My mentor, Lise!, advised me to give homework every night. Every single night. Every night. I've made homework 30% of the final grade, and since these kids LOVE using their laptops, I've made it a blog based homework. Every single night they are required to log in to the class blog and respond to whatever post I've presented. I'm going to focus on pictures, videos, music, and websites. They will be required to respond via comment, and have a rubric that assesses each post.
- On time and complete
- Quality of ideas
- Quality of language
- Student tries to express him/herself
- Student responds to other students' comments
- Student is honest (reflection questions only)
They are excited about the homework, and it will begin Monday night, the 20th. They have 24 hours to respond, with comments being due by 12:47, the time their class starts. This enables students who can only access the internet at school to use library computers. Many people in our area still have dial-up because some small towns don't have access to cable. DIAL UP! Yikes.
The Blog sounds great, but is a complete pain in the toosh. The computer teacher helped me with the logistics of setting it up, but after deciding on using Blogger (Wordpress was so complicated that I couldn't even work it) and not finding anything remotely close on Google Apps, we ran into Google pain in the toosh. The blog is private, and I had to invite students to be members in order to read it. The result of this was a catastrophic crapstorm of Google asking over and over for cell phone numbers to verify that the students were actual people. One student gave his number for everyone so that they could all get in without telling me. I would NEVER have authorized that!!!!!
Now that they're all in, they're trying to figure out all the French on the blog, and master all the vocabulary that comes with it.
Their initial review of the homework once I described it, was "Yay! I'm going to LIKE this homework!!!" They love their computers, and I don't blame them. We shall see how enthusiasm wanes.
The students continue to speak in English in class, to each other, under their breaths, and when they are confused and asking questions. One student gave me the "I'm in a coma" face for two days straight, and when I confronted her about it, she told me that it was hard, and that she really didn't want to speak French.
She enrolled in an elective FRench class. But she doesn't really want to speak French.
I told her that it would get easier, and that she has to let me help her. I told her it was ok to take mental breaks when she gets overwhelmed, but that she can't let herself shut down.
When it comes to the formatting of the class, I'm realizing that I have to change a TON of things. I can't teach the same way, immersion or not. I've decided to give students options about the way they acquire the langugae.
So far I have two options:
Written track: Written book work, written worksheets.
Speaking track: computer recorded book work aloud, and a presentation in front of the class (poster or such) relating to the same information.
Both tracks will also have to view the video from the chapter, complete the listening exercises, and do online practice texts with at least 18/20 before they can move on.
Once a track plus the required materials are complete, students receive "Permission" to take the quiz over that section. If they pass the quiz, they can move on. If they don't pass the quiz, they must do the "other" track to prep for the quiz, and retake it, for a grade of B or better.
I would also like to incorporate a song or a video project where students "teach" a grammar structure or concept from the book.
This way, students will be on their own, but high structured. They are also not driven to complete certain amounts of lessons, but instead focus on the quality of what they are doing. It will be my job to move them through the lessons at a pace that I feel is appropriate.
In some ways I think this will solve my frustrations, and many of theirs. It creates more work for me in some ways, but not in the ways I dreaded.
I have four hours tomorrow to develop this plan before I roll it out on Monday. Wish me luck.
