*This post is from 2017-2018 school year. It has not been updated for the 2018-2019 school year. We will be doing some OWL activities, though, and the following explanation should help.
Hello! Welcome to class! On this page, I hope to explain a bit about OWL, ACTFL, and the pacing of Spanish III & IV. Please take time to read the information provided and watch the included videos. Everything provided here is designed to explain why we speak so much Spanish in Spanish class and why we move along at such a brisk pace.
OWL
I must first begin by letting you know that this is not a 100% pure OWL classroom. As you will learn in the links, information, and videos below, OWL is 100% target language at all times. While I would LOVE to be able to "keep it in Spanish" all the time, I know that given the quick speed at which we must move (See "pacing" below.), there are times when I must instruct, tutor, or instruct in English.
ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) recommends 90% immersion at all times. https://www.actfl.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/TLE_pdf/TLE_Oct12_Article.pdf
In my class, I strive for 80% immersion on an average day. I know that immersion can be scary, especially for students who do not have any prior experience in the language. In order to alleviate some of the stress, I have a variety of "supports" built into the class.
Supports:
PACING
Both Spanish III and IV are high-rigor classes that move along very quickly. It is VERY important to keep up with all work. Students generally only find themselves in trouble if they aren't keeping up with assignments, studying their vocab words, or asking for help right away when they don't understand something. Please remember that I am available for tutoring for students who struggle with this aspect of the course.
ASSESSMENTS
Assessments comprise 90% of the overall grade, so it VERY important to study! Assessments may involve any aspect of language (speaking, writing, listening). Not all assessments will include all of the aspects.
A FEW FINAL THOUGHTS
In all of my years teaching, I have never seen students begin speaking with such fluency as quickly as I have since adopting the OWL methodology. It is truly impressive to see kids working with the language in their own unique ways so quickly. Going through training to learn how to do this, our instructor, Ashley Uyaguari, conducted the OWL lessons in German. I do not speak ANY German at all! I remember the trepidation I felt when she started expecting us to speak German from the very beginning. However, my fears were soon alleviated as I was able to understand what she wanted just by watching her, repeating, and following her lead. My training was MONTHS ago and I STILL remember the little bits of German I learned during our training. If you had sat me down to learn in a "traditional" way, there is no way I would still remember even half of the German words.
This method works and I am so excited to share this experience with my students!
Hello! Welcome to class! On this page, I hope to explain a bit about OWL, ACTFL, and the pacing of Spanish III & IV. Please take time to read the information provided and watch the included videos. Everything provided here is designed to explain why we speak so much Spanish in Spanish class and why we move along at such a brisk pace.
OWL
I must first begin by letting you know that this is not a 100% pure OWL classroom. As you will learn in the links, information, and videos below, OWL is 100% target language at all times. While I would LOVE to be able to "keep it in Spanish" all the time, I know that given the quick speed at which we must move (See "pacing" below.), there are times when I must instruct, tutor, or instruct in English.
ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) recommends 90% immersion at all times. https://www.actfl.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/TLE_pdf/TLE_Oct12_Article.pdf
In my class, I strive for 80% immersion on an average day. I know that immersion can be scary, especially for students who do not have any prior experience in the language. In order to alleviate some of the stress, I have a variety of "supports" built into the class.
Supports:
- I typically start each class with a few minutes of English to make sure we're all ready for the day.
- I typically end each class with about 10-15 minutes of English in order to re-cap the day's lessons/goals and give students an opportunity to ask any questions they did not resolve during the OWL lessons.
- Students will have an English/Spanish vocab list available that we will add to as students need/want to expand their use of common phrases and expressions. (What? Help! I don't know. Can I go to the bathroom? Etc.)
- Students can speak English with me during SRT or when I am speaking in English in class.
- Once in a while, we have days primarily in English. These typically occur when students are getting behind on work or when we have a variety of grammar points to cover in a short amount of time.
PACING
Both Spanish III and IV are high-rigor classes that move along very quickly. It is VERY important to keep up with all work. Students generally only find themselves in trouble if they aren't keeping up with assignments, studying their vocab words, or asking for help right away when they don't understand something. Please remember that I am available for tutoring for students who struggle with this aspect of the course.
ASSESSMENTS
Assessments comprise 90% of the overall grade, so it VERY important to study! Assessments may involve any aspect of language (speaking, writing, listening). Not all assessments will include all of the aspects.
A FEW FINAL THOUGHTS
In all of my years teaching, I have never seen students begin speaking with such fluency as quickly as I have since adopting the OWL methodology. It is truly impressive to see kids working with the language in their own unique ways so quickly. Going through training to learn how to do this, our instructor, Ashley Uyaguari, conducted the OWL lessons in German. I do not speak ANY German at all! I remember the trepidation I felt when she started expecting us to speak German from the very beginning. However, my fears were soon alleviated as I was able to understand what she wanted just by watching her, repeating, and following her lead. My training was MONTHS ago and I STILL remember the little bits of German I learned during our training. If you had sat me down to learn in a "traditional" way, there is no way I would still remember even half of the German words.
This method works and I am so excited to share this experience with my students!
Ashely sums up the class expectations very nicely: https://deskfree.wordpress.com/2014/08/
After the first day, I expect it to be clear to students that:
- No English is allowed.
- You are going to feel frustrated.
- You are required to participate.
- You will be moving a lot.
Above represents some of the initial feelings, and it is all true. However, as the class progresses our hope (and experience so far) is that the circle allows us to facilitate activities to communicate the following aspects of class to our students as well:
- No English is allowed, however, I will not ask you to complete tasks above your language level. You will also be able to communicate with body language, and drawing. You understand that silence is acceptable.
- You will feel frustrated, however, you will also feel success.
- You are required to participate within this environment in which it’s safe to make mistakes. You will find yourself wanting to participate.
- We will be moving a lot and interacting with everyone in the circle.
The 6 Goals of the OWL Methodology:
http://www.owlanguage.com/about/
Redesigned Classroom Structure :
Students stand and sit in a circle. This structure allows for equality, accountability, and the flexibility to create an academic and social space for language acquisition to occur. The purpose of the circle is to create pairings and groupings of students so that they can interact, practice, produce, learn, and teach each other in a fluid way. This structure allows for students to interact with ALL of their peers, all the time. |
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