Defending AIM, again!

As many of you know, I spend countless hours on Facebook and Twitter speaking about the AIM, informing teachers and education professionals around the world about the AIM, and assisting teachers who use the AIM. I don't get paid for this work, I am not commissioned or subcontracted to be here. I just enjoy it!

I also like a challenge! And I got one today on a Facebook group. So below is how it went!

Teacher 1 statement:
I am a new French teacher and I am a bit anxious about starting things off in September as I've never done it before (my first LTO last year started at the end of the month). Does anyone have some tips for me to begin the year? I teach grades 1-8, so advice for all three divisions would be appreciated! I'm also unsure about how to start the grade 1's off as they have no French prior to grade 1.

Teacher 2 reply:
Parlez seulement en français.
Don't teach grammar explicitly.
Check out the Common European Framework of reference for language NOW!

Many other teachers suggested AIM and of course I did also!

Teacher 2 continued: 
AIM does not teach communication. It teaches sign language and choral chanting!!

Parlez avec Pauline reply:
You are extremely mistaken on that statement. Please do not share falsehoods. It is very professional. In the past, it is unsubstantiated statements such as these that have eroded the efficacy of AIM.

Teacher 2:

I did my research; watched the videos, went to the workshops, read the manuals, and saw it in action.

On the positives, AIM empowers teachers and students to produce French words.

However, the goal is NOT authentic action-oriented, individual COMMUNICATION! Also, I KNOW it is counter productive to use signing. It completely undermines the authentic development of LISTENING comprehension strategies.

I have been a tireless student of the actional and communicative approaches and the CECR. After 10 months with me, my students were able to carry on 3 hour conversation/ interviews on small groups. No two sentences were the same, the students expressed organic and personal thoughts, with no teacher involvement. No tests, no conjugation, and no gestures.

Pauline Fice-Galea, if you feel that I have been misinformed about AIM, I would appreciate a suggested resource to continue my studies. I am sure you have some unique insights (and biases) considering you work for an AIM certification company.

Pavec P/Pauline Fice-Galea reply:
1. You forgot to mention in your exhaustive list of credentials that you have actually implemented the methodology. Therein lies the problem. The AIM involves much more than gestures. That is but one component of the method. And absolutely, I can provide ample resources and information as I did complete the 2 years of Certification training and Mentorship Training, and I am a full-time practicing teacher with my independent language learning company who AIM subcontracts occasionally to facilitate workshops. I spend many hours online daily, for free, like many other teachers sharing resources, best practices and information, for free, to assist my colleagues in their practices. My insights are only unique in that they are based on my experiences in Core French and Immersion, the rest is well documented in various research done over many years, upon which SIM philosophy and practices are based. Also, in becoming an AIM Certified Teacher and Mentor, I received 10 post-Bac credits from Seattle University.

2. The CEFR is a framework upon which many different methodologies are and can be based. It is not a methodology, or a program. The interesting thing about the CEFR from the viewpoint of an AIM teacher is that Wendy Maxwell had many of these various principals in mind as she began to develop her methodology over 15 years ago. The CEFR has been the framework used in Europe for many years. Educators, including those who work for the Ministry in Ontario, in response to our failing FSL programs, decided to adopt this framework, used it as the basis for the new French framework in Ontario and the revised curriculum. Many forward thinking professionals, such as Wendy Maxwell, saw that the old curriculum, in which teacher erroneously focused on language convention and grammar as the cornerstone of planning and teaching, did not lead to the development of effective speaking and oral expressive skills.

3. I personally came through the grammar based learning method and did not learn to speak well. But I certainly was an honours student when it came to grammar. When I first saw AIM in 2001, I couldn't believe what I was seeing and hearing. Students speaking French. It was highly scaffolded with gestures in the initial stages but the ability of students to apply it in other authentic situations, and speak spontaneously was like nothing I had seen in education in Core French.

4. We have been through over 15 years of AIM critics. We have been called a cult and evangelists! (the latter being true in some cases!) That's OK, because it drives the development of the methodology. We all find what works for us in our individual practices and we pick our preferences. That should not stop us from sharing information and as members of a professional learning network, we should not slam other methods. I have never heard an AIM teacher say AIM is the only way or disrespect other methods and resources, such as those by Étienne Steven Langlois, and Jenny Gray etc. We all support each other the best we can!

5. Teacher 2, when you first replied to this discussion, I liked your comment, thinking that, "There's a girl who thinks like I do!" Then I am not sure what happened, but I am thankful you challenged me because it allowed for some wonderful sharing of information.

I always enjoy sharing interesting conversations!

Have an AIMazing day!

Reflecting on Your Teaching Practice From Last Year from @gianfrancocont9

1. What are my beliefs about how languages are best taught and learnt? –

I believe that language is best learned and taught in an environment where the target language is used 90%-100% of the time. If a student is immersed in the TL environment, the student must learn to listen and respond in the TL. Try to create an immersion environment as best as you can. If English is required, use the sandwiching technique (Wendy Maxwell).

I believe that language is best learned when it is used, not studied. It must be used in a repetitive way, at first with a Pared Down language or list of high frequency words that are best used and understood in association with other words. Verbs are essential to communication but are not best learned via conjugation sheets. (AIM) Students use the TL in known tasks, to reduce the affective filter, and in authentic tasks to make learning real and functional. Once a solid foundation is set, the language can be studied and students can start to learn why the language works the way it does. (Inductive learning precedes deductive learning-AIM)

I believe language is best learned in an environment where students are physically face-to-face and can work in groups to communicate, help each other, share ideas and bounce off each other. Groups can be changed so students learn essential communication skills that are not learned using technology based and/or text book based programs. Students learn to listen to, speak with and work with a variety of other students in the target language.

2. Does my teaching truly reflect those beliefs? – often teachers end up using the textbook or other resources available in the department as it is the easier way; however, that is unlikely to result in professional fulfillment and the fact that one does not really ‘believe’ in the approach one is using may impact learning negatively;

Yes it does. I gave up the textbook many years ago, and even though my admin has suggested we move away from my present choice of resources and methodology, I will not. The approach I use, the AIM, has proven time and time again to be highly effective in my teaching practice and ensures that I am able teach in a way that I believe is practical, useful, authentic, sustainable, enjoyable, empowering to students, and real.

3. Is my teaching ‘task-driven’ or ‘methodology-driven’? – as I discussed in a previous post, it is our methodology and understanding of language acquisition that should determine the way we teach and/or our students learn in class and at home; not the resources or tasks we like or are readily available. Sometimes we like certain tasks, games, resources we found or created so much that they end up driving our teaching at the expenses of sound methodology; I see this happen in far too many ‘techy’ lessons – including mine…

My teaching is methodology driven. Tasks are taught, learned and forgotten fi they are not repeated and made to be part of everyday learning. With AIM, with the entry routine, the Teacher Led Whole Group activities, the small group/pairs activities and the exit, I have the opportunity to practice daily routines, using the Pared Down Language in a way that allows for sustained learning for the student. Even when they return in September, they are eager to speak to me in French and eager to get learning in the safe and predictable environment I have created for them. Of course, I will “pad” AIM lessons with other resources, games etc. but not until I am sure the students have learned what they need to know to be able to communicate in the target language ONLY. After solid introductory years with AIM, other resources are do-able. Not the other way around.

4. What was my best lesson last year? What made it such a great lesson? – I find this question very useful to motivate myself, remind myself of what I am like at my best and help me set goals;

Every lesson with AIM is a great lesson!  However, I developed a way to teach students to use the cahier work as a springboard for various, numerous oral communication activities. Too often, with written work, students will get right to the task, heads down and forget to talk. I developed a way for students to talk all the time, even when they are reading and writing. It is about what sounds right. I made this an essential part of any writing work that is done. Students have to make their writing an out/loud oral experience!

5. What did not work well last year that I may want to improve on next year?– this is the hardest question to answer and one which requires a lot of honesty and ‘courage’.

When I move away from AIM methodology, I find the students lose focus and there is too much English in the classroom. When I forget to give checkmarks during the TLA, and I do not give out coupons for excellent group cooperative work, students lose focus. As soon as I hear English in the classroom, I know I have forgotten to adhere to my own routines. The student know it and they go back to old bad habits. Stay the course…if I happen to move away from traditional AIM resources or methodology, I need to do a pulse check and pull myself back before it gets out of hand. Whenever I feel myself going back to traditional teaching style, I have to stop immediately. It does not work!

6. What was my worst lesson? Why? How can I avoid ‘bad’ lessons like that one to happen again?

My worst lesson occurred when I tried to use technology, after feeling pressured about not being techy enough, and I wasn’t fully prepared. Also the wifi in the school is not reliable and I was discouraged because the lesson I planned did not work out because the technology wasn’t working. On the bright side, I was able to ask students for help, which is very empowering for them, and when the technology does not work, I go back to what I know, which is AIM. All I need for that is my hands, and they always work!

7. Which skills/areas did I not focus on enough last year? Why? How did this benefit and/or damage my students’ linguistic development? We all emphasize certain skills over others in our daily practice; for instance, I tend to overemphasize oral/aural skills over reading and writing with my younger students. My next academic year resolutions include focusing more on those two skills, for example;

I believe I found a good balance between the 4 strands found in the Ontario Curriculum. Next year, I want to incorporate more listening into my practice. Students need to hear French from different sources to help train their ears. I am focused on finding authentic video etc., but it has to be comprehensible input with simple language, or the students will just tune out.

8. (Imagine yourself talking to a weak, average and talented student in each of the year group you teach at the end of the next academic year) What would I like him/her to be able to understand and say to me by the end of the year in the context of a target language spontaneous conversation across various topics? How does this fit with the schemes of work in use in the department? – This is possibly the most useful question of all. It really helps me to set my learning objectives for the year, much better than any schemes of work or government or school rubrics. You can obviously apply the same question to all four macro-skill;

I would like him/her to be able to converse, (listening and speaking) about everyday topics, about him/herself, likes and dislikes. This fits in well with what is going on in my school board, which is using the CEFR and the new FSL Framework and the new Ontario curriculum to inform and drive FSL teaching practices.

9. What would I like my students to do INDEPENDENTLY (i.e. without any prodding on my part) to enhance their mastery of the target language? How can I get them to WANT to listen, speak, read and write independently? – This is in my view the most neglected area of teaching and learning in secondary schools around the world; yet, it is the most important. We need to reflect on this important aspect of learning and try to foster it as much as humanly possible considered the limited time and resources available;

I teach in elementary school and cannot comment on secondary practices.

10. (Imagine yourself happy and fulfilled at the end of the perfect lesson you have just taught a specific year group that you find the most challenging) What happened in that lesson? Why did it all flow so perfectly? Why did so much learning occur? – This builds on the great-lesson question above but brings it to next level thereby giving me an aspirational goal to aim towards; but also, and more importantly,it makes me reflect on the obstacles on my way;

It flowed because I had no external interruptions. All the technology worked correctly. Students were focused and receptive and actively engaged. I did not have to stop to deal with classroom behaviour issues.

11. Who or what resources can help me be that happy, fulfilled and contented teacher? How can I go about obtaining them? – Be honest here: have you asked for the help and resources needed to address the issues in the way of your professional fulfillment in the classroom? Is there anyone in your department who may help?

There are numerous resources available online that I use consistently. These are helpful but not always practical.

I wish we had more self-regulated and supported PD in my school Board. All the PD we have is board driven and fulfills the board agenda which is heavily influenced by Ministry of Ontario initiatives and mandates. It is also very data driven.

I wish there was more time for job shadowing of other teachers so I can see what is going on in their classrooms and learn in this manner. I would like more time for this type of very practical sharing of ideas. I need and value workshops that allow me to take ideas away and go right into my classes the next day and use them immediately.

AIM and Adolescent Learners

On using AIM with intermediate students! 

I have to take a few minutes to talk about AIM and Intermediate students.

Many teachers have suggested that they do not use AIM with Intermediate classes because the students do not like it, do not like the gestures and think it is lame. My question is...Who is in charge of the professional learning environment? Do the students, the children, decide how your practice should be run? All I know is that the teacher, who is the adult and the professional, is the one who should be setting up the teaching practice, not the child. 

More on this from fellow teachers

Elizabeth

•  I have used Le Garçon qui joue des Tours, Salut Mon Ami and Veux-Tu Danser? with my intermediates (various years). As long as you are confident and consistent, they will be on board. At this age, we all know there will be those who hate everything! Haha! Just keep going and keep your energy up. The opportunities for real life applications happen EVERY DAY! Like Pauline, my students have told me they have learned more with AIM than ever before. Bonne chance! 

Terry

• I use Salut, mon ami and Cochons for my year 7 and 8 classes. (12 and 13 years). I agree that it is hugely successful at creating confident communicators and in stilling a very valuable PDL. Our senior numbers are growing nicely for the final two years of school where students choose their final five subjects. I believe AIM has created this success as kids are no longer 'frightened' to continue French. I had a Year 11 comment to me upon seeing the open Salut DVD, oh I remember that! I learnt heaps from that, I can remember it all! When I suggested she tell my 7s that she laughed!! The Year 12s still love to sing Matt Maxwell's piggy song! AIM is not for primary only, it is a superb method to learn a language.

• Thank you so much for sharing Elizabeth and Terry. Two ideas jump out at me! The first is the idea is sustainability. The  year 11 student commented on how she remembers what she learned. This speaks volumes about the efficacy of the methodology. The fact that students retain learning over time is incredible. With  many of the older resources and methodologies, this has not occurred.
• The second idea is about how numbers are growing and how teachers are seeing more and more students stay in French in the higher grades. I agree with  that AIM can be responsible for this shift in thinking. When students learn learn through AIM, the affective filter is greatly reduced, allowing the student the opportunity to take those academic risks that we know are essential to learning. 
• More on the affective filter:
• https://www.epik.go.kr/download.do?fileNo=2062
• http://www.educ.ualberta.ca/staff/olenka.bilash/best%20of%20bilash/krashen.html

I just wanted to share some of the discussion we have been having on Parlez avec Pauline

à bientôt!

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My First Days as a Core French Teacher-

I wasn't always an AIM teacher. I started out teaching uncertified, which means I did not have formal training and learning at a Faculty of Education and had not received a Certification from the Ontario College of Teachers. Back in the day, school boards were able to hire uncertified teachers on a letter of permission if certified teachers were unavailable. There were many uncertified French teachers because it was difficult to find qualified French teachers.

I had been a stay-at-home mom, raising four children. When the youngest reached kindergarten, I knew it was time to go back to work. I had a B.A. (Psychology), had been on the executive for our little community co-operative nursery school and drop in, and I had provided private day care for many of the neighbourhood children so I naturally gravitated toward teaching!

I had excelled at language in high school but hadn't used French for about 20 years when I was offered a chance to teach. I volunteered in my children's elementary school, hung around with the French teacher for a bit and was offered a job. It was during my volunteering in 2001 that I first heard of AIM. One of the French Immersion teachers was using it. I helped her make a work wall, using what seemed like random sets of words. It was very alien to how I had learned French. She kept talking about gestures and how she was using hand signals to teach French! I now know that I was making a word wall of the Pared Down Language-essential to AIM methodology.

As an early Core French teacher, I used the tools and resources I had. I taught the way I had learned. There were lots of paper and pencil activities and very little speaking of French was occurring. I taught with thematic units as were laid out in the resources available to me. I thought I was doing a great job! And I was, given the tools I had! In subsequent years, I was to learn that my methodology was flawed and resources were partly to blame!

I went to Trent University's Faculty of Education 2003-2004. At that time, I did not know if I wanted to continue teaching French. It wasn't very enjoyable. The students generally didn't like it, parents were not on board and I had not received any training in FSL pedagogy so I was flying solo. However, the ability to teach French guaranteed me a full time, permanent contract right out of teacher's college, And I was hired by a different board from the one |I had previously worked for. This is when my professional life changed and took a turn to the better.

I was hired by a school board that embraced AIM. They bought all the basic resources and arranged for professional development. I met Edite Sammons at the first board sponsored AIM workshop. She showed us a video that blew me away! Right there, in front of my eyes, were groups of Core French students speaking French. I could not believe what I was seeing! My first reactions were...
"How come they are speaking French? NO Core students speak French like that!"
"How are they speaking French like that?"
"How is this possible? What is this?"
"I am SO doing this! I want a class like that!"

And I was hooked. I decided then and there that I wanted what I was witnessing. I have never looked back!

As I continued to develop my teaching practice in those early days, I attended the AIM Summer Institute in Orillia ON in 2005 and 2008. I continued to hone my AIM skills, and used this methodology exclusively. I loved being a French teacher and I loved that my students were learning to speak French. We were having so much fun, it was hard to believe that I was teaching French. Finally, I had a pedagogy for teaching students to speak French, one that didn't rely on a need to read first!  If not for the Accelerative Integrated Methodology, my students and I would not be enjoying the incredible success that we do.