A teacher is trying to learn how to “do TPRS” from the internet and has gotten confused. It is probably because there are so many forms of it now, a form for every expert out there. So now we have a problem because the experts are arguing; each is saying that they have the right way to do it.
Conferences now exist for posturing and establishing one’s position and not for actually training teachers. People don’t roll their sleeves up and teach at those conferences any more, if they ever did. They watch people teach. It’s not the same.
Non-targeting obviates their discussions. With non-targeting there is no method. Those who say that creativity and spontaneous language-making require specific training may be wrong. I think they are wrong.
Seriously, what about the idea that a “CI teacher” can only be spontaneous in story creation with her students unless she first learn some basics that she probably has to go to a conference (huge expense in time and money). What about it?
There is only us, there are no experts. And we each will do it differently. But the common fiber in this work is the ability to share loving back and forth communication/dialogue with our students. That is in my mind not a function of learning anything at all, but rather of just being present with our students.
Maybe the people who say I am wrong on this point are right. There certainly are a lot of them. What I care about is that it works for us. The real work is in non-targeted, I know that. With non-targeted work, we are free to teach the real curriculum, the language, and not pieces of it, which denigrate and uglify the spontaneous and pure flower gardens that are classrooms can be.