Saturday, September 15, 2012
As in the video we watched for the Chapter 2 questions, I think the most effective language teaching method is when the teacher can speak the target language, but still be understood by the students. The goal should be to teach them as much as possible, without making the material too advanced to comprehend; it shouldn't go over their head. Though this would be ideal, I realize it is very difficult, if not nearly impossible to achieve. Kreshner's theory is what I think comes closest to what actually happens in a classroom. The teacher can put in all the effort and planning they want, there is still the issue of the affective filter and how much the students actually want to learn.
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The affective filter is a phenomenon that I think does have a big impact on language learning. Students should feel at ease in the classroom and the teacher should not put a student "on the spot" in terms of speaking the target language and fearing that he or she will be judged or made fun of. The language classroom needs to feel like a safe environment and be welcoming. Students trying to learn a new language should not be overly criticized for making small mistakes. Maybe mistakes shouldn't be corrected all the time, as Krashen's theory states. Language teachers need to make sure that that they are understood by their students, so using the target language at appropriate times when students would benefit from it, and not feel "lost" in the class because their comprehension in the target language is limited.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Kelly, that students should feel comfortable in the classroom in order to successfully learn the language. At the same time, I think the teacher should be challenging them by speaking the target language a little higher than their ability. That way they are subconsciously learning as well. Being comfortable in a classroom is important because students are more likely to ask questions or ask a teacher to repeat what they said in order to gain a better understanding.
ReplyDeleteI do believe that a certain amount of comfortableness inside the classroom is beneficial for student learning, however sometimes it is that lack of comfort that can motivate a student to learn. I will be the first to admit that in high school, with just a slightly more comfortable chair and less fear of being singled out, I probably would have fallen asleep in class, or at least stopped paying attention. Some of that lack of comfort can be what keeps a student attentive in class. I'm not saying that we should sit them on needles and keep them afraid of being called on in class. But some of that unknown will-I-be-called-on fear is helpful in the learning process.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the material in the class should correspond with the level of Spanish that is needed for that class. If the teacher takes it above and beyond what is needed then the students will gain nothing from the course. Being a teacher is something that take practice and they need to know how comfortable their class is before they can speak the target langauge 100% of the time.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to have to agree with Krashen's affective filter rather than Mary Ross' idea, because I have found it to be true in my own learning. An uncomfortable chair just makes me think about how uncomfortable the chair is rather than whether I'm supposed to be using the genitive case or not. If the students are uncomfortable with the level the teacher is speaking at, they are more likely to sit there and stress rather than ask questions. It is okay to say something that the students don't immediately understand, but they need a lot of hints and they need to know that if they don't understand something, the teacher will slow down and help them.
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