Kale

4 thoughts on “Kale”

1. Bryan Whitney

   February 20, 2016 at 10:13 am

   I like to think not only about what I need to cut out, but even more so about what are the good things that I can add? In the food analogy instead of worrying so much about NOT eating so much ice cream, can I add a protein shake or fresh fruit instead? How can I replace the unhealthy things in my life with something healthy?

   Plus, just take it a step at a time. That’s one of the things that I like about your books. If I focus on one aspect of CI a week, or even adding one more tool to my repertoire a month/semester I will eventually have a much healthier class, and perhaps not feel so much guilt and craziness about not doing everything perfectly all at once. (Though I’m one of those people who tends to want to just jump in go all in at once… So, I’m really talking to myself here.) To build healthy habits (to the point where it is truly automatic) takes time. It’s the same thing in our classrooms and in our relationships. Force of will is rather short-term. Habits take more time to cultivate, but they’re long-term.

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2. Claire

   February 20, 2016 at 9:21 pm

   I love this post.
   This amazing flame Blaine started has turned into a wildfire, and if you’re going to be a part of it, you have to let it consume you. Primarily because this big shake-up in comprehensible input is about more than just TPRS.

   Over my lifetime, there has been a silent revolution in how we think about language learners. Now, every teacher in every classroom in America is a language teacher, responsible for providing appropriate accommodations to make language comprehensible for all students (though federal mandates specifically mention NELB students). As gaps for ethnic and language minority students widen, more and more educators are making an earnest commitment to throwing away textbooks, making language compelling, and embracing comprehensible input.

   I read a post here this week where something was said to the effect of: it’s just foreign language, we’re not teaching for mastery. But I do.

   ESL/second language educators, bilingual educators, deaf language educators, and others teach children who rely on language for academic success. They are starting to notice what you are accomplishing. Inspire them by being confident and consonant in your application of TPRS. Show the language educators that this method is something worth fighting for. We have something so good that we can’t keep it to ourselves.

   If Lance, Ben, and the others here who have earned their red badges of courage ever start to wonder if the struggle for TCI is worth it, know that you are a part of something huge.

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   1. Claire

      February 20, 2016 at 9:30 pm

      By the way, I really liked Ben’s choice of the word “disingenuous” –that’s exactly what half-hearted TPRS looks like to outsiders.
      Be genuine.
      (Unrelated note: I genuinely hate kale.)

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   2. Ben Slavic

      February 20, 2016 at 9:50 pm

      Thank you Claire for pointing again to the equity piece that John Piazza and Bob Patrick have so long written about in various comments here over the years. I like that you point out that our efforts, the efforts of Sean Lawler in Chicago’s inner city schools, the efforts of all the Denver Public Schools TPRS teachers, of Brian Peck in Detroit, are not just about teaching languages but much more than that. Much more…..

      Speaking about equity, our new PLC member from South Africa teaches Zulu. Bryan said yesterday in a YouTube conversation:

      …the public schooling system in South Africa is another story altogether, maybe a topic for me to write on. I agree that language is a massively powerful healing and uniting force, as I see every day in South Africa with Zulu, and even now with my smattering of French, with the many immigrants from the DRC….

      Bryan, by the way, is coming to Agen, France in July and maybe will teach us some Zulu.

      He planted the South African flag on our map on the PLC (click on the hard link across the top of the PLC page labeled “map”) to see it and add your own please. There are a lot less flags then people in our group who are doing CI so hint. When you put up your flag (indicating that you fly your CI freak flag in your classroom without need to explain it to anyone) we can find each other more easily and possibly get some regional networking going, which is on the rise in this work.

      So yeah all that to say thanks Claire. It’s so nice to have you on board for this ride – we need that ELA/TPRS piece explained to us and clearly you are the one to put it into the mix of discussion here.

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