Instructional Strategies
InTASC Standard 8: The teacher understands and uses a variety of instructional strategies to encourage learners to develop deep understanding of content areas and their connections, and to build skills to apply knowledge in meaningful ways.
Introduction
In order to effectively teach my students, I employ a variety of strategies that aim to improve the students' speaking, listening, reading and writing abilities in Spanish, as well as knowledge of cultural and historically aspects of Spanish-speaking countries and populations. As seen in other pages, this requires well-thought-out long-term, unit and lesson plans and assessments that properly assess the students' abilities and invest them in the material. It also requires a number of activities and strategies that engage the students but are also productive. In my class, I have worked to transition from relying too much on worksheets or my textbook in an effort to make class more engaging and productive. After all, the students need to be producing the language. If not, they will not retain the material after the class year ends. What are the best ways in which I can increase productivity in the class while maintaining a fun and welcoming environment? Below I will show a number of strategies that I use in my classes.
Flashcards
One of the frustrations that I had during my first year of teaching was going into activities and students not having studied or memorized the target vocabulary. Instead of meaningful applications of the vocabulary, we would then have to go back and review the words. We would not be able to reach a higher level of practice and application until the students knew the target vocabulary, so we would rarely reach a productive use of the language. I searched for ideas on how to use the time that we had in class productively, since many of my students were not exposed to Spanish outside of our class. As ACTFL mentions, "For many learners, the precious minutes in our classrooms are the only opportunity in their day to experience the target language. We must maximize this exposure by providing a language-rich environment that prepares them for success in the real-world" (ACTFL, n.d.). In order for my students to gain more exposure, I needed to find a way to maximize our time together.
One of the ways that I boost productivity in my classes without too much of a time commitment is through the use of flashcards. For each new group of lexicon that the students learn, I created ten decks of flashcards the students study with partners or groups at the beginning of each class after the Do Now. It only takes five to ten minutes of our 100-minute lessons, and the results are apparent. I add incentive to the flashcards with regular vocabulary quizzes, so that the students take the flashcard review seriously. The students also enjoy the time because they can be competitive with their peers, and it is a calm way to learn the vocabulary while spending time with their friends. I have noticed a drastic improvement in the scores of my students' vocabulary scores, as well as my students' ability to recall the target language during activities. Before creating flashcards, I would have blank stares from large numbers of students; however, now that number has dramatically decreased.
The photo on the left shows a few different sets of flashcards that I use for class. There are usually between 18-24 in a set, and the students practice them at the beginning of class. In the photo on the right are my students reviewing the flashcards (photo on the left) in pairs or groups. Depending on the day, I give them five to ten minutes to study the words. I regularly stress how using the time effectively will make class easier and more enjoyable, as well as the quizzes much easier. The flashcards are two-sided, with English on one side and Spanish on the other side. By quizzing each other on the target vocabulary, they practice their speaking skills (saying the words out loud), their listening skills (listening to partner saying the target words), and reading (reading the vocabulary word).
After practicing the target vocabulary at the beginning of class, the students then have the words readily available in their memory to "build skills" and apply it in activities and quizzes throughout the lesson"in a meaningful way" (InTASC, n.d.). Student application of the flashcards can be seen below, demonstrating reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills.
The photo above shows students applying flashcard vocabulary in a reading activity.
The photo above shows students applying flashcard vocabulary in a reading and writing activity.
The photo above shows students applying flashcard vocabulary in a speaking activity.
The photo above shows students applying flashcard vocabulary in a listening and reading activity.
Technology Integration
I try to balance traditional methods of teaching with newer methods, which include the use of technology. Having a touchscreen whiteboard and Chromebooks, I am able to really vary the types of instruction that I provide. One way that I work to address student knowledge of the target vocabulary is through a flipped classroom model. The platform that I use is called Gimkit. Similar to Quizlet, it provides a fun way to learn and review vocabulary words. I both use it in class as a recap of class before the Exit Ticket and as homework. The students complete an assignment each week, and Gimkit does a great job logging the students that complete the assignment and those that do not. By using this platform, I give my students more opportunities to familiarize themselves with the words before we apply them in class, providing them more time to develop a deeper knowledge of the content. We then do a quick game at the end of our 100-minute class before the Exit Ticket. The students complete the assignment on their phones or on our school Chromebooks. I get almost 100% student participation during class; however, student completion of the homework assignments varies by class and week. It often ranges from 30%-70% completion, which I am continually looking for ways to improve.
Gimkit
I am fortunate to have Chromebooks in my classroom that I use for daily Gimkit activities. Our classes are 100 minutes long, so I need to constantly chunk the lessons into 15-20 minute sections in order to maintain classroom management. At the end of class before the Exit Ticket, I have students compete in a Gimkit assignment. They can use the Chromebooks or their phones to participate. The students choose the correct translation of vocabulary words to gain points, and they can buy power-ups or use attacks on competing classmates. Most of the kids enjoy playing it, and it reinforces the target vocabulary. This has contributed to the increase in my students' abilities to recall the target language during other class activities.
Another way that I use technology in the classroom is with Duolingo, another platform that teaches dozens of languages through short lessons and stories. I use this throughout the year by having the students complete lessons and stories, especially when I have extra time. It allows me to maximize class time, exposing students to as much Spanish as possible while in class. It can also connect to other disciplines with lessons and stories that contain language used in history, science, math, as well as other subjects.
Duolingo
I create classes on Duolingo for Schools at the beginning of the year, so that I can keep track of student progress. Duolingo retains the students' progress, such as days active, number of lessons/courses completed, and the total number of points that they have. I am able to use the points as an incentive in class, awarding prizes to students that receive the most in a certain time period.
Here is an example of a Duolingo story. It is interactive, so the students have to answer questions that gradually get harder as they complete more. The displayed part says, "Good morning, Maria! Good morning, my love." When they finish, they receive points that I can then see on Duolingo for Schools.
This is an example of a Duolingo lesson. The students answer a number of different questions that include reading, listening, typing, and speaking skills. When they finish each lesson, they receive points that I can then see in Duolingo for Schools. In this lesson, cross-discipline learning is visible. This lesson contains language from science class. The sentence says, "The two proteins have different functions."
I also use technology in many projects that the students create throughout the year, such as creating menus for Spanish restaurants, as seen in the example. This provides students with the opportunity to improve their technological abilities, which will help them in other classes, college, and future careers. I notice many students type very slowly on computers/Chromebooks. By giving them practice typing and using computers, the students will be better prepared for English and other classes that require computer use.
Menu Project
PowerPoint Slides for Menu Project
Menu Project - Student Sample
Here is a student sample from a menu project that we worked on during a unit on food. The students chose a Spanish-speaking country at random (to avoid every student choosing Puerto Rico and Mexico) and searched up common dishes in that country. After that they were tasked with creating a menu for a restaurant in that country. They completed this using a website called Piktochart.com. This project went further than the content in class, as the students researched food specific to another country and then presented it to the class. Students were invested in the many different kinds of cuisines, as well as seeing what their classmates' menus looked like.
Mini Whiteboards
An activity that I learned while I taught ESL in China and brought with me to my classroom in Connecticut is the use of mini whiteboards. I enjoy how useful they can be in scaffolding new words and topics, as well as addressing common misconceptions. They are also a great way to check for understanding. By spending 15 minutes on a whiteboard activity, I can gauge where students are in regard to the material. If the students are all correctly answering the questions on their whiteboards, then I know that we can move on to more-difficult and freer-form applications of the language. However, if students are not quite understanding the material, I know that we need to readdress the topic from a different angle. It is also a good way to check for individual students' understanding, as every student has a whiteboard. If they are unable to answer the question as I circle the room, I can target them for additional support. That can be pairing them with a high flyer or sitting next to them while the students complete another activity. As Conley (2011) states,"Instruction needs to engage students in challenging applications of key content knowledge. Teachers and curriculum designers need to avoid the temptation to focus on test-prep activities that require little engagement in learning"(Conley, 2011 p.18). The Mini Whiteboards work (similar to the flashcards) as a way to scaffold the material, so that the students can apply the target language in more-meaningful and real-world-applicable ways in following activities.
The students regularly use mini whiteboards in class due to their versatility in listening, reading, speaking and writing activities. They work as a way to scaffold the material before moving onto more-difficult and student-centered activities. They also a great formative check for understanding, allowing me to address student misunderstandings as a whole class.
Example of slides that I show for whiteboard activities
In the first 2 slides, the students finish the conversations using the newly acquired greetings vocabulary. In the following slides, the students use greeting vocabulary to answer the questions. The slides contain relevant celebrities that engage the students in the activity.
Gallery Walks
The use of Gallery Walks is another way to scaffold the material, with more independence than the whiteboard activities but not quite as much as other fully student-centered activities. I place 8-12 slips of paper around the room that are usually either questions in Spanish that the students need to answer in full Spanish sentences, or they are English sentences that they need to translate into Spanish. Much like my other activities, I try to keep Gallery Walks at 15-20 minutes from start to finish. As the students circle the room and complete the assignment, I walk around assisting students. When the students are finishing the activity, I pull up the questions/sentences on the projector and have students come up and write their answers. We then go over all the answers as a whole group to check for understanding.
During a Gallery Walk, the students walk around the room (below) with their notebooks and respond to the small slips (above). There are usually 8-12 slips, and they can be questions that the students have to answer in Spanish, or they can be English sentences that the students need to translate into Spanish. The activity is a way to scaffold the material before the students participate in an activity where the students must produce more of the language in a freer and deeper form. It also chunks the lesson, so that the students are not seated in the same manner the entire class.
After the students finish circling the room and completing the gallery walk, we go over the answers as a class (seen below).
We go over the answers as a group.
A student sample from the gallery walk
Translation: 1. The son wants an apple. 2. The dad wants a hamburger with cheese. 3. The grandfather has $90. 4. The aunt is tall and rich. 5. She wants a cat and dog. 6. I want a brother. 7. The cousins are athletic and crazy. 8. The mom is 50 years old. 9. The sister is from New York. 10. The brother is short and intelligent.
Group Stations
I continuously study how to create activities that are practical to the students' lives. This goes beyond independent work and worksheets. Although both can be useful as methods of teaching, it is important to vary the learning strategies. I want my students to be able to do more than regurgitate information from a textbook or worksheet. I want them to be able to use the material in their daily lives. As stated in one of the readings from Effective Practices in Teaching and Learning (2012),"Our goal is to help kids ultimately be able to transfer, to use their knowledge and skills and understandings in new ways effectively. The purpose of school is to equip kids in the future in their learning and when they're outside of school to be able to apply what they're learning in meaningful and authentic, purposeful ways. So our job as a teacher, then, is to think about how we help kids acquire knowledge and skills, make meaning of the important ideas so they are learning with understanding, ultimately so they can transfer and apply their knowledge and skills" (Laureate Education, 2012). Through group station activities, my focus is practicality and access to the language in a real world setting.
Some Group Stations involve the same activity, but the students work in different groups.
Some Group Stations involve different activities, where the students work in groups and switch stations when they finish each activity.
In both instances, I break up the students into random groups, so that they have opportunities to work with new students each time. This works their collaborative and communicative skills with different students in the class, as they work "to build skills to apply knowledge in meaningful ways" (InTASC). The activities apply what we learn in class in a student-centered manner. I make sure that the activities work the students' speaking, listening, reading, and writing. That way they are not only relevant, but they are aligned to the ACTFL World Language Standards. In the example (above), the first activity involves the students reading a story (reading skills) and responding (writing skills). (See the example below). The students discuss the answers, practicing their speaking and listening skills. The second activity involves the students answering questions in Spanish (similar skills as the first activity). In the third activity, the students describe a picture of a family. They use writing skills to describe the picture. In the fourth activity, the students interview a classmate (speaking skills) and write down their responses (listening and writing skills). In all the activities, the students are gaining experience working with their peers, which is an important skill to have in college, the work place, and daily life. The activities are also beneficial for classes with varying student levels. I ensure that Heritage speakers are grouped with weaker students, giving the Heritage speakers leadership roles and the weaker students additional help.
Student Sample of Reading Comprehension Group Activity
Translation: 1. Ricardo is from Venezuela. 2. Yes, he has a small family. 3. The mom's name is Susana. 4. She is 55 years old. 5. She is from Peru. 6. He has one brother. 7. His brother is 15 years old. 8. His brother is tall and handsome.
Speed Dates
Speed Date activities are ways that I have students replicate real life mini-conversations. They require speaking, listening, reading, and writing. During these activities, the students are not allowed to use English, as using it would impact their grade. The ultimate goal is for the students to immerse themselves in the language and act as if they are in a real situation where they cannot fall back on English. I want them to move away from focusing on the grammatical aspect and focus on fluency, where they can make mistakes as long as they are putting in their effort to stay in Spanish. I want to avoid "teaching to the test" and ensure that the students have plenty of opportunities to practice the language in a meaningful way. As Conley (2011) mentions, "Content mastery is not sufficient. As frustrating as it may be to hear, simply getting students to recall some facts or answer questions correctly on a test does not make them ready for college and careers -- nor is it likely to guarantee high performance on the common assessments. We should view content acquisition as a means to an end, not an end in itself. If students do not have numerous opportunities to use content knowledge to solve interesting problems, grapple with key questions and issues of the discipline, and examine social issues, they will be unlikely to perform well on the common assessments" (Conley, 2011 p.17). Speed Date activities get the students out of their seats and practice the language in a communicative and real world-applicable way.
Speed Date activity talking about family members
Speed Date
How is your (family member)?
My (family member) is (adjective).
Adjective list
Speed Date activity replicating trip to counselor
Visiting the counselor
How are you?
I am (feeling).
Why?
Because (describe why you feel a certain way).
In both of these activities, I time the students to add a sense of urgency. The students are required to meet a minimum number of students that they ask and respond to. Otherwise, many students will only ask one or two other students and not get enough practice. When they ask each student, they write down their response in third person, so that they are practicing speaking, listening, and writing. The first example has students practicing describing their family members from our family member unit. The second example is a prompt from the unit on feelings, where the students practice describing how they and others feel and the reasons behind it.
A recent Speed Date Activity
The students ask other students what they want to drink and then write down the students' responses.
Translation: What do you want to drink?
I want to drink ...
Coffee, Juice, Tea, Water, Milk, Soda
______ wants to drink ...
A Student Sample from the Speed Date above
The students write down the other students' responses.
(Blurred name) wants to drink water.
(Blurred name) wants to drink coffee.
(Blurred name) wants to drink water.
(Blurred name) wants to drink water.
(Blurred name) wants to drink juice.
(Blurred name) wants to drink water.
Music Lessons
As someone that learns languages through music and media, I incorporate music into all of my lessons. Not only does music contribute to a positive learning environment, with it being "shown to have relaxing effects on adults in experimental studies” (Hardiman, 2012 p.93), it is an effective way to invest students in learning the language. There are thousands of Spanish songs that contain relevant vocabulary or grammar from class, and using music to teach and reinforce topics can show the value of what we learn in class and how it can be applied outside of the classroom. The students work on their listening and reading skills when learning the lyrics, and we work on their speaking and writing through related activities that expand upon the lyrical material. The songs are also culturally sensitive, since the students are learning songs that Spanish speakers listen to. After music lessons, I have had many students show me that they added the songs to their playlists on Spotify, Apple Music, etc. The students show pride in understanding an entire song by the end of class. By applying what we learn in class in learning the lyrics of a song, we are following the ACTFL World Language Standards in a non-traditional manner. As Conley (2011) states, "The ideal result of standards implementation will be to move classroom teaching away from a focus on worksheets, drill-and-memorize activities, and elaborate test-coaching programs, and toward an engaging, challenging curriculum that supports content acquisition through a range of instructional modes and techniques, including many that develop student cognitive strategies" (Conley, 2011 p.17). The students learn the target language aligned to the ACTFL World Language Standards but in a way that is fun, challenging and culturally sensitive.
I Can't Forget You
Nicky Jam
Chorus: Fill in the words
I can't forget you, and
I don't know how ______ if you aren't here
I don't know if you'll return, I _____ happy
I can't live,
If you aren't here
Verse 1: Translate words in Bold
I know that you are already with another and that you don't want this crazy man
And I am guilty of this sad loneliness
And I also know that you gave everything
But this love that I am feeling leaves my pores and much more
Put the following into present continuous
Example: I feel -> I am feeling
1. She speaks ->
2. We think ->
3. They call ->
While listening the song above, the students participated in a number of different exercises related to the lyrics. These exercises included filling in the blanks, translating, grammar exercises, etc. These exercises, which the students complete on mini whiteboards, work the students' listening (listening to the song), reading (reading the lyrics), writing (writing on the whiteboards), speaking (speaking out their answers).
My students listening to a song and filling in the blanks on their mini whiteboards
Video Lessons
A way that I work to increase my students' exposure to the language — an increasing priority in an ACTFL World Language Standards-aligned classroom — is to show videos in Spanish and develop lessons around the videos. The videos initially work the students' listening abilities, and I add a number of activities that also work the students' speaking, reading, and writing. The students are generally engaged in these lessons, as I scaffold the videos in a way that the students are able to comprehend the gist of what is happening. This includes questions during the video that check for understanding, a video guide sheet that the students must fill out as they watch the video, and then a short discussion after the video has finished.
Extra in Spanish Episode One: Sam's Arrival
The students watch the video while filling out a guide sheet. As the movie plays, I stop periodically to check for understanding.
Two different classes watching a show in Spanish while filling out a video guide that checks for their listening comprehension.
Power Point Slides that the students view to complete mini whiteboards exercises after watching the video
Who is he? What is in his mouth?
Who is he? Who does he like?
What is he doing?
Who is he? What does he speak?
What does he bring for the girls?
Sam is Pablo's friend? Why?
After the video, the students complete numerous activities that relate to the video. These activities include mini whiteboard questions (such as the photo above) and individual, pair and group work that work reading, speaking, and writing skills.
Exit Ticket after the Video Lesson
At the end of the lesson, I always make sure to include some form of formative assessment to see what the students took away from the lesson. In this lesson, a majority of the students completed the exit ticket with a 3 or 4 out of 4 points. It tells me that the students at least understood the main grammar and vocabulary points that I set out to teach. The goal of future video lessons is to continue to push for listening comprehension and fluency through activities that align with the ACTFL World Language Standards, so that the students are able to use their Spanish outside of the classroom in a practical manner.
Translation: 1. Ana is a woman/man/house/apartment. 2. Lola is/lives/has in an apartment. 3. Pablo is/car/likes Lola. 4. Sam strong/letter/speaks English.
Conclusion
In order to teach the students meaningful skills that they will use inside and outside of school, many different learning strategies are required. As a language teacher, I align my lessons and activities to the ACTFL World Language Standards, which stress the importance of using the target language as much as possible. To achieve this, I use activities, such as Gallery Walks, Group Stations, and Speed Dates that are student-centered and work the students' speaking, listening, reading, and writing. I also employ non-traditional methods that are fun and invest students in the material, such as music and movie lessons. Only relying on traditional methods, such as strictly following the textbook and worksheets, can lead to students becoming disinterested in the material and not retaining it once the semester is over. There needs to be a balance. As mentioned in my readings in Effective Practices in Teaching and Learning (2012), "If you think your job is to cover the textbook, you misunderstand your job. This is not to say that we shouldn't use textbooks. It is to say that the textbook is a resource, not the syllabus. Our job is to teach to the important standards, the goals that have been outlined for us, using the textbook as a tool and a resource to support learning the standards, but covering the textbook is not our job" (Laureate Education, 2012). If I am to "encourage learners to develop deep understanding of content areas and their connections, and to build skills to apply knowledge in meaningful ways" (InTASC), I need to continually look for interesting and relevant material for my students that challenges them to stay in the target language, so that they retain the material once they finish the course and are able to apply it to their daily lives.
References:
ACTFL. (n.d.). USE OF TARGET LANGUAGE IN LANGUAGE LEARNING. Retrieved October 27, 2019, from https://www.actfl.org/guiding-principles/use-target-language-language-learning.
Conley, D. T. (2011). Building on the Common Core. Educational Leadership, 68(6), 16–20.
Hardiman, M. M. (2012). The Brain-Targeted Teaching Model for 21st-century schools. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2012). Misconceptions about the teacher’s job. Baltimore, MD: Author.