I got this from Bob Patrick today. Can’t wait to hear the responses: Ben, I and a lot of others on your blog and on TPRS throw around the term “four percenters”. I would very much like to know what we all mean when we use the term. I find my work has two prongs […]
On story days, at the end of class, I often used to lose track of the important work just done by the story writer and the quick quiz writer – they would end up mixed in wth other papers, etc. Now, I have a system that is simple and streamlined to make sure I have easy
I am convinced that the number of repetitions we get on target structures is never enough. Combine that with our habit of introducing too many unknown structures (no curriculum can help that), and we have a recipe for confusion in the kids’ minds. Some people say 50-70 reps is the magic number, but for me
I got this question: Q. I’m going to do the “Lazy” story this week (Matava SS Vol. 2). Any tips on PQAing ‘lazy’? I’m thinking that ‘works’ and ‘the boss yells’ can easily be PQA’d to get a lot of reps, the ‘yells’ one can turn into ‘mom or dad yells’ as well and with
We had a bunch of good discussions going and then we took off, mid-week, on that tangent about that Spanish teachers group and, in doing so, we took our eyes off the ball. So then I started two new blog series, one from CA on conflict (Robert organized that series of articles), which seemed well
In introducing himself to the group, Jeffery wrote: …yesterday my story lesson bombed completely. Wow, it was embarrassing! However, I am undeterred in my resolve to continue. Like everything else, it’ll take a while before I can learn this skill…. There is not one of us who hasn’t done that. I did it for years.
Look people. Next time we get bent out of shape about how hard stories are for us, and how challenging teaching is in general, we need to just relax. The following story says a million things: http://gma.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/first-grader-born-without-hands-wins-penmanship-award-180647263–abc-news-topstories.html
Today I received a bio from a Latin teacher in Cincinnati, Jeffery Bricker. Jeffery combines his personal interests in the method with where he is professionally and that is what we want to hear about each other. The tone of what he wrote is wonderful. It says, “O.K. that old stuff doesn’t work so come hell or
This is the first of four questions – a variety pack – that jen would like to discuss with the group: jen’s department head, who is new to TPRS, but using it in her classroom (Carol Gaab Cuentame book 1) told jen, who will teach this child in level 2 next year, that the child
Waiting in the queue for a few weeks now has been a series of four articles on dealing with professional conflict that seems to segue well from the last few posts but that is just by accident. This next text on the theme of conflict and of keeping the professional peace is from Robert, describing some
Chris was on one of those language teachers sites* and just now sent me a link in which a teacher said: ….TPRS won’t even be around. Maybe silly stories and such work for your students, but definitely not mine…. *http://teachers.net/mentors/spanish/topic27773/4.16.12.08.53.23.html Here is my response to that: Whatever gave you the idea that TPRS is all
A very poignant story from Bob Patrick: I had one of those moments that, well, I simply needed in my life even though I didn’t know I needed it. I was working at my desk after school a Monday or so ago, and there was a knock at the outside door of my classroom. There,
