(originally posted 5/5/10)
I normally do not “attack” any kind of language program. It’s not something I am usually comfortable with. However….one of the enormous frustrations of teachers is their students’ inability to speak and / or write with confidence and fluency. I do believe that traditional second-language instruction attitudes are to blame. This conversation on Ben’s blog got me thinking again…..I wrote a fairly long response there, but would like to rewrite and break it down here…I started with the first myth I think exist and I broke it down. In italics are the teacher’s words/thoughts/etc. when the myth starts to disintegrate into reality….
The Output Myths (and their implications) of a non-Comprehesion-based Program
- A student learns to comprehend and to produce language at the same rate.
- Students are given a list of targeted vocabulary and grammatical structures for each unit. The end-of-unit-evaluations will require students to comprehend written and spoken material using this vocabulary.
They’ve had this material for almost a month now! They knew that this would be on the test. They obviously didn’t study.
- Students will also be expected to produce, with few to no errors, in speech and in writing, in contextually-appropriate, but contrived, situations.
Why do they have to stop and think about what to say? We wrote these in dialogues and practiced them in skits. Why can’t they just spit it out?They’ve had this material for almost a month now! They knew that this would be on the test. They obviously didn’t study.
- Teachers know exactly how long it should take for students to master these items.
I have 9 units to complete in 10 months. If I subtract time for review, testing and vacations that comes down to three weeks per unit. They’ll have to study.
- Teachers will plan instruction, practice and evaluation according to this knowledge.
If we can’t get to everything in class, then I’ll just have to assign it for homework. They’d better put in the time and study.
- Students who do not succeed in mastering these items, in the alloted time frame, are considered responsible for their failure to do so.
They’ve had this material for almost a month now! They knew that this would be on the test. They obviously didn’t study.
- Students will be expected to be able to recognize and to produce this list of items at all times once the unit is completed (even those who were unsuccessful during the unit.)
We studied this material for almost a month in ninth grade! They should know it by now!!
Sound familiar??????????? These italicized thoughts/comments are so much a part of the “My Kids Won’t Do Work” litany that they seem NORMAL for people to say!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That’s just not right.
For those of you who are wondering……that is why I am so drawn to CI programs. There is no place for these complaints because the system is simply different. And it works.
with love,
Laurie
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