Blog #3

I believe that using the target language in class is essential for students to learn not just the language and the rules of the language but also learn how to communicate with the language. It’s important that students use the targeted language in the classroom because some students only hear the language in the classroom. The majority of high school classes only last 60 minutes, which means most students only have a chance to listen to the targeted language 5 hours a week. This is why teachers should use as much of the targeted language as possible for the majority of the time.

Brigid M. Burke gives an excellent example of how important using the targeted language can be in the introduction of “In the classroom promoting communication in the target language with and among students”.  In this introduction the student who is blind folded does not realize she is in a Spanish class until the students have to read their homework answers out loud. During the whole class the main language is English, even the instructions are given in English. This connects with my point that if students learn how to create sentences in Spanish this does not mean that they are going to be able to communicate in Spanish. Another thing we can see in the introduction of this article is that the teacher is using the grammatical translation method which is in my opinion is not a good way to learn a second language. This is because students only concentrate on the English translation rather than concentrate on the Spanish language.

Some obstacles teachers run into when using the target language in the classroom is that most of the students, especially students in Spanish one do not understand you when you speak in Spanish. This is why it is very important to talk slowly and to try to use as many cognates as possible so that the students have a general idea of what you are talking about. Another obstacle that all teachers have is to not give up and just translate the instructions or lectures because once the teacher starts doing that the students will not even try to listen to the Spanish because they know the teacher will translate whatever the instructions are. Other strategies teachers can use to overcome these obstacles include.

·      

        1. Group work using the targeted language

·      2.  Using technology like Skype to get someone who is a native speaker to talk to the classroom.

·      3. Incorporating the culture in the students every day lives.

·      4. Use reading materials made for native speakers.

·      5. And the most important thing is to make your students have fun while they learn the new language.

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Blogg # 2

Blog #2: Methods and the Classroom. Of all the methods you read about for last week (Omaggio Hadley reading), which ones were most prevalent in the FL classes where you were a student? How effective were they for you and for others? Please describe and give examples.

When I took Spanish class in high school the method my teacher used the most was grammatical-translation. Almost all of the class was taught in English only like 10% of the class was taught in Spanish. The teacher would translate the word of the day and then make us repeat it multiple times. Which is no surprise because one of the strategies most used in grammatical-translation is repetition. For example when I was in high school I would get to class and the teacher would greet us in English then lecture about the words we were going to study for the day. Then she would say the words in Spanish and make us repeat it. After that was done she would make us write a sentence using the new vocab and then translate that. I fill that this method did not work for me because I was not learning a new language I was just remembering vocab. My thought is that in order to learn a new language one must first understand the language and then remember words. One example is that if the vocab included the word “Perro” and the color “Negro” she would write a sentence like “El perro es negro” and make us repeat it until we memorized it. 

Blog #1

Do you see any connections between the practices identified in this framework and FL methods and theory (based on the reading from Omaggio Hadley)? Please elaborate. (1-2 paragraphs)

          Yes I do see a similarity between community language learning and Environment E2. Both of these center in making the student feel safe in the classroom. In community language learning the teacher plays the role of consoler, she only steps into the conversation when the student is having trouble with the language. Just like in the environment part of TELL the teacher sets rules and routines to maintain a safe and friendly environment. I believe that the students should feel safe to make mistakes because that is also a good way to learn a new language.

What resonates with you? How do the practices identified in this framework compare to your own beliefs about best practices in foreign language teaching? (1-2 paragraphs)

The part that resonates with me the most is performance and feedback. I believe that this is an essential part of learning and teaching. Students cannot learn from their mistakes if they did not know why they made those mistakes. I believe it’s the teacher’s duty to give productive feedback to their student’s and not just a letter grade on their work. Students are more likely to not make the same mistake twice if they know why they are making that mistake.

How do these practices compare to your experiences as a learner of a foreign language? (1-2 paragraphs)

          I have been impacted by most of these practices as a learner in many different ways. One way was that every time I walked into my classroom I knew it was a place were I could make mistakes and that would have been fine. My teacher made it her duty to have a safe and exciting environment for my peers and I to learn. Instead of giving us a letter grade on our homework she would give us feedback and see if we could figure out why we made the mistakes we did and then we had time to fix the mistakes and get a better grade on the assignment.

What questions/concerns do you have?

          My only concern is that my students that are native speakers will see and tell me when I make mistakes. My question is if it’s ok to use more than just one method?

Also comment on your goals for this teacher-assisting semester. 

My goal for this semester is to create a connection with my students. I also want to see what methods I work better with so that by the time I start teaching I know what mixture of methods I would want to use.

Introduction

Hi everybody my name is Arturo Leon and my major is spanish my minor is history. I want to teach so that i can make a difference in some students lives. Teachers in my past have inspired me to become a better person and i wish to do the same to my students.