Language Lessons for Deep Understanding

Concept: Deep Understanding
Big question: How do we help our learners to deeply know our language and culture?
Part of a series titled 'Building Blocks for Planning Language Lessons for Community Languages Schools', this session explores the importance of planning to balance Understanding (aka Knowledge) of the language with opportunities to Communicate in the language.

Transcript

1. Welcome Let’s explore…. How do we help our learners to deeply know our language and culture? Please join www.slido.com with # 215141 With Kara Matheson Education Officer NSW Community Languages Schools Program Hunter Community Languages Inc
2. Concept: Deeply knowing a language and culture Big question: How do we help our learners to deeply know our language and culture?
3. Join at slido.com #215141 ⓘ Start presenting to display the joining instructions on this slide.
4. What language do you teach? ⓘ Start presenting to display the poll results on this slide.
5. Acknowledgement of country I acknowledge and respect the traditional custodians of the land on which I work, the Pambalong Clan of the Awabakal people. Today we come together from lands far and wide that have been cared for by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples for over sixty thousand years. Let us pay our respects to Elders past, present, and future.
6. The What, Why, and How of this session Photo by Daniel Öberg on Unsplash
7. What are we learning about today? • The concept: Deeply knowing a language & culture • The big question: How do we help our learners to deeply know our language and culture? 1. NESA’s 2 major strands to address in language teaching: 1. Understanding / Knowing about the language 2. Communicating in the language 2. Strategies for deep learning Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash
8. Teaching Standards Addressed 6.2.2 Participate in learning to update knowledge and practice targeted to professional needs and school and/or system priorities 2.1.1 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the concepts, substance and structure of the content and teaching strategies of the teaching area.
9. Why is this important? • Growing your understanding of the content and teaching strategies for Languages will help you to be a more effective teachers, which will help you to: • Give students the richest, best experience of learning • Make CLSs learning even more relevant to students’ broader lives Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash
10. Which of the following best matches your understanding of deeply knowing a language: ⓘ Start presenting to display the poll results on this slide.
11. NESA’s elements of learning a language
12. Understanding / Knowing Strand
13. Examples of teaching the Understanding Strand a CLS Culture – festivals; history; manners; relationship patterns; thinking patterns; values; expectations; rituals; beliefs; etc Language – grammar – tenses, prepositions, subject/object, word order; vocabulary; script; etc
14. Examples of other Knowledge to teach in a CLS The 3 Cross-curriculum priorities: • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures • Asia and Australia's engagement with Asia • Sustainability The 7 General capabilities: • Literacy • Numeracy • Information and communication technology capability • Critical and creative thinking • Personal and social capability – Wellbeing sessions this term • Ethical understanding • Intercultural understanding
15. Let’s remember Remember when you started trying to communicate – interact, access and respond, compose – in your second language. Did you start with knowing about the language – understanding - or did you start with communicating? How was that? How did you feel when you were learning about that new language? How did you feel when you were trying to communicate in that new language?
16. The importance of the Understanding Strand for knowing a language and culture deeply • This is necessary for accurate and appropriate use of the language – Kara’s story of learning Japanese in Japan • More knowledge can enable more complex engagement with the language • Knowledge without Communication learning is ineffective - What Kara saw of Japanese people learning English in Japan
17. How important for you was learning about your second language (growing your understanding) when you started trying to use it (to communicate)? ⓘ Start presenting to display the poll results on this slide.
18. How did you grow your knowledge of your second language? ⓘ Start presenting to display the poll results on this slide.
19. Which ways do you prefer to learn about a language? ⓘ Start presenting to display the poll results on this slide.
20. How do you teach knowledge in your language classes? Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash
21. How do your students prefer to grow their knowledge of the target language? ⓘ Start presenting to display the poll results on this slide.
22. A teaching/learning myth “The myth that so many of us hold dear: If we cover material (eg tell students something or go over it in class), they will learn it. This is something many teachers are convinced is true despite so much evidence to the contrary. When students lack depth of understanding, they either repeat incorrectly, repeat partially, or forget.” Julie Stern Tools for Teaching Conceptual Understanding: Harnessing natural curiosity for learning that transfers (p85)
23. How do we help students to get 'depth of understanding' in the language and culture that they are learning with us? Photo by Jakob Boman on Unsplash
24. Prioritise wellbeing - Cognitive wellbeing strategies to help ss motivation
25. NESA’s elements of learning a language
27. Differentiation
29. Example: Teaching about time in Japanese 1. Communicating Strand – What do I want them to do? • Interacting – Survey classmates about their daily routine • Composing – Write about daily routine • Accessing and Responding – Read texts and listen to dialogue and respond (these will be models for composing) 2. Understanding Strand – What elements do I need to teach? • Systems of Language – grammar; vocabulary; word order • The role of language and culture – punctuality; values of consideration and dependability.
30. Where to from here? When your planning your lessons, to help your students to have deep learning: • Give them the understanding they need of • the Systems of your language and • the role of your culture in this topic • Give them opportunities to use their understanding as they communicate in the language through tasks such as • Accessing and Responding • Interacting • Composing
31. And plan ways to care for their wellbeing
32. Questions and reflections… Photo by Casey Horner on Unsplash
33. Thanks for being here. Stay well Access the slides and more at our website: www.hptacls.org Beautiful, copyright-free images: https://unsplash.com Tomorrow 1pm: Emotional Wellbeing in CLSs Next Thursday 1:30pm: Planning Tasks