Hi Ben,
Not sure if I posted this to the PLC already (it’s from last year), but I think it’s a good reminder, and connects the dots with what does not seem like a FL activity at first glance.
Begin the Year with the Name Game: a reflection on the first weeks of school.
For those of you who are just beginning your year (as I am, having just finished day two with my students), I wanted to make a few connections that I somewhat stumbled upon, and have found to be very helpful during these first days. I have realized that you can easily integrate the explicit metacognition work into your first week curriculum as long as you are working hard to lay the foundation for a good year, rather than jumping into the “content” right away. I put “content” in quotes because I am more and more coming to realize that the true content of our classes is genuine compassionate human interaction, the language being simply a means to the cultivation and development of a classroom community—talk about relevance, talk about life skills!
I began my new Latin 1 classes (7th grade boys) this year with some metacognition talk. I suggested to them that all language is about communication. Then I asked them what it takes to make communication happen. They responded with things like: eye contact, listening, sharing a common language (interesting–I told them we would get there with Latin), trying to understand the other person, where they’re coming from, etc. Then, I asked them what it feels like when you trying to speak to someone or to people who are judging you, or want you to fail, or think you are stupid, or are talking over you. The students came up with some very thoughtful responses, which were clearly based in their experience with peers and even parents (of this I am sure!). They said that in these situations, you clam up, forget what you’re saying, appear and feel stupid, give up, etc.
I then went into the name game, that is, going around the room where everyone says their name, and something positive they do, like, or are. During this activity, it became so clear to me that all the skills required to be successful in the name game are the same skills required for success in a CI classroom. Students have to listen to each other, not distract each other, and when it’s their turn to say something about themselves they need to be clear, brief, cute and memorable. I told them they could help the person who’s trying to remember the names by making a gesture when it’s their name being recalled, so they’re supporting each other’s success, and cheering each other on. The kids near the end of the circle were nervous, and the others needed to support them, and honor them for being in a more difficult position, and not distract them by talking when it is not their turn.
Once I realized this, I told the students that being successful in the name game is what will make you successful in this class. The name game also provided me with a lot of valuable information about individual students and about the cohesiveness of the class as a whole. They think the purpose of it is so I can learn the names, but I could do that by looking at the yearbook for a half hour. It’s really about observing them as a group when given some freedom. I now have a clear idea of seating charts, and the limitations of students and whole classes once I begin working with them in L2
