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Right at Home

Published by SraSpanglish on

ALL of my old standbys failed me last year. HARD.

For some reason, my promises to make Spanish learning possible, even easy, for the students didn’t seem to reassure or even REGISTER with this completely new set of students. Puedos BOMBED, and stories were CHAOS. And they totally didn’t get Señor Wooly.

Maybe it’s because I’m back in the district where I’ve taught longest. Maybe it’s because I have a bigger classroom with windows, shelves, AND an office. Maybe it’s having 90 kids instead of 180.

But really I think it’s the amygdala.

I was fortunate enough to attend a powerful district PD session with Horacio Sanchez on what the brain wants and needs to soothe the amygdala and disengage the “animal brain” in favor of reasoned cortex-based responses, things like:

  • establishing positivity
  • establishing stability
  • establishing connections and commonalities

I addressed these amygdalian demands a few different ways the first week, BEFORE I introduced Puedos or projects or stories. And it feels like it’s paying off!

Seating Challenges

Seating challenges: birthdays, names, height? hair length, sneaker/nonsneaker, indoor/outdoor,

I referred to the article “Teaching Secrets: Get to Know Students Through Seating Challenges” daily the first week and followed the instructions religiously for the first two days. (I tweaked Day 3 based on a Twitter suggestion and skipped to Day 5) Honestly, it made my usual I-bet-I-can-name-everyone-by-the-end-of-the-first-class trick completely impossible (or, you know, maybe I’m just old), but I really loved how it forced students to start connecting immediately and gave me a basis for reinforcing those connections.

Also, “guessing” birthdays in Spanish was a great way to introduce months and numbers as well as how students could level their own responses with either specific Spanish, simple sí/no responses, or just gestures.

“I knew I liked you!”

One of the simplest and most effective things Sanchez did was have us stand up if we liked something common like pizza or sports. Once we were standing, we had to look at someone else standing and say, “I KNEW I liked you for a reason!” I felt like even forced, it broke down some barriers with silliness while actively, physically demonstrating our similarities.

What’s more, from a second-language perspective, this was also SUPER easy to introduce comprehensibly and to stash away for future PQA sessions: up if your answer is yes, down if your answer is no for quick all-in responses to comprehensible questions! Also, I firmly believe that finding out what kids like to do–or don’t–like to do is more important for gauging my audience than anything about their families or self-descriptions, so PERFECT intro for me gusta / te gusta.

Push-ups

This is one I got from Jon Cowart’s book. I mean, they THINK you’re doing a push-up contest to reinforce Spanish numbers, right? But bribing them with candy to participate and offering to double it AFTER they wear themselves out? It got me at LEAST three volunteers each time, and I was pretty impressed to how quickly some of the classes connected working out to language practice. Plus that physical hook is going to stick with them approximately FOREVER.

PS this worked especially well right after introducing the “proficiency babies” so students could relate doubling their push-ups to moving up the cone.

Brain Breaks

And really? Really?? Programming in brain breaks and having a few stashed for whenever activities run short or there’s not enough time for the next one, that has made me feel just SUPER confident this year. La Maestra Loca herself recommends setting up the call and response almost the first thing (and I am pretty pleased with this year’s “anthem,” even if it meant explaining what medalla is slang for in Puerto Rico–hint: it is a type of beverage, and it allowed for some intercultural beach-activity comparisons).

Annabelle also said movement is ESSENTIAL, and I think perhaps even more important for the amygdala is the direct, physical contact with classmates in low-stakes interactions like rock-paper-scissors and “para mí/para ti“.

Results

I’m someone who always wants to go in with guns blazing, speaking the new language immediately, challenging other people’s assumptions before I know for sure what their assumptions really are. But taking the time to relax the amygdalas, to make the kids start to see and speak to each other, to get to know them and to push them to share with each other before yanking the rug out from under them has been essential.

I mean, maybe it’s the window space for my succulents.

But truly? The extra time to make connections, the attention to establishing a positive space, that’s what really makes classes this year feel like home.


SraSpanglish

Laura Sexton is a passion-driven, project-based language educator in Gastonia, North Carolina. She loves sharing Ideas for integrating Project-Based Learning in the world language classroom, including example projects, lessons, assessment tips, driving questions, and reflection.