Require Less, Expose More

Some thoughts from my week without students this summer (it's nice to have time to reflect)

Developing fluency in a second language in students who have very little knowledge beyond their first tongue of English prior to their freshmen year is difficult.  I don't want to overwhelm them with too many words and yet at the same time I need to build a vocabulary base with them so they can actually talk and communicate.  How can you express yourself if you don't know the words?

National and state standards have shifted since I was a student to focus on communication more than pretty grammar and long vocabulary lists.  I am finding myself less interested in the long lists of vocabulary that I memorized and then wrote out on weekly quizzes.  Still though I need them to learn the foreign words so what do I do?

A few years ago, I started supplementing the required vocabulary lists with optional words, words that I would not test but that students could use in classroom activities.  I like this idea and want to continue with it especially since all of my students (all four levels) now have laptops.  When we are working on new units, I can send them to the Internet to look at related vocabulary (possibly even in authentic context!!) and chose words to increase their own understanding.

This year I was blessed with a very talented Spanish I class.  I remember being amazed at how some of the students would hear me use a word--not officially teach it, just use it--and then integrate that word a day or later themselves, not always with perfect grammar but still comprehensible!  I pushed them a little bit more than I have in that level before.  Not a lot but a bit more Spanish spoken by both myself and them, a little bit higher level with some activities.  Looking back on that class now in addition to some of the research I've been doing to prepare for a major curriculum shift, I've made an important decision for myself, one that is reflected in the heading of this entry.

This next year I am going to focus on more fully immersing my students in the language and culture and not be afraid of them not getting every single word.

I am still going to be requiring them to learn vocabulary and grammar--of course!  However, I am not going to hold back from using Spanish just because I am worried they won't understand me.  I will expose them to more words with appropriate scaffolds (visuals and body languge, here we go!).  I will surround them with more of the language in context and with cultural connections.  I will work towards student choice with vocabulary while developing a common base so we can still communicate with each other :)

It's not that we've been a textbook and worksheet driven classroom (far from it really when you consider I didn't even pass out textbooks this year).  I'm just ready for a change that will push my students even farther along the communication continuum and I'm excited to work towards the goal :)