The main approach to teaching second language that we’ve discussed in class that I would want to bring into my own practice is the idea of making the learning fun. I remember from my own days of learning French that it could be something to be dreaded, an hour or so every few weeks where you were expected to memorize the spelling of words in another language, and then not touching on them again for long enough that you had completely forgotten them by the time they were brought up again, and then the teacher would be disappointed in everyone for not remembering or not being able to pronounce things correctly. This is definitely not the attitude I want my students to be bringing to my potential future French lessons, so I am eagerly absorbing all of the techniques and activities from class so I can do my best to make my lessons enjoyable for my students.
One technique that stands out to me is the idea of I, We, You modelling. I have already been incorporating this method into my teaching in past practicums, particularly in math and with complex art projects, but it also translates so well to language learning. Demonstrating the pronunciation or the flow of words, then having students repeat it with you, while giving them a chance to ask for any clarification and practice in a low-stakes environment, and finally sending students off in small groups or pairs to practice together is a great way for students to get a deeper grasp on the language than just simply giving them a list of vocab words and telling them to practice them. Thinking on it now, this is a technique that my American Sign Language professor used a lot of the time in our classes. He would teach us a new sign or phrase, showing and telling us about the facial grammar and other body-language characteristics that go along with it. We would then repeat it along with him, and he would watch us and correct any discrepancies in our signs or faces, and then we’d pair up and practice using it in conversational context. Considering I’ve retained a lot more ASL than I have French, I feel like this stands as proof that this is a technique that works.
Something else I really enjoyed was from the Wendy Carr video we watched in class on Tuesday. I really enjoyed having so many different activities that went along with the same lesson, and how the teacher in the video encouraged students to participate in them. The idea of not just having one set activity to learn a certain set of vocabulary or a specific conversational exchange is something that would work really well in a classroom. This way, if a certain activity isn’t working for a certain student, it’s likely that a different activity will, and it gives all the students multiple opportunities to absorb, process, and utilize the information.
Finally, something else I think I will use in my classroom is labelling things in the language(s) we are studying in class. Even just the exposure of seeing and reading une agrafeuse every time they use the stapler will do so much in cementing the connection between stapler and agrafeuse into students’ memories. Those connections will build a foundation for future French lessons, both in my class and in their learning experiences beyond.
