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Use of L1 in the Classroom
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9 thoughts on “Use of L1 in the Classroom”
Ben, I use Bob’ DEA for classroom rules, and the first one is “No English.” Because of my new teaching job online, which I have been quiet about, I felt uncomfortable with that rule for some reason. My first class was 3rd and 4th graders, and getting them to just keep their headset plugged in was enough. So, I changed that first rule to “Limit English to questions that cant be answered with Safety Net phrases.” I don’t think I’ve noticed any more L1 because of that, but it certainly makes me feel more at ease, which means the students probably are, too.
I am going to try this out with my high school students, especially the Latin 2’s, since they aren’t expecting class to be in Latin anyway.
Still, I am surprised that you’re aiming for 10% less French in the classroom. Do you think that with such a mindset you’ll actually get more? Do you think you won’t need as much bonding time once the year begins?
Great questions. I think that the amount of French I get in relative to the time needed – this is a point we make all the time here – is one factor. But a bigger factor, a huge factor, is that I am learning in my old age that this profession, any profession really, should be about balance and appreciation of others. I want a less serious achievement oriented mindset. How many teachers think that their job is like the Kentucky Derby of language instruction? It’s just a job and we don’t have to win. I think that is my real answer. Lots of answers. Mainly, I just want to be happy.
Nobody really cares about how much we accomplish with our kids. Not really. Even the data collectors. We are just the teacher in the classroom. Everybody is running around in the building waiting to be walked in on, afraid to be found deficient. What a sad life. Living in fear of what unqualified people think about us. Getting the best gains. When are we going to let that go and just enjoy our lives as teachers, and laugh at how really funny our kids are, if we would but listen to them and take our intensity down a notch.
Ben-
Your comment really resonated with me. It feels wonderful to read such down-to-earth and honest comments. A breath of fresh air. I am going on year 20 of teaching and am feeling burned out. I am reading your Stepping Stones and thinking of ordering your videos to watch at night after I put my kids to bed. I guess I just wanted to say….thanks for being so real. I do hope that learning more about this will help me have a better year. Oh, I am required to use Discovering French and VHL’s D’accord- do you have any idea where I could find resources that might align with those books? Yes, I have to use them. As you said, you never know when someone will pop-in with their little laptop. Especially for us parents that are the sole income earner with 4 preps, these write ups can really break down your sense of well being. So I thought there might be a TPRS teacher out there who may have created resources aligned especially with Discovering French Bleu?In the meantime, I am going to see about ordering your video series.
Thanks again to you and everyone who comments here, they are so helpful.
Shauna
Shauna, there are also a number of videos linked at: https://benslavic.com/blog/videos/
Including Ben with his classes.
Yeah Shauna just start looking at all those videos on there. Some great teachers. Diane has a number of videos there and there are many of DPS teachers. Just click on the Video hyperlink above.
I will make this important request into an article. The problem is that I don’t think that many answers will come. We just can’t do it. We can’t make books and this work we do mix. I tried it like for a week and it made me crazy.
But we need an answer! Can someone help?
If I tried to spend 98% of the time in TL I would be running around like a chicken with its head cut off. Two things:
1) Unsustainable.
2) Detestable to students.
And I don’t think that the 98% thing in impossible. I think Sabrina can–actually I know she can because I have seen her do it. I would like to aim at 98% feeling natural to me and to my students. But it’s a process, not really a goal I shoot for every day.
Yeah and I found out how true that is after doing it for only one class. I’m back to my normal self now. What a long strange trip that was! But hey that’s how we roll here, right? We’re inventors.
It really is a process. Maybe shooting for 98% but having a bottom limit of 85% allows us to enjoy those moments when L1 happens in the right way (team building, trust building), but keeps us from allowing too much (below 85%) L1 in. I had written in a comment earlier that the percentage thing is getting out of hand, but we kind of need it to keep from doing half the class in English and the other half in the TL. That can happen fast in a story, because the kids start dreaming up all sorts of scenarios and then blurt them out. I’m just trying to take it one day at a time. There are no rules and we get to interpret this work in the way that we feel is best for us as teachers, and not best for anyone else, even the students, because if we are not happy with what we are doing, neither will our students be happy with it.