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!