From story-telling to story-asking

I am reading TPRS with Chinese characteristics: making students fluent and literate through comprehensible input by Terry Waltz and I am learning a great deal! I definitely recommend this book if, like me, you want your learners to truly develop fluency and proficiency in another language and on the other hand you do not consider yourself advanced in TPRS and comprehensible input,

[read more…]

acquire28 acquisition33 animals2 Ben Slavic2 ci16 circling5 complex1 comprehensible41 confidence4 confident4 content5 contribute1 contributing1 contribution1 creative12 creativity3 easy6 Education8 engage14 engaged4 finger1 fluency15 fluent12 fun13 ideas7 image2 input39 intent2 interest9 language26 learner8 learning14 one word image2 ownership2 proficiency8 puppets1 simple7 story34 story asking9 story building3 story script2 storyasking3 storytelling28 target8 target language12 target structure10 Terry Waltz1 TPRS34 understand7 understanding8 word1

Let's celebrate success!

https://goo.gl/photos/ZvJ23xgZM28AiXo58

Today as we enter the month of September and we slowly start to wave goodbye to summer, let the sun shine and let me share a success story using TPRS and comprehensible input online!

Back in April an ex Spanish student of mine contacted me because he wanted to learn French.

[read more…]

acquire28 acquisition33 advanced course1 answer1 answering1 celebrate4 celebration5 ci16 circling5 comprehend10 comprehensible41 comprehension31 customized2 edmodo3 Education8 fluency15 fluent12 free writing1 immerse1 immersion1 improve3 input39 languages5 listen6 listening29 Martina Bex10 online7 personalized13 PQA5 proficiency8 progress2 reading36 ressources8 share8 Skype4 story34 storyasking3 storytelling28 success2 successful1 teaching8 understand7 understanding8

Spanish story script number 4: Lo siento.

Here is another story script which follows the last story about little Pedro losing his notebook. This story has lots of repetitions to focus on "lo siento" and "no sé qué hacer". I am telling those stories using wooden ice cream sticks which the students love.

[read more…]

acquire28 acquisition33 acting1 ci16 comprehend10 comprehension31 comprenhensible1 drama1 engage14 engaging9 fluency15 fluent12 fun13 funny2 high frequency7 high interest5 input39 interest9 interesting9 intonation1 key1 listening29 motivate7 motivated1 motivating1 motivation6 practice17 proficiency8 pronunciation2 reading36 repetition11 repetitive5 retell2 retelling3 script10 second language4 skills24 Spanish27 story34 storytelling28 structure10 target8 target language12 target structure10 TPRS34 vocabulary18 words2

Story script in Spanish

I am huge fan of the Michel Thomas method. The only thing that is bothering me is that it hugely relies on translation. I was trained to use the target language as much as possible in the classroom and my mentor taught me a few tricks to get the students to understand me in the target language like using lots of cognates.

[read more…]

acquire28 acquisition33 circle3 circling5 classroom8 cognate1 command1 connection3 customized2 Education8 high frequency7 instruction2 items1 key structure10 language26 Martina Bex10 method3 Michel Thomas2 moods1 personalized13 PQA5 proficiency8 questions19 read7 reading36 script10 Spanish27 story34 storytelling28 structure10 target8 target language12 target structure10 TPRS34 translate2 translation2 verbs2

Goal 11: Feel The Weight of Your Impact #30GoalsEdu

 

I posted this picture a few years ago and instantly remembered it when pondering on goal 11 of the 30 goals challenge for educators 2012.

Goal 11 is about impacting our students. As Shelly Terrell mentions in her blog:" Educators don’t realize that every time they walk into a classroom they plant seeds that may grow into weeds and stunt their students’ learning journeys...

[read more…]

#30GoalsEdu2 20121 30 goals1 accuracy3 acquire28 acquisition33 affective2 affective filter1 blossom1 challenge5 citizen1 comfortable1 compelling10 comprehensible41 comprehensible input6 critical thinking2 culture22 development2 discover2 discovering1 ease1 Education8 educator3 filter2 fluency15 fluent12 geograpgy1 impact1 input39 joy2 languagelearning5 open1 openminded1 personal8 proficiency8 project10 pureci2 relax5 social networks1 thinking1 world3

Mary Glasgow magazines

 

Some time ago I wrote a post about the Mary Glasgow website and how I used its free Spanish articles and audio versions. Last week I received several French sample magazines and the "Bonjour" one aimed at pre-intermediate learners caught my eye.

[read more…]

acquire28 acquisition33 advanced3 articles1 beginner10 benefits3 Canada2 ci16 compelling10 comprehensible41 comprehension31 confidence4 confident4 culture22 Education8 engaging9 flow3 fluent12 France4 francophone1 free voluntary reading1 French20 fuency1 fvr2 high frequency7 high interest5 independent learning1 input39 interest9 interesting9 intermediate5 languagelearning5 languages5 learners2 magazine3 Mary Glasgow4 proficiency8 québec1 readers1 reading36 self confidence1 self confident1 target8 target language12 target structure10 texts1 TPRS34 vocabulary18