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In an effort to support our members and to improve language teaching/learning in our state, the Executive Committee needs to understand what our basic issues are.
Please join the discussion:If you could do ONE thing
to make your current teaching situation better,
what would that be?
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7 comments:
OVERSIZE classes!!!
What is the optimal number of students for the communicative, interactive, "hands-on" second-language class?
Is that number different for different levels?
What research can we use to support our request for more reasonable class sizes?
Terri
I would agree that class size is a major issue. Also at issue is accountability for material learned - how many students do we have who have taken X number of Spanish classes, yet are unable to demonstrate strong comprehension of the material?
If I could just take away the fear and distrust of differences and replace it with open curiosity, I think it would go a long way in motivating my students to learn. My high school students have spent most of their adolescence in a culture of anti-intellectualism, fear of foreigners and me-first mentality. I find much of my job entails allaying some of their fears and helping them just to ENJOY speaking another language.
My favorite number is 15 for any level. This semester I have a class of 30; two are LD and two EMI. I have no trouble accommodating assignments and assessments, but do not have time while teaching to give them the attention they need. Also, the class is predominantly 9th graders who seem to like the class but are not very motivated to memorize or complete homework.
Lots of research has been done that shows class size does matter, but it's a tough sell to those holding the purse strings, esp. when we can be replaced with on-line or televised classes.
I do have a suggestion inspired from a recent Tripartite meeting at WVU with the Benedum Collaborative, College of Ed and Arts/Sciences. Why are we not lobbying for the best possible learning environments for our students with the same vigor and doggedness as others do for pay raises?
When we educate the legislators and our communities about what we are expected to accomplish with what resources we have, we can make a difference. Then, the pay raises will come as a result. I say, let's storm the capitol!
Student ownership!
I can sing, dance, eat tacos, and introduce some technologies, but if my students do not feel as if the language they are struggling to learn and the world perspectives they are accessing mean anything to them, then the "success" is limited. The conundrum: How do I make my classroom more student-centered without "losing control"?
I think that a big problem for the typical teacher in WV is that quite often he/she doesn't realize that teaching doesn't just take place in the classroom, but also occurs in the learning community at the local, state, regional, and national levels.
We often feel isolated in our own classroom situations, and forget that there are others doing the same job, who we need to collaborate with, offer advice to, and learn from.
We are a profession, and as such, need to have a unified, panoramic vision of what we should accomplish, and how we can collaborate as professionals to attain our goals, teach our classes effectively, and educate our students to become members of the global society.
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