Practice!
So I know that we all hate the word balance because it implies using things that don't work with things that do (at least that is what I am getting from alot of the conversation out there). Anyway, I partly agree with this. However, I still have a huge question with practice, practice, practice.
I recently read an article about constructivism where the author states that he believes that we can truly be awesome at whatever we choose. The answer/motivation lies within people and their will to be what they want to be. He states that we just have to want it enough to make it happen, it just takes a ton of effort, hard work, dedication and a ton of PRACTICE.)
So here is my question: Sometimes isn't practice just that? Practicing to truly perfect and know something so well that you can recall it without having to think about it? Just as if you ask anyone the first president of America, my guess is not many people actually have to think of the answer, it simply rolls off our tongues.
Just as I hope my students use some of Spanish enough that they start to be able to just answer with out a thought struggle. They heard something enough, used it enough and now it is just part of them.
Anyway, I am really rambling. I guess I still see practice as practice, even if it is meaningful and personal practice it is still repetition of material for the purpose of putting the information to memory. And don't we need this to learn something. Even if we discover something on our own I truly believe we still need to practice it to know/apply/synthesis and make it part of our lasting knowledge.
For some reason in some of our disscussions (not in 21st Century necessarily, but also just around the department) practice seems to have become almost a negative word that implies old school techniques. I hate this, because I think practice is part of constructivism and all learning. How did I learn to play the piano I practiced, even when I invented my own song (which I would constider very constructivist) I still practiced it!!! Can we redifine this word a bit?
posted by bkitch @ 8:55 AM
6 Comments:
Let's see, the first President? Wasn't it Anna Nicole something or other?
I'm not sure we all hate balance, I think that was mostly me. But I guess I don't equate practice with balance. I think practice is very necessary for certain things, including world language acquisition in a non-immersion environment. (Of course, that non-immersion environment is part of the problem in my opinion, but that's another comment for another time.)
Although I'm not sure your first president question is a good analogy; I don't ever remember practicing George Washington's name over and over again. It was just a matter of repetition - combined with being on the dollar bill. And I don't think that that repetion necessarily has to be the same thing over and over again, it was his name used in a variety of different situations over and over again. So I think you can have practice and repetition without it always being repetitious, if that makes any sense. And I think you can - and probably do - do that in World Languages.
Good topic, Barb. I agree that sometimes "practice" has a negative connotation. However like everything we discuss here on our blogs, it depends on what the practice entails. I agree with Karl. Is practice conjugating the same verb on a piece of paper ten times or is it practice like Karl mentioned...Where the words, ideas and concepts are just learned because they are heard, read or spoken in context so often?
In our field of teaching a world language, I think that practice comes in very different forms. Here is where I think the balance is so necessary. Students need some of the kill and drill, speaking in partner, contextualizing and personalizing the material...All good practice. What I think we need to be more open to is that some of our practice methods don't work for all students. Some things that come to mind here are flash cards, workbook pages where the point of the lesson is following confusing directions and not authentically practicing Spanish, or giving five pages of homework on material that some students grasp before they get to number two. It is like the math student who posted about how much she resented having to do thirty problems for the grade when she felt confident by number five. For me, the question is about re-defining practice while knowing where it is okay to stop and feel confident that the material will continue to be recycled.
And Barb, I think you are a great role model of what practice should look like. You use such a variety of practice to enhance communication and understanding of Spanish and it is so obvious that you really want your students to obtain those goals. :)
Karl I couldn't agree with you more about the immersion environment. And Jenny, I couldn't agree with you more about the type of practice!
Here are my two cents (which is actually worth much less)…
Good teaching encompasses a lot of different components, one of which is the methods used. Effective teaching is having a variety of methods and a good balance between them. Is constructivism the only method of teaching that we should use?
I SAY USE THEM ALL! You have to use a variety of methods with good balance because students DO learn differently. Some need to write the words over and over again – some don’t. Some like flashcards – some don’t. Some think workbook pages help – some don’t. Some think discovering the material for themselves is a good way to learn – some don’t.
Final thought: Is there such a thing as a “bad” method or a “bad” way to practice?
Not if it works for someone.
All I know is that my French teacher did the practice (repetition that included listening to a tape and repeating). I unfortunately do not use, or recall much French after 4 years of study.
I know that you are not saying that that is all...and my example shows that. We did not have oral exams, we did not paragraphs about things that mattered to us, we did not present information about ourselves in French...all things that I've heard my students talk about in world languages. I agree that practice is key as well, but it needs to be paired with assignments that have some intrinsic motivation and understanding.
Grammar and vocab. is a topic in our department where we have these conversations about as well. Where is the balance and what works? I think that what Eric said regarding using something that works is so valid. I know teachers that have success with vocab practice unrelated to the literature we're reading, yet their kids say that it helps. Others say it's worthless. Whatever works.
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