Carrie Anderson has a really good question:
Hello Ben,
I am still getting up the nerve to implement CI instruction in my middle school Spanish classes in Montana. This is my first year at new school, 4th year teaching.
I really want to switch to CI but I am nervous for two reasons: one, is that the prior language teacher is right across the hall but teaches English now. He had a solid Spanish program whereby his students advanced into Span II or even III in HS. He focused a lot on verb conjugation and also had semester classes and select year-long classes.
The admin switched to a quarter class schedule which is why I have a new job, because the teacher did not think he could teach the way he wanted to with the shortened schedule.
So that is what I am working with: 10 week classes with 6th,7th, and 8th graders.
My reservations about CI are thus: will CI be effective in short quarter classes? And also, I worry about preparing these students for HS Spanish and wanting to try to maintain the established success of their advancement in HS. As far as I know, there are no CI instructors in Missoula’s high schools (but I am not sure, am curious and will investigate).
Thanks so much!
Profe Carrie
My response:
Let’s ask the blog community.
By the way, notice how the guy across the hallway is no longer teaching Spanish. It was due to the way he taught it. So what if his kids do well at the high school level? He works with those teachers. They do the same low grade traditional junk. It’s all an unintentional scam on the students. I don’t believe that the teacher quit because he couldn’t teach “the way he wanted”. He quit teaching Spanish because he hated teaching Spanish, or at least disliked it intensely. YOU are exploring real things.
I WOULD be nervous about him. You are walking a fine line right now and it ends across the hallway, where your slightest move will be reported to the high school teachers and they will descend on you like the harpies they are, but behind your back because that’s how they roll, if you dare step out of line.
Your question is:
…will CI be effective in short quarter classes?
My answer is OMG yes and especially with 6th, 7th and 8th graders! You are well positioned to do really well with it. You have everything you need and the right age group to boot.
Your last question is the hard one. Whether to go with CI or grammar with those kids. CI will turn them on to Spanish and grammar will turn them off. What is best for them? CI. What is best for you in terms of job safety in this setting? Grammar.
Search “John Bracey” on this site if you want some deep insights into what you could face if you don’t play your cards right in this situation. Those teachers around you seem very entrenched, not open to new things at all.
But if you have ever tried to teach a middle school kid grammar you will end up quitting like the coward across the hall. Don’t be like him. So I say take the chance.
One thing you could do is just confess to the grammar bishops in the high school that you are exploring doing less grammar and more “games” (don’t be specific) in the ten week classes because it’s not enough time to do grammar properly and the kids are too young to really get it anyway. (They are!) And you could beg their indulgence in just playing around with Word Associations and One Word Images – don’t mention TPRS or even comprehensible input – and “little kid” stuff like that because how could you, new to the school and with nowhere near their expertise and experience, even try to prepare them for (drum roll please) HIGH SCHOOL GRAMMAR? Maybe they will say yes and agree that the middle school is no place for the academic classes they teach and leave you alone to play around with your little stories or whatever. That would be so nice of them!
That’s my advice – take the discussion to them before the failed Spanish teacher across the hall does. Ask them if they think it’s ok for you to do kiddie stuff. Maybe they will let you! Because it’s their decision, right?
By the way, when a few kids makes it “even to Spanish 3” in the high school, that is a serious indictment of the program. ALL kids should easily advance to that level, and if the vertical articulation path was in CI mode, they would.
I’ll post this. (I have been doing some deep behind-the-scenes work and I am now certain that the blog is protected from anyone who is not currently a PLC member reading anything here, and I thank Matthew DuBroy and Nathaniel Hardt on that.)
Ben