I just wanted to share that Sean Lawler has joined our group. It’s a big deal and it makes me very happy and I will tell you why:
Sean goes back in this group at least 10 years. In previous iterations of this blog he was a true and constant leader, spurring on conversation after conversation, challenging people in a firm but very kind way to hone their skills in CI and, perhaps most importantly, never claiming that there was only one way to do CI.
Not only has Sean made 1,816 (searchable) comments here, he also has expertise – in my opinion – on the only piece of the CI monster that really counts – the equity piece. This is because he works in (drum roll please) the truly urban Chicago Public Schools (no introduction needed if you’ve been following the national news in recent days). I think of CPS as the model union of all American school systems.
Welcome Sean! I look forward to your comments and appreciate those comments you made today (Yay!) Your sharing is a kind and healing presence as the new group of teachers we have here in this newest Patreon iteration of the blog.
(Sean I did want to mention to you that that workshop we did in Chicago back in 2017 was a mere shadow of what the Invisibles have quietly become over the four years since I was there. I’ve made the Invisibles so much better than what I had in 2017! So drop in on any of the Ultimate CI book trainings if you wish. The Zoom classes on the Ultimate CI Book 1 are scheduled for the next six Saturdays, starting tomorrow from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Mountain Time. We also have the venerable Chicagoan Frank James Johnson in those Book 1 Zoom trainings as well, so Chicago is well-represented here. If you see Alisa over the fence tell her I said hi and that the newest UCI stuff rocks houses….
So glad you are in this group!
12 thoughts on “Sean Lawler”
OK I just wrote for over an hour breaking down Sean’s Refrigerator Story. As happens from time to time, I deleted it before I could publish it. Maybe it’s bc I got my cast off today. Oh well. I’ll get over it. Dang it! It was a most pleasant experience, that is certain, and Sean’s ease of delivery, permission-giving for laughter and lightheartedness, all those things he does so well are on ample display in this excellent example of using a Matava script to bring great CI to his students.
I just wrote the section in the new book on scripts. Maybe we use this video. Sean?
Will you make me famous, Tina? LOL Go ahead.
Hi Tina, I will share the folder with the original video files in them so you can upload to your Youtube channel. My channel is a private channel and it has a copyright strike against it because I uploaded a video there for a movietalk.
What I’m saying is that it is better that you host the video if it will be tied to your book.
Great job Sean! This was really helpful for me to see. I got a lot of good tips from your delivery. Of course, every teacher has a different situation and I would be lucky to get 25 minutes of pure CI storytelling with my large class sizes.
I have been doing non targeted stories with the Invisibles this semester, but I may revert back to scripted stories like this because I see it provides structure and direction for teachers like me who aren´t natural storytellers. Also, I noticed my energy levels decreasing as the semester went on and I just did not have the creative / spiritual energy needed to create quality stories with the kids.
Thankfully, winter break is right around the corner and I expect to recharge.
For me the scripts came to life AFTER I got Ben’s questioning sequence of the invisibles. It is the “universal donor” that can be applied to many activities. I kept flopping with the scripts, pqa, tprs circling. With the invisibles you stick to the sequence and launch into NT wonderland.
Yeah, the 7-Step process is awesome.
Hi Ben,
I forgot to upload Sean’s Spanish directions song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYwC5agowzw
You might want to embed that to this post.
So great Sean! I have not done a Matava Script for a LONG TIME! Thank you for the inspiration. It was so relaxing to watch you. You are completely at ease and having fun. It reminds me of the joy of teaching adults who are there to attend to the input!
Anyway, this is exactly what I need. I think I will do this exact story! It’s one of my faves, along with afraid of the package, and lazy!
Breaking out my script books now!!!
Speaking of teaching adults. Does anyone on this PLC teach adults? I would love to teach adults with the OWI/Invisibles system. It would be so fun to focus on the process and the language and not have to worry at all about classroom management.
I know of some people who teach adults with TPRS but not with the Invisibles. Perhaps this is something that should be explored…..
I am dying to do this! I used to teach adults but had to give it up when I got this job 3 years ago because it’s sucking every ounce of energy out of me. I may try to do a session this spring because I miss it soooooooo much. It is totally magical to teach people who specifically want to be there! And they even pay you!
I’ll definitely do invisibles with adults. Heck yeah! How fun!
AND… He Talks Too Much. What I really like about that video is that Sean gives himself permission to digress from the story – he only got through to where the character enters the house, let alone the kitchen, but it didn’t matter. He went where things took him, which is the essence of NT CI. He played around w a little chanting, a little song, a little “red like…” (from TPRS in a Year!). The subtext was, “I’ll do what I want, won’t stress anything, and see where I go, as long as I stay in the target language. The kids want to see a relaxed teacher and that is what we saw here.