SANTILLANA USA - ES HS Teacher Guide Sampler Level 1 -2018

Background and Research They must feel that they are part of the learning environment, that they belong to the target culture, while they are acquiring their new language. They must understand the purpose of the lesson and have the freedom to select language that is important to them along the way. Motivation and Learning Students are motivated to take part in Spanish class when the context through which the language is presented and practiced is meaningful, serves a purpose, and relies on the students to bring it to life. Effective teachers understand the link between motivation and learning, and select language and cultural contexts that rely on the students to tell the story. “What are we doing in here today, Señora ? ” “We need you, Juanito, to help guide us on our learning journey.” T36 Motivation A seventh grade student known to his Spanish teacher as “Juanito” ambles reluctantly into his beginning Spanish classroom. He greets the teacher, not with an enthusiastic “Buenos días, señora,” but instead with the question on the mind of many of his classmates, “What are we doing in here today?” Although we would like to believe that the question has been posed out of genuine interest in the classroom activities, we realize that Juanito’s question is motivated by self- preservation. He worries that he might be unprepared for, or embarrassed by, the activities Señora has planned for the day. What Motivates Our Students Motivation is crucial to teaching and learning. Whenever we feel a desire or need for something, we are in a state of motivation. Juanito is motivated to survive the class period, and his teacher wants him to thrive and share her passion for the Spanish language and Hispanic culture. He has a need to feel safe, yet his teacher understands that he must take risks in order to acquire language. He wants to avoid struggle, and she knows that great effort is involved in negotiating meaning and learning from mistakes. Although human beings are motivated to learn from birth, students are often not motivated to learn what we want them to learn in the way that we want them to learn it. They do, however, select information and learning experiences that are important to them every day. Teachers continue to work tirelessly to motivate their students, but most focus on extrinsic motivators, which may not be enough to truly engage students in the long term. How do we make students feel connected to learning? How do we make them feel as if the learning could not happen without them? How do we create excitement for learning, resulting in students eagerly entering our classrooms each day? Relationships Are Key We rely on the standards and performance guidelines to articulate authentic tasks and clear goals. We persevere in our commitment to adjust the learning environment and the content to attract students. Most importantly, we recognize that our relationships with our students and their relationship with the learning process are crucial. Students must believe that they can be successful and experience incremental growth through learning experiences carefully designed around small chunks of meaningful language, leading to purposeful communication. Learning must be fun. Students are more likely to retain the language they acquire in a learning context that they enjoy. Jan Kucerik Pinellas County Public Schools, Pinellas County, Florida They must f el that they are part of the learning environ ent, that they belong to the target culture, while they are acquiring their new language. They must understand the purpose of the le son and have the fr edo to select language that is important to the along the way. otivation and Learning Students are motivated to take part in Spanish cla s when the context through which the language is presented and practiced is meaningful, serves a purpose, and relies on the students to bring it to life. E fective teachers understand the link betw en otivation and learning, and select language and cultural contexts that rely on the students to tell the story. “ hat are we doing in here today, Señora ? ” “ e n ed you, Juanito, to help guide us on our learning journey.” Bibliography Blaz, Deborah. Foreign Language Teacher’s Guide to Active Learning. Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education, Inc., 1999. ———. Bringing the Standards for Foreign Language Learning to Life. NY: Eye on Education, Inc., 2002. Curtain, Helena, and Carol A. Dahlberg. Languages and Children—Making the Match. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2004. High, Julie. Second Language Learning through Cooperative Learning . San Clemente, CA: Kagan Publishing, 1993. Marzano, Robert J., Debra J. Pickering, and Jane E. Pollock. Classroom Instruction that Works . Baltimore: ASCD, 2001. Omaggio, Alice H. Teaching Language in Context . Florence, KY: Cengage and Heinle, 2000. Patrick, Paula. The Keys to the Classroom . Alexandria, VA: The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, 2007. Rogers, Spence. 21 Building Blocks Critical to Leaving No Child Left Behind. Evergreen, CO: PEAK Learning Systems, Inc., 2003. Rogers, Spence, Jim Ludington, and Becky Graf. Teaching and Training Techniques: Lighting the Way to Performance Excellence . Evergreen, CO: PEAK Learning Systems, Inc., 2003. Rogers, Spence, Jim Ludington, and Shari Graham. Motivation and Learning: A Teacher’s Guide to Building Excitement for Learning and Igniting the Drive for Quality . Evergreen, CO: PEAK Learning Systems, Inc., 1999. Shrum, Judith L., and Eileen W. Glisan. Teacher’s Handbook: Contextualized Language Instruction . Florence, KY: Cengage and Heinle, 2005. 30