Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Learning and Practicing
I have found that I am as frustrated as my colleagues when it comes to finding a site that actually teaches a lesson. Too many sites teach vocabulary or grammar in isolation making it difficult to understand, let alone learn, the lesson. As Larry said in the meeting, having a living breathing instructor in front of you seems to be the key to actually learning a language. The instructor can guide you and help you to learn and understand the target language. Plus, with instructor guidance, students can use computer programs to reinforce what they have learned, or to help them understand any difficult points about the grammar etc. about the target language. Another thing that is important is to practice what I have learned, so repetition seems to be the key. If I don't practice what I have learned, then I put myself back to where I was. This reminds me of my TaeKwon-Do lessons I took as a youth. Repetition was the key to mastering any move. It is like the old joke about getting to Carnegie Hall. The only way you can get there is by practice, practice, pratice.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Learning about my teaching and students
I find that I am comparing myself as a language learner to my students. I see myself as one of those students whose listening and reading comprehension as well as pronunciation can be quite good, in contrast to my productive capabilities. As I struggle with Spanish grammar, I am both more sympathetic with their challenges and less understanding of some of their grammatical lapses! For example, after torturing myself with a difficult practice on irregular verbs on the indiana.edu website, I wonder how my native Spanish speakers can have any difficulty at all with Eng. verb endings! On the other hand, I feel the pain of some of my speaking-challenged students who ace the grammar exams, and other fluent ones who don't "apply" my neat little grammar lessons. In addition, I am almost tempted never to complain again about students not following written directions, having realized that I tend to skip right over those in Spanish.
Of course these are not earth-shattering observations, but I find it very useful to be in the students' shoes for a change. As for my own learning Spanish on the computer, I find that interest is the key to motivation. Several obvious factors influence my interest, such as lesson content, length of a passage, video or listening exercise, speaker's accent, and my current mood. We often expect a lot from our students and don't always consider their differing needs, or appreciate the difficulty of tasks.
Of course these are not earth-shattering observations, but I find it very useful to be in the students' shoes for a change. As for my own learning Spanish on the computer, I find that interest is the key to motivation. Several obvious factors influence my interest, such as lesson content, length of a passage, video or listening exercise, speaker's accent, and my current mood. We often expect a lot from our students and don't always consider their differing needs, or appreciate the difficulty of tasks.
Goal-Setting
Setting goals is important for a student to focus. I find that when I'm teaching, I'm clear about what I want the students to get out of the lesson, even if I don't tell them explicitly. If I stay on-point, they will get what I'm trying to get them to do. It seems to me, guiding them works nicely. As a student, I realize that I need more specific instructions. I feel that the goals that I'm setting for myself haven't always been met by the programs that I am using. In fact, it has been somewhat difficult for me to pick up the pronunciation because the writing system doesn't necessarily correspond to what I'm familiar with. It has also been difficult for me to remember some of the grammar. Maybe I'm just not that good of a student!!!
Listening
Today I explored lingq.com and worked on Spanish.
I found that length had an impact- shorter scripts kept my interest and of course certain topics bored me a lot.
Also, I found that when I started reading the text I translated immediately, yet when I listened I did not. I learned something about myself- my listening skills are stronger than my reading skills!
I found that length had an impact- shorter scripts kept my interest and of course certain topics bored me a lot.
Also, I found that when I started reading the text I translated immediately, yet when I listened I did not. I learned something about myself- my listening skills are stronger than my reading skills!
"Homework" Reminder
This week, we'd like you to do two things:
1. Publish a New Post in reaction to one of the questions in today's handout.
2. Make a Comment in reaction to any group member's previous posting that you wish to weigh in on.
Have fun with your language studies!
1. Publish a New Post in reaction to one of the questions in today's handout.
2. Make a Comment in reaction to any group member's previous posting that you wish to weigh in on.
Have fun with your language studies!
Are you learning about your chosen language? About your teaching? What?
I think the wording of the first question is interesting. It is geared to an educator. Notice the wording, "Are you learning ABOUT your chosen language?" Is this different from asking, "Are you learning your chosen language?" I think so. It seems to me that the first question asks for an analysis of the structure of the language while the second question deals with language mastery. What do the rest of you think?
I am learning some German (to answer the revised question) and I am learning that German is difficult to pronounce and difficult to spell...and consists of long words...to answer the original question. The basic program is rewarding because when one starts off at point zero, the language acquisition is very significant. I can state the time in German and ask for some directions with very controlled vocabulary. I've learned some of the vocabulary of family relationships and friendships. I find that the dialogues are too fast and too indistinct for my ears. I need to hear them several times along with looking at the German captions before I really hear them completely. It must be how our students feel when they say that a tape or CD is too fast! I can sympathize.
What have I learned about my teaching? On the positive side, my students generally tell me that I speak sufficiently slowly and loudly. That makes me happy. When I go into a native-speaking environment, I have to slap myself to speed up my speech because I am so accustomed to slowing down. I really have learned how important it is to have my students work at their own pace in the computer lab and progress to another area only when they understand the previous one. I will emphasize this. I will ask them to keep a journal of errors and corrections that they can refer to as they move forward.
Ultimately, the value of this experience for me is what it must be for all of us. We are putting ourselves in the position of the learner in a realistic setting and we are encountering the issues that arise for any language-learner. I believe ESL teachers are sensitive to their students' needs to begin with, but this experience certainly creates a heightened sensitivity.
I am learning some German (to answer the revised question) and I am learning that German is difficult to pronounce and difficult to spell...and consists of long words...to answer the original question. The basic program is rewarding because when one starts off at point zero, the language acquisition is very significant. I can state the time in German and ask for some directions with very controlled vocabulary. I've learned some of the vocabulary of family relationships and friendships. I find that the dialogues are too fast and too indistinct for my ears. I need to hear them several times along with looking at the German captions before I really hear them completely. It must be how our students feel when they say that a tape or CD is too fast! I can sympathize.
What have I learned about my teaching? On the positive side, my students generally tell me that I speak sufficiently slowly and loudly. That makes me happy. When I go into a native-speaking environment, I have to slap myself to speed up my speech because I am so accustomed to slowing down. I really have learned how important it is to have my students work at their own pace in the computer lab and progress to another area only when they understand the previous one. I will emphasize this. I will ask them to keep a journal of errors and corrections that they can refer to as they move forward.
Ultimately, the value of this experience for me is what it must be for all of us. We are putting ourselves in the position of the learner in a realistic setting and we are encountering the issues that arise for any language-learner. I believe ESL teachers are sensitive to their students' needs to begin with, but this experience certainly creates a heightened sensitivity.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
An obvious observation
Unlike Howard who is experimental, I am sticking to my BBC Beginner German lessons. This morning I completed a lesson on asking for directions. I previewed the vocabulary first, studied it, finally knew it, and then went through the rest of the lesson which involves listening to a dialogue, sequencing the dialogue, speaking in German, and finally writing questions and answers about directions in German. I did very well....and that was this morning.
This afternoon I came back to the same lesson and I would say that my retention of the vocabulary was perhaps 70%. How discouraging! I am saying this not so much to point out my faulty memory as to emphasize how valuable it is to be in an immersion setting when you are learning a language so that your environment is supporting you. To that extent, our students who work with English-speaking people and who live among English-speaking people are fortunate. Those who live and work with speakers of their native language don't have this tremendous advantage.
I feel that I need to go over every lesson a number of times over a period of a few days to retain the language I am learning. Otherwise the words are gone! Is anyone else having this problem? (Please say yes!)
This afternoon I came back to the same lesson and I would say that my retention of the vocabulary was perhaps 70%. How discouraging! I am saying this not so much to point out my faulty memory as to emphasize how valuable it is to be in an immersion setting when you are learning a language so that your environment is supporting you. To that extent, our students who work with English-speaking people and who live among English-speaking people are fortunate. Those who live and work with speakers of their native language don't have this tremendous advantage.
I feel that I need to go over every lesson a number of times over a period of a few days to retain the language I am learning. Otherwise the words are gone! Is anyone else having this problem? (Please say yes!)
Lingq.com
I tried a new program today at www.lingq to practice my Spanish. Maybe, my global learning style keeps pushing me towards trying something new each time.
LINGQ is an interesting program. It has audio presentations and transcripts for each audio. The unique aspect of this program is that Babylon Dictionary is tied into the program and it has a procedure for choosing a word or phrases that you want to remember/study and you can automatically put them in a flash card for later study. When it sets up the flash card it automatically takes the word that you highlight, puts it in a flash card along with the words before and after to keep it in context without your having to type in the word in a sentence. Then, you have an option to put a hint - which can be anything you want, such as the definition, grammar description, etc. I found this feature much easier than my trying to keep an on-line vocabulary list. It also has the ability to send a writing sample to a tutor who will give feedback.
This program has content for many languages. If you would like to try this it with your language, just go to www.lingq . Set up a username and password. It is not the easiest program to get started with. Just Follow demo and choose workdesk. Choose the content you want. If you get lost trying to find content, you can click on Store for a more clear list. (There is no charge as long as you only keep 5 or less activities on your desktop.)
In my practice today, I chose a 2 minute audio on Colombia. My goal was to practice some general comprehension and to focus on meaning, usage, tenses of verbs. I listened a few times and then read the script. Used the dictionary to check words that I didn't know to fill in gaps in my comprehension. I picked out each verb and created a flash card for each verb. Put the base form of the verb, the tense, and a translation as a hint on each card. I practiced the flash cards. The last time using the cards, I made sentences using the verbs and then checked my usage with the hints. Maybe next, I will try to write sentences with the verbs in the flashcards and send them to the tutor and/or do a dictation of the sentences with the verbs.
LINGQ is an interesting program. It has audio presentations and transcripts for each audio. The unique aspect of this program is that Babylon Dictionary is tied into the program and it has a procedure for choosing a word or phrases that you want to remember/study and you can automatically put them in a flash card for later study. When it sets up the flash card it automatically takes the word that you highlight, puts it in a flash card along with the words before and after to keep it in context without your having to type in the word in a sentence. Then, you have an option to put a hint - which can be anything you want, such as the definition, grammar description, etc. I found this feature much easier than my trying to keep an on-line vocabulary list. It also has the ability to send a writing sample to a tutor who will give feedback.
This program has content for many languages. If you would like to try this it with your language, just go to www.lingq . Set up a username and password. It is not the easiest program to get started with. Just Follow demo and choose workdesk. Choose the content you want. If you get lost trying to find content, you can click on Store for a more clear list. (There is no charge as long as you only keep 5 or less activities on your desktop.)
In my practice today, I chose a 2 minute audio on Colombia. My goal was to practice some general comprehension and to focus on meaning, usage, tenses of verbs. I listened a few times and then read the script. Used the dictionary to check words that I didn't know to fill in gaps in my comprehension. I picked out each verb and created a flash card for each verb. Put the base form of the verb, the tense, and a translation as a hint on each card. I practiced the flash cards. The last time using the cards, I made sentences using the verbs and then checked my usage with the hints. Maybe next, I will try to write sentences with the verbs in the flashcards and send them to the tutor and/or do a dictation of the sentences with the verbs.
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