I am sorry for the long email but I have to admit that I'm having intension with my 2nd period students. Some of my 2nd period students complain and lots of time they want is just to play games or watch movies. Seriously it is easy for the teacher to let the students just play games and/or watch movies, but no matter playing games or watching movies they have to meet the National and Utah State Curriculum Standards. Each activities should be designed to benefit students in learning the target language. If students play games to practice the vocabulary or sentence structures but they use the time chatting in English with friends, the activity fails the purpose and objectives of learning.
Why don't we play "Da Fengchui" anymore? We played Da Fengchui at Level I to learn colors. After 20 minutes each time we practiced the colors for 80 minutes but unfortunately students only recognize the 2-3 colors and still unfamiliar with the rest of the colors. If a game couldn't reach the goal or objectives, as a teacher I need to decide if the game should be play again and rethink if there's any other way for students to learn the colors better instead of playing games.
Some students' thinking aloud in Englsih in class frustrates me lots because the district and my goal is to reach 90% of time using the target language, not only instruction time but also students learning time. We only meet one another twice or three times a week. On Friday either lots of kids don't show up or ask for FUN FRIDAYS. This year so far I only could speak 40 minutes in class at most. Not because I don't want to but because I have at least 7 students out of the 30 in 2nd period who loves to think aloud, talking in English, and doing the classroom management takes tons of time.
Lots of students think Chinese Level I was fun and once they got to the Level II they found that it is not as much fun as Level I so they started to talk in English, chatted with friends, or think aloud. I tried to let the students understand to have fun they have to follow the classroom rules and they have to speak Chinese. TO HAVE FUN, STUDENTS NEED TO FOLLOW THE CLASSROOM RULES.
One student said there is no way for them not to talk in English. In other class they have a "break" time. If in other classes and other schools the students can do it and make it possible, why can we? Students said they are not 'the students in other schools"; I fully agree; every school culture is different, I can't and shouldn't compare them to other students in other schools. However, in some way, it seems to me as drawing a line or a box around you and not trying to challenge yourself . You are not other students but you can be better than you were, can't you and can you just try?
Learning Chinese is different from learning Spanish or French that you can recognize or guess their English meanings. It's totally zero background knowledge and total different language system. Chinese is fun and can be fun in learning as long as you have desire to learn and follow the rules. You cannot learn Chinese well just by speaking English; you cannot just judge Chinese as difficult while you only put 50%, 60%, 70%, or 80% effort in. Your Chinese speaking abilities show your effort and desire in the language.
My goal is that I want my students to be able to understand Chinese that we learn in class so they may be able to practice and utilize the language in their life in the future. Obviously some students have a different goal from mine.
Please stop talking English in class. Please be sensitive to those who love to learn Chinese and would like to listen Chinese much more than 40 minutes in class. Please follow the classroom rules. Control you tongue and your thought in class. We will have fun activities, I promise, but I cannot till you follow the rules.
Thank you so very much.
Duke Laoshi
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