Keeping it in the Target Language Talia Block (Twitter)

tinyurl.com/ICTFL2015 Website

Agenda Introductions and Overview Breaking it Down Activities Work Time/Questions Wrap-up and Evaluations

“language educators and their students use the target language as exclusively as possible (90% plus) at all levels of instruction” What does ACTFL suggest?

providing comprehensible input making meaning clear through body language, gestures, and visual support conducting comprehension checks negotiating meaning teaching students strategies for clarification or assistance offering feedback to assist and improve students’ abilities What does that look like?

What does the research say? “target language promotes natural acquisition and that use of the mother tongue (L1) undermines this process by diverting attention from the object of pupils’ learning”  Peter Dickson

Benefits Sustained foreign atmosphere develop competence by hearing sustained communication Improved student confidence Develops positive attitude toward L2 Lowers student anxiety Subject matter is in their face Proficient speaker available Students are quieter Student resistance → Perturbation Classroom management Time and energy Advanced knowledge of the language Building relationships Humor can be tough Tough to explain abstract concepts Challenges

What does it entail? 1. Build curriculum grounded in theory 2. Create a respectful community that encourages risk-taking 3. Encourage learner reflection 4. Use comprehensible input 5. Teach concrete learning strategies (circumlocution, chunking, graphic-organizers, etc.) 6. Celebrate errors and self-correction 7. Show enthusiasm for students’ learning and achievements 8. Integrate technology 9. Use extrinsic motivation and move toward intrinsic 10. Teach grammar inductively Moeller, A.J. & Roberts, A. Keeping it in the Target Language.

Curriculum Based in Theory Learning Targets - “Can Do” statements Backward Design Content within Context Activities created with learning targets in mind Formative checks and assessments Summative assessment (IPA)

Elementary School Middle School

Krashen’s Affective Filter Hypothesis Comfortable and low affective environment Model Bring bits and pieces of your life into the classroom Help the students get to know one another Creating Community

How do you establish a safe and inviting environment for students to take risks and not fear failure? 1.Write 3 or 4 ways you create a safe environment in your classroom. One on each Post-It. 2.Get in a small group of 3-4 people. 3.Cluster all of the post-its in any way that makes sense to your group. 4.Walk around and pick the 5 most common themes.

Buddy Bingo

Creating Community

Encourage Risk-taking More risk more reward Time to work with language and figure out how to put the pieces together Learning from “failures” Respectful correction Moving toward self-correction

Meta moments Reflection Answers the “How?” and “Why?” Self-correction Helps build trust between teacher and student Encourage Learner Reflection

Game time! Shimon Omer

Support oral language with gestures, visuals, and sounds. Create a context Activate background knowledge/personal experiences Allow students to create their own images or gestures Comprehensible Input

Circumlocution Chunking Graphic Organizers Self-assessment Concrete Learning Strategies

Errors as progress Reflect on the process of error correction Self-correction is better than making errors Help students become aware of errors Return to common errors with direct teaching Celebrate Errors & Self-Correction

Encouragement motivates Non-verbal encouragement facial expressions body language Builds confidence Enthusiasm for Student Learning

Opportunity to create environment for authentic communication Relevant and meaningful A tool, not the lesson Opens possibility for collaboration and communication Integrate Technology

Incentives for using L2 ○ Tokens ○ Points ○ Pesos Loss of participation points for L1 Reward for L2 outside of class Extrinsic → Intrinsic Motivation

Great for grammar instruction “Crack the Code” Make them become “investigators” Encourages active learning, engaged participants adjectives Teach Grammar Inductively

Activities

Hungry Planet by Peter Menzel

Listen to the description and hold up the letter (color/shape) of the person being described. Listen to the description and choose the correct family. Write about how these families are similar or different to yours Families by Uwe Ommer

Interacting with videos and songs

My Favorite Things...

Tic-Tac-Toe

20 Questions

I Spy

Taboo

Do not use: Orange Vegetable Rabbit

Los Monstruos

Fortune Teller

Diademas

Spot the Difference

Evaluation Survey tinyurl.com/q29yd8e

Resources Dickson, Peter. (1996) Using the Target Language. A view from the classroom. National Foundation for Educational Research: Wales. statements/use-the-target-language-the- classroom s/TLE_pdf/TLE_Oct12_Article.pdf ash/best%20of%20bilash/targetlanguage.html# benefits