Go to Hot and Cold from Me and You
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Ariala, I am as I appear, and I get lots of support from my administrators.
I think they are desperate for something that will work!
posted by
kingmi
on February 27, 2005 at 10:12 AM
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I bet you're a great teacher...that's some tough work!
posted by
Ariala
on February 27, 2005 at 10:11 AM
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Ariala, I should have included the difference between learning English
as a second language and learning English as a foreign language. A. you were so young that your language aquisition device was wide open and logging each and every nuance of the new lanuguage and culture. By age14 that window is nearly shut. By age twenty, it is said to be all but entirely shut, the reason for strong accents among foreign-born politicians like Henry Kissinger and Arnold Swarzeneggar.
And B. you no doubt learned it by learning literacy -- reading and writing. That's the way I teach it, contrary to most traditional ESL methods. The others (I call them real teachers) teach verbal and listening skills first, then reading and writing last. This is teaching English as a foreign language and is disastrous, as we have seen, for the lower ehelons of American learners.
Learners who live in a country where the language is not spokenevery day, must begin with listening and speaking. But you were here, talking to friends, the lunch lady, the bus driver, the priests, watching TV, listening to the radio, whatever, all in English.
But these are the pillars that I base my differences with the others on. I do not feel that I can relent to or go back to a way of teaching that is contrary to what is good for students in our 'hood. I try to find common ground with them (other teachers) like writing as essential. We have made some progress there.
posted by
kingmi
on February 27, 2005 at 10:08 AM
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Kingmi, in Kindergarten I didn't speak a word of English, but by the
end of the year, I spoke it. It's amazing because I don't even remember how I learned it!
posted by
Ariala
on February 27, 2005 at 9:57 AM
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