I have the honor of presenting two three-hour presentations for the Dudley-Charlton Regional School District in Dudley, MA on Friday, March 13th. The Director of Curriculum has opened enrollment to other teachers who wish to attend!!! The cost will be $50 for each of the sessions. They are designed to be an introduction to ‘the bigger
picture”…..but as you know, ANY presentation is a great place to meet with like minds. :o) Also not a bad place to invite other dept. members to experience / start a conversation. I would love to see you there!
See workshop descriptions below.
From the Director:
They can register by contacting me at this e-mail address with their name, e-mail, phone #, and District and we’ll be happy to save them a spot. We’re closing registrations on March 2nd in order to give us time to arrange rooms, etc.
Lorinda C. Allen
Director of Curriculum & Student Assessment
Dudley-Charlton Regional School District
68 Dudley-Oxford Road
Dudley, MA 01571
508-943-6888 Ext 152 [email protected]
Morning Workshop: Using Storytelling and Comprehensible-Input Based Strategies in the Classroom
This is workshop provides a demo lesson in Vietnamese along with a variety of activities demonstrating how language acquisition occurs in a classroom setting. Participants will have the opportunity to observe as educators and to participate as students. The goal of this workshop is for teachers to a) develop a better understanding of how CI is being utilized in the profession and b) examine how these activities can help teachers to scaffold the classroom towards the ACTFL recommendation of 90% use of comprehensible target language in the classroom.
Afternoon Workshop: Lighting Up Literacy in the Language Classroom
More and more often, language teachers are expected to incorporate literacy into the second language classroom. This workshop is designed to provide participants with knowledge and skills that a traditional methods program may not have provided. We will look at the literacy skills of visualization, fluency and stamina along with how to
move along Bloom’s Taxonomy at every level of language instruction. Participants will examine the use of authentic materials, textbooks, readers/novels and teacher-created materials. All activities are designed to be high-interest and student-centered.
I really hate January. Between post-vacation blues, a germ-filled building, exhausted colleauges, flu-stricken students, midterms, data analysis, reports, grading, meetings and attempting to “gear up” for a new semester, I get really worn down. When I’m worn down, everything gets blown out of proportion and I take things way too personally.
I’m the queen of taking things personally, having spent most of that past five decades elevating it to an art. :o) I have had to work very hard to listen to the voice in my head that says..’Oh that’s a good idea.” and not the one that says, “well duh!! You know that. You should do that. Why didn’t you think of that? Kids would pay attention if you did things like that. Thirty years in the profession and you still don’t have it right. ”
I’ve taken large numbers of suggestions as face-slapping criticism and used to cry on a regular basis after post-observation conferences with my principal. It’s taken a long time, and a lot of practice, to just listen to people without a strong, emotional self-flagellation reflex kicking in.
The folks in this profession are very passionate people. That inner energy sometimes leads us to extremes….whether it’s extreme dedication, extreme worry, extreme committment or extreme self-evaluation.
When I’m swinging towards the extremes, I have to remind myself of the following:
“If you are doing the best you can today, and hoping to always do better when you can…..
You are truly doing enough.”
Regardless of what your administrator, colleagues, students, their parents, and that nagging little ugly voice in your head are saying to you.
“You are truly doing enough.”
(and yes…I’m saying this to myself as much as I am saying it to anyone reading this….)
I’m sending a big thank you out to Chris Stolz tonight! Chris borrowed something that I had written on Ben Slavic’s blog and posted it on his blog: TPRS Questions and Answers
Then he gave me permission to post on my blog what he borrowed that I posted on Ben’s blog. :o) Thanks Chris!!
This post started as part of a response to my friend Skip….and then it grew from there. Thanks Skip for asking me the questions that make me think.
I never wanted to be a Spanish teacher. I wanted to teach kindergarten…or third grade. I wanted to sing songs, read stories, and introduce my students to history and heroes. Actually that is what I do, I am just lucky enough to do it via Spanish. But that is not what most of my colleagues were doing when I started thirty-plus years ago. I truly admired and respected those teachers, I just couldn’t be one of them. Maybe it was because I didn’t start out as a Spanish major (although I ended up with a Spanish and an Education degree), or maybe it was because I wasn’t very confident about my language abilities at the time….but my goals as a language teacher were a bit different.
Truthfully, I never thought that I would be able to convince teenagers to commit to memory the hundreds of rules and thousands of words necessary to master the language. I loved it, but I never thought all of my students would. And I wanted ALL of my students to love Spanish class the way 5 year olds love kindergarten (okay…think 30 year prior to Common Core!)
Thirty years ago (and more), we used to consider it our job to teach the understanding and appreciation of the beauty of the language…its history, structure, details. And we did that. Sadly, few students were able to draw on any of this knowledge after a few months….much less a few years.
We then made it our goal to teach the students the vocabulary, verb forms and highly irregular patterns so that they could also communicate with others. We created texts and materials that we thought would help our students to be able to put all of the pieces of the language in order to function while traveling, doing business etc.. But we still taught as if mastering the al to help students to communicate. It was a great deal of work, and yes.. fun, to create activities that allowed students to pretend that they could communicate in a real-life situation.
Sadly, once again, students failed to retain the language for any length of time.
It was the first reason I was so impressed with the results of TPRS and teaching with Comprehensible Input. The language stuck. For a long, long time. I was pretty excited about that!
Then along came technology.
I think that our job as language teachers has seriously shifted. And I am afraid we may not even know it.
Any knowledge about the language that students need can be found easily on the Internet. All of it. Communication can occur with a cell phone and an app. And almost instantly. And with about the same accuracy that our students used to have….probably more.
I had a great reason to switch from learning to acquisition in my classroom. But if my students can just use a machine to communicate…..why would it even matter if they acquire a language?
What IS our job now? Why would students need to be able to communicate…device-free…in a world quickly becoming overrun with devices? Why do they need us? Can’t they get all of the language they need via technology?
I think we need to be asking ourselves, and our profession, that question. What are we doing that students cannot now do for themselves…..without us?
For me (and you’ve heard me say this I think), I want my students to acquire Spanish in order to explore the hearts, minds and souls of people who speak Spanish. I want them to acquire Spanish so that they can think more deeply, express feelings to others, ask questions about the universe and SHARE that journey with people of other cultures…..and they can do that so much better in more than one language. AND WITH A PERSON…not a machine.
I believe that our job is less about teaching the language and more about using the language to teach the skill of making personal, social, historical, artistic and even political connections.
I believe that our job is about establishing relationships, nourishing relationships, growing as a result of relationships …..Relationships that are a)built via communicating so that we are understood in another language and b)built because we understand others in their language .
It’s about understanding….and being understood as a human being. It’s a job that no machine can do.
It isn’t easy to be kind at the high school. It isn’t at all cool. (and it doesn’t matter how old you are….) Nice people are perceived as stupid, or weak. These are things to be avoided at all costs.
At the high school, the operative word is tough. Tough is smart, tough is strong. These are things to be achieved and admired for.
Tough appears to be the overall winner. Tough attitudes, tough faces. Tough courses, tough tests. Tough teams, tough practices. Tough kids, tough teachers. No question,tough prevails.
Why even try?
Because Tough APPEARS to be the overall winner. Tough attitudes, tough faces. Tough courses, tough tests. Tough teams, tough practices. Tough kids, tough teachers. No question,tough prevails….on the surface. But underneath, BECAUSE tough prevails, kindess really matters. It’s desperately needed as a matter of fact.
You wouldn’t know that by teen behavior, but it is.
If you’ve ever parented a toddler, it is a little easier to understand. From the age of one to four years old, childen live in these adorable little teflon-coated cocoons. Nearly everything we say bounces right off of them. We don’t expect REALLY expect toddlers to say please and thank you. We don’t expect toddlers to be patient. We don’t expect toddlers to be responsible. Yet…we spend several years “pleasing and thank-youing” to them anyway. Even though…..we will see them throw tantrums, refuse to share, make faces, pick at their food, throw things and a number of other challenging behaviors. It is as if they do not hear a word we say. FOR SEVERAL YEARS! But we keep on trying anyway. That is what parents do. When children emerge from their “toddler-armor”, they have actually absorbed many of the behaviors we have been raining down on them since before potty-training.
I’ve often felt that toddlers and teens have a lot in common. Obsession with potty talk and bodily functions for one. Then there are the passionately emotional/stubbornly indifferent twin sides to their personalities. Both groups have moments when they are completely committed to doing things independently, even when it is impossible or riduculous to do so. AND this selective hearing issue occurs in teens just as virulently as it does in toddlers.
Then…at some point, a young adult emerges from this tought cocoon and it turns out that,yes indeed, they really had been listening all those years.
It is a rare, rare adolescent that is thankful for the kind people in his/her life. Some adolescents are too busy being focused on their struggles and miseries to be appreciative. Others don’t have the social skills to say thank you. Many would be just too embarrassed to try. But they do notice. And they remember.
True, it makes being kind a very thankless job (pun clearly intended!) So, if as human beings, we are being kind so that others will appreciate us, we may be disappointed. But, if we are kind because kindness speaks to how we want to affect the world, rather than how much we would like to be appreciated, being kind isn’t all that difficult to achieve.
Being kind opens the door for choices. It says, I can make decisions, I can be in control of my responses. It shows my students that…and it shows me that. On the days that I am worn out, feeling low, frustrated and grumpy, the choice to be kind is reassuring to me.
Being kind opens the door for additional kindness. It clears a space for the positive. It makes more good things possible. We all could use a little more of that.
Being kind feels better, physically and emotionally. Life is too short, illness too prevalent and pain too powerful to not open up a door that makes us feel healthy and strong.
Being kind communicates hope. Where there is hope, there can be change. When there can be change great things happen. I vote for hope.
It’s true that things at the high school level can get a bit more serious. If we are going to get serious, why not get serious about something as far-reaching, and life-saving, as kindness?
What a message. In the community of language teachers that I work with, we often say “Pause and Point” when we want teachers to slow down and direct the students’ attention to the meaning of a word or phrase.
This is “Pause and Picture”. Slow down and look for the meaning. I love it.
I don’t know about you, but I need A LOT of reminders. I use Post-It notes, Evernote, the calendar on my phone, the calendar w/my inbox at school and yes, I still sometimes write on my hand.
Today, create a reminder that what you are doing today matters. Write a note to yourself. Email it or text it or write it down and put it in your pocket. Tape it on your computer monitor, draw it on your white board or write it on your hand. Every time you see it, it will be a reminder that YOU MATTER. Everything that you do really does make a difference….even if it doesn’t seem like it at the time.
Don’t wait for someone else to get around to telling you that you have touched lives, warmed hearts and changed the world. Someone else might just be too busy staying afloat today.
Gently, but firmly, remind yourself. Put it in writing. Put it where you will come in contact with it all day long. If you are not sure how to word it…try one of these:
You matter.
You said just the right thing to someone today.
Your smile touches hearts.
You are someone’s rock.
You are loved.
You are important.
Today you had the answer to someone’s important question.
Thank you for being you.
You are the answer to someone’s prayer.
You have done the right thing.
You make a difference.
Yes, you have done enough today.
Sorry if it seems silly, but if YOU cannot believe that you matter, no one else will be able to convince you of it.
It is often so easy for us to say these things to others, but so hard to say them to ourselves. Even if you don’t believe what you are writing, pick something that you would like to hear, that you would like someone to say to you. Say it to yourself. Put it in writing and let it be a part of your day today. Just for 24 hours. It can’t hurt.
with love,
and looking around for my Post-It notes,
Laurie
This is a wonderful time of year to be kind. The December holidays are over. The Valentine’s Day commercials have already begun (and not everyone is excited about that.) In some parts of the country (mine), it is cold (highs of 10-20 degrees last week) and dreary and even when the sun is out, it has set long before dinnertime. It is also a very popular time for giving exams. Gee….does it get any better than that?
The first person to be kind to is….yourself.
I know, I know…who does that?
I confess, I’m horrible at it. (But remember, I often write these posts for myself!) But I do know that it is wise. I have found out that it is necessary. If you don’t, nature will do it for you.
Look around you. The flu is everywhere. So are colds, infections, bronchitis, pneumonia and a number of other infectious little goodies.
This week will probably have its share of germy opportunities and stressful situations. More than its share probably!!
Try to do one kind thing for yourself every day. Just one. Any of these would do:
Go to bed early one night.
Drink a soothing hot drink that you love.
Or a cold one. ;o)
Use hand lotion.
Use Chapstick.
Drink a large glass of water.
Eat a piece of dark chocolate.
Bite into a beautiful piece of fruit.
Look at a favorite work of art for a few minutes.
Bring a favorite photo into work.
Take a deep, deep breath.
Cuddle under a blanket.
Leave the paperwork at school. Just once. It’s ok. I promise.
Smile at yourself EVERY TIME you see yourself in the mirror/window.
Hug someone who will hug you back.
Light a candle. (and don’t forget to put it out)
Bring a stuffed animal, or a real one, to bed with you.
Take a 5 minute walk. Anywhere.
Stretch.
Sing really loud to the radio/Cd/whatever.
Hold a hairbrush and use it as a microphone.
Watch a ridiculously stupid-funny video.
Call a friend.
Google “really awful puns”
Wear something you really, really, really love.
I’m sharing here so that you can see where my education journey has been. Please stay tuned to Larry for more interesting posts and questions!
Dear Larry,
I have used TPRS in a variety of classroom situations. Some might see me as a high school Spanish teacher. I have been seen that way for over 32 years. However, I see myself as a person who helps students to learn about and navigate life using the Spanish language. (or if I am teaching English to local farmworkers..English) TPRS (Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling) has been my primary approach to teaching for over 15 years.
I know that working through of lens of teaching via TPRS® has allowed me to improve my interactions with students on a daily basis, thereby increasing their abilities to comprehend and communicate in the language.
How? There is a more detailed explanation below, however, here is basically what is happening:
A. The teacher interacts (as a role model and guide) with students on a topic that students are connected to.
B. The teacher’s job is to structure the interaction so that students will acquire new language, successfully contribute to the interaction, feel valued, and ultimately have a high level of comprehension of the material.
C. The teacher believes that LANGUAGES ARE ACQUIRED through comprehensible input rather than “learned” through lessons. Because the human brain has a natural ability to understand and to develop language, teachers should make classroom conditions as ideal as possible for acquisition to occur.
On the surface, there are three “basic” elements to TPRS :
1. Introduce any new language in context.
2. Interact verbally with students using the new language in context so that all language communication is completely comprehensible.
3. Incorporate the new language into a literacy-based activity.
Below the surface are multiple layers of understanding, interpreting and integrating:
1. The unconscious and conscious functions of the brain in the area of language acquisition.
2. How a student’s emotional state affects interaction, attitude and memory.
3. How a student’s levels of social, emotional, physical and cognitive development affect nearly everything.
4. The value of relationships in any setting, particularly educational.
5. The relationship between emotion and language.
And much more…
Keeping these layers of knowledge in mind, TPRS teachers plan lessons using one or more of the steps and deliberately incorporate any number of specific teaching skills that most stellar teachers incorporate. It is not a big mystery; it’s simply good teaching.
Skills such as:
1. Eye contact
2. Appropriate pacing
3. Checking for comprehension
4. Constant interaction with students as a means of formative assessment
5. High-quality questioning strategies
6. Repeating, reusing and recycling information and skills
7. Asking for and encouraging responses that use higher-order thinking
8. Creating situations where students interact with each other
9. Connecting curriculum with the interests and needs of the students
10. Personalizing and differentiating instruction
I believe that TPRS is less about “learning a language” and more about Life’s natural growth processes in the classroom, for the teacher and the students. I have been involved with the training, coaching and mentoring of teachers for over 20 years. The knowledge and skills that I work to develop as a TPRS® teacher help me to work with teachers of all disciplines.
True TPRS instruction is about knowing what is going on below the surface, not just planning what activities are occurring on the surface.
Good TPRS training is ongoing. No one incorporates TPRS well after a two hour presentation, just as no one becomes a good teacher after one Intro to Education course. Each teacher using TPRS® will come to the concept, acquire the knowledge, and work on the skills in his or her own way and time.
TPRS teaching is about being part of the educational community. TPRS was originally developed by classroom teachers and shared by classroom teachers. It continues to evolve through the contributions of classroom teachers. TPRS® belong to coaching groups, listservs, Facebook groups, Twitter, wikispaces and more. They write numerous blogs, host websites and continually invite teachers into their classrooms to observe and to give feedback.
Every teacher using TPRS has his/her own challenges. In an ELL/ESL classroom there is often not one native language to rely on for comprehension checks so additional teacher skills are required. Languages that do not use the same alphabet as English have different approaches to incorporating literacy in order to address that challenge. Some languages rely heavily on cognates in early instruction, while others, such as Chinese, cannot. The more that we communicate with each other, the more we help each other address our challenges.
Despite the variety of challenges, certain things remain constant:
1. Clearly comprehensible language in context
2. Scaffolded student interaction
3. Oral/aural confidence tied to literacy-based activities
4. Positive classroom relationships
5. Continued growth and development for teacher and students
Thank you for asking for input. We believe strongly in what we do. We see it change the lives of teachers and students every single day.
With love
Laurie Clarcq
http://www.heartsforteaching.com
http://www.embeddedreading.com
