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Last fall I made a commitment to myself, and to my students, to honor Time.    I’ve tried to look back and see if I really did that…and if I did….how did that affect my classroom. 

It’s difficult to do, because Time truly flew last year.  It was my oldest son’s first year at a community college and my youngest son’s senior year in high school.  We sold our house and moved.  Both sons searched for, applied to, were accepted by, and made plans to go out of state for college this fall.  My “adopted” daughter graduated from college.   And that was my world outside of school.  :o)

It was a year full of exciting events, memorable moments and stressful situations.   I hope that, looking back, my recollections of the classroom are accurate.  

The clearest thing to me, about last year, was the much more relaxed atmosphere in the classroom.  Not relaxed in a “we are not doing anything today” way, but rather, relaxed in a “there isn’t going to be any pain in this classroom today” sort of way.    Students who routinely “blew up” in other classrooms actually were relieved to come in and to calm down.    I did not “gear up’ emotionally to face any of my classes…I didn’t need to.

Going slowly worked.    This was a group that wasn’t  going to get it if I went quickly…that much I knew.    But the only way I could know if going slowly would work, was to try it.    So I did.

Now, I do have an advantage….we are a small district and I knew that I would be the teacher that would get these kids in Level 2.  So I used that advantage and took the opportunity to do what I believed what was best for this group.

What do I mean by going slowly?   I let go of the “schedule.”   I went through our curriculum as the students were ready….not when the schedule said to.    When students needed to, or wanted to, linger on a topic, we did.  When the earthquake in Chile occurred, we let go of the scripted curriculum and followed the story.    When students found a song that was classroom-appropriate, we spent time with it.    When I got a new idea for a new activity, we went with it.    When I discovered the movie Real, we added it.   When students needed three days to read a chapter in Casi Se Muere instead of one…we took three days.  

  Where did we end up?   Right where we should have.    We may not have addressed reflexive verbs the way I have before.   We may not have had as many quizzes as we have had other years.  We may not have written as many original pieces as other classes have.     I’m pretty sure that we didn’t get as detailed with vocabulary as I might have a few years ago.

But they were all with me.   It may not have been their favorite subject nor their favorite class….but they were with me.     And this was a group with a number of kids that, in other years, I would have lost.   Not numerically…they would have slid by with a 66 or a 67…but they would have played the game to get through…not really acquiring language.   Yet, by going slowly, I was able to see them continue to grow and acquire through the very last week of school.

They were interested.   They were willing to show concern about victims in Chile.  They were willing to listen to nearly any song that was presented to them and frequently came to me with songs that they had scouted out on Youtube or Itunes.   They came in with questions….things that they had seen, or heard, or thought about overnight or over the weekend and wanted to know more about…or wanted to understand.     They encouraged each other.     They really developed, and utilized, a sense of humor using the language.  And the students who, if I had gone more quickly, would have kept up with me?   They still rocked the house with their insights, their skills, their applications and their level of acquisition.

Going slowly allowed me the time and the freedom to do more differentiation than ever before.   By letting go of the idea of getting more done, I was able to do better.  What is differentiation if not a form of academic personalization?   

I hope that I make the time this year to not only honor Time…but to record in more detail what I was doing and how so that I can continue this…and to share it with you all in more detail.

With love,

Laurie

Sunny Delite and Martina McBride are teaming up to provide more books in classrooms!!  Check it out!!

Bring More Books To Class!!

with love,
Laurie

I was talking with my colleagues and trying to explain what I wanted my classroom to look like.  Not the walls/decorations classroom….the real stuff happening in the classroom part.  

I want it to be in a state of quality interaction.

Not constant chaos…although if you don’t know Spanish it might look that way…

Not constant action…sometimes we need to give the brain time to process….

Not constant lecture….it’s too easy for students to “leave” the room…..

Not constant production….besides being poor pedagogical practice, I simply cannot monitor everyone at the same time…

Not constant input….I need to know how much is going in and how much is just flowing over their heads or around their bodies…

Not even constant interaction…..we have all seen areas in our lives where more effort  more does not always mean more results.

Instead…I am hoping to create quality interaction.

Much of the time the interaction will be between me and the class….sometimes between classmates and sometimes between the students’ brains and the language….but it should be visible, if not measurable.

I think that the two main differences between acquiring a first language as an infant, and acquiring a second language  later on are these:

• The ability to communicate is greater.    The older the student is the greater the ability he/she has, not only to communicate, but to see the purpose of communication.
• The ability to reason.  The older the student is, the greater the ability he/she has to think, to plan, to anticipate, to wonder, to put the mind, not just the brain, to work.
• The ability to read.  It provides not only another mode of input, but also another mode of interaction.

And what both “acquisition groups” have in common is that both, when acquiring a language, interact using the language. 

Now certainly there are students who will acquire without quality interaction…..but frankly, those students don’t need me for much anyway.  :o)  Academically at least.   But in order to create a safe place, an encouraging place, a challenging place, an appropriate place for my students to acquire language and to experience life, I need to focus on the quality of interactions in my classroom. 

Discussions that are choreographed so that each student is part of the conversation.

Conversations that are modulated for speed, clarity, accent, rhythm and direction for each member of the class.

Class activities that flow in and around every corner….not just from the front (or the screen) towards the back so that by the time they reach the back corners only the foam is left behind.

Behind every interaction, a purpose:  connect, connect, connect, connect.

Connect student with material, material with instruction, instruction with language, language with love.

Love, grace, honor, power, responsibility in every interaction.

Interaction.  Quality interaction.  That is what I am striving for……

With love,

Laurie

I just came across this today...haven't had a lot of time to explore it...but I am always willing to send folks to someone else's blog and share the love!

INTEGRATING ITC INTO THE MFL CLASSROOM


with love,
Laurie

I hope that others will share lessons or scripted situations in class that can help students to experience a safe classroom.  Here is one that I have used for a while…

My room is full of movable desks…this might work a different way if you have tables, or desks that do not move…but it will still work.

The second or third day of class I run “Desk Drills”.   I ask students to get into pairs….and watch what happens.   Almost always, several people are out in the cold.  I stop the group using our practiced signal.   Then I thank every one of the students who are not yet in a pair.  Kindly.   I tell the class how important it is that they were willing to be without a partner for a few moments while I  make my point. 

In my class there will be no, there are no, “solitos”.  I write it where everyone can see.  No one on their own.   I ask the class for solutions.  Let’s think of 5 ways to work this so that everyone has a partner.     We brainstorm those ways.   We pick one, or I pick one and we do a two minute activity.  

Then, I stop the class and ask them to get into groups of four.  That is not very hard and pairs pair up. 

Then I ask them to get into groups of three.   Inevitably, one of the groups actually pushes one of the members out of the group.  I stop the class.   (I don’t make a big deal of the pushing)  I apologize for having made a mistake.   I point at the No Hay Solitos on the board.  I ask everyone to get back into their original groups of four.  I apologize for not giving them all of the information. Then….  I tell them that Rule #2 is this:  You can invite, but you cannot exclude.    Then I ask them to (ask Tim Gunn does on Project Runway)  Make it Work. 

And they do.  When I told them to get into groups of three from groups of four, I SET THEM UP TO DO THE WRONG THING.    I told them what to do, but did not give them the right tools to do it…so they used whatever tools they had.   By giving them the tool of invitation, they were able to create new groupings without isolating, and I was able to model a few things.

We do another two minute activity and then I throw a few more groupings at them  that we will be using (a large circle, a double circle, etc.)  Each time, I watch for students who invite others, who facilitate the groupings, who allow others to join them…and thank them.

I will do Desk Drills a few times during the year…but this first time is the one that really sets the tone for all of us.

With love,

Laurie

 Be there.

    How?  First be there physically.  Years ago, Hal Urban came to our school and encouraged us to welcome our students from our doors….as they enter the room…to give them the message:  I am glad that you are here.   I am glad to be here with you.   

    Next, be there psychologically.   Make eye contact.   Watch.  Listen.   Pay attention.  Trust your instincts.   Your gut will tell you if a student is being  picked on, trying to be invisible or trying to distract the class (and you)  from another situation. 

    Third, be there emotionally.  Being there emotionally is the hardest part for many of us.  We grew up in a system that said that emotions did not belong in school (as if you can choose to NOT have any…).   We were trained to avoid becoming “emotionally involved” with our students.    But there is an enormous difference between becoming emotionally involved and being emotionally present. 

    Being emotionally involved means that you want the students to care about you and that you you care whether or not they like you.     It is being in their emotional world and on their emotional level .   When they are happy, you are happy.  When they are sad and frustrated, so are you.   When you are sad and frustrated, you think that they should feel the same way, or at the very least feel guilty about how you feel…..especially if they are the reason that you are sad and frustrated.

 Being emotionally present is being aware of how they feel, being aware of how you feel, and behaving in such a way that you and they can move forward with the learning and the day.   It means vocalizing your feelings so that others are aware, but not so that they are burdened.  It means taking responsibility for your own feelings with your actions.    Taking deep breaths.   Waiting patiently, solidly, strongly, with the expectation that changes will happen.     Speaking calmly, quietly, firmly.   Apologizing when you are wrong.   Making amends in a way that students can see when appropriate.     Expressing anger in a healthy way.   Standing up for yourself when necessary.    Modeling for our students the kinds of behaviors that we would like them to grow into. 

Ellen Shrager is a gifted teacher in Pennsylvania who has created materials that we can use to age get there.   Her book “Teacher Dialogues” is a wonderful source of inspiration and practical advice.  You can find information about “Teacher Dialogues” on Ellen’s website: http://home.comcast.net/~mrsshrager/site/

There is no “formula” for being there.   We just have to show up every day and do our best at it.   If we pay attention, we will do fine….and we will become aware of ways to do it better.    We can watch our colleagues for ways to do it well (and occasionally for things to avoid doing….)  We can listen to our students.  They frequently share what works and what doesn’t.   I don’t mean joining in on conversations about our colleagues.   I mean paying attention when they mention a positive or negative moment in school…and responding to it with our actions, with our behavior in (or just outside of )our own classrooms.

Again, there is no formula.  We have to create our own vision of the teacher that we want to become and strive towards that every day.    That is why connecting with each other is so very very important.   Search for others who are, or who want to be, where we are heading.  If you do not find them in your building, search for them in professional organizations, church,  listservs, facebook, blogs, conferences…or all of the above.  :o)

With love,

Laurie

If you haven't seen this movie...please find it, and find a way to watch it.  It will give you an eye-opening and very realistic view of the world that many of our students live in.    More of them than you can imagine.    They may have a roof over their heads, but they do not ask for, choose, or care to remain in the situations that they are in.  This movie can truly help us to see not only where they are physically, but how they think...or how they are unable to think, because of their circumstances.   Check the Lifetime Movie Network schedule if you can't find it anywhere else.  It is a true story...and it is happening to someone you teach...

with love,
Laurie

The kids really need to be able to trust each other in our rooms.  Getting to know each other really makes that easier when that process is guided by a trusted, caring and thoughtful teacher.    Again...as in  most of what we do, it's not WHAT we do, but HOW we do it that makes the difference.    Letting other kids "in" to their world creates an enormous minefield for many students...and some will not just balk, they will just shut down completely.

Some thoughts...after reading these, knowing many of you and having worked very hard at this in my own room for long time....

a)  The teacher needs to model EVERYTHING.  We cannot take for granted that kids know how to get to know other people.  The fact is ....they have little experience in this..very little.   What do we need to model?

* the appropriate kind of information to share  (short, detailed, but nothing that will make other people uncomfortable to know!!)

* the appropriate way to share it  (w/o innuendos, sarcasm, self-deprecation)

*when to share it (in an activity or in order to connect w/someone else)

*how to listen w/caring and genuine interest when other people share

*how to respond to other people when they share

*how NOT to gossip about what has been shared (it may seem advantageous to share tidbits about students with other classes but it's a trust-buster...)

*how to gently step in when the sharing is going the wrong direction

*how to 'hook into" the information/feelings that have been shared so that it becomes part of the relationship within the class.

The other thing that I think is really important here goes back to a post that Ben put up a few days ago.   Students need to believe that it is safe enough in your room to create a "Spanish class"  Persona in order to participate.   Not all kids need one.  Some kids wear one around every day.  Some kids are naturally too "transparent" to even know what one is.  But you will have at least one, and probably several students, in each class that will need some support in making this happen. 

A student who is struggling w/his or her sexual identity or preferences will be very cautious about sharing anything.  These students have learned that the slightest reveal can set off feelings in themselves, or reactions in others that are hard to deal with.

A student who is dealing with being the object of abuse:  emotional, verbal, physical, or sexual has been "trained" for a long time to not reveal, anything.

A shy student may be totally overwhelmed by receiving that much attention, even for a few minutes.

A new student, very aware of how quickly first impressions can carve out a social existence, may need to welcomed with great love and care.

A student with a "I don't give a crap" persona (which of course we know is usually hiding a "I care too much or I can't afford to care" attitude) needs to be given the leeway to share without totally surrendering that carefully crafted "I don't give a crap"  masterpiece. 

I'll be honest...I teach in a district where everyone "knows" everyone (at least they think that they do).    It's a fishbowl kind of a world and attitudes are set pretty early on.  Every year, but particularly senior year, I begin the year with a clearly-stated goal of each student working with, accepting and hopefully getting to know the other kids in the class (not liking, this is not required)    I work, every day, in every activity, in every interaction towards this goal.    And there are some groups that fight me all the way to the end because their need to control their world is so strong.  

Don't give up.    Every moment is another opportunity to build those bridges.   If no one crosses them, so be it.   Not only did you give them the opportunity to cross bridges, you gave them the opportunity to see them being built. 

There will come a time in their lives when they need to build a bridge.  It may not come in the time that you have them in class....in fact, it probably won't.    Just as our students "unconsciously" learn language, they "unconsciously" remember the doors you have opened and the bridges that you have built in front of them.   If the need is strong enough, and other factors fall into place, every single thing that you did in class will have made a difference.

The easiest thing to do when trying to get a class to bond...is to try to get a class to bond.  No can do.  So when it doesn't happen the way, or in the time frame, that you would like, try not to take it personally.     It's not about you.   It's about a bigger picture.   Our job as teachers rarely allows us to step back and see the piece  created.  It is our job to get in there with the brush and to keep painting...hue after hue, layer by layer....so that the piece will indeed exist.  

with love,

Laurie

Here is an article that I came across today.  I will be trying to put articles on here, so if you come across one, please send it my way at lclarcq@rochester.rr.com. 

In this NY Times articles, Monolingual parents are looking for bilingual nannies so that their children can have  early and constant exposure to a second language.  :o)

www.nytimes.com/2010/08/19/nyregion/19bilingual.html?src=me

with love,
Laurie