¡Mira lo que pueden hacer!

     Last week I was interviewed by friend and colleague Patti De.  We were talking about the Immersive Method, and I was explaining how OWL has freed me to evaluate my students' work based on where they are in terms of ACTFL standards. I showed her an example of one group's work, and beamed at her.  "Look what they did!  Isn't it great?"
     In previous years I would have picked the nits and dinged them for little things-- but as Darcy pointed out, novices can't control adjective agreement, verb forms, etc.  They are easy to grade and mark off for, but not important for comprehensibility, which is where I am now putting emphasis.  Could a sympathetic native speaker understand what my student is trying to say?  If the errors interfere with my ability to understand, then there is cause to take off a point or more.
     Here are links to commercials my students made for their restaurants,  They aren't perfect, but they do show what my students are able to do to promote their restaurants in Spanish.

Sofía y Viviana: La Vivi con un Acompañamiento de Sofía

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mgk7X_QcmA

Javi y Memo: Un Sabor de Ecuador

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGPpeYe0YHA

Pancha, Guadalupe y Juanita: Pasta la Vista

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbNWcj18GB8

Paz y Anita: El Restaurante de Paz y Anita

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qziuy_jn1KI

Making it work

     There have been several sources of inspiration for me as I move towards more Spanish in my Spanish classes.  The first is TPRS.  I like TPRS because it provides Comprehensible Input.  My students found it silly, though, and did not appreciate it at all.
     Two years ago I attended a workshop on making the 90% target, and I got some good ideas (though not many have stuck).  The next year, I decided to try to meet the goal.  I taught my students phrases to ask for help, and then proceeded to do everything the same, sticking to my textbook, except do it in Spanish.  I found out that you (I) can't make such a fundamental shift and keep everything else the same.
     Last year I attended an OWL workshop at OFLA, and there I got tools that made sense.  I know what my students need to know, and I don't have to rely on a text to guide me.  I am building a Spanish speaking community in my classroom, and using Spanish to do it.
     Today, my 8th grade students started to work in small groups on projects, and they worked together in English.  It sounded so odd!  I wondered if I should insist that they speak Spanish to each other even as they worked on their project and conducted research in English.  I think I can be comfortable with it this time.  I will definitely take time on Monday to talk to each other, review vocabulary, and add to our list.
     I visited Anne Weldon's Spanish II classes today also, and shared my experiences of the Camino de Santiago with them.  I shared two important lessons I learned on the Camino:  Trust (the arrow will be there!), and Pay Attention (you have to watch for it!).  Very important lessons that I carry with me and recall often, and need to be reminded of from time to time as well.  What a gift experience is, and what a gift we can make of it!
     I need to pay attention to what my students are doing, and how they are doing it.  I need to trust what I am seeing, and take appropriate action.  I am the one who gives me permission to try things in my class, and I can take responsibility for what works and have the responsibility to change what does not.  It is OK if I don't know everything now.  I am a learner, too.

"When do you think you'll be there?"

The innocent question from a colleague inspires this post.  When will I get to 90-100%?  I am there.  In all of my level I classes I am almost exclusively Spanish, and my students come close, too.  I need to encourage more circumlocution and reject the "¿Cómo se dice?" questions that are just a request for translation.

I video taped all of my level one classes and saw the proof.  I am reaching my goal of 90-100% Spanish every day!  I feel so good about what I am doing and how my student are learning!

What planning looks like

My goal for 1A is novice mid, for 1B is novice high.  I will use the vocabulary we have been practicing.  In 1A, our question will be ¿Cómo está?    We'll start, though, with asking 5 people Como estas?  We'll share out after a transition activity, back in the circle, polling kids, asking how their partner is.  The second activity will be about four people.  The hook will be four photos on a slide.  I will assign a photo to each student who will have to describe their photo to another, then switch cards.  The cards will be different colors, for the four different pictures.  We'll transition this one with back to back with your partner-- you're facing your new partner.  We'll play this for a few minutes.  Transition.  New partners-- same color shoes?  

I'll solicit a new word, like bad mannered/rude, boy/girlfriend, homeless.  How do you feel when someone is rude/flirts/you see a homeless person?  Share with a new partner.  Circle up and share with whole group.

The last slide will lead to our next topic.  Pair up and list colors.  Then, as a class, we will name things that are that color in the classroom. Literacy piece: list the color names in the notebook.

If we have time, I'll debrief at the end of class.

In 1B, we will start (after the conversation) with the slides I made last week, en la consulta del médico (literacy).  Then we'll pair up and ask each other what hurts.  They will mention something, and the partner has to point to the part that hurts.  We'll count to pair, then espalda a espalda to re-pair.  Share-out with a round of simon dice or cabeza, hombros, pierna, pies.  Or a student can say what hurts and everyone has to mime it.  Transition to having pairs name all or the body parts they can (recycle).  New question: what can you do with your feet, hands?  Pairs share out after re-pairing.  Hopefully someone will share sports activities, which will be our next segway.  New question: Cuales deportes te gustan?  Generate a list of sports.

With friends like these...

I had the great good fortune to present my dilemma at a critical friends group today.  A critical friends group is not critical; instead they provide support, in the form of questions and comments, that help to resolve whatever dilemma a teacher is facing.  Today my dilemma was "How do I introduce a new theme if it does not originate from the students, so that it does not become a list of vocabulary and it is meaningful to them?"  There were 5 stages to the protocol.  First, I shared my dilemma.  I provided background information on the ACTFL levels, what it takes to move up the levels, and about OWL.  Next, I answered clarifying questions.  The group then asked probing questions.  Then I turned my back on the group and became a listener only.  The group discussed my dilemma, and asked "What if...?" questions.  Finally, I turned around and rejoined the group and gave feedback, asked questions, etc.

Here's what I heard my colleagues saying while my back was turned, the questions/comments I want to give my attention to:

• Songs and activities are tools
• Students are more connected
• The teacher can direct the topics-- write questions that lead them where she wants them to go.
• Are themes limiting?
• Memory increases when theme is narrower in scope
• Depth or breadth?
• Teacher does not need to be the sole source of language- where and how could students find language?  Could this be a new use for realia?
• Task based themes, for example, how do I mail something at the post office?
• Project based-- something the kids can create. gives me something to evaluate, and opportunities for self reflection and perhaps more student ownership
• Use a clip board with my cheat-sheet and a check list for participation to keep track
• Record the class, audio only or with a camera, would help with memory (note to self: the video could be posted on the web for students to review and practice with)
• Documenting progress made: individual skills, ability, leading to a different grade breakdown, and show individual progress
• More one-on-one for individual assessment, perhaps during partner activities by observing or participating (note to self: with odd numbers in 2 of my classes, this would be easy. I just have to work with different students each day, and I have to make notes!)
• Recording a class will help me to see the threads, student buy in, and make it more student driven as they see success (gopro, google glass?)
• Expanding the classroom: I can talk about my weekend.  See movies, bring in speakers.  take walks, visit the z-lab, go the the turf field: life and school.  Connect to other departments.
• Have class in the commons: more space, no barriers (my room is small)

A great big THANK YOU! to Carly, Tyler, Laura, and Rachel who came in on their day off to share this critical friends group, and for their suggestions, questions, and encouragement!  I feel affirmed in what I am trying to do, and empowered to grow in this new methodology.  I am convinced that it is best for my students, and certain that it aligns perfectly with the vision of the school.

OWL WOW!

So, I spent Friday and Saturday at an OWL I workshop near Columbus.  Friday was a school day, and we got to see OWL in action in real classes, then debrief after.  My head is so full of great stuff I can hardly wait 'til tomorrow when I can put it to use!

And there are SOOOO many ideas!  This takes 100% WAY beyond where I was with it!

On the plus side, I got affirmation for what I was doing.  Being free of the textbook, even if my slides are like a textbook, is a good thing.

I'm going to start tomorrow with a discussion with my students about what we are doing and why.  I will explain to them what my intentions are.

...


I have three days of teaching in the OWL method, and Wednesday was great!

I already got rid of my desks, and 2 of my three tables are folded up and put at the side of the room.  Chairs are circled around the room; that's where we start from with our realia sharing.  Then we get into a circle-- codo a codo, and even pie a pie.  I introduce a question or activity-- greet three people by name, etc.-- they pair up, and talk!  We come back to the circle to share out.  I remembered to give applause for good answers, and we learned a new expression --Ay, Dios mío-- when someone said something that warranted the exclamation (we also learned "pobrecita" to sympathize with Josefina's cold symptoms).  We sang the pirate song, and talked about what body parts we used to play people's favorite sports.  We had a guest in the class-- Gu Lao Shi was visiting from across the hall-- so it was very cool that things flowed so well.

What makes OWL different is that it's comprehensible input, but it's not contrived.  It's organic so the language comes from the students.  It's high energy.  It's engaging.  It's personal.  It's community.  It's exciting!  It's fun!  And it works!

One month in...

     After nearly a month of doing things in my classroom in a very different way, I am reflecting on how much my old thinking directed my teaching in the past and how it sneaks in to direct it in the present.  I remember arguing that in world languages we had to use the textbook and follow a sequence because "one thing builds on another."  When I would try to jump around in the book, students did not have the vocabulary and grammar necessary to understand.  So I stuck with the book, and faithfully completed activities even if they were redundant because they were there, and "students could use the practice."
     How much vocabulary can I introduce at a time?  Ellen Shrager's book was a great source of inspiration for using slides to present comprehensible input.  My fear is turning my slideshow into a text.  Yes, the input is comprehensible.  But, how much input can be absorbed in a 40 minute period?  How many repetitions does it take to internalize new vocabulary?
     So I'm kind of mixing it up.  Yes, we had a bunch of conditions, and we are practicing them with circling, questions, stories, etc.  I've included vocabulary that the students want to know. I've added stories, and illustrated them so that they are comprehensible.
     Do I have a more interactive class, a more engaging way of presenting?  Perhaps.  It is a HUGE amount of  work to prepare for a class!  Luckily I have multiple sections so I can reuse some of the materials I create.  And maybe I can reuse some things next year.
     Is it worth it?  One parent-colleague said to me that her kids aren't understanding anything.  I said, they are too!  And they are understanding more than they know they are getting.  Breaking them from the need to understand every word and get the gist, to trust their instincts when they think they understand-- these are some of my goals for them.  The parents I expected to hear from, who called my boss with their worries, I have not heard anything.  No concerns were voiced at PIN.  So the kids must be OK with what's happening in class.  They wouldn't be OK if they didn't get it.
     I do wonder how I got away with being less than creative, less than innovative, less than passionate for so many years.  The Immersion Method-- that's what I'm doing now in my class.  I am realizing the vision of my school in my classroom every day!  And, even though I am questioning everything, I really feel like I am worthy of teaching here.  Not that I was a bad teacher before; I've always known that I am a good teacher.  Just that now I am really starting to exemplify the characteristics of an excellent teacher at MVS, and I am proud of, and excited by, the work that I am doing.

¡Eso si que es!

     The title for this post comes from a pun I learned in Spain.  A business man is in New York, and has forgotten his socks.  He goes to the store, and asks, in Spanish for socks.  He is told they don't speak that stuff in that particular store; he needs to go elsewhere.  He tries to describe what he needs, but the clerk is adamant; he needs to go to a different store.  Finally, the man leaves the store, passing a table covered in socks.  He picks up a pair and exclaims, "Eso, si que es."*  The clerk says, "Well, if you could spell it, why didn't you?"
     As I use Spanish almost exclusively in class, I've noticed I have students like the clerk, who don't understand, and need things concrete.  It pushes them way out of their comfort zone.  Parents can be uncomfortable, too.  The middle school head was contacted by a parent whose daughter complained that she did not understand my directions.  A ridiculous claim-- the assignment was an inventory of "I can" statements from ACTFL, and entirely in English.  Fear is insidious, though, and it can keep us stuck.
     When I went to Spain at 17 years of age, after 4 years of high school Spanish, I was afraid to speak, afraid to make mistakes.  On the plus side, I listened very carefully, and acquired excellent pronunciation.  On the downside, I was very isolated for 3-4 months.  I don't want my students to have a similar experience (except for excellent pronunciation!).  I want my students to feel confident that they can communicate their needs effectively, and even communicate beyond their needs.
     This is cool-- while sitting here composing this post, I got an idea that I can use with my minuscule Spanish 2 class.  We are composing a Spanish magazine while we review all of the material we learned last year, and cover quickly the material left in Spanish 1.  (This is an interesting class.  I have a heritage speaker as a student, who cannot take classes in the upper school because of the US's block schedule.  I also have a very gifted language student.  Tell him once, he's got it and can use it. He learns very fast, but he is not on the level of the heritage speaker.)  What if, for the current topic of health and well-being, my 2's surveyed my other 8th graders about stress in school?  Maybe even other health-related topics?  I will talk to them about it next week.
     And that's sort of how the planning goes.  I wish I could say it is all so serendipitous.  Sometimes it results from conversations I have with colleagues.  Carly Cary was kind enough to let me pick her brain last week.  She teaches 6th grade geography and has a book as a resource, but does not let it drive her curriculum.  She devotes the first few weeks to learning the terms of geography, and how to think like a geographer.  The rest of the year focuses on three major themes: Latin America, Africa and Asia.  She focuses on essential questions: Why do people live where they live?  How do they live? How does geography affect their choices?  She is clear on what she wants her students to know, and together they find a way to get there.
     Essential questions must be the guiding force behind my lessons, and backwards design the way to get there.  ¡Eso si que es!


*That's what it is!  That's it!

One week down!

     It's the first day of the second week-- a 5-day week!-- and I have now had 4 days of class.  The model I discussed in my last post, webbing the unit with the end result in mind, has worked really well.  I was not prepared for how much time it takes, though!  I could spend hours on my lessons!
     I have adopted some tips from Ellen Shrager that I found in the Daily Tech Guide: A Survival Guide for Using Technology to Improve Classroom Management and to Visually Support the 90% Target Language Goal for Level One Students at the Secondary Level.  I made slides to use today in my classes, and they worked really well.  One set was a review of classroom procedures, and one was a review of vocabulary from Spanish 7 last year.
     There was a lot of chatting in my 4th period class today, so much so that many students missed part of the directions.  I will return their HW to them tomorrow to correct.
     I'm excited about the LingtLanguage summative assessment I assigned my 8th grade classes.  Instead of just speaking in response to oral prompts, students will write responses to some questions, speak to some written prompts, and reply to oral questions that I ask.
     I can keep me on target with 90-100%, but how do I keep my students committed?  I like the idea of a candle; when English is spoken, I blow it out, and we try again the next day.  When the candle is burned down, we earn a reward (making tortillas?  a party?).  I also like the "Language Masters" tags from Concordia Language Villages: students who choose to can wear a tag that identifies them as a Language Master, which is a commitment to speak ONLY in the target language during class.  They can track their success, and also earn a reward.  Of course, I'd love for the reward to simply be that we all just get better at Spanish!

Planning the start of the year

It's Monday evening of the first week of school.  Kids come back Wednesday-- though many were on campus this morning for orientation. I've been thinking and noodling and reading and reflecting all summer, and it is time to put on paper what I will do this week with my students.

I have one section of 7th grade Spanish 1A, and 2 sections of 8th grade Spanish 1B (technically they are Spanish 1C, because they started the sequence in 6th grade).  I've decided that both classes need an orientation to make this 90-100% work, but the 8th grade classes will move through it more quickly, since they already have learned a great deal of the vocabulary that we will be using.  I used backwards design in creating the unit: What do I want them to be able to say and do by the end of the unit?  I want them to respond appropriately to basic commands (stand, sit, open, close, point, etc.), greet me and other students, know my expectations, make some simple requests (Can I go to the bathroom, etc.), and know how to ask for clarification (How do you say...?, etc.).

How do you plan such a unit?  I webbed all of the things I want them to be able to do around the central theme: ¿Qué hago en la clase de español?  Spokes on the web are themes like greeting the teacher, learning each others' names, the commands and questions that I mentioned above.  From the spokes I generated a list of activities, and now I am plugging the activities into a calendar.  Instead of the traditional plan book, I have a 5 subject theme book.  One section for the webs, and one for each section of Spanish I am teaching.

My goal is lots of comprehensible input, lots of repetition, and acquisition over learning.  I'm very excited, and a little bit nervous.

MVS Constructs-- and so do I!

When I got the reminder e-mail from Bryan I was filled with trepidation.  "Think about projects you'd like to do," he suggested.  ACK!  I could think of nothing.  How do you come up with an idea?  Do people just have ideas in their heads? Where was the inspiration?  I'm not un-creative, I just don't do this kind of thing, ever.  So I told Mike and Rachel about my fear, and Rae said, "Mom, when I think of you creating stuff, I think of you making mandalas."  So then I had an idea.

On the first day, Tuesday, we got into groups of 3 and did "Yes, and..."  I shared my idea for a mandala that could spin.  When we shared our ideas with the larger group, my idea became a "Shiny, Spinny Thingy."  There were other great ideas: an MVS Marauder's Map; an Interactive, Therapeutic Glove; a Large Vehicle Driven By A Hamster.  Not all of the ideas got made, and not all of the things made were on the lists.  One other person had interest in my spinny thingy, but she wound up working on other stuff.  The groups separated out, and I decided to work alone on the spinny thingy.

I started by thinking how could I make something turn.  I did not know that Bryan had motors that we could use, and I thought about what I knew about gears.  I knew that Legos had gears available, and figured I could make something with Legos.  We had a kit, and directions to make a car.  I figured that was the place to start, and so I did, I built a car, figuring that I could mount my spinny thingy on the top.  In the afternoon, I searched images for "Pre-Colombian Guatemalan Indian Designs" and found inspiration for the first mandala.

I spent much of Wednesday drawing and coloring the mandalas.  I made two-- one for the spinny side, and one to cover all of the wires, etc.  I started to sew on LED lights with conductive thread.  I had big plans for blinking lights, and a motion activated off and on.  I learned about breadboards and lily pads.  I read about programming the car, but I never got that far.  I though about how to mount the mandalas to the top of the vehicle.

On Thursday I worked on the car mount.  Robyn showed me how to use "sketch up," and her explanation made great sense... until I tried on my own.  That's when the frustration really got me, and I had to take a break.  I even thought about and started to construct the structure out of cardboard.  When I was calm enough I asked Alex for some help.  After he left, Bryan showed me another, better way to make the structure.  We put the card in the Maker Bot printer... and it didn't work.  Three times we tried, and Bryan will keep trying until it prints, hopefully by Wednesday and the faculty meeting.

Today is Friday, and I learned how to solder and how to use a drill press.  I had to re-drill the hole on the gripper that holds the motor mount (even though the hole is straight, the mandala mount is wonky on account of the curved gripper being hot-glued to the flat battery case). Jon suggested a flashlight switch as an on-off switch for the motor, and I learned how to connect it and how to solder in the wires.  Cool!  We were working until 2:04, and sharing time started at 2:05!

I was the second presenter, and everything worked..  I shared most of the story as I've told it here, though in a condensed form.

What are the lessons I learned?  I know that I have a high threshold for frustration, and I have to pay attention to that, because it is easy to ignore. I need to remember to breathe and take a break when I'm headed for a melt-down.  Not knowing is hard, but I can learn and then know.  If it takes me a while, I don't have to be embarrassed, and if I am, so what?

How can I use this in my classroom?  I suggested to Bryan that we continue the discussion as we move through the school year.  I have some reading to do, and on-line research as well.  The thingy I built isn't something I can use in class-- like the laser cone, the polyglot puppet, and the green screen.  But the experience I had, as a learner and an experimenter, that will translate.  We'll see how it ripples out.