Read about Rebecca's advice for beginning language teachers
I have been teaching High School Spanish for 12 years! I have my Bachelor's from NKU in Spanish and Secondary Education and my Master's from NKU in Teacher Leadership with an emphasis on Gifted and Talented Education. I have a two kiddos who are both six years old.
Techniques
“I wish I hadn't answered every single question every student had.”
As a first year teacher, I wish I had practiced several things! The first is wait time. I wish I had understood that it’s a good thing to wait a bit and let students struggle. During the wait time, you can see the wheels turning in students’ heads! When they arrive at an answer themselves, it’s much more concrete and beneficial to all. Adding to this, I wish I hadn’t answered every single question every student had. Because I thought my lessons had to be stringent and I wasn’t flexible enough yet to let activities bleed into another day, I would answer questions quickly. EVERY. SINGLE. QUESTION. This stressed me out and made me tired; made me feel frustrated and the kids weren’t learning anything (except that I would give them answers).
I also wish I had had more access to behavior strategies and de-escalation techniques during my first years of teaching. I’ve learned a lot in recent years by attending the Behavioral Institute, observing other classroom teachers, and social media (TikTok, actually…)
Lastly, although not really a technique, I feel like high schoolers are still very young, and should be positively reinforced! I use a prize box in my classroom with random prizes (actual prizes include: band-aids, toys, stickers, pictures, coupons, hair ties, etc…)
Activities
I love using MadLibs, doing story-asking, reading-walk annotation, “strip” bingo, mural drawing rather than notes, and running dictation. I also value the data that Quizlet, GIMKIT, Blooket, Kahoot!, and Quizziz provide. Plus, the students have fun with these online learning activities. I am also a fan of EdPuzzle, story shrinking, movie talk, and GAMES!
Resources
“My go-to for CI materials is Martina Bex and the SOMOS curriculum.”
I wish I had used anything Comprehensible Input based, rather than providing lists upon lists of vocabulary and getting irritated when kiddos couldn’t produce communicable language. My go-to for CI materials is Martina Bex and the SOMOS curriculum. Zachary-Jones.com is another great resource for authentic materials. I wish I had allowed myself to learn from and use other teachers' work rather than making everything myself (i.e… there is nothing wrong with Teachers Pay Teachers!)
There are also fabulous groups of CI teachers and authentic material teachers on FaceBook groups!
Final Advice
My final advice would be to simply make your classroom your own. Make it a community that is safe and welcoming. You know your limitations and your personality better than anyone, and you can’t force something you’re not; kids can smell discomfort! Be yourself. Be honest and be fair. Stick to your guns and follow through with consequences, rewards, and boundaries!
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