NatalieBatrack

PhilosophyofEducation
ItookfouryearsofSpanishathighschoolandIamnotabletospeakawordofit.
ThisisthemosttypicallineIhearwhenpeopleaskmeaboutmystudiesincollegeand
myprofession.AsaSpanishteacher,Iwantmystudentstobeabletocommunicateina
foreignlanguageandtocarryonthatskillaftertheygraduate.Sixtytoseventypercentof
peopleintheworldareabletospeaktwoormorelanguages,whileonlyeighteenpercent
ofEnglishspeakersintheUnitedStatesareabletospeakanotherlanguage(Altschuler
andGlenn).InthisglobalworldwhereSpanishisthesecondmostcommonlyspoken
language,Iwantmystudentstobeabletocommunicatewithpeoplefromdifferent
culturesandthriveinthismulticulturalsociety.
The21stcenturyforeignlanguageclassroomhasstudentsacquiringalanguagethrough
totalSpanishimmersionandlanguageacquisitionratherthanthroughtranslationand
manipulativedrills.IfirmlyagreewithKrashensMonitorTheoryofLanguage
Acquisitioninthatstudentscanonlybecomefluentinalanguagebybeingfully
immersedinthetargetlanguage,thesamewaythatbabieslearntheirfirstlanguage.I
observedfourdifferentschooldistrictsduringmypracticumandstudentteaching
experiences.Inmysecondarymethodspracticum,IobservedSpanishteachersfroma
districtthatusedatranslationbasedapproachtoteachingand90%oftheclasseswere
taughtinEnglish,eventheadvancedlevelhonorsclasses.WhatIobservedwasthat
studentsinlevelfourSpanishwereabletoapplythegrammaticalrulestowriting,but
theywerenotabletospeaktooneanotherinSpanishorformsentences.Theydidnot
havepracticewithtechniqueslikecircumlocutionandwerelikelystrugglingbecause
theywerenotexposedtothetargetlanguageenoughtobeabletorecallhowphrases
shouldsound.Inmyfirststudentteachingexperience,theteachertaughtherclasses
entirelyinSpanishandusedmethodslikeTPRS,TeachingProficiencythroughReading
andStorytelling,toimmersethestudentsinthelanguageinanaturalandnotso
overwhelmingway.HerstudentsinSpanish4wereabletocommunicatewithone
anotherinSpanishanddidnotstrugglewithSpanishbecausetheywereimmersedinthe
languagefromtheentrylevels.IhavetaughtusingthestorytellingmethodTPRSand
haveseenthatstudentsperformedbetteronassessmentsthanstudentsfrommypracticum
experiencedidwhoItaughtusingatranslationbasedapproach.
TeachingaclassonlyusingSpanishisessentiallythebestwayforstudentstobecome
fluentandfamiliarwiththelanguage;however,totalimmersionisonlyeffectiveifthe
teachercreatesapositivelearningenvironment.Sittinginaclasswherenooneis
speakingEnglishcanbeoverwhelmingandintimidatingforstudents.Theteachermust
besensitivetothechoiceofwordssheusestocommunicatewithstudentsandshould
alsoprovidepositivefeedbackinordertoinstillmotivationandconfidence.Oneofthe
mostsuccessfulwaysIwasabletoimmersebeginnerlevelSpanishstudentsinthe
SpanishlanguagewasthroughtheTotalPhysicalResponse(TPR)method.Iwouldsaya

wordorphraseanddemonstratethewordbymakingamotionordoinganaction
associatedwithit,andIwouldhavethestudentsperformthemovementwithmeuntilI
felttheywereabletorecallthewordontheirown.Studentsgainedconfidencebecause
theywereabletounderstandthecommandssincetheywereexposedtothesamephrasea
repeatednumberoftimes.
WhenIaskstudentsinclassquestionsandtheyanswercorrectly,Ialwaysgivethem
positivefeedbackbyrespondingwithmuybienorexcellente.Whenstudentsdonot
answercorrectly,Iaskthemotherquestionsthatprobethemtofigureouttheanswerby
themselves.Thishasmadethemfeelmoreconfidentintheirabilitiesandthesestudents
havecontinuedtoparticipateinmyclass.
Correctivefeedback,whichisnecessaryinorderforstudentstolearnhowtoimprove
theirlanguageabilities,makesanimpactontheclassroomenvironmentaswell.Ionly
correctstudentsinspeakingiftheymakeanerrorthatinterfereswiththemessagethey
aretryingtoconvey.Idonotcorrectstudentsiftheymakeminuteerrorssuchas
forgettingtomaketheadjectiveagreewiththenouningenderornotusingapreposition
thatisnecessarybecausethesetypesoferrorsdonotimpedeterriblyonthemeaningof
thesentence.Whenstudentsuseafalsecognateorawordthatentirelychangesthe
meaningofthesentencetheywanttoconvey,Icorrectthestudentsbyrepeatingexactly
whattheysaidbutemphasizinginmyvoicethecorrectword.Tellingstudentsthatthey
arewrongsometimeswillmakethemfeellessconfidentintheirabilitiesandwillcause
themtobemorehesitantorreluctanttowanttoparticipate.Ialsothinkateachershould
neverbesarcasticwithherstudentsbecauseteachersneedtobeapproachableand
studentsshouldfeelcomfortablewhentheyhavequestions.
Themostimportantwaytocreateandmaintainapositiveenvironmentintheclassroom
istotreatallstudentsequallyandwithrespect.Someofthebestwaystoavoidgroup
managementproblemsistokeepstudentsbusyfortheentireclassperiod,havesmooth
transitionsbetweenactivities,usevarietyinthewaylessonsaretaught,andalwaysplan
extraactivitiesincasethelessonendsearlierthananticipated.Ihavefoundthatstudent
boredomorfrustrationistherootcauseofmanyclassroommanagementproblems.When
Ihadareadingactivitydaywherestudentswererequiredtoreadachapterfroma
Spanishnovel,Inoticedthattherewerealwaysafewstudentswhodidnotwantto
completetheassignmentandwouldnotcompletetheirwork.Theywoulddisruptthe
classandstarttalkinganddistractingotherstudents.Theyweremisbehavingbecausethe
taskwastoodifficultforthem;itwasabovetheirthresholdoflearningandcurrent
capabilitylevel.Idecidedtochangethewaytheweeklyreadingassignmentworkedby
chorallyreadingthebookasaclassandgoingoverwordstheydidnotunderstandtohelp
themobtainskillsthatwouldhelpwithreadingfluency.Thesestudentsthatoriginally
causedproblemsstoppedmisbehavingbecausetheywereabletocompletethe
assignmentandfeltcompetent.Oneotherclassroommanagementmethodthatworked
phenomenallywithmeduringmystudentteachingexperiencewasatokeneconomy
systemwhereIwouldrewardstudentswithpesos(Mexicancurrency)forparticipatingin

class.Studentshadtoearnacertainnumberofpesoseachweektoreceiveagradefor
participation,andleftoverpesoscouldbeusedtobuyrewardslikeafreepointonatest
orhomeworkpass.Ineverhadaproblemwithstudentsvolunteeringandwhenthere
werestudentswhowerenotontaskorcompletingthework,Iwouldtakepesosfrom
themandtheirbehaviorchanged.Ateacherneedstofollowthroughwiththerulesthat
sheimplementsandtreatallsituationsthesame,otherwisestudentswillnotrespectthe
teacher.
Finally,inorderhaveatotalimmersionclassroomwork,studentsneedtobemotivated
andwanttolearn.Teachersneedtomakelessonsinteresting,relevanttothestudents
lives,andcreatevarietyinthewaylessonsarepresented.Itisimportanttoincorporate
technologyintothecurriculumwheneverpossiblebecausetechnologyissuchanintegral
componentofstudentseverydaylives.Technologycanhelpenhancestudentlearning
phenomenally;theonlyproblemisthatmanystudentsdonotrealizehowtechnologycan
beusedtohelpthemlearn.Manyuseitonlyfordistractivepurposeslikesocial
networkingwithfriendsorgames.Asateacher,Iwouldusesocialnetworkingasatool
tohelpstudentsbecomeinterestedinSpanish.Studentscouldwritejournalsoressayson
ablogandreplytootherstudentsentriesinSpanish.Othertoolsthatcanaidinlanguage
acquisitionincludeStorybird,VoicethreadandEdmodo.Irealizethoughthatthereare
districtsthatdonothavetoolslikecomputersandtherearestudentswhodonothave
accesstotechnologyathome,soIwouldonlyusecomputerprogramsiftheywere
availableattheschoolandifallstudentscouldaccessthem.
Outsideoftechnology,IamalwaysabletogainmorestudentinterestwhenI
personalizethelessonsandincludetheminwhattheyarelearning.Therearedayswhen
theclasscreatesstoriesusingtheTPRSmethodandIwillhavestudentsbeapartofthe
story.Iincludedetailsfromtheirlivesinthestoriesandstudentsareentertainedwhen
theylearnnewthingsabouttheirpeers,andtheyreallyfeelliketheteachercaresabout
them.Thekeytosuccessfulteachingistherelationshipstheteacherbuildswithstudents.
Icouldhavethemostingeniouscurriculumorthemostcuttingedgetechnology,butall
ofthatwouldmeannothingandbeutterlyineffectivewithouttheabilityanddesireto
buildrelationships.Teacherscanhelpstudentsbecomeinterestediftheyaresensitiveto
thestudentsneedsandthewaytheylearn.Allstudentscomefromdifferent
backgrounds.Somestudentsexperienceproblemsathomeandtheseproblemsinterfere
withhowtheylearnwhentheyareinclass.Iamalwaysextraconscientiousabout
studentsbodylanguageandaskthemifeverythingisgoingokaywhentheylookmore
tiredthanusualorupset.IalsoaskifthereisanywayIamabletoaccommodatestudents
tomakelearningeasierforthem.Itisimportanttoalwaysbeavailabletoprovide
studentswithextrahelpafterschoolorbeforeschoolforthestudentswhostruggleor
wantmorepractice,anditisalsoimportanttobewelcomingandletstudentsknowthat
theycanalwaystalkaboutquestionsordoubtstheyhaveaboutthematerialoutsideof
class.Duringmystudentteachingexperience,IrequiredstudentswhohadaDinthe
classtomeetwithmeonceaweekafterschooltohelpthemwithconceptstheywere
strugglingwithandhelpthemdevelopbetterstudyingmethods.Ialsohelpedother

studentsafterschoolreviewfortestsandremindedstudentsthatIwasalwaysavailableif
theyneededtoseeme.
Itisimportanttoknowhowstudentslearnbestindividuallyandcreatemanydifferent
typesofassessmentstoensurethatalllearnersarebeinggradedaccuratelyontheir
abilities.EverystudentlearnsdifferentlyaccordingtoGardner;thereforeinmyclass,I
provideavarietyofassessmentslikeperformanceskits,writingstories,cooking
opportunities,andsongclozeactivities.Nostudentshouldbeforcedtoconformtoone
setofstandardswhentheyareevaluated.Inmyfutureclass,Iwillgiveallstudentsa
surveytotakeatthebeginningoftheyearthatinformsmeonhowtheylearnbestand
theirinterestssoIamabletoincorporatetheminmylessonsandmakesureIammeeting
everysinglestudentsindividualneedsinsomeway.Anotherwaytoreallylearnmore
aboutstudentsisbyinteractingwiththeirparentsandguardians.Teachersareableto
learnmoreabouttheirstudentsbytalkingwiththeirparents.Inmyfutureclass,Iwill
communicatewithparentstodiscusstheirchildsprogressandstrengthsintheclassroom
andhearinputfromthemonhowtheirchildlearnsbestandhisorherspecificneeds.I
wouldalsohaveeventsonceeverysemester,likeaculturalfoodnight,whereparents
couldmeetafterschoolwiththeirchildrenandmefordinnerandpeoplebringina
culturaldish.Withthesetypesofevents,parentsmightfeelmoreopenandcomfortable
talkingtomeabouttheirchildrenandbecomingmoreinvolvedintheclassandtheir
childrenseducation.
InmySpanishclassroom,studentswillbeabletospeakSpanishbecausetheywillbe
exposedtothelanguagethroughtotalimmersionapproaches.Theywillfeelcomfortable
toparticipatebecauseIwillcreateapositivelearningenvironmentwhereallstudentsare
treatedequallyandrespectfully.Mystudentswillnotbescaredtomakemistakesbecause
Iwillnotbeovercriticalwiththemechanicalerrorsthattheymakethatdonotimpedeon
themessagetheyaretryingtocommunicate,andIwillgivepositivefeedback.My
classroommanagementproblemswillbeminimalbecauseIwillshowmyinterestand
passioninstudentlearningbycreatingavarietyofdifferentactivitiesthataccommodate
alllearners,IwilladjustthecurriculumwhenIrealizestudentsarestruggling,Iwillusea
tokeneconomysystemthathassuccessfullyworkedinsixclassesIhavetaughtinthe
past,andmostimportantly,Iwillincorporaterealworldculturalissuesandregional
phrasesinmyclasstogainstudentinterest,becausestudentswhoareinterestedinand
careaboutwhattheyarelearningwillbemoreinclinedtoparticipateintheclassandless
likelytocausedisruption.IwillpersonalizethelessonssostudentsknowthatIcareabout
them.IwillincorporatetechnologyintothecurriculumwitheveryopportunitythatI
have.Iwillencourageparentstobecomeinvolvedintheschoolandtheirchildrens
educationbykeepingtheminformedabouttheirchildren'sprogressandinvitingthemto
eventsoutsideofschool,sothatIwillknowthestudentsonabetterlevelthanwhatIam
abletoobservesimplyfromseeingthemintheclassroom,andIwillbeabletoadaptmy
curriculumandteachtomeettheirbasicneedsmoreeffectively.Finally,mystudentswill
beabletoleavetheclassroombeingabletocommunicateandtalkinSpanish.Ihopethat

allofmystudentswillbeabletoleavemySpanishroomtellingpeople,"Istudied
Spanishinhighschool,yahorasoybilinge.(andnowIambilingual).

WorksCited

Altschuler,DavidSkortonandGlenn."America'sForeignLanguageDeficit."Forbes.
ForbesMagazine,27Aug.2012.Web.10Mar.2014.