introducing: interpretive communication

I have never really considered the interpretive mode before coming in contact with this chapter. I know how to negotiate texts/media that require the use of the interpretive mode but I don’t think a teacher had ever used the term “interpretive mode” when we were doing such exercises. And honestly, I cannot say how much of my knowledge about using this mode is due to actual instruction or what I discovered from exposure.

http://policiasadolescentes.blogspot.com/2012_04_01_archive.html

Given my background with this mode, I think I will want to tell students what they are doing. I want them to know that they are, in fact, using the interpretive mode and working with texts where they cannot exchange information with the writer or speaker. Knowing the terminology of what you are doing can be very empowering.

The two things that were most poignant to me were: that the authentic text should not be edited and that understanding of input from L2 should be tested in the L1. I think many teachers would quickly assume that they need to edit the information they are giving to their students. They could do this by cutting the text given or by changing words within the text. Both of these actions are actually harmful to the student. I love the idea of editing the task, not the text. Additionally, why would you take the authentic words out of a text and replace them with your own? Much more can be gained by glossing the text and giving students a definition that they can understand in the L2.

With so much emphasis placed on using the L2 as much as possible in the classroom, I think most teachers assume that they should test understanding in the L2 as well. It makes sense to check understanding in the L1 because that is the negotiation that is going on in their head.  Often the test in the L2 gets in the way of showing what it is trying to measure. If the language in this test is too advanced, than it isn’t really testing what was comprehended but rather what it is saying. Likewise, the language can match too closely to the actual text that students will not read closely and just pick the sentences in the text surrounding the given phrase and assume that is the answer. By testing in the L1, higher level thinking is automatically required.

thematic unit --- relationships

My thematic unit will be based on friendship/relationships.  I am using the fourth chapter from the textbook (Realidades 3) – as a source more than strictly following it. The main vocabulary that will be included deals with personal characteristics and the grammar point that I would like my students to become proficient with is the use of (present) subjunctive in cases with emotion.

http://thehypebomb.com/archives/1943

The culminating project (assessment) will be an apology letter that they will write to a “friend” who they have had a “fight” with. In this letter they will be able to express emotion and utilize the subjunctive, describe characteristics of themselves and the friend to whom they are writing.

Breaking down my unit by the five Cs I have the following ideas:

1.       Culture:

a.       Valentine’s Day – emphasis more on friendship than romantic love in Columbia, specific gifts given in Spain

b.      Permission activity – there is a chart in the book about what Mexican youth need permission for. We will make our own based on the experiences of the students in my two sections of level three and Sra. Foster’s four sections.

2.       Connections:

a.       Stats – Using the data derived from the permission survey the students will create statistics and a chart.

3.       Comparison:

a.       Family of words – if you know one word (ie – the verb, noun, or adjective) you can probably figure out the other two. Students will look at the list in the textbook and also generate their own.

b.      Holidays – Valentines activity

c.       Permission activity – self explanatory

4.       Community:

a.       Perception of young people in Spain – pie charts in textbook.

                                                                  i.      What are the perceptions of us?

                                                                ii.      Interview community members.

1.       Do we like it?

2.       Do we want to change it?

3.       How?

5.       Communication:

a.         Letter writing – explained earlier (assessment)

Additional activities:

·         Friendship Quiz

·         Horoscopes

·         Personal ad 

mgmt

I have really enjoyed the textbook so far – Conscious Classroom Management (Smith, 2004). It gives so many practical ways to structure your classroom and how react in certain situations. What I especially like is the emphasis put on your own expectations of yourself as the teacher and your students. If you view yourself as not only a teacher of Spanish but also as a teacher of behavior then it won’t bother you nearly as much when your students don’t act as you would like them too. A student acting out is simply asking you to repeat your lesson. I think if I put some kind of note to myself in my classroom to this effect it will help me not to become so discouraged or disappointed. 

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/100098.Conscious_Classroom_Mahttp://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171464491l/100098.jpgnagement

It was very interesting to note that good classroom management is essentially invisible. The teacher has already set everything up to run smoothly. (And when it comes to management the best defense is truly a good offense!) The question then becomes – how do we translate what we are observing into our own classroom? I wonder how much the dynamic of the classroom will shift once it is no longer Sra. Lewis up front. I definitely think that going over my expectations and rules at the beginning of my time as the teacher will be crucial.  Even if I don’t change anything from the way it is set up now it will be good to let the students know that they can expect the same from me. Also, they will have already been in school for half a year – I think it will be good to brush up on rules, procedures, and expectations anyways. I typically need to do so mid semester just to remember if my professor accepts late assignments or not. It is easy to forget so I will help them remember! :) 

A Spectrum of Students

I think that a typical classroom is going have this makeup: a spectrum of students with a wide variety of needs. I think one of the best ways to approach this situation is to pair students together. When the students who need more of a challenge in the class have the opportunity to aide a classmate they may feel a greater sense of accomplishment and be invigorated. The student who is struggling will have some one-on-one help from a more knowledgeable other (where’s this lingo coming from???).

http://www.maurilioamorim.com/2011/03/rules-for-successful-team-work/

I think the important thing to keep in mind is the sensitivity towards what group students are put in. Yes one student is helping the other but I wouldn’t want the student who is having difficulty to feel as if he is dumb or not as good as the other students. It would be important to me to create a community within the classroom. When it comes time for students to pair up and to work together there would already be a base of trust and openness. I wouldn’t want the student who is doing the aiding to feel overwhelmed with this task nor would I her to think too highly of herself. It would be a balancing act and I think at the center would be humility.

When I observed/aided in the Spanish I/II classes at The Potter’s House in Wyoming, Michigan the teacher I worked with often split the class into two groups and these groups varied from week to week, lesson to lesson. The group that had grasped the concept and showed that they were proficient at it would do some sort of culminating activity. Often, these students would construct a skit to perform for the whole class that encompassed the new skill that had been taught. The portion of the class that had struggled with the new concept benefited from extra time with the instructor, in a smaller setting, with new exercises and examples to help them master the topic.

I like this idea because the students who already mastered the concept are not expected to sit and be bored while the same material is retaught in a new manner. Instead, they get to show what they know. The students who need more time on that material are not penalized but actually get much more attention from the teacher. And the best part of all, just because a student is in the “review” group one week doesn’t mean that he will be stuck there the whole school year. There is the fluidity between the groups. Often when Christy (my cooperating teacher) thought a student was borderline between the two groups she allowed them to choose. And more times than not the student chose to review the material.

I hope that these and other ideas that you all have come up with will work in my future classroom!    

Perspectives, practices, products

The "Three Ps" - practices, products, perspectives: Integral to interacting within a culture

http://cliviavogel.wordpress.com/2012/08/15/cross-culture-communication-experiences/

Product: Spanish films by Pedro Almodóvar

Practice: Depicting Spain and Spanish life, especially marginalized groups, at the time when Spain was just beginning to “open up” at the end of Franco’s dictatorship.

Perspective: Making what is considered marginal or taboo – mainstream. Almodóvar did a lot of work to bring to light the lives of the gay community, the drug circles, and those seen as pariahs of society.  

Product: Names – María García Lopez 

Practice: Spanish naming system – García is her father’s last name and Lopez is her mother’s last name.  When María has children she will pass on the name of García to them. When a woman marries she does not change her name.

Perspective: I’m not sure what perspective this conveys, perhaps that there is a sense that a part of you comes from your mother and a part from your father. The fact that a married woman does not change her name communicates level of independence.

I like the idea of teaching students by using the three Ps. Students could pick an everyday normal occurrence in the target culture and use the themes of product, practice, and perspective. By looking at the occurrence in this way students will be able to better understanding the meaning behind it. Students will not look at the product of a siesta and attribute it to Spanish “laziness” but rather they will dig deeper and find the possible explanation of this practice and what perspective it expresses.

Why don’t you help me?

If siesta is the product then what are the practice and perspective surrounding it?

Film: American Teacher

Film: American Teacher

NR

2011

1 hour 19 minutes

“Profiling four extraordinary teachers from diverse parts of the county, this documentary feature examines the struggles of an underpaid profession.”

http://theprincipal.blogspot.com/2012/03/american-teacher.html

This film was absolutely wonderful and I think it is a must see for those considering the teaching profession. I found it on Netflix and it streams instantly – please contact me if you would like to watch it through my account.

The documentary highlights the struggles that many teachers face. While many agree that quality teachers are a necessity for our nation’s future progress there is no action to back up that claim. Teachers are undervalued and are often seen as the problem in the public education system. A good teacher can help her student achieve a grade level and a half of progress in one school year.

Even if teachers are not being casts as the villains in the public education system they are still not receiving the prestige that they deserve. Not only is it a low paying career choice but it requires long hours and garners very little respect.

Four different teachers from throughout the United States are featured throughout the film.  Jamie Fidler, a first grade teacher at Philip Livingston School in Brooklyn, New York shares some of her struggles as a teacher. In her first year of teaching Fidler spent $3,000 of her own money on classroom essentials. And this is not an uncommon practice.  Over 90% of teachers spend their own money on supplies. Teachers are willing to spend their hard earned money in their own classrooms. This is a testament to the dedication of teachers. Later in the film we look at the salaries of teachers and see just how many teachers take a second job in order to make ends meet for themselves and their families.

The statistics are shocking. 31% of teachers take a second job outside of the school system. If you include the positions of coach, advisor or tutor then 62% of teachers hold two jobs. Even still, teachers struggle to stay in the profession because the money isn’t there. Many teachers are living at the poverty level. And yet they are still willing to give up their meager wages for the future of their students.

Another issue that is talked about in this film is teacher retention. There are so many teachers who leave the field that really would love to continue teaching. They either leave because they cannot make due on the money that they make or they are burnt out. Often new teachers are given the largest and most difficult classes. This low pay and long hours work teachers to the bone. And when these teachers inevitably depart, it leaves the schools in a chaotic state.  46% of teachers quit before their fifth year and this is due to long hours, lack of support and prestige, plus the small salary.

One thing that I especially appreciated about this film is that it looked at the nations that score the highest on academic standard exams. It compared how those countries train and treat their teachers with the practices in the United States. After seeing this comparison it is no surprise that Finland does so well in Reading, Science and Mathematics when they are being taught by teachers who receive so much support and respect.

Please don’t read my summary and think that this film is asking for money. It’s not about that. It is about showing people how important teachers are and asking for action. I am obviously not going into teaching to become wealthy but I do want to be able to support myself and my future family. I hope you will watch this film and see how important it is that we value teachers in our society, that then in turn you will pass this film on to others, and we can start a revolution. This would be a revolution in which the public education system gets better, teachers are valued more highly, and our children are the real beneficiaries. 

First Language Learning Experience

In my school district all students took exploratory foreign language classes in 7^th and 8^th grade. Latin and Spanish were taken in 7^thgrade for a few weeks and then in 8^th grade we took German and French. I believe we spent a little more time in the languages in 8^thgrade. I was very excited about the opportunity to learn about these different languages.

http://maisie89.tumblr.com/page/2

As a child I had always fantasized about speaking another language. I had thought it very “romantic.” In my mind I would speak French because it was such an elegant and sophisticated language. When it came time to middle school I did very well in all four languages. Around the time of 7^th grade I began spending a good amount of time on the computer using a CD about French. It was interactive and had a lot of vocabulary targeted at travel.

When it came time to take French in 8^th grade I had some vocabulary under my sleeve and my pronunciation was decent. My French teacher complimented me on my success and encouraged me to continue studying French. That had fully been my intention until the day came to sign up for high school classes.

I have many fond memories when it comes to the French class. There was a film that we watched and one line from it really sticks out. The boy is supposed to be introducing himself in French by saying “Je m'appelle Pierre” but instead of saying it with French pronunciation he said, “JA MAPPLE PEE-AIR.” It was absolutely hilarious to our class. By making fun of speaking French with an American accent it made us aware of how to correctly go about pronouncing the words we were about to learn.

The only thing I didn’t like about the language classes in middle school was how short they were. I wanted to spend more time in the foreign language classroom. I was ready to devout myself to these classes. I think I was destined to continue language learning. I decided to go on and study Spanish because I enjoyed the language and there are so many people who speak the language globally. I have not regretted it for one moment.