The Dialogue Approach
Dialogue and the Four Language Learning Thresholds

The Psychological Threshold

What the learner often lacks most is self-confidence: a freedom from fear of communicating in a foreign language, of making errors, of hitting blocks posed by teachers and other students. Krashen calls this “the lowering of the affective filter” and it is in essence, to give it a title, a prioritizing of priorities. It is better to communicate bravely, even if one makes errors, than not to communicate at all.

How do we give learners this self confidence and steer them clear of defensive strategies that inhibit their learning process?