Current+Interns

__WHAT CURRENT INTERNS OF MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY HAVE LEARNED ABOUT TEACHING IN THE TARGET LANGUAGE AND HOW IT IS PUT INTO PRACTICE DURING THEIR INTERNSHIP YEAR__. user:KathrynHin

//*Please feel free to post your own experiences with target language teaching to the discussion board!//

As seniors, the interns felt that teaching in the target language was the main goal of the classroom. It was constantly emphasized not only in lab work, but in field placement work as well. > difficult when teaching students that have a common language as the teacher, but its still possible.
 * 1.) When you were in TE 407-408 (MSU's senior year preparation course for the internship year after graduation), how was teaching in the target language emphasized?**
 * It was emphasized often and presented as a VERY important thing.
 * Teaching in the target language was emphasized GREATLY! We were taught many different ways to incorporate the target language into everything we do.
 * Pretty strongly emphasized- we had the same teachers as you guys do, so about the same probably. I do feel like this year the push towards TL instruction has increased with the new proficiency standards.
 * In 407-408, using the TL was emphasized quite a bit, even at the beginning level (Spanish 1, etc.). Some readings/scholars emphasized total immersion in the TL from day 1 of class. Others said to gradually use it (for example, start with 10% TL and 90% native language) and increase those numbers as the year goes on. In our class, specifically, using more of the TL than the native language was recommended in order to increase comprehension of the TL.
 * Teaching in the TL was definitely promoted in TE 407 (our teacher was a big believer in it). We had quite a few discussions/debates over whether or not it's possible and/or most beneficial for students to teach completely in the TL, and I think the conclusion we ultimately came to was that it's important to use the TL as much as possible, but there are times when it's just more practical and less frustrating (for students and the teacher) to teach in English.
 * Our teacher was very strongly pro target language usage for everything in the classroom, she emphasized that when teaching English abroad where she didnt have a common language with some of her students, using the target language was what she did and she found it successful. Its

Most of the interns try to use the target language for the majority of the class period, but they do find that falling back to English is sometimes necessary. Many students seem to be intimidated and lose interest, but making sure the input is comprehensible is key to preventing this from happening. > upper levels of Spanish. Ususally, I use English when talking about events happening in the school, such as an assembly or schedule > change, but instructions are given in Spanish, as well as directions for what to do when. I wish I used it more often, but I am still picking up > strategies on how to do that. It is effective, usually students are frustrated for a moment or two, and then you have to use your mimicing > skills, gestures, and be adament about staying in the TL, and usually the students respond. It takes a lot of repeition, a lot of gesturing, > and actions, so the students know what to do.
 * 2.) As an intern, do you teach in the target language? How often? Do you find this effective?**
 * I teach Spanish 4 classes mainly, so its 90-5% in Spanish. I do find it effective because they are applying their knowledge of how to manipulate the language when applying it to things in their own lives.
 * I teach in English about 70% and 30% in the target language. Right now this is mostly because of the policies my mentor teacher has and how the students have been taught in the past. (They have a hard time adjusting to the TL when they have always been taught in English. I'm not really sure how effective this. They understand when I do use the target language, for the most part. If I try doing it all in the target language they get very anxious and "check out", refuse to do their work, etc.
 * I try to teach in the TL, but often end up falling back into English. Honestly this is usually me being lazy- I need to plan better, thinking about exactly how to explain things in order to stay in TL. I find teaching in Spanish highly effective.
 * As an intern I only use the TL for commands (sit down, take out your homework, etc.). I am teaching Spanish 1 right now and Spanish 2 in the spring at a junior high. After many conversations with my mentor, we believe that the students would shut down if we spoke too much TL. I try to increase the amount of TL that I use, but unfortunately it's not realistic for my setting. I do think it's effective. The students, in their first year, are learning the basics and are doing well when assessed. They understand the commands, vocabulary and grammar that I am teaching and for first year students this is what is required.
 * In my internship, I try to use Spanish as much as possible, but I find that there are so many other things to focus on that sometimes I slip into English without really thinking about it. I am trying to plan my lessons so that I teach vocabulary and grammar in Spanish, more inductively, with pictures, etc., but I almost always give students the English for words after we have worked with them in Spanish a little bit, just to make sure that they aren't confused about any of the meanings. I try to give instructions in Spanish most of the time, but there are times when this gets (or would get) frustrating for students, and in those cases I typically use English. I find that when I teach in the TL it is effective, but it definitely takes more energy because you have to be animated, act things out, etc., but it's fun :) I know it's effective because students can follow along and reproduce the words when I ask them to (scaffolding is VERY important here though!). Just today I taught them a new grammar concept by giving examples all in Spanish and telling them to listen and see if they could figure out the pattern -- and they did! And they could tell me what it was supposed to look like before they even knew what they were saying.
 * I give instructions and teach in the target language everyday. The entire hour is not in the TL, but the majority is, especially in the

Students seem to be engaged when they realize that they actually understand what is being said in the target language. Again, making the input comprehensible is very important! > collapse to English. But, we just play cherades, and do a lot of gesturing and guessing. Slowing down your speech helps, as well as > using words you know they know. I often stop and say (in the TL) you know what a boat is right? wait for their response, and and then > continue on to describe what an anchor is,what it does, and where it is on the boat and say "thats what that word means that you didnt > know" and if you do this slow enough and with enough gestures and words that they know, they usually catch on and say "oh an anchor" in > English.
 * 3.) Do the students seem to be more or less engaged when only the target language is used?**
 * More engaged? No. But they are still engaged. They try their best to ask questions in Spanish and apply what we are learning.
 * No, they seem less engaged.
 * The kids always feel great about it when I do stay in Spanish for a lesson because they feel like they really are learning the language. They have voiced their opinions too- they say they like it better because it's more challenging. I would say students are also more engaged when I'm using the target language usually. This is probably because when I'm using the TL, I've put more effort into the lesson and students respond to that by being more excited. There have been times when I've completely lost students because I used too much TL, but that's usually a structure issue- as long as I remind them it's okay to be frustrated (I am too!) they do fine.
 * I use a limited amount of the TL due to the students' limited ability as beginning language learners. When I do use the TL, they respond well because I use the same commands day in and day out.
 * They are engaged, they like listening to Spanish and seeing that they can understand it without having the English in front of them. However, some kids do disengage if they get lost, because they can't figure out what's going on. Each class has a different dynamic, so what works well in one may not necessarily work well in another (my first hour, for example, is veeeery sleepy and it's sometimes hard to get them going in the morning). I don't know if they are necessarily more engaged when I speak Spanish versus English, that really depends on the task more than the language I think.
 * No, they do not seem more or less engaged generally, They do get frustrated though, especially if you choose not to budge and WILL not

4.) How does your mentor feel about teaching in the target language? Not all mentors are firm believes in using the target language--in fact, some have experienced that students respond negatively to it, so they teach the majority of the class in English. > that it should never be done in the TL. Often at the beginning, she told me that it is okay to give directions in English, and I follow > this rule sometimes. My mentor teacher does not teach completely in the TL, This makes students feel comfortable, but then when I insist on using Spanish, they are more frustrated because they are used to understanding EXACTLY what is happening at that very moment instead of tolerating the ambigutity of language for just a moment.
 * One of my mentors is all about only Spanish, but the other one is more loosey goosey in using it. When my students ask me what a word means in Spanish, I explain it in Spanish using motions and synonyms. We teach almost completely in the TL, and the kids seem to like it. They get frustrated, but that is part of learning a new language (or anything new!).
 * My mentor teaches mostly in English- he throws in the TL from time to time. He feels that too much French will be to overwhelming for the students. They do seem to get overwhelmed when using all French, and I think they are much more comfortable in English.
 * My mentor is trying to use more TL, but it's not very high on her priority list. She uses a lot of "Spanglish," but teaches mostly in English. This made it difficult for me to transition in taking over her classes because they aren't used to having to work extra in order to understand me. I think teaching in English makes them lazier, because they know you'll end up giving them the English.
 * She believes students will shut down with too much TL.
 * My mentor is a great teacher, but she certainly doesn't teach completely in the TL. I don't think she's opposed to it, but reality is that it's just not always the most efficient way to get things accomplished. I would say she does about 50/50 English/Spanish, but her students know a lot, and they can communicate relatively well in Spanish, considering the level that they're at. We've never talked specifically about TL use, I think that she has just found what works best for her over the years.
 * My mentor teaches in the target language, although many of her lessons are not done in the TL. She believes grammar should be explicit, and