Liam reports in from New Jersey:
Ben:
I hope your year is winding up nicely and that you’re getting pumped for SD!
I had wanted to be more in touch over the blog this year but, if you recall from a previous exchange, teaching 6 different classes with multiple levels in some of them and traveling between two high schools on a daily basis was challenging. To say the least. But I survived and am better for it!
Wanted to share some news from the year.
The district originally planned for 8 Chinese classes next year but, due to higher-than-expected enrollment, there are 10. To accommodate the growth we were lucky enough to woo Debbie Yao, a NJ teacher I actually met in Vegas last year! We’re both thrilled to be working together. I’m anticipating some breakthroughs in terms of figuring out the best CI approaches to Chinese, specifically in terms of literacy.
I just won $2300 to put towards “printing and binding Chinese stories.” 400 will go to Staples costs; 1900 will go to teacher training, ie, a summer conference.
Finally, wanted to share this item, for its own sake but also the story behind it. In March I presented “CI/TPRS in the Chinese Classroom” at FLENJ. It turns out it was the most popular in terms of feedback, so I’ll represent “the best of NJ” at NECTFL in 2014.
So that was a nice surprise. But this is the part you’ll find interesting. If you recall, right around that time in March the blog was writing copiously about one Helena Curtain. (I actually never read much from the threads but Scott Grapin – who continues to rock and play an essential role in my growth with daily observation/feedback in a Chinese I class – told me all about it.) She gave a presentation at FLENJ as well, right before mine, in fact. Her presentation (her hallmark thematic unit – which I saw her give several years ago at ACTFL) included several disparaging references to “the TPRS crowd” and she ended, saying, “if you remember nothing else, no matter what please don’t do direct English translation.”
She couldn’t substantiate that statement to me in a one-on-one conversation afterwards, but she still managed to increase my anxiety level somewhat because her session was so well attended, including by some of the FLENJ bigwigs. The presentation I gave wasn’t the best due to this anxiety and I could have gotten off to a better start, but, nonetheless, I’m going to NECTFL. It kind of felt, in retrospect and in light of all the blog discussion, that I was holding the CI/TPRS banner in front of the, how do we say it,… naysayers…those who don’t understand it…the establishment (ACTFL’s Paul Sandrock was also there)… and managed to do well. The take away here, I think, is that the truth does out.
Another take away is that a name does matter and that TPRS, for various reasons, some of which are quite loaded…, carries baggage. CI is just so much cleaner, isn’t it? Would love to hear your perspective on this.
Take care! Looking forward to seeing you this summer. 🙂
Liam