As the first six weeks comes to an end, I've been doing a lot of reflecting. I'm really excited and proud that I'm making such a huge positive change this year with using TPRS. I can't believe how much confidence my first years have. But I'm also doing some serious reflection on how to teach my third years because they seem to be lacking confidence.
It's as if I've yanked the rug out from beneath some of my students in third year. I asked them for feedback the other day (1 thing they enjoy, 1 concern) about my class. EVERYONE had something they enjoyed and not everyone had a concern. That was a good reinforcement for me. However, looking at the concerns, I noticed that many students were worried that they weren't learning nor being challenged. This was a MAJOR red flag for me.
So I've been reading and re-reading their feedback and formulating my response to their concerns. I want them to know that they're in great hands and that I won't let them down by "not teaching" them anything. I've given them a list of vocabulary for the semester, a comprehensive grammar review sheet, and a verb synopsis for us to complete. The students with concerns about "not learning" felt that we need to spend more time conjugating verbs and focusing on the endings.
This has lead me to question how I am teaching. I've explored the idea of if we should do more of that. I've also explored why we're not doing more of that. I keep coming up at the same place. They don't realize they're learning because it makes more sense this year: 1) there's context to what they're learning, 2) I try to make them always feel confident and smart, so they're not focusing on how stupid they feel for not knowing something, 3) we're constantly reviewing and getting exposed to new things which evens it out.
So, I've really started to take this reflection piece and put it to work. I just hope that I can prove to them that they are learning. I know they are. I check in with them 100s of times an hour.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Apology accepted.
Yesterday during class, I had a young man who couldn't stop chatting. He has been a little chatty since the beginning of the year, and I reminded him to "págame" (just a cue word to help him realize he's off task and loosing participation points) yesterday. He immediately stopped talking and resumed focus. It was great to watch that this simple gesture works so well.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, I think my classroom management issues from last year have declined. This is due to the fact that I know my students better and they know I care and center the class around them. I'm still all warm and fuzzy when I realize this has happened because it reminds me that I really am a teacher because of the students. They make my job enjoyable and worthwhile.
The most "warm and fuzzy" moment of this story came after class that day. The chatty student came up to me and apologized all in the TL! It was an almost flawless apology, and then we had a short chat in Spanish about talking in class and whether he needed to switch seats. ¡Qué fantástico!
Needless to say, I was both proud, amazed, and impressed by the confidence, responsibility and ability of this first year student in the 3rd week of class.
What have your students done lately to remind you that they're the reason we teach?
As I mentioned in an earlier post, I think my classroom management issues from last year have declined. This is due to the fact that I know my students better and they know I care and center the class around them. I'm still all warm and fuzzy when I realize this has happened because it reminds me that I really am a teacher because of the students. They make my job enjoyable and worthwhile.
The most "warm and fuzzy" moment of this story came after class that day. The chatty student came up to me and apologized all in the TL! It was an almost flawless apology, and then we had a short chat in Spanish about talking in class and whether he needed to switch seats. ¡Qué fantástico!
Needless to say, I was both proud, amazed, and impressed by the confidence, responsibility and ability of this first year student in the 3rd week of class.
What have your students done lately to remind you that they're the reason we teach?
And so it begins... graduate school.
Welp. Tomorrow is the big day. I'm a mix of emotions and thoughts. Leading up to this day, I've been very excited and anxious. But tonight, I'm frustrated. I'm frustrated as a student, and it doesn't feel good. I understand how my students feel sometimes, despite my every effort to not frustrate them.
I am frustrated right now by the lack of clarity in my professor's email and attachments. I am frustrated by his response to my inquiries due to my lack of understanding. I have decided it's best to "not worry about not having the assignments done for tomorrow night" as he told me to do. It's hard, however, when you want to do your best and you're ready to start and you want to succeed, to "not worry" that you aren't able to accomplish. It's like I should have a bottle somewhere, where I put all this time and energy that I have to expend toward my studies right now in order to save them for another time that may not be as convenient... because I surely do NOT want to spend my long weekend playing catch up for this class.
This experience has made me realize how some of my students must feel when I lack clarity. It also helps me understand that sometimes, we cannot put into words concisely enough to produce the outcome we've developed in our heads. I am going to make every effort in order to avoid frustrating a student, or telling them "not to worry" when that is what they're going to do any way. Quite possibly, they're worrying because this is the only time they have available to complete this task, and although it isn't the most convenient for us... it is for them, and I need to respect that.
When is the last time you've realized what it feels like to be a student? How has this helped your teaching?
I am frustrated right now by the lack of clarity in my professor's email and attachments. I am frustrated by his response to my inquiries due to my lack of understanding. I have decided it's best to "not worry about not having the assignments done for tomorrow night" as he told me to do. It's hard, however, when you want to do your best and you're ready to start and you want to succeed, to "not worry" that you aren't able to accomplish. It's like I should have a bottle somewhere, where I put all this time and energy that I have to expend toward my studies right now in order to save them for another time that may not be as convenient... because I surely do NOT want to spend my long weekend playing catch up for this class.
This experience has made me realize how some of my students must feel when I lack clarity. It also helps me understand that sometimes, we cannot put into words concisely enough to produce the outcome we've developed in our heads. I am going to make every effort in order to avoid frustrating a student, or telling them "not to worry" when that is what they're going to do any way. Quite possibly, they're worrying because this is the only time they have available to complete this task, and although it isn't the most convenient for us... it is for them, and I need to respect that.
When is the last time you've realized what it feels like to be a student? How has this helped your teaching?
Weeks one and two
Since school started, I've been enjoyably busy. I say enjoyably because it's a different type of busy than last year. I remember last year running around like a chicken with my head cut off. This year I seem to be much more collected. This is for many reasons: 1) it's no longer my first year of teaching, 2) with TPRS the method stays the same, the content changes so I'm not constantly trying to come up with interesting and clever lesson plans before class, 3) I feel like I know my students much better.
This last reason is probably the greatest reason why I'm calmer. Yesterday I proved I had learned every student's name (yes, all 141!) by the beginning of week three. I know much more than that too. I know students' interests. This all helps create the classroom sense of community that I've longed for. The students and I interact much better, and I have fewer classroom management issues.
I've really enjoyed teaching using TPRS. It has served to not only reach the students, but to also continually review and understand Spanish. I have to admit, although I've been enjoying TPRS, a part of me has been wondering how my students will do on common assessments. They've done wonderfully on vocabulary assessments, but I'm wondering about ones that test grammar.
The single best measure, I've seen, of my students' increased ability this year over last is their level of confidence. ALL of my first year students have been able to confidently and correctly spell their first and last names. They did it quickly, in an audible voice and with pride. I remember doing the same assessment last year; some students I couldn't hear, others wouldn't try, and there were a lot more issues with remembering letters. Sure, some students still had difficulty with the vowels, but the growth is hmmmmmazing!
Where have your students grown this year over past years?
This last reason is probably the greatest reason why I'm calmer. Yesterday I proved I had learned every student's name (yes, all 141!) by the beginning of week three. I know much more than that too. I know students' interests. This all helps create the classroom sense of community that I've longed for. The students and I interact much better, and I have fewer classroom management issues.
I've really enjoyed teaching using TPRS. It has served to not only reach the students, but to also continually review and understand Spanish. I have to admit, although I've been enjoying TPRS, a part of me has been wondering how my students will do on common assessments. They've done wonderfully on vocabulary assessments, but I'm wondering about ones that test grammar.
The single best measure, I've seen, of my students' increased ability this year over last is their level of confidence. ALL of my first year students have been able to confidently and correctly spell their first and last names. They did it quickly, in an audible voice and with pride. I remember doing the same assessment last year; some students I couldn't hear, others wouldn't try, and there were a lot more issues with remembering letters. Sure, some students still had difficulty with the vowels, but the growth is hmmmmmazing!
Where have your students grown this year over past years?
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