rmb8592's blog

Textbooks are still one of the most used medium to teach a language. Though technology has become an important tool for the second language instructor, the textbooks continue to be the main academic guide in the second language classroom.  Therefore a textbook should contain the proper material to teach a language for the students to be able to communicate outside the classroom.  Taking this in consideration I’m going to attempt to make a brief analysis of the textbook Ven conmigo!  by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. This is a level 1 Spanish book. This will include an analysis of all aspects of acquiring a second language: listening, speaking, writing, reading and culture.

At the end of each chapter the book includes a reading section. It teaches the students reading strategies using cognates and using context.  It also incites them to use their back ground knowledge and to scan for specific information including pictures, titles, and subtitles for reading comprehension. It also has the students pay attention to the outline of the articles to understand the main idea

 The textbook introduces grammar in a dialogue context. After introducing two or three grammatical items, the textbook incorporates activities in pairs or groups to increase both the input and the output opportunities for the students. These activities include real life situation dialogues. The grammatical material covered in the textbook includes gender, plural, and singular of nouns, definite and indefinite articles, pronouns, adjectives, affirmative and negative expressions, comparatives, regular verbs, verb with irregular forms, the verbs gustar, present progressive, stem-changing verbs and the preterit of regular verbs.

In spite of being a book for beginners, the textbook incorporates writing activities. In the first chapters students are asked to write at the level sentence towards the end of the book students are asked to produce paragraphs.

The textbook also incorporates listening activities with an audio cassette. For these activities various aids are provided to increase comprehension from the students.  These aids include many things, from pictures following a sequence of events to listening to the dialogues of a fotonovela.  The listening activities also include real life situations events.

Each chapter is introduced with brief information of a Spanish speaking country.  The information includes ethnicity, customs, and historical artifacts.   Though this information is limited, it serves as  a guide for the instructor to incorporate the cultural aspect of the language to the class.

I think this book covers all the aspects of the language acquisition.

There is no doubt that technology is a wonderful tool to use when teaching a foreign language.

It can be used for simple tasks such as introducing new vocabulary to the class, exposing the students to the different dialects of a language, and bringing the various cultures connected to that vocabulary.

Technology can be very useful in the second language classroom even for what seems to be a simple task: the introduction of new vocabulary.  I used Power Point for the first time to teach new concepts to 4^th semester students about three weeks ago. It helped me a lot because I had an image that corresponded to both simple vocabulary and complex concepts that some students were not very familiar in their first language.  I was even able to include images to represent actions.  From the teaching perspective, it was much easier to present pictures   than trying to describe the words when the time is an issue, especially because some students listening skills are underdeveloped.  Then I read the UT Austin module on technology and I wished I had read it before presenting my power point.  I could have incorporated chunks of information using the vocabulary. According to the UT Austin module “chunks are groups of words that are learned as an unanalyzed whole. For example, beginning learners often memorize salutations as chunks, that is, without understanding the grammar of these expressions.” I believe this strategy could have had even better results with the aforementioned students of 4^th who are knowledgeable of the basic rules of Spanish grammar. Dr. Kelms also addresses the importance of teaching scripts. This “involves any cultural behavior that can be broken down into a sequence of events. The classic example of a cultural script is when a person dines in a restaurant: finding a seat, reading the menu, ordering drinks from the waitstaff, etc. Language learning needs to include cultural scripts since these scripts regulate how a speaker will use the target language in real world situations”. I remembered when I started to communicating in English and I would go to the store or any other entity.  I would mentally prepare myself for the possible questions and comments I would face in that particular situation. However, if some would said something that it was not in my reviewed material I would feel very insecure and my mind completely erased even the sentences I had diligently prepared to use. Yes, I agree with the UT Austin module about using technology to bring students real life situations.   Another interesting point in the module presents “narrow listening and the narrow reading” which consists of “studying a small amount of language in great detail”.  And why not incorporate writing? After the students analyze a video or any other material with great detail it would not be difficult for the students to produce the language in writing accordingly with their level.  Depending on the level of the students, the themes could range from the cultural aspects, historical content, etc.  Of course, other material could also be provided to assist them with their writing tasks. 

We are aware of the challenges that we face as second language instructors. The UT Austin technology module cites that the teacher/student ratio problem is part of the difficulty of bringing culture to the classroom. I think another major problem is the different levels of proficiency of the students. UT Austin suggests the use of technology to help us become more efficient despite these challenges.  For centuries technology has made our life much easier in many aspects. Why would it not be the same in the classroom? Moreover, today’s generations seems to be very attracted to new technologies. Unfortunately, the implementation of multimedia in the classroom presents another challenge for the instructor like me who grew up without computers.

I completed my first 12 years in Mexico without the benefits of computers. However, as a student I have been a recipient of the benefits of technology in my education in the United States. I have taken classes with professors who are not afraid to utilize technology to enhance their teaching tasks. I have also taken classes with others who are reluctant to take advantage of the wonders of the technological advances for various reasons.  I completely agree with the UT Austin technology module regarding the wonderful benefits using technology as a tool to enhance language teaching. I can see how it enhances language input, facilitates authentic communication, and helps expose the students to the various dialects and cultures of the Spanish language.  Another benefit I have experienced as student is the effective communication between the student and the instructor.  As a student I have easy access to learning material; then, I can easily submit completed assignments and get feedback. Technology could also be utilized in writing the tasks. VanPatten advocates writing and composing in a second language beginning with beginner students.  I believe that students should be able to produce the language in writing as they learn the basics. Once they have been exposed to the elements of sentences they students should be required to produce simple sentences.   I attended a couple of grammar classes in the Dallas Community College when I was learning English and writing was not included in the classes. Later when I was required to produce the language in writing it was quite a challenge and over all it was very frustrating. The main reason for this is because a I was deficient in the writing skill in my own language. I also believe that students should already have mastered the writing skills in their first language otherwise trying to acquire them in a second language would be very difficult. Teaching the basics skills of composition to a student who lacks them in the first language would be very difficult in spite of the use of technology.  This in itself is a challenge to implement since not all the instructors are technology oriented.  I’m aware that technology is an important tool to enhance exposure to culture: my next step is to take action and to be updated with the ever-changing subject of technology.

Both the module of Principals of Communicative Language Teaching and chapter 4 of Making Communicative Language Teching Happen deal with pedagogical coherence when teaching a language; in addition, it also discusses the integration of speaking, writing, listening, reading,  and culture using a communicative approach.

In my short experience as a teacher’s assistant, I have learned that when teaching a certain topic one must keep it simple in order for the students to learn it well.   In spite of keeping classes very simple the four modules must be present including culture. Dr. Garza advocates the integration of all reading, speaking, writing, listening, and culture. I considered this integration a big challenge mainly because there must be a balance since all the components are equally important in the second language acquisition.   Moreover, according to this module the sequence of activities is very important.  Each topic or activity builds on previous classes.   “Each activity should logically build on what has been previously studied and lead naturally to a subsequent activity. Such a careful sequence helps to create pedagogical coherence that in turn helps students stay on task”.  Unfortunately, the textbooks don’t come with suggestions in “how to and how to maintain a balance” at the end of each chapter, although chapter  4 of VanPatten provides an example of a lesson plan in how to integrate these modules in a simple and typical class. So far in, I have been responsible for planning a specific section of a chapter.   I would focus on knowing the material well in order to be able to explain it to the students. However, after reading this chapter, I have a much better understanding on what’s involved   planning a lesson.  In addition to keep a lesson simple, I must integrate all the language components including culture, and I must also keep in mind the material the students have so far learned to build on. In addition, one must keep in mind the objectives the school administration requires in the curricula. In this chapter,  VanPatten also reiterates to keep in mind  a good communicative goal. So all the activities I prepared when I’m solely responsible for a class must be geared to meet this goal. This is achieved by creating class objectives that require “students to exchange information and use it in some way”. The author also states that some of the activities in some of textbooks used do not reflect real life language of students or use topics that one would not typically discussed in a conversation.   This was an eye-opening for me because I incorrectly believed that all the language textbooks were well thought out by the experts and they were ready to be used by instructors.  As a newcomer to this profession, I have a lot more to learn about pedagogy than I really thought. It is comforting to listen to Dr. Garza saying that a “becoming a foreign language teacher doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time and effort”. There is no doubt that  for a new teacher it would take a lot more time and effort because there are many issues involve in preparing for class.

Chapter  7 of  provides concise examples on how to use Processing Instruction and structured  input in order to achieve maximum efficiency of language acquisition.

One of the most enlightened and useful information for me as a new instructor is chapter 7. It made me realize that being a native speaker of the Spanish language and knowing the grammar is not enough to be a good instructor. I must take in consideration the manners and mechanisms by which the linguistic data is attended and retained by the learner’s memory when working with comprehension.   VanPatten offers helpful principals of input processing that I must take in consideration when preparing a class. We learned in chapter 2 that input in the target language is very important. However, this input must be based in these principals when teaching grammar since they are focused in processing form and meaning.  I learned in this chapter, that is important that form “relates to some semantic concept in the real world”.  If it contains communicative value, there is a higher probability that learners would process and retain it.  Taking these facts in consideration, VanPatten advocates that “grammar instruction should first occur at the level of processing input”.  Following this recommendation, the author provides very useful guidelines in how to implement meaningful grammar instruction teaching verb morphology and adjective agreement.  He also provides guidelines for developing structured input activities.  After reading these guidelines, I remembered Dr. Rings stating that it was noteworthy to keep this book as a reference. She was so right.   As a new instructor, I welcome the explicit guidelines of structured input activities the author provides.  The author indicates that in order to achieve maximum efficiency, an instructor must introduce one thing at the time; must keep in mind that “input should be attended to for its message so that learners can see how grammar assists in the delivery of that message” (155); The second language instructor must begin using short sentences to allow the students to process them, then he can progress to a connected discourse.  Another activity to keep in mind is the use of oral and written input. I could not agree more with the author in this activity. As a learner, I had to have both the written and the oral in order to process and acquire new vocabulary.  The few German words that I have learned this semester is due to the fact that I have seen both oral and written structure.  I’m unable to retain new vocabulary without the written form. “Using oral input only would place these learners in uncomfortable and ineffective- learning situations”. (158). I would add to this that it would completely discourage and alienate these individuals. Another structured input activity is to keep in mind that the students “must actively engage in attending to the input to encourage the processing of grammar”.  We have already experienced it in this class that working in groups increases the students’ opportunity to actively engage in the learning process. Another important aspect is that we need to encourage the students to express their opinion and beliefs in order to engage them in processing information about the real world. This aspect can be a challenge in my personal opinion since there are some students who dislike verbalizing their opinion especially in the target language.

Everybody has been aware of language variation within our own native language since we are children. We have known that factors such geography, education, profession, and culture contribute to this diversity.  As a second language instructor this language variation had presented a big challenge for me, considering the many dialects existing within the Spanish language. I often question myself which vocabulary  is best for the students. For example, do I teach cacahuate, cacahuete, mani?  After reading ‘Pedagogical Norms for Second and Foreign Language Learning and Teaching of Albert   Valdman  and “Authentic spoken texts as examples of language variation: Grammatical, situational, and cultural..”   of Dr. Rings, I have a clearer stand on this issue.  Mr. V advocates ways to simplify the learning process by reducing variation to facilitate instruction and expedite the learning process.   However, both V and Dr. Rings advocate that the language variation should be thought as part of cultural learning.

  When I was in elementary school in México I was made aware of the vosotros form which is used in a daily basis in Spain, both in the spoken and written form.  As any other Spanish speaker outside Spain, I never had to produce it.  However, when I read literature or watched a film that came from Spain I was able to understand it.  When I go to Spain I use ustedes instead of vosotros and I don’t have any problem communicating with the Spaniards. Antother example  of language variation in the Spanish language is at the phonetics level.  In Spain, the graphemes “z” and “c” are pronounced different from “s”. However, in Latin America there is no distinction in the pronunciation.   As a native Spanish speaker I never had to speak the above mentioned variations.  Not even the most educated and most learned man in Latin American have to do it.   Great writers and scholars from Latin America write literature omitting this form and are recipients of literary awards for their works. As a language instructor I believe that it is important that my students are familiar with the linguistic variety of Spanish from within Latin America and Spain. However, they will not be required to learn it, nor to produce it; especially, at the lower levels of learning.  In the article Dr. Rings points out that another “variety of language is evident in the differences between casual spoken and formal written discourse” within one family. She says that there are “inseparable links between form, function, and cultural meaning” . Dr. Rings suggests the use of videos in the classroom to demonstrate these differences.  She also indicates that “any authentic spoken or written text” materials when the “course goals include the study of cultural differences, or when students wish to develop social relationships with similar members of the target culture”.  To the language instructor of Spanish this “target culture” presents an overwhelming variety of choices.  Spanish is spoken natively in approximately 26 countries around the world. Consequently, there are many standard dialects and a huge linguistic variation if we take in consideration their casual discourse.  I agree with Dr. Rings that it is important to introduce the linguistic differences as part of cultural learning.  This includes getting the students familiar with the vosotros and vos forms, vocabulary, etc.  That way if  a student  desires to further develop certain cultural or linguistic features of Spanish language , out of necessity or for any reason, he or she will have the basics.

“Have you ever asked yourself how people acquired a second language before there was schooling or universities?”  This is a question Lee and Vanpatten posed the readers on chapter 6 referring to the limited effects of grammar instruction has on language acquisition.  This made me think of the multiple scenarios that I have encountered where formal and grammar instruction has been absent in the acquisition of a language. Because grammar shouldn’t be absent when teaching a second language, the authors provide an innovative and effective grammar instruction that moves away from the traditional grammar tutoring.

I have encountered numerous scenarios where the Spanish language is incorrectly utilized due to the lack of grammar instruction. These scenarios include doctor’s offices, hospitals, government offices, and commercial advertisements. These business and government offices have the good intention to include or cater to the Hispanic community by hiring individuals who call themselves bilingual.  They may be considered truly bilingual because they can communicate in both languages. Since spoken language is more immediate there is less accuracy in it even in one’s first language.  However, when it comes to written language in a professional setting accuracy is certainly required.  I have seen hospital and office signs, doctor’s instructions, and other documents poorly translated due to the lack of formal instruction in Spanish.    While I often find them amusing some can be confusing and even offensive.  Another scenario occurs outside the United States with the increasing globalization. Though in most cases these business are conducted in English, sometimes Spanish speaking persons are required in Latin America.  I have friends who have dealt with these persons who acquired the Spanish without formal  instruction and they dislike to deal with them because they used improper grammar at the professional level.  Of course teaching grammar is very important.   I believe the learners have to developed an awareness of proper grammatical form   and use it to always monitor themselves especially in the early stages of learning in order for them to achieve proficiency.  I have been in the US for over 25 years and I still monitor myself when I speak English.   In chapter 7 and 8, the authors offer specific   and innovative guidelines of teaching grammar to second language learners.  They state that according to research, the traditional method of teaching grammar is not efficient because it does not match the natural order of acquisition.   Instead, they recommend that the instructors focus on processing instruction and structure output.  The fact that there is an innovative way of teaching grammar in order to enhance language acquisition raises an issue for me as instructor of languages.  Though languages themselves do not change as rapidly as other subjects such science and technology, the instructor has to keep up with the latest research on language acquisition.    I plan to teach Spanish for the next 20 years after I graduate. I still have a lot to learn about pedagogy and I don’t doubt that in the next 20 years, scholars will find better and improved methods to teach in order to enhance language learning.

When I first read chapter 11 about Comprehending Written Language, I thought Lee and VanPatten were not referring to a lower level of second language acquisition students.  These students are learning vocabulary and simple grammar how can they comprehend a text even with the proper guided interaction from the instructor?  The instructor will have to make an extraordinary effort to provide the instruction using the target language. A great number of students will most likely end up frustrated in the early stages of learning a second language having to figure out the content of a text.  Upon further reflection, I came to the realization that I was wrong.  Reading for comprehension in the early stages would be a great tool to teach not only the reading aspect but as well as the grammar and the culture aspects of a language.

As the authors advise, a second language instructor would have to take in consideration the background of the students to select the appropriate text in order to build on their schemata.   Since I was not educated in the American school system, if I were to teach high school students, my first task would be to investigate what knowledge students have acquired at this level.  I would also be aware of young people’s way of life in order to find a text that would be common among them and maybe a theme that would be of their interest.  

I would definitely take the opportunity to incorporate grammar into the tasks of reading for comprehension. I would select a text that contains those aspects in Spanish language that the students have a difficult time learning mainly because they don’t exist in their first language.  For example, in the Spanish language there are two paradigms that are difficult for English speakers to learn: the imperfect and the preterit.  They both refer to an action that occurred in the past. However, the difference consists on their aspect. The imperfect has an imperfective aspect while the preterit has a perfective one.   When they are translated into the English language the aspect of the verb is not translated, consequently, some of the semantic information these verbs in Spanish communicate gets lost in translation. However, if these difficult aspects of the Spanish language are introduced to the students in the early stages, in the form of text they must comprehend, the process of building their schemata begins. And I don’t see why these students shouldn’t be able to master some of these difficult features of the language by the time they are in the advanced levels. 

I definitely agree with the authors of the book about using reading to teach the culture that is embedded to the language students are learning.  There are very important aspects on every culture that one must be aware when learning its language.  Dr. Rings already discussed in class the issue of addressing people.  In the United State it is important to address professionals by saying his/her title followed by the last name.  In the Mexican culture addressing people using the title is enough.  It sounds redundant to also use the last name and does not show lack of respect.  Moreover we typically address a person with a title using the formal form of usted to recognize the social hierarchy and to show respect.  Though I believe culture can be taught in many ways, by having students read and by having them produce feedback the students are given the opportunity to work and to develop these skills in the second language.

After reading  chapter 3 of Making Communicating Language Teaching Happen,  the topic that drew my attention the most was their statement about the Atlas complex teaching style  which can be an  impediment for students to develop communicative skills.

If research has proven that language learners learn to communicate by communicating, then why do we perpetrate this dynamic of teaching?   I believe that a great number of us have participated in the traditional Atlas Complex teaching style classroom.  We have either played the role of authoritative transmitters or the role of receptive vessels or perhaps both.   One reason for perpetrating this way of teaching may be modeling what we have seen in our experiences as students. Many of us are accustomed to the history or science lectures where there is one lecturer and many note takers. I believe that as instructors, it is very easy to perpetrate this teaching style since it is the style we have known most of our lives.  Another reason could be that the schools curricula demand that students demonstrate grammatical competence in order to pass to the next level.  This occurs at the expense of the communicative of the sociolinguistic skills.  I studied English for six years from middle all the way to high school in México. I could conjugate all the tenses and I got A’s in all my tests. The only oral test we had to take on our last semester was to sing the Jingle Bells song.  We didn’t even have to know the meaning of the lyrics!!! When I arrived to the USA, I attempted to say something very simple, but I was completely unintelligible.  After six years of taking English grammar I could not say a word! Realistically, if one doesn’t not have a chance to interact using the second language outside the classroom, the acquisition is to going to occur in spite of having a non-Atlas instructor. I believe that in order for a student to become competent in that language he or she needs to create opportunities outside the classroom to interact and practice what it was learned in school.  I don’t think that it would be difficult to find a person or a whole community that uses their native language.  Meeting a friend, volunteering, or using the internet can provide opportunities to practice.  Technology allows people to interact live using cameras long distance.   The authors recommend that language instructor move away from the Atlas complex teaching style in order to create a setting for students to engage in oral communication.  They provide excellent ideas with specific examples for the instructor to incorporate into the curriculum. These activities do provide opportunities for the language learners to verbally interact during class. However, most students only have 50 minutes per class. During this time they must acquire other skills such as grammar, pronunciation, listening, writing, and reading.  I believe that the students must take an active role outside the classroom in order for them to become proficient in the target language. Even if the language professor takes a non-Atlas role, the responsibility falls on the student to master all the second language skills.

According to Lee/VanPatten of the Making communicative language teaching happen.  In order to promote foreign language acquisition the learner must be exposed to L2 input.  However, this input has to be comprehensible in order to be effective. In his article Pantomime as an L2 classroom strategy, Paul W.  Seaver of  Bloomsburg University expresses that pantomime is a tool foreign language instructors can use to achieve a more effective communication with the students. It can also serve as a strategy to create a low stress and anxiety environment in order to lower the affective filter. If human communication consists of 63% of body language and gesture, 30% of eye contact and only 7% speech as the article suggests, then it is not surprising that using mime as a supplement to teach can be effective and doable. The author suggests that an instructor only needs 10- minute lessons to carry out from 10 to 20 commands using mimic gestures. The instructor can get the students involved using gesture in groups or pairs.    Seaver states that gestures can be used to teach new vocabulary and even advanced grammatical structures.   I like the idea of incorporating mime to teach vocabulary and simple grammar structures in the beginner levels in order use the target language. However, I disagree with author on teaching complex and advanced grammar concepts to students.  By the time the students are learning these concepts, they should be exposed to the language linguistically in order for them to start producing the language verbally. Although mime can always be resourceful in avoiding the use of L1 in the classroom, the author admits the limitations of this pedagogical approach.  He says that there are abstract concepts that cannot be conveyed using gestures. On the affective aspect of learning a second language, using the pantomime strategy can lower the learner’s level of stress and anxiety.   According to the experts, stress and anxiety con be an impediment for students to acquire a language.  He lists several other contemporary teaching approaches that attempt to lower the affective filter by creating an environment of less stress in the classrooms.  Among these are Suggestopedia, Community Language Learning, The Natural Approach, and the Total Physical Response. It very useful that the author includes the names of these approaches   He also mentions the availability of psychological counseling.  This made me realize that instructors must also be aware of the different learning styles of the students as well as their different personalities. Taking these aspects in consideration, the language instructors must implement different teaching modalities in order to accommodate the students including those who suffer from stress and anxiety.  The author indicates that research had proven that the use of pantomime lowers anxiety in the classroom. When the instructor mimics he puts him in a less threatening position.  I think that the use of pantomime in the classroom can be a fun way to interact with the students.  I also agree with the author when he says that it would motivate students to express ideas they would not dare to imagine much less acting with gestures and mimics.  However, I would give the students the option to participate in front of the entire class or in a small group in order to accommodate the students that suffer from stage fright.  I believe that incorporating pantomime and other visual aids can be excellent tools to teach a foreign language in the target language.