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Don’t Tread On Us (Re: Forced Output)
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11 thoughts on “Don’t Tread On Us (Re: Forced Output)”
Kate, where are you in Philly? Just curious because I’m in Moorestown right now visiting my hometown…
When the supervisor says ” the objective is for students to vocalize that vocabulary” where is this “objective” or standard coming from? That would be my first question, or response I suppose. Do you use standard based grading? Do you use the 5 C’s or the three modes? I’m going to take a guess that the supervisor is throwing around the word “objective” vaguely. If output is seriously expected from 5th graders (whatttt????) then perhaps you and your other colleagues needs to have a real sit down with your supervisor-and is this supervisor a WL teacher?
So much could be said here. I submit the following.
First, we have to start at the beginning. In Massachusetts, for example, Stage 1 students are expected to “use selected words, phrases, and expressions with no major repeated patterns of error.” Sentences are not until not until Stage 2.
Students are not expected to reach proficiency stage 1 until the end of grade 4 if they start L2 in Kindergarten or 1st grade. (Those who start a sequential language program in grade 6 are expected to reach Stage 1 at the end of grade 8.) Stage 2 is expected to be reached in grades 8 (if they start in K) and 10 (if they start in 6th). So we allow quite a bit of time to transition from words into sentences. [Maybe there is something similar in your state.]
Second, you are using an interactive, student-centered process to teach the grammatical relationships to a particular verb (has). By focusing on “who?” you are leading students to intuitively and automatically identify the subject of the verb (who has?). When you focus on “how many?” you are teaching numbers as well as helping them to unconsciously respond to the morphemes for number (-s in cuántos) and gender (cuántos vs. cuántas). [Note the combination of buzz words and linguistic analysis]
Third, you are starting simple and making sure that they understand you. This will motivate them to do their best. If they do not understand they will become discouraged and give up. Their success in understanding will motivate them to speak. [Susie Gross paraphrase]
Fourth, you are working with complete sentences. A complete sentence is a conjugated verb and whatever is needed to complete the verbal idea. Blaine Ray structures are very often either complete sentences or the kernels of a complete sentence. Working with your structures and family vocabulary a complete sentence that might be likely to develop is “He has a sister.”
Fifth, after declaring a complete sentence statement you use circling to help students process this complete sentence in a variety of ways. In the following example, the students must focus successively on the truth value of the complete sentence (yes/no) and on the object of the verb.
Statement: Tiene una hermana. (He has a sister.) [The teacher speaks in complete sentence]
Response: Ohhh!
Q. How many sisters does he have? [The teacher is helping students to process one aspect of the complete sentence]
A. One. [Important feedback: student is not responding in complete sentences, so teacher will model again, in the interrogative form]
Q. Does he have a sister?
A. Yes. [Normal conversation would not require a complete sentence here, but teacher keeps modeling]
Q. Does he have two sisters?
A. No.
That’s correct [encouragement]. He does not have two sisters; he has one sister.
Q. Does he has one or does he have two?
A. He has one. [The complete answer here is a complete sentence. Some students may be able to give this.]
By circling the verb you may find that more students are able to respond with a complete sentence
Q. He has one or he doesn’t have one?
A. He has one. [Complete sentence.]
Q. Does he need a sister?
A. No.
Q. Does have a sister or does he need a sister?
A. He has a sister. [Complete sentence with direct object noun.]
If you decide to name the subject you will be considering the complete sentence in yet another way. [Note that by calling it “modeling” we are showing that we are in touch with current modes of thinking. We are giving lots of meaningful input, but this may not register as essential for everyone.]
Sixth, although the focus is on a single complete sentence, circling challenges the students to process multiple complete sentences: He doesn’t have a sister; he has two sisters; he has one sister; he needs a sister, etc.
Seventh, the value of single word responses is that it allows the students to stay focused on the complete sentence utterance and not be distracted by word order, googling their brains for vocabulary, self-editing utterances for grammaticality, or deliberating the proper pronunciation. This is similar to using calculators to do the calculations in higher level math problems so that students can focus on a complete mathematical thought.
Eighth, you are engaging the students in higher-level thinking. You refuse to be satisfied with rote memorization of complete sentences. Rather, you are skillfully leading them by playful analysis of many complete sentences to the point of spontaneously producing their own complete sentences.
“Try to encourage students to answer your questions in complete sentences, students most of the time answer with actions or simple words. TPR is a great tool to teach vocabulary, but the objective is for students to vocalize that vocabulary.”
It is hard to figure supervisors out. They often feel like they have to say something negative and positive (TPR is great…but). They also feel like they have to offer suggestions, whether or not they are valid. They may be rushed and tired. They may have just come from a bad disciplinary situation. They may think they are being helpful when they sound like they are critical.
Sometimes a thank you for your time and suggestions can be disarming. Here’s a possibility:
Thank you for stopping in. I appreciate your suggestions and hope that with more experience I will be able to see even greater results. I do want my students to speaking in complete sentences. At this point I am trying to make sure that they hear and understand me in Spanish. I may be going a little to slowly, but I am more concerned at this point that I will discourage them by going too quickly.
Thank you for your support of TPR. It is a powerful tool and I do want to take them beyond internalization of TPR words and phrases to the vocalization of those words in real contexts. I know it is not easy. I never had teachers do that for me but I do want to be able to do so for my students. Thanks again for your support.
“Thank you for your support of TPR. It is a powerful tool and I do want to take them beyond internalization of TPR words and phrases to the vocalization of those words in real contexts. I know it is not easy. I never had teachers do that for me but I do want to be able to do so for my students. Thanks again for your support.”
LOVE this! Great idea Nathaniel – thanks!!
Here’s a possible response…
Dear Mean, Busy, Cranky, Self-Important, Non-Teacher-Ally Supervisor ,
Thank you for visiting my classroom and for offering feedback. Collaboration and coaching among colleagues, both in the classroom and online, have been essential to me in the development of my teaching practice. As you know, many of us in the building are using comprehensible input based methods of foreign language instruction. I have seen positive gains both for my students and myself since adopting these techniques. Within this framework of instruction, the goal for novice language learners follows the Natural Order of Acquisition. Students will be able to understand complete sentences in the target language and respond to that input with gestures, single words or short phrases. Their responses clearly communicate to me whether comprehension has occurred, and I do my best to accommodate my instruction to their level of acquisition. One of the basic tenets of this type of instruction states that forced output at early levels of acquisition actually has a negative effect. Therefore, I strive to provide lots of comprehensible input to my students and their short responses, along with other assessment tools, assure me that I am succeeding. Far from preventing students from acquiring speaking ability, this kind of training prepares a fertile soil from which the speaking skill will emerge at the intermediate and advanced levels. Contrary to popular opinion, the research shows that we actually learn to speak by listening and we learn how to write by reading. If you are interested, I would be happy to provide further materials and links to the research that has inspired this pedagogical approach.
Angie, how eloquently stated. I will keep a copy of this (if it’s ok with you) to pull out if needed (and it will be needed!).
Use and adapt as needed, that’s why I offered it!
Nicely stated, Angie.
In a face-to-face conversation, try the following – if you can do it good-naturedly and get away with it with your supervisor or other interlocutor.
-(You:) How do people acquire a foreign language?
-(Respondent:) By speaking it.
-Great! I’ve always wanted to learn Urdu. Let’s learn it together, but you go first. Start speaking Urdu.
-I can’t speak Urdu!
-But you just said, we acquire a language by speaking it. So speak it. Then you’ll acquire it.
-That’s ridiculous. I’d have to study it first.
-But you just said we learn languages by speaking them. Let’s speak Urdu.
-That isn’t what I meant.
-Then I think you would agree with me that we really acquire languages by hearing and reading them in a way we understand. Speaking comes later, after we have acquired enough of the language to be able to respond. That’s what I’m doing in my classes: giving students language that they understand so that later they will be able to speak and write. I wold be glad to go over the ACTFL proficiency guidelines and show you how this lines up with what we know about second-language acquisition, brain function and all the rest.
I have actually had this conversation a few times. In the vast majority of cases the person will get it. Only someone who is committed to an ideology will persist in rejecting the notion that input is crucial. They may still ask about output (speaking). My reply is, “Sure it’s important for communication, but not for acquisition – especially in the early stages of acquisition. By the time they get to third and fourth year, my students are capable of communicating well in the target language. They regularly go to the German-speaking countries and impress people with their ability to communicate in German or place into upper-level German courses at the university.”
Nice strategy, Robert.
The flipside of the essentiality of input for acquisition is the impossibility of acquisition without input.
Zero ability + Zero input = Zero output.
Sounds like a kind of conversation you can have only if you’re tenured!
It hit me this morning:
Do nothing.
By the time this Head or Admin or whatever returns, your kids’ output will have increased. If this particular idiot has a [Insert inappropriate anatomical term here] for output, you show him/her your kids increasing capacity for speech, and call on superstars to pump out an awesome sentence or two.