“Shakira” wants a boy with a motorcycle
Today was the second day of NTPRS15. The programm started again at 8 o’clock. I first went to the workshop of Alina Filipescu: How to expand a 2 day TPRS story to two weeks. Here’s the hand-out of Alina’s workshop. Alina is a 7th and 8th grade Spanish Teacher, Kraemer MS, Placentia, CA | Blaine Ray Workshops Presenter | TPRS/CI Teacher Trainer at Foreign Languages Academy and Tutoring, Placentia, CA. The description of the workshop as mentioned in the schedule: “In order to learn different Comprehenible Input (CI) techniques, participants will acquire Romanian through PQA, TPR, TPRS, and embedded readings. CI brain breaks will be added throughout the workshop such as games, songs, etc. In addition to the CI techniques, teachers will also learn how to use fun movements that accompany expressions requiring all students to show participation throughout the lesson
Dialogue in Linda Li’s Chinese Mandarin class
(i.e. How sad!, What a shame!, It is a problem, etc…). These movements make the lesson fun and interactive and will be added unexpectadly in the storytelling process. Participating teachers will see samples of some of the ideas presented via pictures/videos of middle school lessons.”
Dialogue in Linda Li’s Chinese Mandarin class
At 10.45 was the second part of the Chinese Mandarin lesson for beginners by Linda Li and Bryce Hedstrom. Because there were so many participants yesterday, the workshop was replaced to another, bigger room. But again: full house! There happens so moch in Linda’s lesson, too much to tell about. it’s good bryce is there to debrief. What I liked very much were Linda’s speech bubbles. And she has a beautiful and clear handwriting!
Carol Gaab: Developing a flexible, ‘personalized’ curriculum
During lunch time I went swimming in the pool to have some physical exercice and then at 2.15 PM I went to Carol Gaab’s workshop Developing a flexible personalized curriculum. There was overlap with the workshop at iFLT, but this one was longer and had more hands-on. In the schedule it is decribed as: ” If the thought of writing curriculum makes you shudder, cringe and/or grimace, you definitely do not want to miss this session! Come learn how to efficiently design curriculum that is engaging, flexible and effective for SLA. Learn how to use themes to give lessons direction and purpose, how to backward plan from any source, whether a textbook, a vocabulary list or a novel and how to use authentic resources as a compelling source of CI. Discover unique resources that will help you create a rich, comprehensive curriculum, along with quick and easy strategies for organizing a student-centered curriculum with minimum effort and maximum creativity. Participants should bring at least one source (i.e. vocabulary list, a novel, a textbook) from which they will backward plan and begin the design process.” Keywords: Define- Refine-Combine. Carol uses a lot of traditional ways a having more repetition e.g. by reading with multiple choice questions and basing the reading on a short video or (funny) commercial. Carol’s hand-out: NTPRS Curric. HOGaab
Blaine Ray, Using yourself as a parallel character
At 5 PM a new round of sessions started and I went to Blaine’s : Using yourself as a parallel character. Described in the schedule as: “All TPRS should have student actors. Student actors are taught to answer a question and if they can’t answer the question they read it. Part of that questioning process might include yourself as a parallel character. If the main student has a problem, then the teacher doesn’t have a problem. If the main character goes to Spain, then the teacher goes to France. This allows a great amount of conversation between the teacher and the student actors and the teacher in the class using first person. It works amazingly well.” Blaine did a demo with to participants and then we worked in groups of three ot practice this skill – one was student/character, one was ‘class’ and one the teacher.
In Michael Miller’s studio NTPRS15
At 6.30 the exhibitor’s room opened and there was a reception. I first went to my room and when I arrived there it was not very busy anymore. I bought some books and then I went to look for my Dutch colleagues to go to Michael Miller to record the Dutch part of the song for Michael’s slideshow on Friday.
Alike in CCI Wonderland 