Pensamientos

Excellence is not an act but a habit. The things you do the most are the things you will do best.  Marva Collins 

I had a very engaging conversation via Twitter earlier today with Alice Ayel.  The conversation commenced with Alice posting a link for the Michel Thomas Method for teaching MFL (Modern Foreign Language).  My curiosity piqued, I asked Alice if the Michel Thomas Method is widely embraced in the UK, because it has had little/no traction here in the United States.  According to Alice, the Michel Thomas Method is being embraced more and more by teachers in the UK, for there are, as she put it, "less and less pupils willing to try."  

The statement - "less and less pupils willing to try" - intrigued me.  So, I delved further by asking: "Less willing to speak, lack of motivation, or both?" Alice responded, "Both. Students lack motivation because after years of learning a language, they still can't speak it!"  I delved further still by asking Alice why she thought students weren't able to speak the language, despite many years of study.  She said, "I think as teachers we are too worried about the exams. Also maybe too much focus on vocab. and not on sentence structure?"

I agree with Alice that there is too much focus on vocabulary, and not enough focus on sentence structure. Vocabulary, after all, lends itself more to the fun factor, i.e. games.  Conversely, grammar structures are perceived as mind-numbing drudge work by students and teachers alike in most cases, i.e. not fun. However, the grammar structures play a critical role in written and spoken communication.  I recall a workshop leader having said several years ago that the verbs and grammar are the glue which hold the vocabulary together. One can know lots of words, but, if she isn't able to create with the language, which is what grammar structures allow one to do, there is no value in having learned all of those words in the first place.  

To be certain, creating with the language is hard work, and, given the super-heated 'steem movement of recent years in the United States, too many MFL teachers have sacrificed learning for communication for fun and games. They wanted their classrooms to be low-stress and high-interest, which meant not pushing students too hard in order to get them to do the work that creating with the language requires.  Although the students may have had fun in their MFL classes, they have been rendered unable to utter even the most basic of sentences in the target language. 

Alice and I also talked about the power of words. The Michel Thomas Method focuses on the teaching of cognates and near-cognates.  I responded by saying that recognizing the power of words aids communication. In fact, I teach my own students to recognize cognates in Spanish.  But, it is then up to them to apply the learning, especially when reading for comprehension in the target language.  Alice elaborated by saying that, according to studies she has read, 100 POWER WORDS are repeated over and over in 50% of all communication.

Alice concluded our Twitter conversation by saying, "One doesn't need a lot of words to communicate," which is true, and yet, it amazes me that students don't use the few words they do know to express themselves.  I am constantly prompting my students to say the things for which they have learned the vocabulary and structures to say.  For example, just the other day, two of my Twosies (Spanish Two) students were talking in English just prior to the start of class. One asked the other, "Are you going to the (town) center today?" Having heard this portion of the conversation, I immediately intervened and said, "Ok. Now, say that in Spanish." Well,after some hesitation, the student did, and, with relative ease.  It is not because the student in question didn't know what to say or how to say it.  But, she did need to be pushed to do so, for doing so on her own didn't seem occur to her.

As I explained to the students following this exchange, speaking the target language begets good speaking in the target language.  I believe that most students want to learn to speak, but lack the motivation to do so on their own and without prompting.  This lack of motivation could be the result of many factors, and, as they say, is fodder for a separate post. Having said the aforementioned, I do believe that students who are adept at self-learning and self-teaching, and who demonstrate a greater willingness to create and take risks with the language, are more motivated to speak the language.

Alice is going to experiment with the Michel Thomas Method in her classes.  I look forward to reading her feedback.

Learning how to learn is life's most important skill.  

T. Buzan

The teachers at my place of employ have just finished writing midterm reports, and each time, the report of a particular student challenges me to reflect on what is most important for learning and for teaching, especially if the student in question is struggling.

A case in point: One of my Spanish Two students - aka the Twosies - turns in all of his homework, and performs reasonably well on quizzes and tests. However, he lacks initiative when working independently, is inclined to key his peers shoulder the brunt of the workload on small group, and doesn't retain what he learns.

Given that the retention issue is due to a learning disability, there may not be much in my power to remedy that. Still, perhaps through his learning skills teacher, the student can adopt strategies to improve memory. The capacity to retain, recall and apply what one has been taught is critical in foreign language learning. That said, repetition aids memory, and there are drill-type revision activities which help to strengthen his memory and recall. Flashcards for vocabulary and comjuguemos.com for verbs are two such activities.

As far as the lack of initiative, this is partly a home training issue, and partly a school training issue. For my part, asking the student what he has done to find the answer if he says he does not know/understand places the responsibility on him.

Group collaboration is a life skill as well as a school skill. Unfortunately, this is a student who has been let off the proverbial hook by his peers and teachers to not saddle up and do his share of the work. Short of literally standing over him, which is neither appropriate nor helpful, I am considering devising a self-check sheet for use during group work. The sheet would outline the things which one needs to do in order to be a productive and cobntributing member. It is also a personal accountability tool. The student and I would discuss the group work experience, and identify what went well, and what needs work.

So, what's most important? For me, it's being able to collaborate, learn idependently, and demonstrate what one knows and is able to do.