[ola] Re: Props to the journey
- From: Calysta Phillips <cphillips@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: ola@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 18 Dec 2013 17:00:42 -0700
Thank you, Darcy!!!!! You're the best!!! Just what I needed.... forging
on... Thanks to all of you for your insight, comments, encouragement,
honesty... I am honored to be a part of this community. I can feel my cells
stretching. Happy Holidays!
On Wed, Dec 18, 2013 at 4:31 PM, Darcy Rogers <rogersdr25@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> Hello all! I have been watching the posts going around and I feel honored
> and privileged to be part of such an amazing, earnest passionate group of
> people. I don’t know if I have ever seen such a dedicated group of
> educators in my life. The questions that people are asking and the goals
> that you all have to create the best classrooms possible are not only
> inspiring, but transformative.
>
> The main topics that seem to be coming up lately all seem to revolve
> around 3 main themes:
>
> 1. Grammar use
> 2. Use of L1
> 3. Planning (units vs textbook vs ‘progressions & threads’,
> etc.)
>
> I would like to challenge and encourage you all on the journey. Some of
> you may or many not have heard the story of how this came about, but for
> some reason I think it is important to know. It is very similar to Arnold’s
> experience in that after having taught traditionally for a few years, I
> took a group of students to Mexico. Their inability to function and be
> comfortable in the second language (L2) brought about a series of events
> that transformed my classroom. My goals shifted, my intent shifted and more
> than anything, my own personal learning shifted. (I believe many of you
> know this moment I’m talking about, that’s why you’re here).
>
> I was lucky enough to live in an area where there were trainings happening
> around ACTFL levels and communicative based practices. I took 2 different
> OPI trainings. I learned about Second Language Acquisition (SLA) and brain
> research about the importance of movement and student interest. I was then
> lucky enough to work at a school where the 10 Principles of CES (Coalition
> of Essential Schools) were their guiding values. This was the last piece:
> the students. The school placed a large emphasis on getting to know the
> student, personalization and best teaching practices (which includes
> student accountability, critical thinking, reflection of learning and
> student interaction). Many times, there was no transference of any of these
> principles to the language classroom. Second language often felt like the
> bastard child, since we were just dutifully trolling through the textbook.
> If you could, however, create a classroom that looked different; that
> actually resembled how language is acquired, that brought together the
> ACTFL levels, SLA, personalization, communication, building community and
> movement all at once, well wow! That has been and is the intent of OWL. It
> is not a way of telling teachers how to do something, or even creating a
> system of rules of what OWL is: it is a way of attempting to combine what
> we all know to be best practices in to one classroom. A way to establish a
> set of values that can guide our conversations. That is the journey.
>
> Since the conversation about how our classrooms could look began, there
> have been some interesting and exciting things discovered by educators in
> our community:
>
> 1. The circle. The idea of student equality, creating community and
> promoting interaction (SLA): take away the back and front of the room, put
> all students in front of each other, eliminate physical boundaries and
> encourage language production and actual face-to-face communication.
>
> 2. Movement. Students who move are more engaged (brain research). The
> beautiful thing about combining it with the circle is that it builds
> community and allows for new vocabulary to come up in an authentic way.
> This looks different at different levels.
>
> 3. Communicative focus. This meant leaving the grammar behind. To be
> clear, this does not mean an absence of grammar. Grammar is in everything
> we do, and in order to move up language levels, it must be addressed;
> however, it looks different.
>
> 4. Student as curriculum. This is the most abstract concept. The idea is
> not new: Student-centered, yes. Student-focused, yes. But this is
> different. Actually taking the student and making them the curriculum is a
> new step. This is the scariest of all because it requires stepping away
> from the textbook and stepping away from *pre-prepared* units and
> actually allowing students to talk about what their interests are. When
> truly done in a way that is cohesive with SLA and ACTFL, then it is
> fulfilling, meaningful, and produces results. This is the uniqueness of
> what we are talking about achieving.
>
> 5. Artistry. An environment that a teacher can create where the classroom
> is a cohesive community of students and teachers working together to
> achieve language learning.
>
> Within all of those concepts, there are embedded questions about L1 use,
> grammar, the textbook and units. I am going to be sending out a series of
> posts today addressing those issues that I hope will encourage further
> conversation and reflection within our professional development community.
>
> Thank you all for your incredible minds and hearts!!!
>
> *Darcy Rogers*
> Organic World Language (OWL)
> Phone: 541.601.4509
> Fax: 541.776.4099
> Website: www.organicworldlanguage.com
> Facebook: tinyurl.com/organic-language-facebook
>
Other related posts:
