Monday, September 22, 2008
Reading for Week 5
The second best line in P&P's ch 2 was, "In Chapter 3, we show how you can tailor your talk and your lessons to make them optimally understandable to students" (p.67). That is what I'm waiting for. As I kept reading about the different theories I kept wondering which one was 'right'; which one do I need to focus on the most in order to benefit my students. I can see why the behaviorist theory seems to be the one primarily practiced in today's language learning classrooms, but I can also see why it is not ideal. Although I do not agree with the innatist idea that we are hardwired to learn language, I do like the idea of a "silent period" when first learning a language. However, in the academic world silence is hard to grade. This leads me to my favorite line in chapter two, "'I waited.'" As someone who really struggles with rote memorization and language learning, I am relieved to read about the extensive time period we should be allowing before expecting someone to be able to communicate in a second language. As a teacher I just think I need to keep my goals in mind, to teach students English, and to hell with the grades. However, as an employee of a public school, with the "No Child Left Behind Act" leering over my shoulder, this may be a little difficult.
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2 comments:
Way to pull out my favorite line as well, "I waited." It is hard to wait, whether during a lesson or over the long period until someone is ready to speak.
I also keep looking for the right answer. But as every person is different, there really isn't a SINGLE right answer.
You mentioned in another post that it's necessary to use the different teaching styles to reach the different learning styles. I think that applies with the methods inspired by the various theories as well.
Another thought. I think I learn differently on different days. If I'm having a bad day (perhaps even feeling sick) I DO NOT want to get up and move around. I want to sit in my seat and observe. However, another day I may be full of energy and need to move around and play games to get the point. If I can be this varied within my own head, how can we reach a classroom of students who are experiencing their own lives. What works one day may not work the next and probably won't work with another group.
I strongly aggree in terms of "how you can tailor your talk and your lessons to make them optimally understandable to students" We have to bear in my that we are alone in the light of all the information we internalized during our education.
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