Pecha Kucha
Who am I?
The dominant ideologies of our culture can be defined with the acronym, SCWAAMP. Of these seven areas, As a straight, Catholic, able-bodied, American, property owner, I belong to six of the dominant ideologies. It is interesting to note the frustrations that I often feel in the one category where I am not a part of the dominant culture. This helps put into perspective, how someone may feel who is not a part of the dominant culture in more than just one area. I teach a group of high school students are are mostly part of the dominant culture as well, however since I teach Spanish, we often discuss some ideals that may seem insignificant to my students, in particular, "Americanness." A LOT of my (SCWAAMPy) students push back against learning Spanish because they do not believe it be a necessity since "we live in America and people should speak English."
What do I believe?
I believe students learn best when they feel they are successful. I also believe success breeds further success and that students can only succeed when they are not afraid to fail.
What Change Do I Need To Make?
I find that students are often overwhelmed by the things they do NOT know in Spanish instead of what they DO know. They tend to compare their linguistic ability in their first language to their second language. It’s not a fair comparison! Majority of my students are at a (TOPS) kindergarten level of communicative Spanish, and maybe second grade reading comprehension level. They may feel intimidated when they think in English and try to translate to Spanish because they speak English at such a higher level. When trying to learn a language this way, it is easy to get bogged down what you don't know.
What have I learned?
Before this class, I believe I would have fallen into the category of techno-traditionalist. And truth be told, I am still there. However, I now have the tools to at least get one foot into the pool of techno-constructivist. I use Google Classroom regularly and do a lot of online/digital activities instead of printed activities, however, they are the same activities I once printed. This class sparked my curiosity to find out what more I, and especially my students could do....aside from submitting homework electronically.
The easiest text for me to relate to my own teaching practice is Eric Prensky's text on digital natives and immigrants. This text really resonates with me because of the reference to technology as a language. As with any new language, learning to speak "digital" takes time. Here in lies the problem. Prensky lists "twitch speed" processing as a trait of a digital native. This means that they want instant answers. It is nearly impossible to acquire any new language at a fast enough pace to hold these digital natives' attention. Because of this need for twitch speed and the availability of it, students are often tempted to use instant online translators. This accessibility enforces the negative thoughts that learning a language (the old fashion way) takes too long and is a waste of time.
This idea of instant access flows nicely into Ken Robinson's three principles in which life flourishes. He believes that humans (including children) are by nature, different and diverse, that curiosity sparks learning, and that humans are inherently creative. The principle that really connects for me is the idea that curiosity sparks learning. I think that my students are pushing back against learning because they are not curious about it. In order to restrict their Spanish to being proper grammar, they repeat the same questions/answers daily, but don't get a chance to expand on it. There is no curiosity/creativity in that, so of course they are bored and resistant!
This also ties in nicely with Simon Sinek's belief of giving the "why" to our students, not the "what." I am constantly giving the grammar (the what) to my students with little reasoning behind learning it. Aside from whether it falls into the "category" of past, present, or future, the students don't generally have a great understanding of when to use specific grammar, except for when the directions say to use it. Why do my students need to learn the preterite vs. the imperfect (2 past tenses)??? Well, because a lot of casual conversation and connections are made by sharing stories of your PAST! Leading with this scenario of meeting people and trying to make connections by sharing experiences would allow students to relate to the content and make their own connections.
Another problem with this format of repetition is that the students don't have a chance to fail. Yes, I said that. I want my students to fail! Why on Earth would I want them to fail? Because as Wesch and sweet baby George taught us, failure is a necessary part of learning! Each time baby George fell, he learned what not to do, but he wasn't told what not to do, he discovered it himself. I think of the million times I've told my kids not to touch something hot, whether it be on the stove or freshly served food - it's a 50/50 chance they listen (depending on how hungry they are). Until that ONE time, Laura bit into her pizza slice after I told her to wait and she burnt the roof of her mouth. That was a few years ago and she has since made that same mistake. Now, I'm not suggesting we allow children to ALWAYS make these types of discoveries, but our classroom should definitely be a safe space for our students to be able to fail - and then learn from those failures.
What Can I do?
I want to create a space where my students can feel successful and understood and are therefore more motivated. In order to create this space, there are several changes I would like to implement.
Who am I?
The dominant ideologies of our culture can be defined with the acronym, SCWAAMP. Of these seven areas, As a straight, Catholic, able-bodied, American, property owner, I belong to six of the dominant ideologies. It is interesting to note the frustrations that I often feel in the one category where I am not a part of the dominant culture. This helps put into perspective, how someone may feel who is not a part of the dominant culture in more than just one area. I teach a group of high school students are are mostly part of the dominant culture as well, however since I teach Spanish, we often discuss some ideals that may seem insignificant to my students, in particular, "Americanness." A LOT of my (SCWAAMPy) students push back against learning Spanish because they do not believe it be a necessity since "we live in America and people should speak English."
What do I believe?
I believe students learn best when they feel they are successful. I also believe success breeds further success and that students can only succeed when they are not afraid to fail.
What Change Do I Need To Make?
I find that students are often overwhelmed by the things they do NOT know in Spanish instead of what they DO know. They tend to compare their linguistic ability in their first language to their second language. It’s not a fair comparison! Majority of my students are at a (TOPS) kindergarten level of communicative Spanish, and maybe second grade reading comprehension level. They may feel intimidated when they think in English and try to translate to Spanish because they speak English at such a higher level. When trying to learn a language this way, it is easy to get bogged down what you don't know. What have I learned?
Before this class, I believe I would have fallen into the category of techno-traditionalist. And truth be told, I am still there. However, I now have the tools to at least get one foot into the pool of techno-constructivist. I use Google Classroom regularly and do a lot of online/digital activities instead of printed activities, however, they are the same activities I once printed. This class sparked my curiosity to find out what more I, and especially my students could do....aside from submitting homework electronically.
The easiest text for me to relate to my own teaching practice is Eric Prensky's text on digital natives and immigrants. This text really resonates with me because of the reference to technology as a language. As with any new language, learning to speak "digital" takes time. Here in lies the problem. Prensky lists "twitch speed" processing as a trait of a digital native. This means that they want instant answers. It is nearly impossible to acquire any new language at a fast enough pace to hold these digital natives' attention. Because of this need for twitch speed and the availability of it, students are often tempted to use instant online translators. This accessibility enforces the negative thoughts that learning a language (the old fashion way) takes too long and is a waste of time.
This idea of instant access flows nicely into Ken Robinson's three principles in which life flourishes. He believes that humans (including children) are by nature, different and diverse, that curiosity sparks learning, and that humans are inherently creative. The principle that really connects for me is the idea that curiosity sparks learning. I think that my students are pushing back against learning because they are not curious about it. In order to restrict their Spanish to being proper grammar, they repeat the same questions/answers daily, but don't get a chance to expand on it. There is no curiosity/creativity in that, so of course they are bored and resistant!
This also ties in nicely with Simon Sinek's belief of giving the "why" to our students, not the "what." I am constantly giving the grammar (the what) to my students with little reasoning behind learning it. Aside from whether it falls into the "category" of past, present, or future, the students don't generally have a great understanding of when to use specific grammar, except for when the directions say to use it. Why do my students need to learn the preterite vs. the imperfect (2 past tenses)??? Well, because a lot of casual conversation and connections are made by sharing stories of your PAST! Leading with this scenario of meeting people and trying to make connections by sharing experiences would allow students to relate to the content and make their own connections.
Another problem with this format of repetition is that the students don't have a chance to fail. Yes, I said that. I want my students to fail! Why on Earth would I want them to fail? Because as Wesch and sweet baby George taught us, failure is a necessary part of learning! Each time baby George fell, he learned what not to do, but he wasn't told what not to do, he discovered it himself. I think of the million times I've told my kids not to touch something hot, whether it be on the stove or freshly served food - it's a 50/50 chance they listen (depending on how hungry they are). Until that ONE time, Laura bit into her pizza slice after I told her to wait and she burnt the roof of her mouth. That was a few years ago and she has since made that same mistake. Now, I'm not suggesting we allow children to ALWAYS make these types of discoveries, but our classroom should definitely be a safe space for our students to be able to fail - and then learn from those failures.
What Can I do?
I want to create a space where my students can feel successful and understood and are therefore more motivated. In order to create this space, there are several changes I would like to implement.
1. DuoLingo is a great tool for old vocabulary as well as learning new vocabulary. The program introduces new vocabulary and cycles through old vocabulary regularly. Aside from the immediate content, there is a podcast that students can access through the website/app. The podcasts are an excellent resource because they are in "Spanglish." It does not give a direct translation (which does not help students acquire a new language) but gives students a point of reference occasionally in English and adds details and supporting events in Spanish. It has another section of reading comprehension where students hear and read stories and answer comprehension questions as they read.
2. PenPalSchools -- is a great site to practice drawing from texts and responding/communicating appropriately. PenPalSchools gives samples of how students can draw from the texts to respond to the prompt. When I grade this assignment, grammar will be thrown out the window! I just want my students to feel successful in communicating!
3. "Spanish In Real Life" blog spot where the students share where Spanish has helped or could have helped them or someone else “in real life.” This will be a shared blog space. The blog has no posts right now but once I get my classes set up, I will add each student as a blog author and allow/encourage them to post. I don't know that I could use this as part of their grade, but for incentive I may count it as a homework replacement as in do the assigned homework OR post to the blog.
4. I am an avid Google Classroom user however I have found it frustrating that since parents don't have school email domains, they do not have access to the Google Classroom site. My students are also resistant to using Google Classroom to it's potential. They use the stream to access homework assignments, but do not use the calendar to check older (missed assignments) or any notes or other posted information. I have created a basic website that has links to all the old as well as the new classroom tools and so much more!
5. I would love for my students to get a chance to experience the various cultures in the Spanish speaking world. There are so sights that are filled with culture and history. I would like to dedicate a part of my website to virtual field trips. I have started a Google Doc listing the Spanish Speaking countries and some important sights to see if/when visiting. I would love for students to explore these areas, using the internet and create some type of digital visual for their peers. The danger here, once again, is with the freedom of the internet, student may be tempted to Google Translate their descriptions.
I am truly looking forward to utilizing all of these amazing tools in the fall. I hope that my students are as open to these new ideas as I am!
Rubric
5. I would love for my students to get a chance to experience the various cultures in the Spanish speaking world. There are so sights that are filled with culture and history. I would like to dedicate a part of my website to virtual field trips. I have started a Google Doc listing the Spanish Speaking countries and some important sights to see if/when visiting. I would love for students to explore these areas, using the internet and create some type of digital visual for their peers. The danger here, once again, is with the freedom of the internet, student may be tempted to Google Translate their descriptions.
I am truly looking forward to utilizing all of these amazing tools in the fall. I hope that my students are as open to these new ideas as I am!
Rubric
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