Gesture and Teacher Led Self Expression

Gestures and TLSE. 

My teaching practice and the experiences of my students have changed radically since implementing the AIM, using gestures and using Teacher Led Self Expression. The gestures are a powerful tool for teaching a L2. Before using AIM, there was really no way to teach vocabulary other than through the use of vocabulary lists that were related to a theme. These vocab lists contained very little functional vocabulary and students were rarely able to transfer the learning of such vocab into everyday language. Students did learn words but the learning was usually not sustained and thematic vocabulary was soon forgotten. With AIM, not only do students learn essential, functional vocabulary kinaesthetically and repetitively, through the use of gesture, but also learn grammar inductively just as they did when learning their maternal language. 

Before using AIM, I was really only able to connect to students who were good “listening learners”. I struggled to pull boys into French literacy. I struggled to reach all the students, especially those with learning disability. With gestures, I am able to connect with those students who are kinaesthetic learners, especially the boys. Students who were on Individual Education Plans (IEP) for language and needed accommodations and modifications in English language learning, did very well in French and got good marks because the gestures allowed them to see, hear, feel and be the language all at the same time. Learning through gesture allows the students to understand and to speak. The students are empowered and happy and look forward to coming to French class. 

Before using AIM, I did not have a method for teaching oral language. No one taught me how to teach others to speak French. All I had was my own experience, which was the “old way”. I learned, in the 70s and early 80s, to speak French by reading it and by memorizing vocabulary with the use of flashcards. I learned about verbs through endless verb conjugation drills. My oral communication skills were very poor. I could read with perfect pronunciation but could not engage in spontaneous conversation. Also, as I attempted to teach others how to speak French, all I had were the programs and pedagogy available at that time, which were all grammar based. My students rarely spoke French and my teaching was done in English. 

With AIM, I have a method for teaching others to speak French. I have the TLSE. The first few times I used TLSE, I felt so good! I was finally teaching others to speak French. One of my first thoughts was, “I can actually teach French and I can enjoy doing it!” It was an A-HA moment and was career changing because I didn’t know if I wanted to continue teaching French. It was such a struggle before the AIM. Every day was like being in a war of attrition. Nobody was getting anywhere and everyone was being worn down. During TLSE, the students and I speak French! We speak it together! It is not just them listening to me. It is like singing a song together. We speak chorally, asking and answering questions in a fluid, natural way. Receptive and expressive language is being developed simultaneously. During TLSE, I am able to scaffold language and I can guide the students through hundreds of guided spontaneous sentences. We practice and say these sentences over so they become part of the collective classroom consciousness –the language is embedded. With TLSE, my students rarely speak English and my teaching is done entirely in French. During TLSE, I am able to connect with the weak students. If a student makes a mistake, it doesn’t matter because he only hears it himself. He doesn’t have to be self-conscious about producing an error. As we repeat it over and over again, he can hear what he is saying incorrectly and then he can self-correct, and his error won’t become fossilized. 

As an Immersion teacher, it is easy to forget to use gestures during spontaneous communication because the students have more of an opportunity to practice during the day so it seems like their language acquisition is even more accelerated than that of Core French students. I am finding that my students in Grade 1 have excellent receptive language skills but their expressive language skills are starting to level off. I believe that it is because I am used to how they talk now so even when they talk to me with errors, I fail to correct them, because I understand them. What I need to do is to be cognizant of this and to consciously correct those errors that students are making when speaking to the class or myself.

Let's Move Forward with L2 teaching!

FSL and ESL Teachers’ Perspectives of Their Professions: A Comparative Overview of

Two National Survey Projects  2014   Taken from CASLT

 http://www.caslt.org/pdf/Panorama-2014-EN.pdf

As a Core French teacher in Ontario, I found this publication to be of particular interest.  There were many parts of the article that I could have commented on, and probably will in the future, but these two sections stood out for me today.

The most troubling finding to arise from the

surveys is that experienced teachers may be

dissatisfied with the L2 teaching profession.

As noted in the comparative analysis, although

a majority of FSL and ESL teachers had over

10 years of general teaching experience, nearly

40% of FSL teachers and 47% of ESL (QC)

teachers had contemplated leaving the profession

in the previous year. To ensure teacher retention

and attract new generations of L2 teachers,

it is crucial to gain a better understanding

of why so many teachers are looking to

leave the profession. Future research should

examine, in particular, what specific teacher

population is dissatisfied with the profession

(e.g.,experienced teachers, new recruits), and

to what extent other factors such has workload,

amount of L2 specialist training, and level of

self‑perceived efficacy (see Swanson, 2012) might

influence the desire to abandon L2 teaching.

L2 Specialist Training

The majority of FSL and ESL teachers, except

for ESL (QC) teachers, hold a generalist teaching

license only. Learning an L2 is fundamentally

different from learning an L1, especially when

the L2 is being learned primarily in a language

classroom. Specialist training is beneficial in

helping students achieve proficiency in the L2.

In the short term, there is a clear need for more

PD opportunities focusing on improving L2

teaching skills for teachers who have not had the

opportunity to receive solid specialist training

(and for those with specialist training who are in

need of upgrading their knowledge). In the long

term, provincial ministries of education clearly

need to revisit the requirements for L2 teachers.

We have been observing and experiencing these findings for decades. Let’s move forward.

I know for a fact that Wendy Maxwell, creator of the Accelerative Integrated Methodology, has been cognizant of the FSL teaching dilemma since she began work her Master’s thesis in the 1990s. (https://tspace.library.utoronto.ca/bitstream/1807/16589/1/MQ58676.pdf)

Her ideas and methodology are founded in research, and she continues to address criticisms and concerns as they arise over time.

The AIM should be take much more seriously by those professionals who really want to facilitate change.

Well I finally did it! I got on Blogger and will now be able to share my news and ideas about teaching FSL and using AIM.

Why I like AIM.

The Accelerative Integrated Method is an incredibly effective method for teaching second language.

What is the AIM?

Accelerated – Means it is possible to reach Immersion level fluency in just 30 minutes a day. (In the Core French program, this is 90 hours of instruction- one scholastic year.)

Integrated – Means that learning is achieved through interaction in spontaneous classroom contexts, using drama, music and dance to foster an emotional connection to L2.

Method – Means that there is a systematic use of tools and techniques, (gestures, linguistic routines, TLSE, IPG, sandwiching, PDL, focus on verbs, inductive approach to grammar, target language only, clustering language patterns, word association, scaffolding, comprehension checks, active learning, pleasant repetition, content based holarchical approach) when teaching L2.

I have experienced tremendous success teaching French using the AIM. I have been able to reach levels of oral, reading and written fluency that I was never able to achieve with language programs using a thematic, noun-focused approach, and I am able to do so in less than 90 hours of instruction, or roughly 40 minutes a day. Until AIM, I didn’t have a method for teaching oral French. It was very frustrating because the Ontario curriculum mandates the teaching of oral fluency but there were no tools to achieve that. AIM has provided me with the tools, strategies and techniques necessary to teach students of all ages and with different learning styles, to reach a functional level of fluency, including the teaching of difficult grammar concepts using songs, raps, plays and dance. Learning is authentic and practical. Lessons follow a 4 part lesson plan made up of entry routines, teacher-led self-expression activities, independent, paired and group work, and leaving routines. Pared-down language is taught using gestures, sandwiching, clustering, word association and opposites. Through active learning (choral speaking) and pleasant repetition, I can scaffold language learning in a fun, friendly, non-threatening environment. With the use of coupons and points system, I can ensure that only the target language is being used in the classroom. AIM provides me with everything I need to be able to successfully teach French, and have amazing results in a relatively short period of time. I cannot imagine teaching without using the AIM.

With AIM creator, Wendy Maxwell 2005