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Emily Sirotkin
12/17/10
TEAC 452R
Learner Autobiography
For as long as I can remember, my parents knew I would be a teacher. It started when I
was three years old; I would line up my stuffed animals and teach them stories and songs before I
went to bed. Then a couple years later, my younger sister became my new pupil. I enjoyed
teaching her, especially because she learned more quickly and was a significant improvement to
my inanimate toys. When I came home from school, one of my favorite games to play was
imaginary school. I would always be the teacher and I would staple papers together for
notebooks, collect some important books, and create worksheets for her to complete. Before she
was in kindergarten, I was teaching her letters, numbers, basic math, and interesting information
that I had learned at school. By the time I reached third grade and tried to teach long division,
she finally demanded an end to my school. I remember she was angry and said, “I get so bored at
school – you’ve already taught me everything!” Fortunately, by upper elementary school, I
started to help out with the younger grades and was paired with a first grade student as his tutor,
which was a more appreciated outlet for my teaching efforts.
I think partly what drew my interest in teaching was my strong desire to help other
people. I usually understood the classroom content relatively quickly, and I enjoyed explaining it
to others. Through enjoying these informal teaching experiences, in high school I became a
teacher in several different capacities. I became a tutor at an after school center for elementary
school students, mentored a girl through Big Brothers Big Sisters, and tutored students struggling
with Spanish at my high school. One elementary school contacted my Spanish teacher to find
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help with their after school Spanish program. I loved being able to play games and communicate
with the students in Spanish; the kids learned so quickly and enjoyed the activities, so their
enthusiasm became contagious. The students were learning very quickly in an environment with
a low affective filter. According to Krashen’s Input Hypothesis, language learning is best when
the students can learn with a low affective filter, in an environment where they don’t have a
paralyzing fear of making mistakes. In my practicum at Lincoln High this semester, I have
found this principle to be true. The students learned very quickly when there was a low
affective filter. At the beginning of the semester, the students were still getting to know
each other, but as the semester progressed, we built a strong classroom community where
the students felt comfortable communicating with each other. This low affective filter
affected everything we did, because the students were already more excited and willing to
participate in each learning activity.
Despite these fun memories, throughout most of high school I had never really
considered becoming a Spanish teacher, because it was a subject that didn’t naturally come as
easily to me. I felt as though I learned really slowly compared to other students. Vocabulary lists
never stuck in my memory. I couldn’t seem to pronounce anything correctly and presentations in
Spanish made me extremely nervous. Grammar rules especially confused me because I could
never remember the names of the different tenses. Now I realize that this is because our Spanish
lessons were not taught in context. Krashen’s Input Hypothesis also discusses how learning
should be acquired through real communication and should follow a natural order. The
vocabulary we learned was isolated from a real world context, which made it much more
difficult to learn. Grammar rules were taught through explicit instruction, which didn’t leave any
room for higher-level thinking or implicit analysis. This was extremely evident in the
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classroom this semester. During my first week of observation, the teacher handed out a
vocabulary list and gave it to the students. The list was never revisited until the quiz on
Friday. Most of the students came into class, realized there was a quiz, and tried to
“memorize” the list as quickly as they could. Most of them did fine on the quiz, but they
didn’t have any long-term retention of the words. Later in the semester, we used activities
to teach the grammar. One time I had the students read articles about Christopher
Columbus in small groups. Then each group prepared a list of the vocabulary words that
they would need for the class debate. I compiled all of the words that they had chosen and
we used them in class for the next few days to debate whether Christopher Columbus
should be thought of as a hero or a villain. The students loved it! Every student was
engaged and they all participated in the debate. The day of the quiz, they didn’t have to
cram-study the vocabulary because they already knew how to use it in a real-world context.
My passion for Spanish came from outside of the classroom where I had authentic input
and I was able to practice using the target language. From my observations this semester,
very few teachers use the target language very often in the classroom, especially in
beginning-level classes. Even in some intermediate (Spanish 2 and 3) classrooms that I saw,
the teacher greeted the students with “Hola” but used mostly English to give instructions.
The students filled out worksheets, but talked in English. In this type of learning
environment where the target language isn’t a means for authentic communication, it was
easy to see the students’ disinterest and frustration with the language.
Fortunately, the summer after my junior year of high school, I traveled to Dominican
Republic with my youth group for two weeks. I was so excited when I got off the plane because I
was suddenly surrounded by a new, exciting, and beautiful culture. I saw huge, colorful
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advertisements – in Spanish; listened to upbeat music on the radio – in Spanish; overheard
friendly conversations – in Spanish. Suddenly I realized that Spanish was not just part of my
course requirements to get a high school diploma. When I saw the culture and real use of
Spanish in an everyday context, I realized that the language was not simply rules or lists of
words, but a way to communicate and connect with other people around the world. Instead I
began to view Spanish as a beautiful language, a new avenue for communication, and as part of
the Hispanic culture. In one observation, I did notice the extreme difference in the class
atmosphere and student engagement. The teacher communicated completely in Spanish,
and the students were aware of the expectation that only Spanish was spoken in the
classroom. When I walked in, the students greeted me in L2 and asked me questions in
Spanish. They were engaged the entire time in meaningful communicative activities. It was
awesome and encouraging to see the difference in motivation and interest when the teacher
pushed the students really communicate in Spanish.
The summer before my senior year of high school, my church began to partner with a
Hispanic church to offer free English lessons. We didn’t have any certified teachers, but three
other adults and I went. Each of us received a binder full of textbook materials and lessons, and
then we were left on our own to determine the class format the next three hours. I was the only
one with any Spanish experience, and many of the students were adults who had come to
America only a couple months, or even days, earlier. We tried to follow the curriculum, but by
the third week the lesson was about zoo animals and farm animals. For adults who are concerned
with basic necessities, getting a job, and helping their children, the topics didn’t seem relevant.
The lessons that we were given were not meaningful or authentic for the audience of students.
We decided to toss out the lessons and create our own based on topics the students chose – going
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to the doctor, job applications, and grocery store basics. When the students were able to affect the
classroom and bring their own questions, background knowledge, and experience, they were
much more motivated to learn the material. Using real-life context made the information
relevant to these adult learners. Although it was not the most organized classroom, I loved it.
After that semester, I decided that I would love to teach Spanish and English as a Second
Language.
In my AP Spanish class, we had class discussions in Spanish. The topics in our textbook
seemed outdated and unrelated, so my teacher, Señora DeWispelare, would assign television
shows to watch before our class discussions. Sometimes we would watch Survivor: Amazon or
Grey’s Anatomy; other times we would discuss the recent Husker football game or our favorite
restaurants. We prepared ahead of time by writing down ideas to discuss and also looking up key
vocabulary or phrases that we wanted to use in the discussion. I think that these words and
phrases taught me more than most of my previous vocabulary lists, because I learned them in a
relevant and meaningful context. Lots of times I would cram study time for the vocabulary list
right before the quiz and then quickly forget the words by the next day or two. However, the
words that I wanted to use in the discussion were important to me, so I had more motivation to
learn them. Then, since we actually used the words several times throughout the discussion, I
would be more likely to remember them later. Through meaningful interaction and output, the
concepts and vocabulary were reinforced during class. After one outstanding classroom
observation, I asked the teacher more about the types of activities that she plans in her
classroom. She talked about the importance of having students communicate with ideas
that they are interested in. One idea she mentioned is to have the students write down
topics that they want to discuss. All of their ideas are put into a bowl and she draws one
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idea at the beginning of the class period for them to talk about. Often the students write
down songs, movies, and sports. The best part is that the students are already interested in
the topic and want to communicate. By bringing the students’ own opinions and ideas into
the classroom, the teacher created meaningful communication opportunities.
As I mentioned before, learning Spanish was not an easy process for me. I think that the
best way to learn a language is to become completely immersed in it. The two weeks I spent in
the Dominican Republic taught me more than I had learned in my first three years of Spanish in
the classroom. My Spanish II teacher, Señora Lenz, demanded that we only speak Spanish in her
classroom, and she did the same. Even when we were learning difficult or confusing concepts,
she taught us completely in Spanish. This increased our interest because we had to use context
clues, gestures, and higher-level reasoning to figure out what others were saying. Sometimes
she would have to explain it to us three or four times using different words each time. When I
first started giving instructions completely in Spanish, the students looked very confused.
The very first activity I explained was a five-minute writing prompt. The words were all
very simple, but the students were used to getting directions in Spanish and English. The
blank faces of the entire classroom stared at me. I explained the directions again and then
started a timer. Two minutes into writing time, I realized that they still didn’t fully
understand. I explained the directions one more time in Spanish and then reset the timer.
By the third time, they realized that I wasn’t going to speak in English, and I could see
them try a little harder to understand. The activity was short and it went alright, but in the
future, students learned that the expectations were much higher and they paid attention
much more closely when we gave instructions.
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My experiences overseas in Spanish speaking countries have been amazing and very
different than my formal classroom experience. I’ve taken two trips to Dominican Republic
and I spent a summer in Mexico City. Instead of filling out worksheets or completing verb
conjugations, I overheard conversations. I had to use gestures to communicate and talk around
the vocabulary that I didn’t know. Suddenly it became much more important to try to speak
Spanish, because it was all around me. I also remember taking a day trip to Haiti, where the
national languages are French and Creole. This immersion was even more staggering because I
didn’t know any of the words being spoken around me. Again, it was through gestures and
nonverbal communication that I began to learn some basic words to communicate with the
children at the orphanage. These are important tools that teachers can explain and use in the
classroom to help students use learning strategies with language learning. A teacher that I
observed had explained the concept of circumlocution and told her students to “habla
alrededor” or “talk around” the concepts that they were trying to say. For part of the class
period, she wouldn’t let her students use dictionaries to communicate. This was difficult for
some students, but they learned that they could use their prior knowledge to really
communicate!
I think that in a formal classroom setting, I often rely on finding the “right answers” and
trying to complete the blanks on the worksheet. Also, there are several aids, such as dictionaries,
posters, and answer keys that make classroom learning much different. In a complete immersion
experience, often there are no external aids to rely on. For me, another major difference is the
urgency of learning the language. In high school, I knew that the bell would ring at the end of the
period and then I was free to go into the hallway and speak English with my friends, go home
and write my papers in English, and interact with English-speakers in the community. Being
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overseas, there really aren’t any other options than trying to figure out how to best communicate
with the skills that you have, which makes the input more meaningful. In a study abroad
experience, I think that my language strategies are different than in the classroom. One important
difference for me is risk-taking. When I had no other option than speaking in Spanish, I was
willing to take more risks because I wanted to be able to communicate. I had to use
circumlocution, gestures, or other strategies to communicate. Several students in my Spanish
IB classroom relied on dictionaries to look up every word before they would say an answer
aloud or write it down on their paper. Sometimes that was great because the students were
learning new words that they really wanted to use. However, sometimes we forced the
students to try to communicate without using the dictionary and to use their current
knowledge. Often I would say to them (in Spanish), “Pretend that we are in Mexico and
you want to tell me the answer. What would you say, since you don’t have a dictionary?
How would you tell me?” They were almost always successful at communicating their
point, and they began to realize that they could use strategies like circumlocution to
communicate. I saw this increase their motivation to really learn Spanish because they saw
that there was a meaningful result, not just a passing grade on their quiz or test.
Through my experiences learning a foreign language myself, as well as my observations
while helping students who are learning English as a second language, I have developed some
beliefs about language learning and teaching. I believe that every student should be treated fairly
and equally, but this does not mean that everyone learns the same way. I want to use a variety of
teaching methods in order to reach students with different learning styles. For example, using
multiple intelligences in the classroom can be an important way to help students learn
information in a way that is best for them. I want to give multiple opportunities for students to
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learn the information in a variety of activities. For visual students, it may be helpful to have
pictures and maps to go along with the material. For kinesthetic learners, it may be more helpful
to actually do actions for the words, such as with the TPR method. For logical-mathematical
learners, I could provide an outline or clear structure. I think that it is really important as a
teacher to keep the variety of student backgrounds and intelligences in mind. This semester I
did a couple of lessons on multiple intelligences. I started by giving my students a multiple
intelligences inventory. There was a wide variety of learners in the classroom and I realized
that they didn’t know how to apply this to their own Spanish learning. Since we were
starting our travel unit, we decided to introduce important words using different
intelligences. First I divided them into mixed groups to do a review activity of airport
vocabulary. Next we split into similar learning styles to learn new vocabulary. Knowing the
importance of learning vocabulary in context, I created meaningful activities to incorporate
higher-level thinking. For example, the verbal-linguistic group could write a story,
newspaper headlines, or debate incorporating several new vocabulary words. The logicalmathematical group could make a time-line of a vacation, write analogies, or create a word
map. The visual-spatial group drew the words, created symbols to remember concepts, or
created a graphic organizer to visualize the words. The kinesthetic learners created
motions, did charades, or acted out a drama with the words. The students really enjoyed
these activities because they could work from their own strengths and they had a variety of
ways to learn creatively. When I asked the students, many of them had never tried to study
using any of these ideas and in the past they had only done rote memorization of the
vocabulary. I explained that research says that they will learn better when they use Spanish
in context (instead of a vocabulary list) they were much more interested in the activities.
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After doing these activities, the students were very well-prepared to use the vocabulary for
the rest of the unit’s activities.
Teachers not only present information, but they are in the classroom to facilitate learning,
which can take a variety of forms. This means that teachers will need to initiate classroom
discussion, small group projects, and individual activities. Teacher-facilitated learning is
important, because the classroom should be learner-centered. The goal is for the students to
learn the information rather than just have the teacher tell them. Students will only remember
10% of what they read and 20% of what they hear; however, they will remember 90% of what
they actually do. This means that teachers are extremely important in the classroom to guide and
facilitate learning so that students can discover language and use it in real communication. I
definitely used this principle during my practicum. I rarely lectured because I had
observed other classrooms where students had disengaged – either actively doing other
homework and/or talking with their friends, or simply zoned out and not paying attention
to class. Instead, I had a wonderful practicum experience. I saw that when the students
were seeking to find answers or working together to create a project, they were very
engaged. George is one student who I noticed from the very first week of observing my
practicum teacher. He never spoke during class and didn’t appear to be paying attention
during class. Another student, Diana, is a heritage Spanish speaker, yet I noticed that she is
extremely shy and rarely spoke up as well. I wanted to find a way for all of the students to
have a chance to learn during class, and we discovered that using pair work was one of the
best ways. In pair work, every person is needed. Another important factor is that I never
just gave the students an assignment and then graded papers or sat at my desk. It was
really important to continually circulate through the room in order to monitor progress,
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answer questions, resolve any confusion, and show the students that I care about their
progress.
I believe that language should not be taught separately from the rich history and society
that contribute to the larger culture behind the language. Spanish language came alive for me
when I began to see it in real life, hear it spoken by real people, and have real conversations in
Spanish. Although study abroad experience cannot be exactly replicated in the classroom, I think
that students can still gain an appreciation of culture and history through authentic culture
lessons, bringing in realia, use of multimedia, and engaging, interactive lessons. Some activities
that Kathryn and I created and implemented this semester in practicum included a travel
vacation to Barcelona. The students used a budget sheet to plan their week-long vacation,
filled with activities that they found online in Barcelona. The students really enjoyed it, and
they mentioned at the end of the semester that it was one of their favorite lessons. They
were able to use real culture, real pricing, real plane tickets, and simulate their own winter
break destination vacation. Spoken and written language cannot be separated from the cultural
heritage that accompanies the people who use it. I want to continue to gain an appreciation for
Spanish culture and allow my students to explore Spanish culture as well. It is very important for
students to realize that there is more to Spanish culture than fiestas and siestas. Rather, there is
both macro-culture, which involves music, art, literature, and history, as well as micro-culture,
which involves everyday life. Many high school students don’t have an awareness of the variety
of cultural practices and customs, but the Spanish language can provide a unique opportunity to
learn about Spanish culture. Another activity that we used this semester was the song
“Jueves” by La Oreja de Van Gogh. The song talks about a guy and a girl who notice each
other on the train each day. But this fateful song ends with the terrorist attacks in Spain
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that happened March 11 when trains were bombed and nearly 200 people died. The
students learned more about Spanish culture and history, as well as enjoying a famous song
and musical group. I think that this was a wonderful activity and it is something that I
definitely want to use in the future. When we watched the music video, the students were
mesmerized as they watched real video footage unfold while we listened to the song. These
activities were awesome for learning about culture in a fun and meaningful way.
I think that teachers also need to be interested and passionate about the subject area.
Teachers are role models and set the pace for the classroom. If the teacher is involved and
engaged in the topic, then their students will be more curious and interested as well. If teachers
set the pace with a positive attitude and a good learning environment, the affective filter will be
lower which will increase students’ overall learning. The most effective teacher I had was Mr.
Heys for my AP United States History class. Mr. Heys is brilliant, both as a teacher and as a
history buff. He has a passion for history and gets excited about the information that he teaches.
That passion is matched only when he sees history come alive for his students. We never knew
what to expect going into class; every day was new and different. His passion increased our own
motivation and lowered the affective filter because we were excited to enter an open learning
environment without the pressure of performing for grades. I tried to implement this in my
classroom each day. When we presented activities to the class, I never heard any
complaints but I really would always try to be interested and excited in what we were doing
in class every day. If I thought that I would be bored with an activity, then I wouldn’t use
it. When I looked at the textbook activities and reading selections, I was not interested at
all. Instead I would use current events articles or bring in songs and activities that I found
interesting. When I could be passionate about the activity, then I was ready to present it to
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the class. I asked teachers for their best teaching advice. One teacher who had been
teaching Spanish for several years told me that his advice is to keep the activities new and
exciting – don’t just do the same thing every day, semester, or year. I think that his advice
is really important because when the teacher is excited for the lesson, the students are
much more likely to be interested as well.
Even if it was another day of lecture, Mr. Heys never just talked to us for the entire hour
and a half. He always had a list on the board with what we would learn that day, but it wasn’t a
traditional list. Instead he would draw pictures or symbols to illustrate the main points that we
would learn. Often we would come into class puzzled by the pictures and then ponder how it
would link to the textbook reading. This increased our interest because we wouldn’t know what
to expect, but he left ambiguity to pique our interest. Often I used visual symbols instead of
words for the daily schedule. For example, a drawing with music notes meant that we
would analyze song lyrics, or a picture frame meant that we would do a gallery walk. The
students would usually ask me what it meant or what we would be doing that day, and I
could tell that they were more excited because they knew something interesting was
planned. Other times I would end the day with something exciting for them to look forward
to the next morning. One day I told them that the next day would be a writing day, and the
students all groaned. The next time we were going to have a writing day, instead I told
them (in Spanish) to bring their imagination the next day because we were going to be
extra creative. They asked what we would be doing and seemed excited. I gave them
creative writing options where they could write a dialogue of a cooking show, speech for a
famous athlete, or narrating a sports event. We avoided the groans and sighs, and the
students were engaged and wrote very creative stories.
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Mr. Heys was always be extremely prepared, and often incorporated visuals into the
lesson, including movies, photos, word webs, and drawings. Having visuals along with the
lecture provided dual coding, which helped us to process the information more deeply and
remember it better long-term. I saw that dual coding benefitted the students. For the first
story that we read, the students did a jigsaw activity to analyze just one part of the story.
They drew storyboard pictures for their section and then shared them with their home
group. This helped students to retell and really understand what happened in the story.
Overall, I have had an outstanding experience with my practicum this semester. I
loved the students and I thought it was really fun that I could try out new lesson plans
every day. If something didn’t work, I could analyze why and then change it for the next
day. I hope to continue to implement these important teacher beliefs and learning theories
in my future classes. And I’m excited to continue to learn and grow from my student
teaching classes!