Cara O’Brien-Holen teaches French at East Anchorage High School. She served in the Peace Corps – Mali, West Africa 1997-1999. I think that that is just cool. Anyway, Michele sent something Cara wrote as part of one of the Anchorage group’s teachers’ final course reflections. Michele said that she read this “as our final response person of the day, and everyone applauded when I read this aloud.” It is reprinted below with the author’s permission:
When I was in France last month I had the opportunity to visit two English classes at a French Middle School. It was a surreal experience because I felt as if I were looking into some sort of magical mirror. Both teachers used gestures, mannerisms, and vocal exaggerations, which I, too, employ in my teaching. It was evident that both teachers’ lessons were closely tied to the textbook and, which required students to answer in complete sentences. In one class, the students were learning an expression that to me was not an example of authentic language. When the teacher asked me to engage the students using the new expression I found it quite challenging to model the example correctly! I had to correct myself several times when I realized I changed the expression to how I would naturally state it in English. I was reminded of how during my first years of teaching I relied heavily on the book and followed every aspect of each chapter even if I questioned the authenticity of the expressions and vocabulary choices, finding some unusual or bizarre. Observing the two classes I felt as if I were watching a former self, as when I once wanted or dictated that students follow the exact lesson, using only the words or expressions given in the text, not allowing for improvisation and requiring students to answer in complete sentences. Witnessing this made me wince internally. It seemed so evident to me, now that I was on the other side of the mirror, that too many of the students were not engaged, that the teacher was calling on all the same students (perhaps for my benefit to highlight the stellar students), that there were several students who wanted to participate, but because they didn’t or couldn’t answer in the required complete sentence, their contribution was discounted or dismissed. Therefore, in each class when I was asked to participate I tried my best to apply TPRS strategies by asking students yes / no and either / or questions, and also asking them who and which questions. Unfortunately, in so doing I wasn’t modeling or requesting the traditional “must answer in a complete sentence” response so both teachers very graciously thanked me for participating, but then suggested I keep observing instead. The techniques and lesson structures I witnessed that day demonstrate quintessential reasons why as a world language teacher it is imperative I acquire knowledge of and become adept in TPRS.