide that it is all right if they use f-words or s-words in all their discourse. Confronted with the teacher’s warning they may avoid doing it in front of him or her with a smirk on their face.
Sex is usually a hot discussion in most of the classroom. It is of interest since it is a natural desire, and controversial. The problem is when film-makers make it look too usual, and give us a false impression of how a people look at it. One student once said" teacher, they never bother to think about sex. Here, we always think about it and we waste a lot of brain cells. That’s why we never develop. That’s why we usually feel depressed." The possible result is growing a sense of self-pity and kicking yourself for not being there to enjoy the babes.
The other two mistaken ideas that is, English people are very honest. If they do not like you they immediately tell you. And, the grass is always greener on the western side of the fence, only make learners grow a sense of inferiority for themselves and forget all the valuable things they have with them at home. They may start hating themselves and their people for they are not like the English; honest!
Undoubtedly, we feel responsible for our students’ mental, emotional health, and behaviour. So, it is down to us to help our learners to cross out their misconceived ideas. These ideas may come to use if you are determined to help your own students:
Although films are themselves one of the causes of misconceptions, some of them could be used to enlighten learners. For example, when my students say that people in America do not bother about sex, I invite them to watch ‘American Pie’. Not that one film can altar their ideas but it may make them doubt their ideas.
Overgeneralization is humankind’s curse. Explaining how one of our mental properties may mislead us in life could shed some light on how we form false ideas.
Critical thinking is the biggest gift that we could give our students. I teach my students how to do it when they are reading a text, or listening to someone. Coming up with value judgments or claims, they should ask themselves these questions: Who is the writer or the speaker? Is he or she a trustable person? How does he or she know this thing? Is what he or she states based on research, or personal idea? Is what he or she says everything or just part of what should be said?
Learning a foreign language, teachers and learners are prone to form cultural misconceptions. The way we feel, think, and act is certainly affected by our misconceived ideas. That’s why we are required to attend to our own misconceptions and those of our students’. This article tried to shed some light on this subject using some of the things the writer has experienced in his own classrooms. But, we need to know more. If you have your thoughts and experiences in this regard, keep us informed.
The idea of this article came up to me from an article with the same title by my teacher and friend Dr Hadi Farjami. Here, I would like to express my gratitude to him for everything he’s taught me.
Hadi Farjami, Misconception Analysis: A Necessary Complement to Foreign Language Teaching. English Teaching Forum online.
http://exchanges.state.gov/forum/vols/vol39/no2/p14.htm
Please check the Skills of Teacher Training course at Pilgrims website.
Please check the Expert Teacher course at Pilgrims website.
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