Participants will be able to…
explain roles of teacher and student in an
(inter)active classroom
 describe some active learning activities
 explain the motivation for employing activelearning principles
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DFL Active-Learning Model
 think on their own
take responsibility
 communicate
 demonstrate cross-cultural
awareness and sensitivity
 carry on life-long learning
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 are motivated intrinsically
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perceive an activity as useful
are attentive & actively involved
work in their own learning style
use learning strategies to enhance learning
learn language in context
 Teachers as Passive Technicians
 Teachers as Reflective Practitioners
 Teachers as Transformative Intellectuals
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Behaviorist model of teaching
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Content knowledge is broken down into discrete
items for simple transmission to students.
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Teacher is a conduit.
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Teaching is a learning experience for the teacher
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Emphasizes creativity, self-reflection, context
sensitivity
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Informed involvement in the principles, practices, and
processes of classroom instruction bring about fruitful
perspectives on how to enhance student learning.
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Reflection-on-action: before, during, & after class
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Teachers seek to enhance learning inside the classroom
while transforming learner habits and practices outside
the classroom.
 Teacher is a role model
 Teaching continues outside the classroom.
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Teachers provide knowledge that is socially contextualized
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Teaching is student-centered, committed to interactive,
consciousness-raising, problem-posing activities.
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Promotes learner self-regulation & empowerment
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Maximize learning opportunities
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Minimize perceptual mismatches
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Facilitate negotiated interaction
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Promote learner autonomy
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Foster language awareness
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Activate intuitive heuristics
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Contextualize linguistic input
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Integrate language skills
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Ensure social relevance
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Student-centered learning
 Use macrostrategies to customize daily provided lesson plans
to the individual needs of your cadets
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Teacher-provided "interactive situations“
 model  co-construct  create
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Goals: communication & cultural literacy
 Situate learning opportunities in proper cultural context

Focus on cognitive & metacognitive learning in &
out of the classroom
 Teach learners how to learn
 Promote self-regulation
c
l
a
s
s
t
i
m
e
Learner action
Teacher action
time 
“TO”
MODEL
“WITH”
PRACTICE/CO-CONSTRUCT
assessment of learner success
“BY”
CREATE
Articulate goals clearly
Have high but reasonable
expectations
 Prepare opportunities for
critical thinking
 Prepare to work 'in context '
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Awaken curiosity
Foster interaction
Address learning styles
Work on speaking,
listening, reading, writing
 Replace English
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iii. All the while...
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Assess and provide feedback
Integrate learning and life
Teach students how to learn
View teacher as guide and role model
When in doubt, clarify!
 Be engaged and take ownership of the learning
process
 Relate learning to life
 Become aware of how best you learn
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 Understand your learning style and take account of it as
you learn
 Develop new strategies for learning in the West Point
environment
 Understand what motivates you and work on maintaining
it.
In class, it's your call, as long as students...
• make progress and get opportunities for practice every
day
• Language items move into long-term memory only after
4 – 6 instances of focused attention and practice.
• remain motivated
• Success motivates; set them up for success.
• Teach them to love learning – regardless of where or when
it happens.
• develop respect for the language and people they
study
• Don’t make fun of the target culture; point out differences
objectively but remain positive.
• retain their dignity
• Mistakes are crucial learning opportunities. Let them make
them, correct them constructively and help them
understand the source.
Activity: Dictation on boards (10 min.)
Mode: Writing, Listening
Focus (Objective): Vocabulary, Grammar, Orthography
Teacher: calls cadets to boards, dictates one sentence at a
time containing 1-2 current grammar or vocabulary items;
assists with assessment/explanation/correction.
Cadets: write the sentence they hear with correct grammar
and spelling then read each other’s work and correct errors.
Activity: Question & Answer Oral Practice (10-15 min.)
Mode: Speaking, Listening
Focus (Objective): Vocabulary, Grammar
Teacher: writes a list of 3 short questions based on textbook
material on PPT slide. Asks Cs to interview each other (3 min.)
to become acquainted with Qs & As. Initiates one-by-one
questioning by asking 1st question to a C who must answer
and then ask the same question to his/her neighbor; Assists
with pronunciation and corrections as needed.
Cadets: Interview each other aloud with assigned questions
coming up with appropriate answers. Asks and answers
questions to/from neighbors as directed.
Activity: Sentence Building on boards (10 min.)
Mode: Writing, Reading
Focus (Objective): Vocabulary, Grammar, Orthography
Teacher: separates class into two teams; teams select team name
(in target language). On PPT slide, T prepares three columns of
words: a column for the subject, a column for verbs, and a column
for a direct object or prepositional phrase.
Cadets: As quickly as possible and one by one, Cs build sentences
using one word from each column using correct grammar, word
order, and conjugations until all words are used. The team can help
by correcting spelling and/or grammar errors as they occur. First
team to build the appropriate number of sentences with 0 errors
wins!
ACTFL scale
Intermediate High
Intermediate Mid
Intermediate Low
DLI (DLPT) scale
1+
1
Novice
High
0+
Survival proficiency
Novice
Novice
Mid
Low
0
DFL
LX
361-362
LX
203-204