Reflection #4 - SPPT 5999

Teaching Reading as Construction Meaning from Texts (Chp. 5)

·      Summary –

o    This chapter summarizes the findings of four different studies on teaching reading to lower level FL courses, and then extracts a pattern from them: pre-reading, initial reading, detailed reading, critical reading, and knowledge application (and then an assessment at the end). Each of these concepts are deconstructed and their importance is discussed. In each of these concepts, examples are also given, and all the studies previously discussed also include specific examples of how to carry out tasks associated with each concept in the classroom.

·      Key Concepts –

o   Available designs

§  This is an important aspect because it engages students immediately with their preexisting knowledge and shows them where gaps in their knowledge are. This is especially helpful for reading activities which could be completely new for students, but they still have an existing knowledge that will aid them (no one really starts from scratch essentially.)

o   Literacy

§  This is important because this is how students engage with texts! It is not just reading (although it is an important component) but engages culture and visual/audio cues as well. This is also an important building block for students to become more proficient in a FL.

·      Reaction –

o   I thought this was a really practical chapter with things I see that I already am doing in class and many others that I would like to implement. I also like how well organized the flow of reading activities were, that would give structure to days where my class reads in Spanish (and I consistently feel like my activities are discombobulated from their comprehension and what I want to elicit from them). I would like to incorporate in more authentic and difficult texts but am finding a lack of time in the classroom to do so.

·      Discussion Questions –

o   How can I encourage my students to be literate outside the classroom?

o   How can I incorporate in more difficult authentic texts into my curriculum despite it not being a part of the department’s curriculum?

Teaching Video-Mediated Listening as Constructing Meaning from Texts (Chp. 7)

·      Summary –

o    This chapter initially gives a brief overview of the importance of integrating video-text into the classroom, and then gives examples through four previous studies, each proposing their own (yet similar) broad lesson plan and steps to accomplish a successful interaction with a video-text. After going through the studies, the authors then propose their own 6-step lesson plan (based on the previous studies) and an explanation of each step with sample activities for each step.

·      Key Concepts –

o   Cultural information mapping

§  As culture and using authentic texts become more and more important in FL teaching, this type of activity will orient students to think outside of themselves and more appropriately interact with an authentic text.

o   Knowledge application

§  Although this is almost the last step in the proposed plan for having students interact with a video-text, this step is crucial because it puts knowledge into action and can reveal what students not only comprehended, but how the students interacted with the text overall. This step also extends the knowledge learned about culture from comprehension to “access to the target community” (pg. 222).

·      Reaction –

o   This was a practical chapter that I enjoyed! This information encourages me to create lesson plans around video-texts; however, video-texts are not integrated well in my department into the curriculum, so I am unsure how to put this new, enthusiastic knowledge into practice. In addition, the video-texts that are used are not authentic and made for the sole purpose to accompany the textbook. I have considered deviating slightly from the curriculum to incorporate in other texts and interacting with other texts (ex: having students fill in lyrics to an authentic Spanish song), however I am finding a lack of time to do so even though I know my students would enjoy it. The same extends to this idea, that I do not have time to show video-texts in addition to accomplishing what the curriculum has set out for me.

·      Discussion Questions –

o   Are there ways students can engage in meaningful and thoughtful ways with authentic video-texts outside the classroom without the aid of a teacher?

o   Is there a shortened/condensed plan I could adapt for my classroom due to the lack of time? What steps would I cut out if I could?