As a language learner, I feel that I have seen many different learning approaches to language. Based on some of the approaches we talked about in class, I would have to say that the total physical response approach was the most popular in my language classes. I remember specifically my very first year taking a Spanish class my teacher began the first class by asking us questions, in Spanish, but used hand gestures to make sure that we understood. Looking back I made many mistakes as I tried to answer, but she absolutely did not expect perfection and that method definitely worked for me. She was clearly the one in charge at first, and created a very non-stressful environment. Eventually my Spanish improved and I was able to ask the questions. I have also experienced the communicative language teaching approach as I moved further along in my studies. I was constantly having to speak in Spanish once I reached these more advanced levels, most notably my college (lan 116) course. We would be given a question and then we would turn to a partner and discuss in Spanish for the amount of time given to us by the instructor (which seemed like forever, but was probably only about seven minutes). If you were caught speaking English points were taken off. This scared me a bit, and forced me to learn this language quickly if I wanted a good grade. We watched videos and listened to speakers in Spanish so we got good practice hearing the language from natives as well.
In my experiences, the total physical response method was the most comfortable. I am a quiet person in English, so having to be very outgoing, let alone in another language, was a challenge for me simply because of my personality. I get stressed out and nervous easily, so the whole idea of not being called on in class really put me at ease. When I was relaxed in this way I could definitely focus and concentrate more than if I were worried about being called on and answering correctly. However, just because this method works for me does not mean it works for everyone. I absolutely do not think that there is one “best method” that fits all students because all students are different. It is important to take a day or two to learn about your students and not come on too strong with any one method. I work at the ELI and have come to learn that there will always be different types of learning in your classes. I know students who are great English speakers who learned simply by translation and sitting quietly and listening. I also know students who were put in situations like this who floundered. I think the challenge as a future teacher will be balancing these different methods out.
Looking back on my past experiences helped me to understand both Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 in our textbook. I found Chapter 1 extremely interesting simply because the concepts of the different types of teachers you can be is something that I have never really thought of before. However, Chapter 2 was the chapter that I think I got the most useful information out of. I enjoyed learning about the different methods because I really feel I can implement this knowledge into my own classroom someday. It is important to understand exactly what you are doing, what type of method, so that you can understand why you are teaching the way you are teaching. In other words, after reading this chapter I feel like I will not be going into a lesson blindly, but confident. In particular, I liked the section about the dissatisfaction with method. I think it is great that this textbook brought in a perspective that lets readers know it is okay to not believe everything you hear. I particularly like that “over time, teachers develop and follow a carefully delineated task hierarchy, a weighted sequence of activities not necessarily associated with any established method” (Kumaravadivelu 30). This is of course absolutely true! If teachers tried to stick to one method students would not learn in the best way possible. While, as I said earlier, I agree that it is important to know and implement the methods, I like that Kumaravadivelu allows teachers to challenge these methods to make them better fit their specific classroom. This connects with what I said above—not every student learns best with the same method, and teachers should not teach with this assumption in mind.
I am very surprised to read that you had experienced learning Spanish with the physical response approach. I personally do not think I have ever come across this approach and found it quite interesting. It is very cool that this was the approach you felt most comfortable with as a language learner. I sometimes had the same problem when I was learning Spanish where I was more quiet and did not necessarily want to speak out in class. I wish I would have experienced this approach as a learner because maybe it would have helped me as well. And I completely agree with you that there is no best method for all students' needs. Everyone learns in their own ways and some people may need one approach while others may need another. So yes I completely agree that it is important to balance out the methods in your teaching.
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