Classrooms for the 21st Century
THINK GLOBALLY, ACT LOCALLY
Language learning is a subject that I am most passionate about and in which I have the most opinions and answers and gripes and love and hate and etc. . .
A little bit about my background: I've always been fascinated with travel, culture, and language. This started when families had to actually purchase encyclopedias ! I would sit for hours looking up and reading about different countries and their cultures. Nothing as really changed; I just now look it up on the world wide web. I have always been envious of those who could speak another language and just switch from one to the other with ease. To this day I am still amazed to those who can do it. As I was nearing my 40th birthday, I decided that I had enough of the envy and wanted to be one who was envied. My ancestral background is French (French Canadian to be exact~even my 23 and Me confirmed this!...lol), so I decided that it was French I was going to learn. I read as many books as I could get my hands on, took classes at the local university, on line, and even at the prestigious Middlebury Language School. I did as much as I could do and as much as my family could tolerate. And so my education continues. . . . I am NOT fluent by any means. I can hold a basic conversation and probably could surprise you and myself (and even my French family) as to what I can actually do with the language (when I have confidence). I do not brag nor do I like when others say that I am fluent in French. I get that panic deep below. Why? Because my listening and listening comprehension is deplorable. It's embarrassing. I try my best, but as we all are, I am super hard on myself. Still, I put myself out there. Maybe one day it will click. . . So where am I going with this? How is language learning seen and "done" in other countries? This was my focus question from the very beginning of my TGC journey. I had so many questions. Is immersion the best way to obtain a SECOND LANGUAGE (not a a first language. . .that's apples and oranges according to me)? What about grammar ? Listening Labs ? Should you use your native language to help understand your SECOND LANGUAGE ? I still have these questions, because I find that there is no true answer, but the journey continues. One of our first stops in Dakar was to the US Embassy where we learned more about the state of education in Senegal and what the educational trends are currently in the country. Senegalese schools are taught in the lingua franca (French), even though French is not the native language of the students. At home, the students will speak their indigenous language, which is most often Wolof (but can be a myriad of indigenous languages), but instruction at school is given in French. School is hard enough for children at such a young age: being away from their mother and/or siblings, now add being spoken to in a language that you have maybe never heard. Scary is probably an understatement. I can kind of relate to this as I spend the summer of 2014 in Middlebury, Vermont, with no English being spoken to me. There is now a movement to include classroom instruction in the native languages(s) of the students. How comforting this would be to those children ! I know as a SECOND LANGUAGE learner (as an adult), I had much more success with English was interspersed in my French learning. It wasn't a crutch as those "purist" language teachers may have you believe. Sometimes, you needed to have this affirmation that you are on the right track and that you are doing a great job. I wasn't completely lost in a world of French ! This is still in the very beginning stages of planning as they need the support from the government in order to be able to teach in these indigenous languages. I believe that these indigenous languages need to be celebrated among its tribes and showcased. Hearing how English is taught as a second language (as well as other languages within the school) in Sengal really makes me realize just how far behind we are as a nation with language education and language acquisition. It boggles my mind that we think we are being so progressive in our language teaching, but yet, we are so far behind other nations. For example, second language learners are assessed on 4 components: listening/speaking, writing, reading comprehension, and GRAMMAR ! What ? The Senegalese teachers teach grammar lessons. . . . that are not necessarily in context and through immersion ? Why, yes, they do. . . and their students are learning their 3rd, 4th, or even 5th languages in school. And what’s more, when students learn English, they learning situational language that they would use on a daily basis. This is far different from what I do in my French classroom. Sitting there hearing educational experts explaining this, made me realize what a disservice I am doing to my students. I see my students every OTHER day for an entire year. Our curriculum is so packed with information that I could spend an entire semester on one unit, but yet I am to teach one unit per quarter (about 4.5 weeks). I love teaching French. I want everyone to love it as much as I do. I feel like I go so fast, that the students really don't get to learn the French like I learned it. I want them to have a firm grasp on the basics. I don't need my level three students talking about art; I need them to be able to tell the hotel staff that they need more towels, that they do not have hot water; that their air conditioner is not working properly. . . I want them to be able to ask the person selling Metro tickets which is the best value for their money; to explain why their ticket didn't work; to ask for directions when they come up from the Metro;. . . .I want them to be able to order a meal and a drink with ease; to be able to ask what is on special;. . . I want them to be able to navigate the train station or the airport; to ask for their luggage, to get a taxi or Uber. . . These are the things that matter. These are the things that will give the students the right to brag. . . not what is in their book bag, or what they need for school, or how to be a green citizen. These things will come eventually. Let our students be able to brag to others that they not only know a language, but can speak it with confidence. It's the least we can do. If you made it this far, thank you ! I would love to hear your comments and thoughts on second language learning.
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Christy ShinnickFrench Teacher Archives
August 2018
CategoriesTravel - Here you will find my travel blog as well as my reflections on language learning.
Study - Here you will find resources and assessment tools for assessing global competency. Teach - Here you will find sample lessons that you can adapt to your own classroom or the World Language Classroom. About Me - Learn a little about who I am and where I come from. More - Here you will find opportunities for Global Learning and Travel for both students and teachers |