Skip to main content

Excitement and Challenge


The first week of this new year came in like a whirling dervish!  Rested from the holiday we all jumped back into the groove with good and new intentions.

The bigger the challenge, the bigger the opportunity for growth. Anonymous

Learning Spanish has been one of those exciting challenges I chose to try. I had fun listening to the Notes in Spanish Inspired Beginner Spanish podcast on the treadmill – as I went back at the gym (lots of commitments). I also worked through a lot of the lessons in the Duolingo app. I like the variety of types of opportunities you have to practice in Duolingo. I also like that you can read stories and use prediction skills to get yourself thinking in the target language. I find myself surprised that I remember some vocabulary from my HS and College Spanish studies!

This week I plan to expand how I use Notes in Spanish by participating in their forums and seeing if I can make some connections to practice speaking. I think that is the part that is missing most often when we try to learn a language online – and I think it is one of the most valuable efforts we make at the World of Learning; when schools don’t have a teacher we provide the live sessions and guided practice. We are getting really good at using authentic practice and resources in our courses. Without practicing speaking we don’t really know the language, do we?

So far these are a few take away’s – and what may be some long-term effects digital resources can have in the classroom every day:

1.     We can, if working with motivated learners, provide guidance for learners to use resources like podcast and apps to gain initial knowledge and build skills. Many of the apps provide a variety of ways to practice and develop skills (in languages and other concepts). Indeed, many of our learners are already doing this with things they are interested in by using social media and YouTube.
2.     Forums and meet-ups can enhance the social aspect of learning. Especially in a language, interaction with others is important for developing speaking fluency. In both Notes in Spanish and Duolingo there are many opportunities to connect with others. In schools, we will have to vet these resources well. It also make me think about how we help to connect schools and partner to expand the opportunities for learners!
3.     Learning requires us to interact and cooperate with others. Regardless of the content. While I was too shy to really try a forum to use my new skills at first, I found visiting friends who are native speakers gave me a safe place to dip my toe in. Schools can have the same impact for learners – a safe place to try and fail.

As I continue to practice Spanish I plan to call on my friends and colleagues in the World of Learning. This week I hope to dive a bit deeper into the places that will allow me to try to use the words I know. I am gaining a whole new empathy for learners' who struggle as I delve into something that does not come easy to me.

What are you trying new? How are you helping your learners’ to find something they are passionate about learning?

Want to help your learners’ with World Languages? Let’s chat!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Leading with Language

Words matter! How we use words matters. The Leaders of the Hopi Nation in 2000, proclaimed “the time of the lone wolf is over”.   I watched a special on PBS that gave me hope. “American Creed - Ideals that Unite Us” - former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her Stanford colleague, historian David Kennedy lift the many amazing stories and different voices that make up the unique fabric of the United States of America - check it out HERE . We are all in this together. So when I opened my email and saw Dr. Michelle Saylor front and center of Education Week’s Leaders to Learn From - I was excited! She talks about language uniting people - expanding possibility. I love the positive impact of teaching World Languages to all learners. Language matters. Dr. Saylor’s mission to provide opportunities for everyone to experience another culture through the language rings sweet for us in the World of Learning at IU8 . Michelle’s story is well worth the read. Learning

Connected Learning - Anywhere!

Teaching and learning in an online, virtual, blended or internet based platform is not just about the tools, it is also about the connections. Don’t get me wrong, we couldn’t provide virtual services without the tools, but the tools come and some go… so we work hard to figure out how to engage with the learners and make the virtual experience meaningful. In the late fall, we spent some time with a few learners and their teacher. You can see that they like each other even though they have only been working together for about 8 weeks. We wanted to know a bit more about how learners were navigating these new tools that were being used at Windber Area School District so we asked them some questions. Here is what we heard when we asked: “What did you think when you heard you were going to be doing some of your class in a virtual environment?” The first students started “I thought it was going to be hard!” Another student described using the virtual tools as an “ex

Passion, Perseverance, Growth Mindset and Grit

Passion, Perseverance, Growth Mindset and Grit Pat Mulroy, D. Ed. Appalachia IU8 May 21, 2018 It is not hard for me to get off task! As one of two people who ‘leads’ the World of Learning and Open Campus at IU8 I have a variety of task and work that I do to keep our scrappy little group together. So, as I was preparing some of the professional development on Mindset, that we will offer in the upcoming school year, I was reading articles that discussed why Grit and Growth Mindset both are important in education. As you can see, I am down the off-task road, 100%. Yet it was exciting because, it made me to think of all the examples of people who truly expanded their mindset in our World of Learning. Carol Dweck Ph.D., is one of the world’s leading researchers in the field of motivation. She examines what she calls mindsets, which people use to regulate their behavior. Her research looks at where mindsets originate, and the role of mindsets in motivation and reg