The Big Picture

     Over the last couple of weeks, my mind has been ruminating on next year. I'm trying to figure out which step to take next, how to proceed, and which goal to tackle first. Thankfully, I think I have found my answer for which to area to grapple before moving onto the next thing.

     Since I've been looking into and trying to figure out what CI and TPRS are, I've stumbled upon Tea With BVP! I've realized the immensity of second language acquisition in general and all the information and research I could study. I am a bit of a research fiend, so this is right up my alley. I appreciate theory, ideas, and research backing up my teaching practice. If you fall into a similar vein, then Bill VanPatten will provide an opportunity for you to mull over the marriage between your teaching and current research.

     Today, I listened to the 4th episode, I'm going back to the beginning to listen to everything up until the most recent broadcast. After listening to it, I began to realize my next step in "overhauling" my Latin classes: the "Big Picture."

      As Bill talks about in the episode, proficiency-based grades allow students the opportunity to be graded upon the progress of their path to proficiency (if I am synthesizing things well). Plus, one of the callers into the show mentioned that it is great for students to know what is expected of them by their teachers. My thoughts from the past few weeks started to click into place. I'm reminded the importance of making our expectations clear to our students.

         I've been wanting to get better at CI and TPRS, and I have a loooong way to go before I feel confident about my abilities. I realized that this is not the answer for my Latin classes.  And, CI/TPRS are the way in which I guide my students along their proficiency, not the end result. For some reason, it took a little while for this cog to click into place. If anything, my outcomes, expectations, and hopes for my students are similar to the "roots" of the acquisition process, if I'm making an accurate analogy. Someone please correct me, if I am making some bad or wrong connections - I am no expert, but thinking through this as I learn more. So, I need to address the bigger picture of what I see them doing with the language as they advance.

     Now, I do have some "can-do" statements which drive my class now. I will need to rework them since they were formed with grammar-translation and spoken Latin practices in mind. I know that a lot of Latin teachers say the end goal of their classes is for their students to read, comprehend, and understand Latin in real time. But, I'm wondering about what happens when that is not possible, since:

• Some students will take longer on their acquisition and proficiency path
• Some students will leave high school and not continue their Latin studies
• Some students will attend universities that do not use proficiency based standards and grading

I'm sure there are other concerns and questions, but these are the ones which come to my mind immediately.


     In the end, I'm realizing that if I am to overhaul my class, I have to start with the big picture/the outcomes of their acquisition. In doing so, I can then infuse CI and TPRS into how I will present and get students to fulfill these "can-do" statements. Even today someone started a great conversation about this on Teaching Latin for Acquisition (the Facebook group)!

     Does anyone have recommendations on where to look? Does anyone have some experience in this quest? I haven't started deeply investigating, but any guidance would be appreciated! Did you agree with my analysis of what should be my main focus as I start to overhaul my class?