Not so long ago, Miriam and I were given the chance to attend a workshop over Where Are Your Keys and, even more exciting, the chance to pick the brain of WAYK creator, Evan Gardner. Miriam has already posted her thoughts and experiences concerning both the workshop and using the method in her own classroom.
I have held out posting over Where Are Your Keys, partially because Miriam has already posted about it and partially because I had not had the chance to really apply what I've learned. I would have only been able to reflect Miriam's experience and Evan's advice, and had nothing of my own to add.
However, I got the chance to start a class fresh only a few weeks ago.
In addition to teaching Latin I and II, I get to teach a rotational 7th grade class that changes out every nine weeks. It's bittersweet--I am always sorry to lose my current class, but always excited to start anew and usually take the chance to experiment on the new class. Since I was dying to see WAYK in action, I took the opportunity that this newest class change offered me.
I have been honored by Aaron Myers, author of "The Everyday Language Learner," with a guest post on his blog. It begins my WAYK journey and gives an overview of the method. I recommend reading it first, then returning here to see how I take a method based in small group instruction and apply it to my 25-30 student classes.
Because that was my only hesitation, once I had the chance to experience WAYK at Evan's hands. The method is intended to create layers of students and teachers, at varying levels of linguistic skill, and really is not meant for classroom use.
Luckily, I've had Miriam's example to help me, as well as her encouragement. As I've gotten more experience teaching, it can be surprisingly frightening to try a new method, and I'd be a liar if I didn't admit that the first day with my new 7th grade class I stalled as long as I could (introducing myself, my family, my teaching, Rome, Latin, mythology, and anything else I could grasp at) before finally diving into the language. The thing about that fear, though, is that it only leads to one thing: stultification. Teaching is not just about imparting information and skills to students; it's about self-growth, personal discovery, and modeling learning for your students. I refuse to languish in the safety of my known methods--so I continue to learn, experiment, and take chances. Even when I surprise myself with previously unknown weakness.
This method does require preparation. At least at first, at least if you don't already know American Sign Language (as I don't), at least if you want to set yourself up for success. Once you get moving, though, there is also a level of freedom that I haven't known before with any other system of language learning.
First Steps
To prepare for my first few days of Where Are Your Keys instruction, I found an iconic image of a family (the Simpsons in this case) and of a cat, dog, and mouse (Tom, Jerry, and Spike--and the kids knew them!). I also learned the signs for "What is (that)?", "mother", "father", "son", "daughter", "baby", "cat", "dog", and "mouse". Miriam had told me that her students ran through eight words in one day, so I wanted to make sure I had enough to teach.
After stalling, on the first day I began by teaching students "slower" and "full". It was important to me that my students have the chance to tell me if things are moving too quickly for them and they can't learn any more. I then taught them "copycat" and "three times", all of which are WAYK techniques that help to organize the learning process.
Finally, we got to the words. I showed the picture of the family and had them "copycat" me by repeating everything I said, both questions and answers. They also repeated all of the hand signs I used when I spoke. We did each family member three times and then began to cycle through a set of questions and answers--here I fell more into my TPRS training than Where Are Your Keys, but I still modeled answering each question in complete sentences.
The question and answer pattern is as follows:
What is this? (Quid est?)
This is a mother. (Mater est)
Is this a mother? (Estne mater?)
Yes, this is a mother. (Ita vero, mater est.)
Is this a baby? (Estne infans?)
No, this is not a baby. (Minime. Non est infans.)
Is this a mother? (Estne mater?)
Yes, this is a mother. (Ita vero, mater est.)
What is this? (Quid est?)
This is a mother. (Mater est)
The point of course is repetition. Using full sentences and speaking with the movements help students produce the language more quickly than any other method I've used.
After students had a comfort level with each of the family members, I ended "copycat" and started questioning them so they could answer me themselves. Since we had practiced answering in complete sentences, they naturally fell into that pattern, and even though I was asking them questions over different pictures and requiring different answers, we had spoken every possible answer at one time or another, so there was little stress over answering my questions, even though I wanted complete sentences. Any pauses resulted in moving the hand first--then lips would follow.
My 7th grade students get "full" (get to the point they don't feel like they can take in any more information) after about 4-5 new items. Also, when you're just starting the method, students can get full pretty quickly because they are learning more than just the new words--they are learning a new system of thought and new expectations.
We actually spent the second day just reinforcing the family words. Then we moved into "dog", "cat", and "mouse". At this point, the basic format of class was fine, but a little tedious. My students needed a change of format.
Where Do I Go From Here?
This is where Miriam has already been paving a road for me to follow. She decided to create small groups, and, inspired by the fact WAYK also seeks to create students who can teach, chose student leaders to help their groups acquire new vocabulary.
I asked students to let me know if any of them would like to lead a group themselves, and had five volunteers--exactly the number I wanted--come to me after class to give me their names. The next day I brought in a print-out of the family and animal images we'd been using in class and handed a copy to each group leader. I also reserved a copy of two new images--images of the actions "punch" and "eat". The class received instructions along these lines:
In a couple of minutes, I'm going to ask you guys to get into groups. Each group has a leader, and the leader is going to take you through the exercises we've been doing in class. When you guys really have this down, your leader is going to come to me and learn new words. Then your leader is going to return to you and teach you those words the same way we've been learning words in class. As long as you guys show me you can do well in your groups, I'm going to let you choose your own, because I want you to choose people you can learn with.
Then I directed each group leader to a section of the room and told students they could group up. If you have taught 7th grade, you will know how magical it seemed: all 25 students were quietly sitting in small groups, speaking only Latin, responding to their leaders. And enjoying themselves. I would see a sign from the leader, and corresponding signs from the rest of the group. And smiles. When energy began to wane, I moved everyone out of their groups and we went back to whole-class format as a means of making sure everyone learned the words and signs correctly and as a simple way to bring closure to the activity.
This made me wonder, where else could I take this?
Moving the Classroom Outside
I'll admit, after spending a winter cloistered up in my classrooms and wilting, I really didn't need much of an excuse to take my students outside. But I was also inspired by the freedom I saw when I moved learning into independent groups. Plus, because of the need for Where Are Your Keys to employ "obvious" objects for discussion (the idea is expressed more thoroughly in my blog post on ELL), I can't imagine anything that could provide me with more obvious objects than the outdoors, with plants, cars, roads, sun, and sky, to start.
Of course, like other activities, this required preparation. When I fully decided I wanted to take students outside, I had to figure out how many signs I wanted to learn and how best to impart them. To stall while I figured this out, I did a lesson over emotions (which resulted in some fun ASL--my favorites are "sad" and "scared", but my students prefer "angry"). To keep the concept "obvious" I chose to use the same character in each emotional state so students would be able to distinguish between the emotions instead of focusing on the characters.
By the day of, I had practiced four outdoor signs for our class, found pictures for those words, and of course had them ready to present in Latin as well. We went outside, we were all excited to be out-of-doors, and we proceeded to work on the words "sky", "school", "street", and "grass". It was really fun for them--us--to get to really experience the things we were talking about. From there I gave out the pictures to group leaders (my students have formed pretty regular groups by now) and let them practice the words in small gatherings around the school lawn. Once they felt they knew the words well, I went to each group and let them "prove" what they know--the leader ran them through question and answers over the new information. I then handed them a Latin-English dictionary and let them travel around the area and choose words they wanted to know. Each group had to turn in a list of ten words. They really enjoyed it, from the freedom to walk around to the freedom to choose Latin they are interested in.
What I've Seen
Since I've started using WAYK in the last few weeks with my 7th grade, I've seen my students greet myself and each other in the halls in Latin. I've heard small discussion in Latin and students mixing and matching the words we've been using to make their own sentences. This is all, well, normal in a communicative approach. However, it's accelerated. I've only taught these kids for three weeks and they already feel secure enough in Latin to speak to each other in the language even when I don't require it. One of the girls who was the first to give me the "full" sign is also one who volunteers to lead as well as one who speaks to me in full Latin sentences in the hall. She is a joy in my class, and much of that is due to an approach that helps her internalize the language and output it as well.
Yes, of course there are those students who are reluctant to sign. And there are those students who try to get by with just signing and not speaking Latin along with the motions. There are always students who are very aware of their images and don't want to look silly, or students who really just wish I would hand them a list to memorize and leave them alone. Those students are few, and I talk to each one-on-one, let them know I require them to try, but don't ask them to be perfect. Generally they come around, and I don't let them slip by because that kind of reluctance can infect the entire class.
Mostly, I've seen joy. We laugh together and try together. I make mistakes sometimes, just like my students, and so it makes it easier for them to join in with me as we celebrate our mistakes while we learn together. They know I am learning ASL as we go (what a great side-effect!) and that this is a completely new method for me. I haven't had this much fun teaching in a while, and that's saying something, because I often have fun in my classes. But the freedom and shared experience I've been able to create with Where Are Your Keys is something different, and worth continued exploration.
Okay, So Now What?
I have a couple of ideas to explore the freedom given to me by a method that teaches students to teach, teaches them to seek language for themselves.
First I want to use the lists of Latin words that students made outside last week. This will be a great chance to review what we've learned (we're currently on spring break) and for them to explore words that they have chosen and mean something to them.
In their groups, students will choose two words from their lists (more, perhaps, if this seems to be moving too fast or too easily) that they would like to teach to the rest of the class. I will take them to the computer lab, where they will find out the ASL signs for their words, and then they will work in their groups to learn the words well. Of course, I will be travelling around between the groups to help them and advise them. Then student groups will take turns teaching the signs to the rest of the class in a whole-class setting before breaking into new groups that include at least one student from each group to teach the words to each other. If I'm lucky, I'll learn new words too in this setting. Lastly, I want another foray into the outdoors for us to enjoy our new vocabulary.
Another thought I've had over the last few weeks is to give students simple Latin books, and after building their vocabulary for the books myself first, let the groups look at the books, choose vocabulary to teach the class to make the books clear, and interpret them visually in some way to help them tell the stories to the rest of the class. This concept is less formed. But it's a seed of an idea, and something I would not consider doing before I had used WAYK.
And that's what is exciting to me. There is so much freedom. I am not the only person in the room that can offer knowledge. That changes everything and lets me structure the student-centered classroom I have always wanted to create.
Showing posts with label WAYK. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WAYK. Show all posts
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Sunday, March 11, 2012
WAYK - branching out and reaching out Part 3
First things first, a quick recap:
In my first post I talked about training with Evan and some of the basics of Where Are Your Keys.
In my second post I talked about how my students reacted and what Evan's visit did to the physical aspect of my classroom
In my third (this one!) post I plan to talk about things I've noticed in using Where Are Your Keys that work in the classroom setting and things that might need to be altered.
My + Δ of WAYK
A caveat here: You will find that many things that appear on the plus side also appear on the delta side. They are two sides of one coin. They are things to notice and watch for. Also, remember that Deltas are not things that simply don't work, they are things to notice and consider how you might change them to work in your classroom.
I have listed all the technique in italics. At the bottom of the post I have listed each one alphabetically with a brief definition.
+ - Pluses -- That is: things that work
1. Constant Comprehensible Input - This is a great method for keeping things in the target language. Students are given easy ways to ask questions to pull information from you and each other. If they are unsure of something, they can go back to the most basic question, pull some information, and apply it to the situation.
2. Repetition - This method is an easy way to get repetition in. With technique 3 times, all new input is repeated three times. When you combine techniques like make me say yes, make me say no, and mine and yours, kids get even more repetition. By keeping the order the same, there is more repetition. The flow is natural, simple, and not high pressure.
3. It is not high pressure - With the addition of the meadow, the amount of repetition, and techniques like 3 times, pull me through, change it up, and slower, kids have many options of showing that they are ready to move on or need to have something done again.
4. It is great for a variety of things: Right now I use WAYK to introduce, practice, and review. I introduce vocabulary, then grammar. We practice in groups and use that as an opportunity to review vocabulary and then we review grammar again. Finally, I finish with technique: prove it and have the kids write their own scripts to show understanding. WAYK provides an easy format within which you can do a variety of things. By test time, the kids don't feel bombarded with material that they barely know and, if they do, it is easy to provide more practice without spending hours creating activities.
Δ -- That is: things that I could change for next time
1. It can get monotonous - I have found that in a classroom with students the repetition can get monotonous. They are learning the material, but unless you teach it, move on, and then return for a no pressure refresher, students get bored easily. I try to change it up by adding a new technique (like mine and yours) or using technique Change it up to get more quiet kids involved. Recently I did a mini project to do the chapter's vocabulary with WAYK where the students researched the word, sign, and visual and taught it to students. It really spiced things up!
2. Students can impede their own learning - Especially when doing small groups, kids will stick to their packs and stop focusing. This is where technique: ten feet comes in really handy. This technique keeps students focused and not concerned with how fast their neighbor is going. Change the groups as many times as necessary, change leaders, and keep groups at least 10 feet apart. I would change this slightly next time and change up groups to keep a flow going and allow mini breaks.
3. You have got to get creative -- This could kind of go into the monotony category, but I wanted to address it separately. I hate to hear groans in my class and so when I heard the first groan for class-wide WAYK review, I knew this was a delta. Inspired by Rachel Ash's post on learning centers, I assigned the previously mentioned vocabulary assignment. When presenting, the kids were put into "WAYK learning stations". Throughout the period kids rotated through, learning new materials, and reviewing material they didn't quite get yet. It was eye opening for me. I could clearly see which students mastered which skills. The fix for this delta is quite simple: keep it moving, flowing, and creative.
4. A clear visual is not always so clear -- Technique set up is so important, and then some. As I've played with this and worked with it I've discovered that finding the right visual is not always so easy, especially when playing with 30 other people. What signals "silentium" to me, does not signal it to student A and while most of us are pretty clear about the "curat" visual, there are a few students who cannot relate to the image being used. This can be good and bad. You can use it as an opportunity to check for understanding by providing a quick definition in the target language, by drawing another picture, or by acting it out. Sometimes, however, students will just shut down if others insist that the visual is clear. Be prepared to justify your visuals without impeding someone's learning process. Take into account that what might be one thing to you, might not to another. Adapt. Adjust.
Conclusion
I will continue to use WAYK. I will work towards a balance of this along with TPRS (teaching proficiency through reading and storytelling), TPR (total physical response), and others. I plan on more posts about specific ways I am implementing WAYK so that you can see how I am adapting and adjusting. I continue to look for feedback, suggestions, and criticisms so that I can improve and help my students achieve fluency faster. Keep your eyes open for the next post!
Techniques
3 times -- repeat all new information three times. If students signal, do it again.
Change it up -- This is one Evan shared with my in my classroom. When things get easy with myself or a student leading, change leaders. See how well another student does. Give him/her the opportunity to shine!
make me say no -- using the previous picture/object ask "is this a _________". It will elicit the response "No. This isn't a ___________ it is a ___________."
make me say yes -- using the same picture/object ask "is this a ____________." it will elicit the response "Yes, this is a _____________."
mine and yours -- Use this technique to ask "Is this __________ mine/yours?" You can pair this with make me say yes/no -- "Is this my _____________?" it will elecit (depending on the technique) "Yes, this is your ___________" OR "No. This isn't your _____________ this is my ______________."
No Pressure Refresher -- A great way to start a class or bring a class back from a break. It rarely increases the full level and reminds kids of just how much they remember and know.
Prove it -- A technique to let learners show they understand something. Allow them to create their own set-up and script.
Pull me through -- When a student uses this technique they are saying that they don't remember the next sign/word and are asking for help.
Set up -- this technique requires that you set up a simple and clear game space. Avoid distractions. If your word is "cup", get a cup... not a cup next to a coffee maker... not a cup with milk in it... just a cup. Simplify!
slower -- A student is asking the leader to slow down
ten feet -- To keep students focused on their own progress and less concerned with others' progress, keep groups at least ten feet apart.
For more information please visit www.whereareyourkeys.org
In my first post I talked about training with Evan and some of the basics of Where Are Your Keys.
In my second post I talked about how my students reacted and what Evan's visit did to the physical aspect of my classroom
In my third (this one!) post I plan to talk about things I've noticed in using Where Are Your Keys that work in the classroom setting and things that might need to be altered.
My + Δ of WAYK
A caveat here: You will find that many things that appear on the plus side also appear on the delta side. They are two sides of one coin. They are things to notice and watch for. Also, remember that Deltas are not things that simply don't work, they are things to notice and consider how you might change them to work in your classroom.
I have listed all the technique in italics. At the bottom of the post I have listed each one alphabetically with a brief definition.
+ - Pluses -- That is: things that work
1. Constant Comprehensible Input - This is a great method for keeping things in the target language. Students are given easy ways to ask questions to pull information from you and each other. If they are unsure of something, they can go back to the most basic question, pull some information, and apply it to the situation.
2. Repetition - This method is an easy way to get repetition in. With technique 3 times, all new input is repeated three times. When you combine techniques like make me say yes, make me say no, and mine and yours, kids get even more repetition. By keeping the order the same, there is more repetition. The flow is natural, simple, and not high pressure.
3. It is not high pressure - With the addition of the meadow, the amount of repetition, and techniques like 3 times, pull me through, change it up, and slower, kids have many options of showing that they are ready to move on or need to have something done again.
4. It is great for a variety of things: Right now I use WAYK to introduce, practice, and review. I introduce vocabulary, then grammar. We practice in groups and use that as an opportunity to review vocabulary and then we review grammar again. Finally, I finish with technique: prove it and have the kids write their own scripts to show understanding. WAYK provides an easy format within which you can do a variety of things. By test time, the kids don't feel bombarded with material that they barely know and, if they do, it is easy to provide more practice without spending hours creating activities.
Δ -- That is: things that I could change for next time
1. It can get monotonous - I have found that in a classroom with students the repetition can get monotonous. They are learning the material, but unless you teach it, move on, and then return for a no pressure refresher, students get bored easily. I try to change it up by adding a new technique (like mine and yours) or using technique Change it up to get more quiet kids involved. Recently I did a mini project to do the chapter's vocabulary with WAYK where the students researched the word, sign, and visual and taught it to students. It really spiced things up!
2. Students can impede their own learning - Especially when doing small groups, kids will stick to their packs and stop focusing. This is where technique: ten feet comes in really handy. This technique keeps students focused and not concerned with how fast their neighbor is going. Change the groups as many times as necessary, change leaders, and keep groups at least 10 feet apart. I would change this slightly next time and change up groups to keep a flow going and allow mini breaks.
3. You have got to get creative -- This could kind of go into the monotony category, but I wanted to address it separately. I hate to hear groans in my class and so when I heard the first groan for class-wide WAYK review, I knew this was a delta. Inspired by Rachel Ash's post on learning centers, I assigned the previously mentioned vocabulary assignment. When presenting, the kids were put into "WAYK learning stations". Throughout the period kids rotated through, learning new materials, and reviewing material they didn't quite get yet. It was eye opening for me. I could clearly see which students mastered which skills. The fix for this delta is quite simple: keep it moving, flowing, and creative.
4. A clear visual is not always so clear -- Technique set up is so important, and then some. As I've played with this and worked with it I've discovered that finding the right visual is not always so easy, especially when playing with 30 other people. What signals "silentium" to me, does not signal it to student A and while most of us are pretty clear about the "curat" visual, there are a few students who cannot relate to the image being used. This can be good and bad. You can use it as an opportunity to check for understanding by providing a quick definition in the target language, by drawing another picture, or by acting it out. Sometimes, however, students will just shut down if others insist that the visual is clear. Be prepared to justify your visuals without impeding someone's learning process. Take into account that what might be one thing to you, might not to another. Adapt. Adjust.
Conclusion
I will continue to use WAYK. I will work towards a balance of this along with TPRS (teaching proficiency through reading and storytelling), TPR (total physical response), and others. I plan on more posts about specific ways I am implementing WAYK so that you can see how I am adapting and adjusting. I continue to look for feedback, suggestions, and criticisms so that I can improve and help my students achieve fluency faster. Keep your eyes open for the next post!
Techniques
3 times -- repeat all new information three times. If students signal, do it again.
Change it up -- This is one Evan shared with my in my classroom. When things get easy with myself or a student leading, change leaders. See how well another student does. Give him/her the opportunity to shine!
make me say no -- using the previous picture/object ask "is this a _________". It will elicit the response "No. This isn't a ___________ it is a ___________."
make me say yes -- using the same picture/object ask "is this a ____________." it will elicit the response "Yes, this is a _____________."
mine and yours -- Use this technique to ask "Is this __________ mine/yours?" You can pair this with make me say yes/no -- "Is this my _____________?" it will elecit (depending on the technique) "Yes, this is your ___________" OR "No. This isn't your _____________ this is my ______________."
No Pressure Refresher -- A great way to start a class or bring a class back from a break. It rarely increases the full level and reminds kids of just how much they remember and know.
Prove it -- A technique to let learners show they understand something. Allow them to create their own set-up and script.
Pull me through -- When a student uses this technique they are saying that they don't remember the next sign/word and are asking for help.
Set up -- this technique requires that you set up a simple and clear game space. Avoid distractions. If your word is "cup", get a cup... not a cup next to a coffee maker... not a cup with milk in it... just a cup. Simplify!
slower -- A student is asking the leader to slow down
ten feet -- To keep students focused on their own progress and less concerned with others' progress, keep groups at least ten feet apart.
For more information please visit www.whereareyourkeys.org
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
WAYK - branching out and reaching out Part 2
After he left, I sat down with my students and we had a discussion. It was an expanded plus delta session where everything and anything was game, down to the shoes I wear (interestingly, it was noted that when I am barefoot or wear my clogs/sandals, I am much more comfortable and it shows in my teaching than when I wear heels). We talked about our textbook, the requirements of our course, and the techniques I was using. I shared with them things I'd learned from Evan and the suggestions he'd had and they responded. In this post, I hope to share those suggestions with you and how I have adapted them for classroom work. I hope to share with you my students' thoughts and reactions to these changes and what's it has meant for us as a class.
One of the issues Rachel and I had asked Evan about was how to work within the confines of a textbook and curriculum while making use of Where Are Your Keys. One of the great things about the game is that you can go where it takes you. Go as fast or as slow as you need to go. Unfortunately this is not always an option in the classroom. Evan suggested that we work within these confines by freeing ourselves a little. His suggestion was to make a large wall posting of all the vocab and grammar topics needed to pass a particular chapter. Mark the date when classes get to those things and keep track for next time. By doing this, you will find a natural progression within the confines which will make learning the language easier and put less pressure on students and teachers. My students thought this idea was great, and I promptly made mini posters that read "Primus Annus", "Secundus Annus", and so on. I also wrote which colour books were used for each class. Then I took two colours of butcher paper. One large one, with all the vocab for two chapters written down, and one with examples of the grammar. As we hit each one, I tick it off with a check mark. We are still working through our first two chapters using this, but students enjoy seeing the ticks appear every few days and it gives them a real sense of their progress. It is a bit time consuming creating the posters, but it is worth it.
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| My version of Rachel's Discussion Board with student drawn characters |
One of the other suggestions Evan had for me was to switch it up: leaders that is. Allow students to take over their own learning and lead sessions. I must admit that, much like a mother elephant, I was nervous about letting the kids go. What if they got confused? What if they gave up? Evan was quick to show me that it works. I was sick last week and left instructions for students to lead the class and then for them to take volunteers who wanted to lead. I got great feedback from the sub and the students who said it went smoothly. I heard about students, who I was not expecting to take the giant lead, go up and lead the entire class of 30 students. I was, and am thrilled. It is extremely pleasing and I am so proud of my students for taking control of their own language learning. As a foreign language teacher, that is my goal: to teach students to take ownership of their own learning and use it to find what they want to know. Where Are Your Keys is a great way to do that, which leads me into my next post... oh goodness, I'm getting ahead of myself here.
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| The vocabulary Wall! |
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| Questions words: Quis? Quid? etc. |
Evan had many great suggestions for my classroom and teaching. Ultimately he helped me find the tools that I already had to help my students go where they want and need to go. I've reorganised my room, and it took some time, but I included the students and we took a moment each day to appreciate the changes as that were made. Each wall has a name, of sorts, and its made for easier learning. I think one of the most important things that Evan's visit and the change to WAYK has done is it has opened the door for even more dialogue between me and my students. It helped me remember some things I'd wished my foreign language teachers did in high school and college. I revisited those ideas and updated them. Here are some other changes we've made: a wall of vocabulary, both visual and otherwise, a wall of visual derivatives, a wall of grammar hints and reminders, question words always visible to students (not a change, but something I'd had since day 1 based on my father's *Bob Patrick* work), and visual vocabulary lists (one column has the word, the second has a visual, the third uses it in sentence and lists previous vocabulary related to the word). I hope to address each of these in separate posts, but some pictures are posted throughout. I do promise, though, to come back and link to the posts as I write them! Keep an eye out for part III -- My plus deltas of WAYK! Be Sure to check out Part I: My Weekend with Evan Gardner.
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| The Derivatives wall: Students create pictures of vocabulary words using derivatives as the outline. |
Thursday, February 9, 2012
WAYK - branching out and reaching out
Oh my goodness what a week! My original plan was to write this post Monday, but things have been off the wall! I went to an awesome workshop with Evan Gardner (creator of Where Are Your Keys) on Saturday and got to pick his brain Saturday evening. Monday, he observed one of my classes and I've considered (update: decided on) making some changes to my classroom. Needless to say, it has been an exciting week! To make it easier, I'm going to break it down into 3 posts:
1. My weekend with Evan Gardner (This one! yay!)
2. My students' Monday with Evan Gardner
3. My + Δ of Where Are Your Keys
1. My Weekend with Evan Gardner
I had the wonderful privilege of attending a conference Saturday with Mr. Gardner and sat down with him and some teacher friends Saturday evening. We got an opportunity to pick his brain about the beginnings of Where Are Your Keys, its uses, and where he wants to see it go. About halfway through our "jam session" (if you will) my 5 year old daughter joined the party and we got to see some of Evan's techniques in action. What an experience! Granted, she's heard me speak Latin in my classroom, to other teachers, and to the family dog, but she's never been fully immersed in a conversation. She blew me away!
What was incredibly inspiring was the way Evan Gardner jumped into a language. Having had roughly 10 days or so of Latin instruction, he dove right into speaking with us (often half in Latin, half in English). It was amazing to see him in action and shamelessly pick his brain. One of the things that has led me to this point, and gotten my excitement up about WAYK, is watching my daughter learn her first language. In a natural setting, things flow easily from one point to another with questions and corrections built in. In a classroom, often, teachers are forced to teach topics, vocabulary, and constructions based upon a curriculum, not based upon when the students are ready. Where Are Your Keys provides a more natural alternative for foreign language learning.
We discussed many topics Saturday afternoon and evening, often starting with techniques - ways to do things, ways to progress:
Technique -- Long cut, short cut: "If you know the long way of saying it, say it the long way first because you can't create a shortcut without the long way first."
It's all about connections. Make as many connections as you can with as many repetitions as possible. This builds a sense of confidence in students knowing that, as they go, listeners can pick up on what they are saying and fill in the blanks, if necessary. The sooner you can get to back and forth discussions, the sooner you can start modelling shorter ways of accomplishing things. But these things take time. Introduce as much vocabulary into the "long cut" structures as possible. Do it again. Keep going and, naturally, you will come to a place where a shortcut can be introduced and be well received.
Technique -- shut off your English mind:"That's what sign language does... it shuts off your English mind."
Okay, not technically a technique, but it so should be. Focusing on signs allows your mind to reorganise itself without immense amounts of resistance from itself. Students forget that they want to connect the new language to English and instead focus on what is in front of them: an object or picture, a complete sentence, and a sign. The technique also reaches a wider range of students. By combining a visual, audial, and kinesthetic technique, more and more kids get the thing they need to make the connection and learn in the target language, without relying on English.
Technique -- Prove it: "Okay, I've set you up with a scenario... this is what you need to do in order for this situation to work out. Okay do you get this?... Prove it
Often times, especially for Latin teachers (where word order doesn't matter), we think that students understand a point, when, in reality, they have simply applied something from English and not learned the new topic. With this technique, teachers can test the boundaries of what has been taught by having students set up their own scenario and try to apply what they know. This "teachable moment" can be reworked when necessary by the teacher and then turned into another teachable moment. I will expand on this in part III.
Technique -- Anyone can do it: "There are tricks to teaching, why don't we pass them down?"
Where Are Your Keys originally started out working with Native American languages that were dying out. Often times, there would be 2 or 3 people left in a nation who knew the language and it wasn't getting passed down - it was dying out. What was needed was a technique that would allow people to hunt out the language quickly and pass it on to others. What was needed were students, who could turn around and be teachers. What was, and is, needed in classrooms are students who can take ownership of their learning. If 1 second of time can be saved, then WAYK has been successful. It creates a "Tree of language support". If Student A doesn't know, they ask Student B. If Student B doesn't know, they ask Student C. Eventually, perhaps, it gets back to the teacher. The teacher teaches one person and it gets passed down the tree, saving everyone's time and getting knowledge passed, understood, and taught faster and faster.
Technique -- it's gotta break down to some little tricks: "If we're going to do this, and we're going to teach people how to do this, then it's gotta break down..."
Here are the flashy, gaudy tricks! The big trick to WAYK is speed: making language learning quick, easy, and effective. The more time saved, the better. This is where techniques come in. Where Are Your Keys does not have a single way of working. It has many ways of working, via techniques. What Evan Gardner realised is that, especially when you are learning a language from 2-3 people who are grandparents, in order for the method to be most effective, it has to break down to something simple, flashable, and fun. The techniques provide a quick, fun way of teaching a few people something who then are able to go and teach others.
I learned so many things Saturday night and I hope to write about them all, but I don't want to overwhelm you (or spend a year writing one post!). In my next post, I will talk about how my kids are reacting to the WAYK method and our experience with Evan Gardner the Monday after this jam session. I hope to put in a few more words about what I learned from him, but with a little better classroom context.
What about my daughter? She made a bracelet yesterday and brought it to me. She asked me, "I forgot... what is this?" and I reminded her: "faba rubra". Almost instantly, she remembered the other colours from our game. She chanted them perfectly with a little giggle. I've been wanting to teach her Latin and I think I've found a way to do so, without overwhelming either one of us.
Originally WAYK worked to bring back dying languages, but it doesn't need to stop there. Take a look at the Where Are Your Keys players' map. It is already being played/used all over. See that little spot in good old Georgia, USA? That's me and my little classroom (okay, short, but WIDE classroom). There is already a growing community of people who want nothing more than to strike up a conversation... So, go ahead, I dare you... Ask it.... "Quid est hoc..."
1. My weekend with Evan Gardner (This one! yay!)
2. My students' Monday with Evan Gardner
3. My + Δ of Where Are Your Keys
1. My Weekend with Evan Gardner
I had the wonderful privilege of attending a conference Saturday with Mr. Gardner and sat down with him and some teacher friends Saturday evening. We got an opportunity to pick his brain about the beginnings of Where Are Your Keys, its uses, and where he wants to see it go. About halfway through our "jam session" (if you will) my 5 year old daughter joined the party and we got to see some of Evan's techniques in action. What an experience! Granted, she's heard me speak Latin in my classroom, to other teachers, and to the family dog, but she's never been fully immersed in a conversation. She blew me away!
What was incredibly inspiring was the way Evan Gardner jumped into a language. Having had roughly 10 days or so of Latin instruction, he dove right into speaking with us (often half in Latin, half in English). It was amazing to see him in action and shamelessly pick his brain. One of the things that has led me to this point, and gotten my excitement up about WAYK, is watching my daughter learn her first language. In a natural setting, things flow easily from one point to another with questions and corrections built in. In a classroom, often, teachers are forced to teach topics, vocabulary, and constructions based upon a curriculum, not based upon when the students are ready. Where Are Your Keys provides a more natural alternative for foreign language learning.
We discussed many topics Saturday afternoon and evening, often starting with techniques - ways to do things, ways to progress:
Technique -- Long cut, short cut: "If you know the long way of saying it, say it the long way first because you can't create a shortcut without the long way first."
It's all about connections. Make as many connections as you can with as many repetitions as possible. This builds a sense of confidence in students knowing that, as they go, listeners can pick up on what they are saying and fill in the blanks, if necessary. The sooner you can get to back and forth discussions, the sooner you can start modelling shorter ways of accomplishing things. But these things take time. Introduce as much vocabulary into the "long cut" structures as possible. Do it again. Keep going and, naturally, you will come to a place where a shortcut can be introduced and be well received.
Technique -- shut off your English mind:"That's what sign language does... it shuts off your English mind."
Okay, not technically a technique, but it so should be. Focusing on signs allows your mind to reorganise itself without immense amounts of resistance from itself. Students forget that they want to connect the new language to English and instead focus on what is in front of them: an object or picture, a complete sentence, and a sign. The technique also reaches a wider range of students. By combining a visual, audial, and kinesthetic technique, more and more kids get the thing they need to make the connection and learn in the target language, without relying on English.
Technique -- Prove it: "Okay, I've set you up with a scenario... this is what you need to do in order for this situation to work out. Okay do you get this?... Prove it
Often times, especially for Latin teachers (where word order doesn't matter), we think that students understand a point, when, in reality, they have simply applied something from English and not learned the new topic. With this technique, teachers can test the boundaries of what has been taught by having students set up their own scenario and try to apply what they know. This "teachable moment" can be reworked when necessary by the teacher and then turned into another teachable moment. I will expand on this in part III.
Technique -- Anyone can do it: "There are tricks to teaching, why don't we pass them down?"
Where Are Your Keys originally started out working with Native American languages that were dying out. Often times, there would be 2 or 3 people left in a nation who knew the language and it wasn't getting passed down - it was dying out. What was needed was a technique that would allow people to hunt out the language quickly and pass it on to others. What was needed were students, who could turn around and be teachers. What was, and is, needed in classrooms are students who can take ownership of their learning. If 1 second of time can be saved, then WAYK has been successful. It creates a "Tree of language support". If Student A doesn't know, they ask Student B. If Student B doesn't know, they ask Student C. Eventually, perhaps, it gets back to the teacher. The teacher teaches one person and it gets passed down the tree, saving everyone's time and getting knowledge passed, understood, and taught faster and faster.
Technique -- it's gotta break down to some little tricks: "If we're going to do this, and we're going to teach people how to do this, then it's gotta break down..."
Here are the flashy, gaudy tricks! The big trick to WAYK is speed: making language learning quick, easy, and effective. The more time saved, the better. This is where techniques come in. Where Are Your Keys does not have a single way of working. It has many ways of working, via techniques. What Evan Gardner realised is that, especially when you are learning a language from 2-3 people who are grandparents, in order for the method to be most effective, it has to break down to something simple, flashable, and fun. The techniques provide a quick, fun way of teaching a few people something who then are able to go and teach others.
I learned so many things Saturday night and I hope to write about them all, but I don't want to overwhelm you (or spend a year writing one post!). In my next post, I will talk about how my kids are reacting to the WAYK method and our experience with Evan Gardner the Monday after this jam session. I hope to put in a few more words about what I learned from him, but with a little better classroom context.
What about my daughter? She made a bracelet yesterday and brought it to me. She asked me, "I forgot... what is this?" and I reminded her: "faba rubra". Almost instantly, she remembered the other colours from our game. She chanted them perfectly with a little giggle. I've been wanting to teach her Latin and I think I've found a way to do so, without overwhelming either one of us.
Originally WAYK worked to bring back dying languages, but it doesn't need to stop there. Take a look at the Where Are Your Keys players' map. It is already being played/used all over. See that little spot in good old Georgia, USA? That's me and my little classroom (okay, short, but WIDE classroom). There is already a growing community of people who want nothing more than to strike up a conversation... So, go ahead, I dare you... Ask it.... "Quid est hoc..."
Saturday, January 21, 2012
WAYK - Keeping things low key
Today, I experimented in my Latin II and III classes with a game called Where Are Your Keys. I won't lay out the whole game (Evan Gardner does a much better job of it than I), but it uses a game mentality and basic hand signs to learn a language (or any task). It uses a series of methods or techniques to acquire skills and isn't limited to one way of doing things. From my experience, I've seen it work really well in small group settings. Now, I'm not writing this post to suggest a way to play, but rather the experience my students and I had with this game and what that can mean for other educators. So... here we go...
I'll be honest, I was hesitant about this game's ability to be applied in a classroom of 20, 30, or more students. How could I turn a game, that in my view, worked best in small groups and make it apply to a whole class of students? Would the students find it useful, or just silly? And, my biggest worry, would I remember the signs I had just learned to demonstrate the new vocabulary?
I began with my first class of the day, a small Latin II class, and told them we were going to play a game. Immediately I was bombarded with questions like, "do we get to pick the teams?", "do we get a prize?", and (my personal favourite) "How do you win?" They were vocally disappointed when I said the game was all inclusive, non competitive, and no, there were no prizes, we were in this together... And so we went.
We started with four pictures of things they knew how to say in Latin. This immediately set the tone and let them know that I wasn't going to leave them totally in the dark. I demonstrated the hand symbols and asked everyone to move in together. We played each round in a simple "copy cat" form before branching out to doing it together/call and response. I spent the majority of our time with this on technique, using the same four pictures. After each successful round, we applauded ourselves, "Hey! We did it!".
In the other 3 classes that participated, the response was much the same. Excitement at the thought of a game, resentment at the thought of no prize, and happiness and pride when it came down to actually doing it. The kids laughed with each other, even though they weren't sitting near the people they usually did, and one student remarked, "Now, we're like a family". Overall, the game was enjoyable and all the kids wanted to play again.
I think the game is great, especially for vocabulary acquisition, and there are some specific reasons I would, and will, use it again.
I'll be honest, I was hesitant about this game's ability to be applied in a classroom of 20, 30, or more students. How could I turn a game, that in my view, worked best in small groups and make it apply to a whole class of students? Would the students find it useful, or just silly? And, my biggest worry, would I remember the signs I had just learned to demonstrate the new vocabulary?
I began with my first class of the day, a small Latin II class, and told them we were going to play a game. Immediately I was bombarded with questions like, "do we get to pick the teams?", "do we get a prize?", and (my personal favourite) "How do you win?" They were vocally disappointed when I said the game was all inclusive, non competitive, and no, there were no prizes, we were in this together... And so we went.
We started with four pictures of things they knew how to say in Latin. This immediately set the tone and let them know that I wasn't going to leave them totally in the dark. I demonstrated the hand symbols and asked everyone to move in together. We played each round in a simple "copy cat" form before branching out to doing it together/call and response. I spent the majority of our time with this on technique, using the same four pictures. After each successful round, we applauded ourselves, "Hey! We did it!".
In the other 3 classes that participated, the response was much the same. Excitement at the thought of a game, resentment at the thought of no prize, and happiness and pride when it came down to actually doing it. The kids laughed with each other, even though they weren't sitting near the people they usually did, and one student remarked, "Now, we're like a family". Overall, the game was enjoyable and all the kids wanted to play again.
I think the game is great, especially for vocabulary acquisition, and there are some specific reasons I would, and will, use it again.
- It allowed students to go at their own pace - One of the things WAYK stresses is a check for fullness. There is a simple gesture that allows students to let you know when they are "full". I allowed them to sit to the side and watch. They could jump back in whenever they wanted. It was important to stress, however, that students not feel ashamed when they are full and that it was okay, even recommended, that they take breaks where necessary. It is my opinion, that competitiveness is pushed way too much in schools and students often feel like they have to keep going, even if they are taking on more than they can manage. This is an easy way to let students have a break, take a minute, sit back, relax, and then join the learning again when they are ready
- It is easy for students to pick up on - Often, I watch students struggle and struggle and then give up on complicated topics, structures, and even vocabulary. I saw that they were so enthralled in the repetition, the motions, and the game, that they didn't notice when things got a little more difficult. Things went much more smoothly this way.
- Students felt comfortable and were better able to participate - Through the repetition and the ease of the signals, students relaxed and let the Latin flow. They forget about "looking cool" and how bad their days were and had some fun. I only did the basics, but it would be easy to introduce some more "complicated" constructions without them realising... One of those, "look at you go" moments!
- They are coming back for more - Even after one session, I had students come back after class and tell me that they not only enjoyed the game, but retained things from it on the first go. The real test will be the next time we play, and I am excited to see the results.
Having thought about this for a day (I started this post Friday evening), there are a few things that I think are most important about this game and what it does. It takes away a lot of the stress I think students walk into a foreign language classroom with. Students can let go of what happened earlier in the day/in a previous class and concentrate on something fun. The combination of speaking, listening, and simply hand motions lets students forget the outside and concentrate on the moment. It takes away the stress of foreign concepts that students often struggle over and lets them learn it through simple techniques.
For the teacher, it is very involved in the moment. You are the leader. It can be tiring, but it is a lot of fun, for both you and them and I am all for fun! I plan to make some more regular posts about this as I experiment with it and take note of my students' reactions. I welcome any questions, suggestions, or criticisms as I want nothing more than to make this work the best way I can.
Here are some links to the Where Are Your Keys website to give you some more information. Check out the techniques map or their videos. I am looking forward to doing more and posting more about it and I hope you enjoy it too.
Miriam
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