Now there are three ACTFL threads. They two new ones resulted from Eric’s explosive and original question about research behind a main tenet of ACTFL, on which tremendous amounts of instruction and cash sit perched, that of building a curriculum around thematic units. Some PLC members have even chosen to contribute directly to the discussion on that list in in spite of the bad vibes and noticeably defensive posturing there.
Eric, the Jackal, and Robert, the Bear, started the two new threads. Those threads are not divisive in the way the initial one was, as the focus of the discussion there has shifted away from where the research on themes is – no one in ACTFL seems to know – to what comprehensible input is. The current budding discussion about comprehensible input, the second thread, and authentic texts, the third, is due to the tenacity and insistence, really, of the Jackal and the Bear on having a real discussion with the ACTFL thousands.
So it has occurred to me that a positive discussion with 18,000 ACTFL teachers is a rare and unique opportunity. It is really unprecedented in the sense that there may have never been, up to this point, an open discussion of this size and type in cyberspace between those who have jumped on the CI train and those who have either chosen not to do that or those who haven’t yet heard of CI. Indeed, we can’t know how many of the 18,000 readers on that list are new and have just never heard of Krashen, and so I think we can’t just walk away from this chance.
I therefore exhort any and all readers of this PLC to go contribute to those two new discussions. The new threads are great. Yes, I know I said that I didn’t want to return to that discussion, but that was before it took this new and recent twist into a positive direction. How can the members of the ACTFL group (it’s called Language Educators) get defensive about what is being said there now?
If you want to reach kids and effectuate change so that they feel good about learning a language, join in on that discussion. Support the Jackal. Support the Bear. Go contribute and help grow that thread before it’s too late and the Jackal and the Bear get unnecessarily exhausted trying to do so by themselves.
This is where a even a short comment will come to the attention of ACTF, not so much because of its content but rather because of the sheer volume of comments we can bring. If everybody in this group wrote only one sentence tonite the site would have 294 new comments in one day. That would get the notice of a lot of people. And we may not get a chance like this again!
Here is the link:
http://community.actfl.org/ACTFL/DigestViewer/?ListKey=4014d095-4c20-48e9-b1d1-0bf121261b6b
The old thread on thematic units is called:
Why thematic units? Why authentic resources? Show me the research!
The new threads are:
Share your authentic resources opinions.
What is Comprehensible Input really?