Teaching in the Target Language

While reading this season's print of the Foreign Language Annals, I came across something truly awesome. This particular project studied "The Effect of Target Language (TL) and Code-Switching on the Grammatical Performance and Perceptions of Elementary-Level College French Students."I believe that this project can be adapted to any language as well as any age. There would have to be some adjustments in teaching to create age appropriate lessons, but the overall effect would be the same. I think reading the abstract sums up pretty well why it is important to stay in the TL.

"Grammar instruction is at the center of the TL and code-switching debate. Discussion revolves around whether grammar should be taught in the TL or using the TL and the native language (L1). This study investigated the effects of French-only grammar instruction and French/English grammar instruction on elementary-level students' grammar performance. The study also examined students' instructional preference and perceptions of the use of either approach to teach grammar and French in general. Grammar test score increases were significantly greater for the French-only condition, and posttest grammar scores were significantly higher for the French-only conditions. Qualitative findings suggested that although a majority of students expressed a preference for learning French grammar with the support of English, they recognized the benefits of a TL approach."


Yes, it is harder to teach while only staying in the TL. Yes, it may be slower and more frustrating. But this is proof that it is worth it and students will have a better grasp on the language after such a program. This is why I teach the way I do (both staying as much as possible in the TL and sometimes breaking down to student wishes and supporting my lessons with English). This is why I am going to strive to break into English less often. My goal has been and will continue to be 90% or more in the TL during my lessons. I want my students to be surprised that I can speak English just as well as them (I have gotten that comment before and I smile every time). This should be every language teacher's goal.

"nan ren" or "nu ren"?

I'm going to switch perspectives for a moment and talk about what it's like to be a language learner. This blog is dedicated to being a language teacher, but part of being a teacher is remember what it's like to learn a new language. I've been taught this from many different people... professors at U of M, faculty leaders from the elementary language program I was a part of during my college years, and most recently the curriculum consultant for the school where I currently work. I've learned lots of languages from these people... French, German, and Thai. I loved learning those languages but since it was only about one or two 10-minute lessons, I really can't recall anything I learned. That's why we want to teach our students as frequently as possible. I believe that 15 minutes every day is better than 30 minutes twice a week. Yes, you can't do as many in-depth projects because of set-up time; but having that language exposure every day is really what helps the new language to sink in.


Back to talking about being a language learner... I am one! I just ripped off my brother's Rosetta Stone to learn Mandarin Chinese. My brother is learning the language because his work will take him overseas within the next two years. I am learning it (and should have learned it already) because my husband is Chinese and the only people in his family to speak English are him and his parents. That means when I visited his family in China 3 years ago, we mostly just sat and stared at each other, waiting for my husband to translate. We are going to visit his family again this summer, and I am determined to say more than please and thank you. I started the lessons last night and have a goal of about 30 min/day, at least 5 days a week. So far... not bad! I have gotten a 93%, 89%, 94%, and 100% on the first four lessons, respectively. My lowest score was pronunciation and my highest was vocabulary. Not surprising really. I can memorize words by sight and match them to the picture but saying them is a whole different story.


I'll talk more about the teaching style of Rosetta stone later as I discover more about it, but so far so far, I like it. There is no English translation... all Chinese to pictures which takes out the extra step in your brain that makes it more difficult to become fluent. That's what I try to do with the students in my classroom. As little English as possible, no matter how frustrating it may be. I admit, I am not doing a very good job of that right now, but we're allowed to have an off day (read: off week) every now and then, right? I promise, Helena (consultant) and Maria (professor), I am returning to 90% or more Spanish in my teaching tomorrow! For now... good-bye, adios, and zai jian. 


P.S. I do not approve as Rosetta Stone as a language program in schools... because nothing beats that teacher-student interaction. However, as an adult looking to learn a new language or a school that can't afford a language teacher, this is certainly better than nothing!

There is an elephant that is small, fat, purple, and blue...

TPRS with my fifth graders was fun this week. Due to assemblies and a few missed classes, we will be finishing up the cuentos next week but overall it was awesome. I am very happy with how the stories came to life! The students were very excited and had lots of good ideas. Here's the process I used in class. There are a few things I'd tweak and couple things that need improvement but overall this process worked out pretty well.


First, I told the students that we were going to be creating a cuento fantástico. Since cuento is a new word, I told them what it meant in English right away. (It means story for all you non-Spanish speakers.) Then, I introduced 3 new vocabulary terms. Now, these vocabulary terms are not what we are currently studying in class but are necessary words in order to create a story. These words are va a ... (he/she goes to ...), le da... (he or she gives ... to him/her), and dice (he/she says). I put the words up on the board with the English right next to it. After pairing each phrase with a gesture, I had the students translate what the words meant. (side note: Sometimes I like the immediate translation from Spanish to English because then you know for sure if the students are understanding or not, but that also takes away from teaching students how to think in Spanish. I flip flop back and forth from what I think is most beneficial so for now, it depends on the activity but I provide both methods at some point in my class. Most often, I choose to provide picture translations so the students can see the picture and interpret the meaning from there. However, pictures aren't always as clear as I want them to be so that can sometimes be more confusing. It all depends.) Getting back to TPRS... after practicing saying the phrases with the gestures, I said the phrases and the students just did the gestures. We practiced groups of 3 phrases in a row (for example, dice dice le da or le da va a dice) with open eyes so students could still see the board. Then they closed their eyes and had to do the gestures without any hints and just from memory. Everyone did really well! This was all I did to practice the vocabulary. My cooperating teacher from last year would have a bit more practice before eyes closed. He split the class into to groups (boys/girls) and would have one group perform while the other group watched. Then they switched so the other group could perform. After all that, they did the gestures with eyes closed. Since I don't have as much time with my elementary students, I decided to take away that step.


Finally it was time for the story. Yay! Since this was the first time with my students, we talked in English a little first about what is important in a story... a problem, a setting, and a character. After discussing (briefly) these story elements, it was time to create the character in Spanish. They could chose person or animal, what type of animal, the name, adjectives to describe it, any colors, etc... That is how one class came up with Hay un elefante. El elefante es pequeño, gordo, morado, y azul. (There is an elephant. The elephant is small, fat, purple, and blue.) Since we're currently studying tener expressions, the elephant's problem was that he was scared since he was so small. So he decided to eat a lot of food in order to get bigger and be less scared. 


One huge part of TPRS is circling the vocabulary with lots of questions. It takes a very long time to build this skill and practice only makes you better. However, taking a year off really lowers your skill level.... as it has done to mine. By the end of my student teaching, I could circle the vocabulary quickly, with lots of variety, and make sure all of my students could answer every question. I am still trying to get back into that mindset so my circling questions aren't as great right now. That only improves with time :) I'm already way better today than I was at the beginning of the week.


After the story was finished the students then read (out loud and in Spanish!) their story that I had typed out and projected onto the board. Each student read one sentence (and did a fantastic job I might add!) then I handed out a paper with three boxes. Since each story is 3 paragraphs, students needed to draw one paragraph for each box on their paper. They really enjoyed this part. I'm looking forward to doing more stories with my students! I know I'll post again about TPRS soon, so keep your eye out if this topic interests you. If you're interested in reading one of my class's stories, It's below this post, entirely in Spanish, and in the words of my students.

Hay una persona. Es una chica. La chica se llama Selena Gomez. Es baja y bonita y gorda. Tiene mucha hambre.

Selena Gomez va al restaurante. El restaurante se llama Scooters. Justin Beiber trabaja en Scooters.  Justin Beiber es feo y gordo. Justin Beiber le da el plátano con chocolate. Selena Gomez dice <¡Qué asco!> y está enojada.

Selena Gomez va a un restaurante diferente. El restaurante se llama The Melting Pot y está en Lake Forest. Justin Timberlake y Maroon 5 trabajan en The Melting Pot. 6 personas trabajan en The Melting Pot. Justin Timberlake y Maroon 5 le dan el sándwich de helado chocolate. Selena Gomez dice <Mmm delicioso> y está feliz. Está feliz porque no tiene hambre. El fin.

Translator?

I was hired as a Spanish teacher to work with students in grades 3-5. Along with teaching comes a lot of other responsibilities such as lunch duty, curriculum redesign, communicate with coworkers, etc. I was not hired as a translator even though there are a number of Spanish-only speaking families in my district. The ELL teacher was hired to do that. This hasn't bothered me too much because honestly, speaking with native speakers really does make me nervous. I am very confident in my language skills and can get along with the best of them but I do not consider myself fluent. I have not immersed myself enough to confidently say that I am fluent. I do admit that I am a very advanced speaker. Even though most of my time is spent teaching basic level Spanish, I still converse with some of my co-workers in Spanish and have helped out potential adopters in their native language at the animal shelter where I volunteer. I do wish that I had more opportunities to use my Spanish on a broader basis and maintain (or improve) my speaking skills. Any ideas out there?


Anyway, last week was parent-teacher conferences and the ELL teacher was running around translating but was double booked for one hour and couldn't make it to one conference. The social worker came and found me and I was more than happy to do the job. At the last minute, the ELL teacher showed up but then another conference had the potential need for a translator. Again, I happily went. I was actually disappointed to find out that the parent could speak pretty good English (don't get me wrong... I'm happy for him just disappointed to not use my skills) and I did not need to translate at all. I was excited (but also very nervous) to offer my skills that not many other people at my school possess! Needless to say, I moved on from the disappointment and focused on the teaching again. However, this afternoon my skills were needed and I was a huge help! A new student needs to register with my school but the whole process is very confusing and since the ELL teacher is only 50% and works mornings not afternoons, I got to help out. While some parts were very difficult for me to translate (for example... you need to have a notarized affidavit signed by the person with whom you are living and not paying rent to... I can barely understand this sentence in English, let alone translate it to Spanish!) overall I believe that I was very helpful. It made me feel really good to help out. I would like to find a way to incorporate more of this into my current, or future, jobs. Not only will it help me maintain my language level, but it will also allow me to help and communicate with others. And that is why I believe so strongly in language education. Our world is growing smaller and smaller but not everyone speaks the same language. Only by learning the language of our neighbors will we truly be able to create an inviting community. Even if you are only able to speak a few words of another language, it will make that person feel so much more comfortable. Besides, learning about new cultures comes hand in hand with learning new languages and it's so much fun to discover new facts about the world!