Instruction+and+Methods

[|ACTFL Board Approved Position Statement] - Updated 2010
 * "ACTFL therefore recommends that language educators and their students use the target language as exclusively as possible __(90% plus) at all levels of instruction__ during instructional time and, when feasible, beyond the classroom." **

__**Strategies for Keeping Class in the Target Language**__ // Helena Curtain's website and ideas :// -ask students to direct responses to a partner (ex. Say "hello" to your partner and ask how he/she is doing; tell your partner to open to page X; describe the weather/time; etc.) -teacher provides prompt, students address each other rather than teacher - this adds a social dimension -WL teachers should not talk about the target language - they should talk THROUGH it -using English to teach students a language is like learning to swim without water -use pictures to show meaning rather than translating from target language to English -language is the key to culture and the teacher is the culture bearer ("The limits of my language are the limits of my world." - Wittgenstein). -//When should English be used//? When it is intentional, for a purpose, or a conscious decision / for a lesson segment -First, ask: Can I simplify or use pictures, materials or props? / Can I substitute a different concept? / Can I delay the topic? -__Strategies__: (1) use comprehensible input (2) use gestures/visuals (3) employ comprehension checks (4) negotiate meaning (5) elicit talk and risk-taking (6) conversational management (7) use of rubrics (8) keep track of your use of TL (9) use a reinforcement system (marbles in a jar, etc.) (10) maintain a physical classroom (11) contextualize lessons (12) avoid lecturing all the time (13) paraphrase and give opposites (14) use TPR (15) employ circle questioning -"Not paying attention to the needs of the learner is like leaving for the airport without the passenger...so that you’ll get there on time." - Madeline Hunter

__**Lesson Planning for 21st Century Students **__ * **//for more info about this 2010 ACTFL presentation go to [|Resources from Greg] //** -to maximize learning, create learning episodes -many teachers check HW and do other housekeeping tasks for the first 10 minutes of class - this is prime learning time according to brain research!
 * -backward design lesson plan template: [[file:Backward Design Lesson Plan Format.doc]] **
 * -//Why do students choose to take a language course?// The majority answered that they wanted to be able to speak another language. **
 * - // Why do so many students drop their language study? // Students find that their goals and the goals their teacher has for them are not the same / they are not learning to speak. **
 * -__Lesson Planning__: 3 stages **
 * Stage 1: Ask what the students will be able to DO and what they will KNOW by the end of the lesson. Tell students goals in student-friendly language. Gear goals around real life targets and applicability. **
 * Stage 2: Ask how teacher will know that the students can DO to the learning target by the end of the lesson. This can be a concluding activity. **
 * Stage 3: Determine what instructional activities will be used. Ask the following: (1) is the learner an active participant (2) do they engage all learners (3) do they give students a reasons to invest (4) are there authentic reasons for activities (5) do they vary in intensity and mode (6) do they make the best use of time **
 * - **//where we place our activities matters - the brain needs and will take down time! See chart below:[[image:Screen_shot_2010-11-29_at_8.12.46_PM.png width="800" height="450"]]//

__**ACTFL Teachers of the Year Ideas and Strategies**__ *//For more information visit [|website] created by three former ACTFL Teachers of the Year//. // -keep TL in classroom with extemporaneous speaking activity: Put students in small groups; create speaking prompts (PowerPoint - show one at a time); assign numbers to each student in group (ex. 1-4); set time to 30-60 seconds; show prompt and call out student number; in each group one student will discuss prompt for allotted time; ring bell, call time and change topic (prompt ideas: If I were an animal I would be...; My favorite singer...; Here is an ad for some new shampoo; If my pet could speak, this is what he would say...; OR show pictures and selected student must describe image). //

// Go to Madame Fifi's [|website] for conversation starters, etc. //

// -for easy student pairing use partner clocks - clock face divided into 12 pie slices for each hour - students fill clock partners with someone new for each time slot, they ask "Can I have an appointment for 2 o'clock (in TL of course!) // // -create laminated, numbered tickets for easy group arrangements - have 4 of each number - hand out and have all 2 get together, etc. // // -use laminated color cards for making groups //

// -various online tools that can be utilized include: // //[|Wallwisher]: click [|here] for ideas on using Wallwisher in the classroom// //[|Xtranormal]: text-to-movie// //[|Animoto]: save as ppt or jpg format// //[|Storybird]: create class stories with fabulous illustrations//

//**__Techniques to get Students Speaking without Translating__**// *for printouts of all his handouts and to use as props in the classroom see his [|blog] and look for workshop materials *a second blog can be found [|here] // ﻿-teach students about circumlocution // // -have students stand back-to-back in pairs - show an image that only one sees and describes to the other - they must talk around objects that they do not know the words for // // -create "image sentences" using images found on blogs above / color code parts of speech //
 * presented by Joshua Cabral of Brookwood HS, MA**

//**__ University of Texas at Austin Teaching Methods __**// // *This [|website] contains valuable instructional videos for WL teachers! // //-Various aspects of language teaching are addressed including:// ** speaking, writing, listening, reading, vocabulary, grammar, pragmatics, culture, the language learner, classroom management, technology and assessment //**
 * Power point presentation for department meeting 12/15/10:**



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