[ola] Re: OWL support articles
- From: Colin Oriard <coriard@xxxxxxx>
- To: "ola@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <ola@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 13 Nov 2014 14:27:59 +0000
Thank you Eliza for your feedback. My student push-back is half academic,
struggling to communicate their meaning, giving up and resorting to English but
the other half are students that don't appear to want to be there, and would
just rather talk with their friends than engage in a lesson...
Harris, thank you for such a thoughtful response. I think my issues around all
of this have to do with the fact that I haven't done a good enough job of
creating community. I know how important this is, and yet I still have not
been successful. I believe as well that there is absolutely no universal
method to reach all learners, but strongly believe in OWL, but just need to do
it better than I am doing.
From my experience last year, I do understand that communities come together at
different times, so in no way is it a lost cause as it's only November, but it
would be really helpful to get some feedback on things I can do starting now
and going forward to better create that community...
As always I really appreciate all your support. I know one day teaching will
get easier than it is for me now, but until then getting support is extremely
important to me not getting too discouraged, thank you.
Colin
Colin Oriard
Profesor de español 1/2 & 3/4
Grant High School
Room 112
Phone extension - 75612
________________________________
From: ola-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <ola-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> on behalf of Eliza
Pfeifer <epfeifer@xxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, November 12, 2014 2:45 PM
To: ola@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [ola] Re: OWL support articles
I agree with Harris!
On Wed, Nov 12, 2014 at 2:40 PM, Call Daniel
<dcall@xxxxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:dcall@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>> wrote:
Colin,
Here’s a blog by an adult language learner that occasionally posts
user-friendly digested versions of theory. You may have to comb a little, but
there’s some good stuff here.
http://www.languagesurfer.com/
From: ola-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:ola-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
[mailto:ola-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:ola-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>] On Behalf Of
Harris Levinson
Sent: Wednesday, November 12, 2014 1:27 PM
To: ola@xxxxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:ola@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [ola] Re: OWL support articles
Colin:
I'd also say that the longer I teach and the more pedagogical approaches I
experiment with and/or commit to, the more I recognize that there is not ONE
approach that is best for all learners. I have made my peace with this,
although it took some years to let go of the mission I had set for myself while
in my ed program at UW, i.e., to reach and teach well every single student.
Atwell's Writing in the Middle introduced many Language Arts teachers to the
reading and writing workshop approach and school districts and English teachers
throughout the States adopted it. I loved it for its use of mini-lessons and
fostering one-to-one relationships with students about their writing and the
books they were reading. Yet, some students did not respond with the enthusiasm
of their classmates; they preferred a class where everyone was writing on a
similar topic and reading the same literature.
A number of us have experienced this same phenomenon with OLA and OWL. It helps
us accomplish the goals we have for getting our students to feel comfortable
taking risks in speaking the language. Many students feel empowered to use the
language outside the classroom context and want to interact with
Spanish-speaking people around the world. We have evidence of this and we share
it joyfully....and still it is not the right fit for all our students. Some
don't want to push or aren't yet comfortable taking risks or just really prefer
sitting down doing activities from a text--it's what they know and it allows
them to disappear.
To counter this, I believe one has to emphasize building community. That is one
of Darcy's central tenets and I don't think we can overestimate its use when we
encounter resistance. When we have buy-in from students because they feel they
are part of an exciting organism that recognizes and values their humanity, one
that lives and breathes in the target language (my own classroom is NOT always
that way), then we find less resistance. And even still, with your best and
most sincere efforts, there will be those who choose not to join us, who say
nay, but they will not be the majority and they may even one day come to see
that life is simply not as fun nor as gratifying without movement, community,
and OWL.
Harris
2014-11-12 11:47 GMT-08:00 Eliza Pfeifer
<epfeifer@xxxxxxxxxx<mailto:epfeifer@xxxxxxxxxx>>:
Colin, I am not sure that I have any kid friendly articles, but know that you
are not alone with push back. My first year I suffered from some. Most of
the push back came as students realized that they had errors in their Spanish
but didn´t know who to fix them. They wanted grammar rules for clarity.
How do you see the push back? (If and when you get a chance!)
On Wed, Nov 12, 2014 at 9:02 AM, Colin Oriard
<coriard@xxxxxxx<mailto:coriard@xxxxxxx>> wrote:
?Tess, most of my students are freshmen and sophomores
Colin Oriard
Profesor de español 1/2 & 3/4
Grant High School
Room 112
Phone extension - 75612
________________________________
From: ola-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:ola-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
<ola-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:ola-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>> on behalf of Tess
Siemer <tess.siemer@xxxxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:tess.siemer@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>>
Sent: Wednesday, November 12, 2014 7:59 AM
To: ola@xxxxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:ola@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [ola] Re: OWL support articles
What grade level Colin? I have several that I can share but they might not
resonate with freshman or sophomores so much...
On Nov 12, 2014 6:48 AM, "Colin Oriard"
<coriard@xxxxxxx<mailto:coriard@xxxxxxx>> wrote:
OWLers,
I wrote yesterday, but it was rushed so I'd like to follow up....
I'm still running into lots of student push-back and English use so in an
effort to help that, I'm putting a few new changes in place. To support one of
these, I was wondering if anybody had good foreign language immersion and/or
language acquisition articles that our students would be able to follow
(kid-friendly language)??
Any resources people have would be much appreciated!
Colin Oriard
Profesor de español 1/2 & 3/4
Grant High School
Room 112
Phone extension - 75612
--
Eliza Pfeifer
Spanish Instructor | St. Mary’s Academy
_________________________________
4545 S. University Blvd., Englewood, CO 80113
303.762.8300 x 393<tel:303.762.8300%20x%20393> | fax:
303.783.6201<tel:303.783.6201> | epfeifer@xxxxxxxxxx<mailto:jwimbish@xxxxxxxxxx>
[https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/V-DPcKI82YFYE63jZZfZyK7xBdPJIZ8ZpbUfvj6_CQvSJYr3GWAuGsgHcKxTOQBkcEFaV47Bfj1Ypz3oSRj0tr5e4Uhb52LPl8sjSNDUC6Df02aB_rm3K20JxxUDMm1HKdnGtgAtZzE]
--
Harris Levinson
Teacher, Adviser
Vashon Island High School
Tel: 206.463.9171 x141<tel:206.463.9171%20x141>
--
Eliza Pfeifer
Spanish Instructor | St. Mary’s Academy
_________________________________
4545 S. University Blvd., Englewood, CO 80113
303.762.8300 x 393 | fax: 303.783.6201 |
epfeifer@xxxxxxxxxx<mailto:jwimbish@xxxxxxxxxx>
[https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/V-DPcKI82YFYE63jZZfZyK7xBdPJIZ8ZpbUfvj6_CQvSJYr3GWAuGsgHcKxTOQBkcEFaV47Bfj1Ypz3oSRj0tr5e4Uhb52LPl8sjSNDUC6Df02aB_rm3K20JxxUDMm1HKdnGtgAtZzE]
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