Perturbation
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Teachers are in the business of conveying information and they reveal new information to their students on an on-going basis. Students react in various ways to new information; some students accept it readily and others take more time to adapt. The learning process can be disquieting to students, particularly when the new information challenges their existing belief systems or contradicts their prior knowledge of a subject. The term for such ‘disquiet’ is perturbation. It is very important for teachers to understand this concept, since they will need to deal with it regularly during their career. In this section we will discuss what perturbation is, how it develops, how it affects the the classroom setting and how it relates to teachers. |
What is perturbation?
The root of the term “perturbation” is the verb “to perturb” which is defined as to disturb, to disquiet or to throw into disorder. In the educational setting “perturbation” may have various dimensions; such as, emotional, physiological and intellectual aspects. On an emotional level perturbation may cause one to feel uncomfortable, unsettled, ill-at-ease and perhaps even overwhelmed. Sometimes the learner’s response is so strong that it elicits physiological reactions; such as, headaches or feeling sick to one’s stomach. And on an intellectual level, perturbation forces one to re-examine one’s ideas and convictions, it might even force the learner to change his mind.
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How does perturbation relate to language teaching?
Being in a state of perturbation is not necessarily a negative thing for students; in fact, it is an indicator that the student’s presuppositions have been challenged so they are open to reconsidering them. For a teacher, it is important to be aware that students might be in a state of perturbation and to be aware of the implications of their being in this state. The level of perturbation in a language classroom is likely to be higher than in most other classrooms because the students are in an environment where they might understand very little or nothing of what is being said or presented by the teacher. In this sense, the perturbation that language students feel in the classroom may be akin to a mini-version of the culture shock that an international traveler might experience.
In order to understand their students’ learning needs and prepare effective lessons, the teacher needs to identify the source of the perturbation. Some factors which may lead to a state of perturbation among language students may include, the following: using the Target Language a great deal in the class may be disorienting for students, students’ level of stress can be heightened if there are significant differences between their Mother Tongue and the Target Language, and also if a particular teacher’s preferred classroom routines differ from what a student is accustomed to that may also make them feel very uncomfortable.
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Can you think of any other things that might lead to student perturbation? |
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How can student perturbation be addressed in the language classroom?
A very important consideration for reducing the degree of perturbation in a classroom is the sensitivity of the teacher to the problem. Regardless of whether it is a language classroom or any other program, an objective of education is to expose the learner to new information, new ways of looking at things and new ideas, ways of perceiving and thinking. All of these objectives and processes challenge the learners’ perspectives and existing world-view and may result in perturbing one’s students. In fact, if students do not become perturbed, then one ought to question either the material being taught or the manner in which it is being taught. A teacher ought to be aware of these things and be sensitive to addressing the students’ level of discomfort in the classroom without sacrificing the purpose of the lessons.
Generally speaking, the level of perturbation will decline with the passage of time as the students become more familiar with the material, teaching methods, the teacher’s preferred classroom routines or simply become more comfortable with the feeling of being perturbed. The amount of time required for this adjustment depends on how new and different the concept is and how strong the student’s physiological response is. A teacher can assist their students in making the adjustment by addressing the issue in the classroom and discussing it with their students. In this fashion, the teacher plays a therapeutic role in the classroom: by helping students recognize how they feel and helping them identify the source of their feelings will facilitate the adjustment process.
Being empathetic and providing students with reassurance is also important in addressing their sense of perturbation. For example, in the case where it is problematic for the students that the target language is being used so much, the teacher must convey to students that they don’t have to understand everything right away but gain a better understanding of the classroom activities as time goes on. For those students who have a different mother tongue, the teacher ought to consider whether the mother tongue is more or less closely related to the target language than the mother tongue of most of the other students. The children of immigrants would often have a mother tongue which is less closely related to French, for example, than children whose mother tongue is Canadian English.
It is also highly recommended that language teachers employ the BSLIM language instruction model since it builds in many supports which are intended to increase student understanding and in the longer run, reduce the level of the student’s perturbation. Some of these methods include using plenty of visuals and gestures, modulating one’s voice to increase understanding, building in supports, applying activities targeted to the students’ level of understanding, scaffolding and other approaches.