STRATEGIES TO HELP KEEP YOU
IN THE TARGET LANGUAGE
SUMMER INSTITUTE
AUGUST 8,2012
CAROL S. DEAN, ED.D.
Why do I need to stay in the
target language?
RESEARCH AND PRACTICE
NYSAFLT
“Research has shown that the predominant use of the
TL by both the teacher and students in a language
classroom benefits the language learner and
promotes second language acquisition…NYSAFLT
supports the use of the TL to the maximum extent
possible.”
Available at:
http://www.nysaflt.org/advocacy/position_statement
s.shtml
American Council on the Teaching
of Foreign Languages
“ACTFL therefore recommends that language educators
and their students use the target language as
exclusively as possible (90% plus) at all levels of
instruction during instructional time and, when
feasible, beyond the classroom.”
From ACTFL Position Paper:
“Use of the Target Language in the Classroom,” May 2010
Available at:
http://www.actfl.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=4368#targetlang
Double Talk: L1 in the L2 classroom
Virginia M. Scott, Ph.D.
Vanderbilt University
Invited presentation at
George Washington University
March 2007
The L2 user in the FL classroom:
 knows when and why L1 is used in the classroom.
 understands the difference between code-switching and
translation.
 works with sophisticated TL texts and discusses them in
L1. [Change the task, not the text.]
 uses L1 (both intra- and inter-personal speech) to solve
complex grammar problems.
 writes creatively in the TL and uses L1 for peer editing.
How well are we doing that?
LESSONS FROM MY STUDENT TEACHERS
Her main method of teaching is TRANSLATION...
they translate everyday and have tests every
class on translating English to Spanish. She
does not speak a word of Spanish (and this is
10th and 11th grades) besides to say ... take out
your vocabulario or let’s go over the verbos... The
kids write and take notes the whole class and
translate readings into English.
My CT does not speak very much Spanish at all to
the students, but she is aware of that and really
wants me to try to speak entirely in Spanish as
much as possible to them. It’s not ideal that they
are not used to hearing Spanish already, but at
least she knows and believes they should be...
Later was the LOTE session which focused on using
the target language in the classroom. All of the
teachers admitted they knew how important it was
but they don't do it as much as they should or
would like to. So they set goals for themselves to
gradually use it more each day and they'll be
checking up on each other to see how much
progress everyone is making.
I got the chance to observe my CT for my 2nd
placement in the middle school and she seems to
have a lot of fun with her students. She was
teaching 8th grade and spoke almost exclusively
in the TL to them and they knew exactly how to
respond and seemed to understand what she
was saying.
Why don’t we do that more?
“Speak in English.” I am getting so tired of
hearing those words. All of the 9th graders that
are in Spanish 3 keep telling me they don't
understand anything I am saying and tell me to
speak English.”
How do I do that?
SUGGESTIONS
&
DEMONSTRATIONS
ACTFL’S 8 SUGGESTIONS
1. Provide comprehensible input that is directed
toward communicative goals;
2. Make meaning clear through body language,
gestures, and visual support;
3. Conduct comprehension checks to ensure
understanding;
4. Negotiate meaning with students and encourage
negotiation among students;
5. Elicit talk that increases in fluency, accuracy, and
complexity over time;
6. Encourage self-expression and spontaneous use of
language;
7. Teach students strategies for requesting
clarification and assistance when faced with
comprehension difficulties;
8. Offer feedback to assist and improve students’
ability to interact orally in the target language.
My “7” Strategies
#1
Believe it!
…and believe that they can!
LEARNER.ORG
A Library of Classroom Practices
Japanese: Daily Routines
#2
Contextualize your
lessons
 Top down vs. bottom up
 Teaching with the end in mind
 Teaching grammar in context
 Story-based grammar instruction
PACE Model
 P: Presentational mode
 A: Attention
 C: Co-Construct
 E: Extension
 https://sites.google.com/site/teachingfrenchgrammar/p
ace-model/pace-in-action-a-sample-lesson
Adair-Hauck, B., & Donato, R. (2002). The PACE Model: A story-based
approach to meaning and form for standards-based language learning. The
French Review, 76, 265-296.
#3
Plan your instructional
vocabulary
#4
Scaffold your questions
Let’s Practice
 Physical responses
 Verbal yes or no
 Which one? This one or that one?
 Multiple choice
 Only one right answer
 Open-ended; how?
 Supported opinion; why?
#5
Remember the
3 C’s:
The TL you speak
should be…
1. compelling
2. contextualized
3. comprehensible
#6
Strive for “successful”
versus “correct”
communication.
#7
Be a model for your
students
 Model for your students how to keep in
the TL.
 Demonstrate
self-correction and thinking
out loud
 Teach them how to keep you in it.
 Use your word walls and verb charts.
 Speak in the TL with your colleagues.
RECAP
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Believe it!
Contextualize your lessons
Plan your instructional vocabulary
Scaffold your questions
Remember the 3 C’s
Strive for “successful” versus “correct”
communication
Be a model for your students