I got a question that I sent to Carol Gaab. Here is an email exchange between Carol and Melisa Alexander, reprinted with permission:
Melisa said:
I am completely new to TPRS but extremely motivated to learn about and use it. I have spoken to my administration about converting our curriculum and he actually seems to be open to the idea.
My administrator had me talk about TPRS to the other two teachers in the department. We have ‘Spanish Enrichment’ at the Junior High and four levels at the high school. The Junior High teacher is skeptical and the other teacher who teachers dual credit for our local Junior College is down right against it. She is very much a grammarian. “The students must know how to use the subjunctive.”
I included the research by Karen Lichtman, but eyes just glazed over. Is there any research comparing how students perform at the upper levels who are taught traditionally vs TPRS/CI? If there is, would you be kind enough to point me in the right direction?
Carol responed:
I am not sure about research at upper levels. I never really thought about the level of students used in studies. I’ve never analyzed data in terms of level. Barb Watson did a study on TPRS, but again, I think it was with beginning students. There are a few studies published in the International Journal of FL Teaching. (ijflt.org (Summer 2009 edition)
Regardless of the studies, I just want to say that it shouldn’t matter what level your students are. If we are using natural language, they will naturally acquire the subjunctive over time from level 1 on. It’s impossible to isolate or compartmentalize grammar, which means level 1 students will get exposure to the subjunctive. I tier my lessons, and the top tier of my lessons generally contain those subjunctive phrases. They contain the core vocab structures, so students understand the MEANING, although they may not understand the grammatical application of subjunctive. (Most students don’t really “get it” even at upper levels. It’s much more effective to just start using it as it’s needed. Even in our [ed. note: that is TPRS Publishing, Inc.]Brandon Brown Wants a Dog reader, which is a beginning reader with only 100 unique words, you’ll find a few subjunctive phrases. They are all completely comprehensible, and that’s where we start… with understanding the message and understanding how grammar impacts meaning. Give your student tons of CI and stretch them into subjunctive using the i+1 philosophy, and you’ll be amazed at how even level 1 students will produce subjunctive phrases. They won’t be able to apply it with consistent accuracy, but they will definitely understand it when it’s used and be able to produce it… sometimes with level-appropriate/expected mistakes and sometimes with a high degree of accuracy.
Kudos to you for investigating TPRS/TCI strategies independently. If you decide to get training, we’d love to see you at iFLT July 15-18 this summer. We’ll have live language classes that you’ll be able to observe in the morning, followed by beginning/advanced workshops and a menu of various session options in the afternoon.
http://tinyurl.com/iFLT2014
Best,
Carol