Expert: Debba Robinson - 2/24/2006

Question
I am teaching Spanish 1 to 6th-8th using a Rosetta Stone language emersion progam.  The program comes with a study guide, quizzes and tests.  My degree is in economics not in education so my teaching skills are limited.  
I chose to display the notes for a new lesson on the overhead. They were in outline form and consisted of new vocabulary (20 words) and grammar rules to follow with examples.  My idea was to let the kids read and write the information down for their first exposure, then the next class period we would go over the notes and discuss.  The class was silent while they took notes with the exception of a couple of questions.  It happened to be my evaluation day and my principal said that "it was not a lesson" that kids don't learn anything from copying from the board.  She said that I should have been explaining as they took notes. I don't agree, to me it is like when you are reading and someone starts talking to you. You can't really listen.  Please tell me what you think.

Answer
Dear Laura,

The key to this issue is whether or not the observation by your administrator was planned or unannounced.  If it was planned, your lesson needed to be an active one - where you and the students did a variety of activities to demonstrate your rapport and ability to manage a class.  If it was unannounced, the observer takes what he/she gets and is appreciative of the spontaneous quality of what you are doing.

I agree that there will be times when students need to quietly write down information - but if it went for the entire period, especially with a foreign language, I would be hard-pressed to say that that was the best way to do it.  

I will guess that it might take about 10 minutes for everyone to copy everything on one overhead sheet.  I would then take 5-10 minutes to talk about what they had been writing ... giving some specific examples, practicing saying some of the words, etc.  Then I would give them the next sheet.  Again, after giving them enough time to copy it, I would have some activities to 'bring the information home'.  

In other words, explaining doesn't have to be WHILE they are copying, but every few minutes, you need to talk about what they have written down.  Better to take 2-3 lessons to get all those notes copied by getting them actively involved in the language.  Maybe you play some of the language from a tape (assuming you don't speak the language fluently) so they hear those new words in context.  Maybe you have some pictures on cards that illustrate the new words - and you play a form of concentration (as one example of a game you could use to get the kids involved in learning the new words).

I am very familiar with Rosetta Stone and one of the premises is that the kids learn the vocabulary by figuring it out - just like native speakers do.  Therefore, there really shouldn't be a lot of time spent on memorization or busy-work.  Get the kids listening to and interacting with the software.  

I am learning Indonesian with Rosetta Stone and though I already have some of the language, I find I learn very quickly when I have to figure out the concept they are trying to teach simply by looking at the pictures.  So, I don't know how necessary it is to give them lengthy notes.  On the other hand, I'm not familiar with the 'class' version (mine is for individuals).  Maybe they expect you to do some of that for students.  

The fact that you aren't trained as a teacher tells me that the administrator should be giving you lots more attention, modeling behaviors she might like you to use.  I'm not sure if she was just too blunt - telling you only NOT to do something, or if that is just what you took away from what was said.  If she gave you some concrete examples of what she expected to see, then I would take it as constructive criticism and see if you can find ways to implement what she wants you to do.  Don't be afraid to go to her and ask for more specific examples of things she wants to see.  

The fact that you are asking me, tells me that you are trying to get some other opinions and that you are looking for reassurance.  I can't give you all the answers in this forum, but if you can take some education courses you will begin to feel more comfortable - right now, I can imagine that you feel like a fish out of water!  

I commend you for taking on a foreign langauge!  The job is not easy at any level, but 6-8 is probably one of the most difficult!  Find ways to get the kids listening to music in Spanish, learning Spanish versions of popular American songs, reading simple books in Spanish, practicing the things they are hearing on Rosetta Stone in simple dialogs that you make, or that they make.  Put things around the room (for example) when practicing under, over, on, in, etc - and ask the children where the things are.  Let them sit with milk, or bread, or water, etc and tell what they are doing.  Language comes alive when it gets active.

I hope this helps.  Please write back if you don't understand something I've said or if you want some more ideas.  

Debba