Category: Reflection - Talia Block

A Beginner's Mind

8/28/2017

I started a new workout program this week and it is really challenging, not just physically, but also mentally. At the end of today’s session, the trainer talked about a Japanese concept: Shoshin - the concept of a beginner's mind. This Buddhist concept encourages a person to enter a new situation with an open mind and enthusiasm, to surrender ego and to be challenged to grow. It is the skill of being a student. (Read more here.)

As a language teacher, it's often difficult, if not impossible, to remember what it was like to begin our language journey; the struggles with understanding language and with finding the words we want to use. I do remember when I went abroad and, despite years of school learning, I struggled to communicate. I remember feeling overwhelmed and lost, but being in a different country, I did not have the choice to quit. I want my students to feel that despite being overwhelmed and lost that they can improve; they don’t have to quit. We have the opportunity to share this concept with our students and to invite them to be into this beginner’s mindset as they start the year.

Create a safe and welcoming environment.
Even when using the target language on day one you can begin to build relationships. Include pictures of you and your family as you talk about summer or show your school pride by wearing school gear on the first day. Welcome students at the door with smiles or take the last few minutes at the end of class in English to check in. (You do get 10%!)

Create activities that are engaging and authentic.
Use authentic resources to draw students in and ignite passion for the language. Help them connect what they're seeing and learning to their own lives with photos or other things related to the topic. Create cultural comparisons with examples from your students’ lives.

Teach how to be a student.
It sounds silly, but learning how to learn a language is actually more essential in the beginning than what vocabulary a student remembers. By giving students the skills they need to learn, we provide the building blocks they need to be successful. As they learn how to be a student, the language piece comes much more easily and they gain confidence in themselves and their work.

Have fun and be yourself!
Enjoy your time with your students. Show your passion for what you do and let parts of you come out in each and every one of your lessons. Make mistakes and learn along with your students. They take their cues from you, so be a good beginner along with them.

As I wrote each of these and reread them, they hit me as obvious. No matter how many years you’ve been teaching or how many first days you’ve had, it is always important to remember what being a beginner is like.

Have a great school year!

I "Can Do"

8/17/2017

Students self-assessment has always been a bit of a struggle for me. Can a 3rd grader really assess his own learning? How can I help my learners understand where they are and where I want them to go?

Enter the ACTFL “Can Do” statements. These are not new, but after many years of working with them, I finally feel that I figured out their true place in my classroom. Over the past few years of writing and re-writing curriculum, we’ve used a wide range of Can Do statements in our documents and with our students. I’ve created bulletin boards, created ranking documents and pretty much anything else you can think of. No matter what form they’ve taken, the self-assessment piece hasn’t worked for me.

This year, my team and I are taking a different approach to the Can Dos and self-assessment. In language learning, it is impossible to acquire something and then never use it again. Language builds on itself; we go deeper into topics and broaden our vocabulary around that topic. We constantly talk about spiraling curriculum and vocabulary, but how does that play out in the Can Do statements.

Enter the travel map.

This goal is to help students visualize a path through our unit. Each can do reflects the vocabulary and functions we expect of our students, and through this path, they better understand that each piece is important in reaching our goal.
As we go, students will be asked to shade each circle. Wait, shade? You read that correctly! Since language learning is not a one and done, we want to help students visualize they are consistently adding layers to their learning. By shading the circle, students demonstrate they are continuing to build their knowledge so that by the end of the unit they’ve had the chance to revise the Can Dos multiple times.

Part of my goal for the year is to help students understand that learning is a process and that it takes a long time to become proficient. I’ve been working on my Spanish since I was in elementary school and every day I learn new words and phrases and I work to refine my language. It is my hope that not only will they begin to understand the process of learning language, but will also be kind to themselves on the days where they struggle and extremely proud of themselves as they see the progress they’ve made.

Essential Questions are...Essential

1/11/2017

Essential questions are a part of planning every unit, but up until this point they have really been for my benefit. They helped guide my activities and assessments and gave me a direction. But essential questions (EQ) aren’t just for me. My students need to know the essential questions so they know where we are headed and on what to focus their energy. So when we started our unit on animals, I put the EQs on post-it paper in the front of the class: How are all living things connected? Why are all living things important? I asked the students to brainstorm some ideas in Spanish and they couldn’t come up with anything – a sign I have a good EQ. What would be the point of an EQ that students can answer before the unit even begins??

We are now about half way through the unit and we revisited our EQs. Students had a better idea, but still struggled to come up with answers. We began the unit looking at the relationship between wolves and the other animals in Yellowstone through a short video called How Wolves Change Rivers.

17 for '17

1/5/2017

A friend of mine mentioned a post by Adam Dovico with 17 goals for 2017 and also shared with me her goals for the year. This got me thinking about the opportunity a new year brings to make changes and to see things differently. 2016 was a big year for me with the birth of my first child. I always knew that having a child would change my life, but I didn’t realize in what way. So after some reflection, here are my 17 in ’17:

Patience from understanding. While patience for everyone in every situation is a hefty goal, I think it is important to begin to tackle it, especially in the classroom. No one is perfect and we all get frustrated with students sometimes, but patience from understanding means taking a step back, taking a breath and assessing whether frustration or exasperation is really the best reaction. Showing a bit of patience may be the difference for a successful day in the classroom for both the students and me.
Accept the things I cannot change. Logically, this is an easy one. I know I can only change my behavior and how I interact with people, but sometimes the emotion overpowers the logic. Both personally and professionally, this goal will create less tension and negativity, making things flow more easily.
Positivity reigns. It can be so easy to get into a cycle of negativity, especially with colleagues in the lunchroom. Once the negativity starts, it can be so difficult to break the cycle. I’d like to have just one day, to start, where I focus on the positive. Once I tackle a day, then a week. I can only imaging what a difference focusing on the positive will make for me.
Not every day is an A day. I try to give my all each and every day I am at work. Sometimes this results in an A day and sometimes it is nothing more than a B or B+. . If I didn’t quite bring it one day, there is always the next day.
Be a better mentor. My colleague moved from full time at the middle school to half and half with the elementary school. I wasn’t there to support her move as I was away on leave. While she has done a great job, I want to be more available to her. It's a huge transition – I still remember the challenge when I moved 6 years ago – which is made even more difficult when you have to face it alone. Now that I am settled, I want to give her the attention she deserves to help make the rest of the year even better.
Jump back in. Before my maternity leave, I felt I was in a sweet spot. I was connecting with my PLN through Twitter, presenting at conferences, and feeling like I was helping lead the pack - at least within my district and area. Now that I'm back from leave, it's time to get back on track and to jump in head first. I want to participate in #langchat at least once a month and tweet what is going on in the classroom at least once a week.
Say “yes”…selectively. I’ve never been one to say no. I am always volunteering for extras at school and to take on more responsibility. While this isn’t always a bad thing, I have to learn to take a step back and participate in only those things that I really enjoy. This goes for my personal life too – not every family function is a must-attend event!
Get more involved in the "right" opportunities. Saying "yes" less doesn't mean not participating. I want to be more involved in my local language organization. Doing so connects me to a greater network of colleagues, opens me to more opportunities, and keeps me learning from others in my profession.
Attend conferences with purpose. I've always attended PD with some idea of what I want to learn, but I want to have more focus. Conferences afford the opportunity to see and learn so much that it can be overwhelming. For this years' conference, I want to focus on the strand of community, to help students see how learning a language has purpose outside the four walls of the classroom and that language can be a way in which to connect with other communities and people across the world.
Present on a new topic. I am slated to present at a conference this March, which is awesome, but I want to do more! I love sharing what I know, because I often learn so much at the same time. I tend to keep my presentations within a certain range of topics, but it is time to explore a new avenue of my work and to build a presentation around that topic.
Blog more. It seems silly to make blogging a goal as I write this post, but I want to write 3 posts a month. Whether my audience is big or small, writing posts helps me reflect on what works and what doesn't. Writing helps me reassess my lessons and build and improve.
Play more! Play is good for everyone. Whether it is playing games in class, having students use their imagination, or just enjoying time together. We get so caught up in the work itself, that we often forget that play can be a great way to engage with the language. Playing a game does not mean the students aren’t learning, but rather that I, as the teacher, need to ensure the students can engage with the target language while playing.
Go digital. (I’m jumping on Dovico’s bandwagon with this one.) We are 1-to-1 at our school. There is so much that can be done on the iPads that it isn’t too difficult to jump to the digital. While I believe in the power of writing and its’ connection to the brain remembering, so much of our learning is conversation based. Moving forward, if writing is not required, my goal is to have it on the iPad.
Seize opportunity. There is always so much going on in the world and so much of it is related to the things we study in class. A parent sent me an e-mail over the break about how her daughters and their friends have not stopped singing the song Bumboleo by the Gypsy Kings ever since they saw the movie Sing! This is a great opportunity to make a connection between the classroom and the real world. By bringing the use of Spanish to the students’ attention, they begin to see that the language is not just for the classroom.
Travel. Before baby, travel was a given in our house. Whether we went for the weekend or a few weeks, we knew we would go on at least a few trips a year. Travel is a time for my husband and I to spend time together without worrying about other commitments. Although the destinations may change – I’m not quite brave enough for a long flight with a 6 month old – the idea is still the same. Anything we can do to get some quality family time is worth it.
Train. This is not your typical “work out more” resolution, but rather that I want to train with a purpose. My long-term goal is to complete a triathlon sprint this summer, but in the meantime, I want to find something to work toward. This keeps me focused on what I need to do and helps me push myself toward my limit.
Find balance. Finding a life-work balance is always a struggle, especially with a baby in the house. I love my work and want to be the best teacher and colleague I can be, but I also want to give my family the attention they need and deserve. Right now, I want to get a quick workout in after school and pick my little one up by 4:30 at the latest. I want to participate in school events, but I will limit the events to the ones where my family can join me. When I'm at work, my focus is on flushing out any ideas or changes I want to make, but the paperwork stays at school. As the little guy grows and changes, so too will my definition of balance. The important thing is to constantly reassess and adapt to make it work.

What are your 17 for ’17?

Staying Home But Not StayinG Away

8/24/2016

Today is the first day of school. And I'm not there. My son was born in June and I have the privilege to stay home with him until November. This is amazing! But it's also really tough.

The beginning of the school year is one of my favorite times. The week before the kids come back all the teachers are back and getting the rooms ready; everyone's buzzing with excitement and talking about the fabulous summer they had. This is a great time to reconnect with colleagues and just get excited for a brand-new school year. Then the first days come and the students arrive in their best clothes and with brand-new school supplies. Everyone is excited for the possibilities a new school year holds.

This year, however, I don't get to experience this. While I thought I would be content not to go back to school, there is a part of me that is really sad. That being said, I am so thankful to spend this wonderful time with my son. I get to watch him grow and change over the next few weeks and months. I know how lucky I am. Most parents barely get 12 weeks, if that. Knowing this, the question is, how do I create a new balance in my life? How do I stay present for my son, but also keep my foothold in the World Language and teaching community?

Each of us finds balance in a different way, but here some ideas to maintain the connection with work while enjoying the precious minutes with your little one:

Stay connected through social media.
Whether checking school email or reading tweets, it can feel good just to know what is going on at school and in your personal learning community. While the little one is sleeping or while pumping, take the time to scroll through emails, tweets, pins, etc. There is no need to respond unless you feel like it, but just reading can help make you feel like a continued part of the school community. If you want more, participate in a Twitter chat, such as #langchat. In doing so, you carve out time for yourself while staying up to date and part of the conversation.

Stay connected to the material.
I'm hoping my son will be bilingual, so I speak to him in Spanish, but talking to myself all day can be tiring. There are plenty of books and thousands of songs available. Not only does it give me a break, but also keeps me connected to my subject matter. As I come across new songs or other things that relate to my classroom, I take note and tuck it away for my return to school.

Stay connected to your colleagues
Making coffee or dinner dates with friends from school does more than just get you out of the house. By staying connected with colleagues, you stay connected to the school community; even if it’s just for the latest gossip. If I maintain relationships with my colleagues, school, and district, it will be a smoother transition back into school. If at all possible, try to attend a special assembly or holiday party that doesn’t feel too disruptive to you or the school. For those at the elementary level, visiting for Halloween can be fun for both you and the students, especially if you dress the little one up for the parade. Bring your little one to a special concert or holiday show. The students will love to meet the baby and it will help you continue to be a part of the community.

Stay connected to your goals.
What is it that you want to get out of your time at home? What are you hoping to accomplish once you get back to work? Your priorities have probably shifted, so it is essential to take time to reassess your short-term, and possibly long-term, goals. It is possible that your goals have not changed at all, but rather that the way in which you reach them has changed.

There is no right or wrong to creating a new balance to your life. It has to be about what works for you in that moment, knowing very well that it could all change once you return to work. No matter what, be sure to enjoy your leave as a way to re-energize yourself for work, and take work time to re-energize yourself for home.

10 Confessions

5/21/2016

I the year comes to an end, I always like to look back at how both the students and I have changed. This change is not just apparent in the activities we do or in the amount of target language the students use, but also in how we feel as we crawl toward the end. As I read my Twitter feed, Allison Wienhold's (@SraWienhold) 10 Confessions blog post appeared, and it made me realize that there are some things I should confess as well. So here are my 10 confessions of an end of the year teacher:

As I get closer to my due date at the end of June, walking around the classroom is less and less appealing; especially since I can barely squeeze between the chairs and the bookshelves!
Drawing quietly as part of a project is no longer a homework assignment, but a legit in class activity.
I can't seem to cook more than one or two dinners a week, which leaves both lunch and dinner a scramble.
Most years, watching kids "graduate" from 5th to 6th grade is a exciting and a pleasure. This year, I'm happy for them, of course, but I will miss this groups' curiosity, interest, and excitement for learning.
The end of this year is bittersweet, as I'm exhausted and ready to meet baby, but I'm totally freaking out about having a sub to start the year.
I will not be sad if I never see (or more correctly hear) a student chewing gum in class again.
We may be three weeks away from the end of the year, but I am more than a little tempted to start taking things off the walls and to purge unnecessary files and other things.
I've worn sneakers to work every day for the past 3 months straight. Dresses, pants - it doesn'T matter. I'm totally ready for mismatch day next week.
I'm definitely counting the days until June 10th when I can put my feet up on the couch and watch hours of Gran Hotel without interruption!
Despite my complete exhaustion at this point, I know that I will look forward to returning to school after maternity leave. I look forward to having a lot of time to think about new goals for the coming year and to what I want to accomplish, but also to what I'm willing to let go of as I embark on a new journey that requires balancing a baby and teaching.

I'm always glad to know that I'm not alone in letting things go as the year comes to an end, but also knowing that the need to relax and recharge is balanced with the excitement we all feel as we look forward to the new school year.

Now I'll pose the same question as Sra. Wienhold: What are your confessio

Central States Conference 2016 Reflections and takeaways

3/19/2016

Just a week out from Central States Conference 2016, and I think I'm finally ready to put what I've learned into words. As I reflected on my time at the conference, I realized that aside from the classroom and student focused takeaways, there are some big picture ideas that really stuck with me. My growth and learning came to more than buzzwords and targeted practices, but also in the importance of sharing time with colleagues and learning from those colleagues. We may not all be experts in anything, but we have a passion for language and teaching and we want what is best for our students. The presentations and conversations at Central States made this very clear. So here’s some stuff I picked up:

Everyone is doing their best to make learning better for their students.
No matter where my colleagues are in their career or in the process of writing or rewriting curriculum, we are all working hard to take the baby steps necessary to make huge changes. The way we teach language has changed drastically over the past years and there is a lot to take in and learn. It isn't just about what and how to implement ideas, but an incredible shift in the way we view language teaching. Just accepting this shift is a huge accomplishment. Diving in and making those changes is just a part of the process. Each time we take a small step, we really can't have a big impact on the students learning. Just the small steps can lead us to where we want to go with her teaching to where we want our students to go. It doesn't have to happen overnight and we, As teachers, have to be OK with making one change at a time to reach our bigger goal.

Sometimes all we need is a spark.
As I started the weekend at Central states, I was feeling a little lost as to what I really wanted to get out of the conference. I feel really good about where we are in our curriculum as a district, but it just isn't enough. I really couldn't decide what it was I wanted to focus on. After Amy Lenord's presentation on ditching the vocabulary list, however, I realize that I wasn't looking for a solution, but a spark. Just one idea can have a huge impact in changing the way we think about curriculum and how we teach. Why was I picking vocabulary (seemingly out of thin air) when I could use my authentic resources to dictate? Add this to Laura Terrill's idea of starting with culture and content and the pieces begin to come together. Neither one had the whole answer, but each of pieces begin to fit together to help solve the puzzle of how to push students to higher language proficiency.

Don't forget the conversation
The amount and variation in the sessions offered at Central states was incredible. But sometimes conversation after and between sessions is more valuable than attending twice as many sessions. Not only is it a time to continue the learning from the session, but to brainstorm ideas and connect with other colleagues. The more connections we make, the more potential there is for sharing and collaborating down the road. I am a person that likes to process information with other people; I like to talk it out to help formulate ideas and thoughts. Without these conversations, I’m not sure I would necessarily come to the same ideas or conclusions that I do when sharing and brainstorming with others. Not only do they have different perspectives and come from a wide variety of educational backgrounds and situations, but also they have differing experiences that lead to seeing material in distinctive ways.

Social media isn’t just a distraction
Despite constant commentary about millennials and technology, Twitter played an extremely important role in Central States for me. Not only is it impossible to attend all of the sessions, but it is also impossible to take everything in over the three day conference. The backchannel Twitter conversation provides an archive of thoughts, ideas, conversation and more that occurred during, between, and after sessions. Days, weeks, and months later, I can return to that “archive” under the #CSCTFL16 and review these ideas or moments to spark a new idea. Not only that, it is a great way to process ideas and have conversation even if you aren’t sitting next to the person in that moment. The amount of sessions I was able to “attend” was expanded just by virtue of reading the ideas or thoughts of others. Moreover, everyone hears the information differently, even if they are in the same room. The ability to read another perspective opens my mind to greater possibilities.

Central States this year didn't really feel like a regional conference. It was amazing to hear from some of the top people in the field and to connect with those who are facing the same everyday struggle to make language learning more effective and authentic for our students. Looking forward to next year in Chicago!

Why Failure IS important

3/7/2016

No one ever wants to fail. Ever. But the truth is, periodic failure offers much more than perfection. If you are perfect (and who can really say they are?!?!) then there is no room to learn and grow.

As a teacher, I feel like I often spend hours crafting what I hope is the most amazing and exciting lesson or activity. I think I’ve considered all angles, worked through giving the directions, thought about the vocabulary my students need, etc.; I’ve got this lesson in the bag. And then – EPIC FAIL!!

https://chrishildrew.wordpress.com/2014/03/21/becoming-a-growth-mindset-school/

But is it really a failure? Or is it only a failure if you never learn and grow? We ask our students to learn from their mistakes, so shouldn’t we, as teachers, model that behavior for them? Taking a failed lesson and reflecting and working through it to make it better is really no longer a failure. Not only is the lesson better, but also you as a teacher are better. Growth mindset is the current buzzword in education, but it is more than that, it is a choice to look at and reflect on your teaching to make it better for you and for your students.

Reflecting on failure has a benefit for our students as well. Imagine a teacher that never tried new ideas and always played it safe. Not only might the class be a bit boring, but also she sends the message to her students that risk-taking and change are not important. A teacher who looks for new opportunities and ideas, however, demonstrates the importance of taking risks. We constantly encourage our students, especially World Language students, to take risks and put their language use out there. If we don’t model that behavior with our teaching, why should they believe us?

It isn’t, however, just the risk-taking that we model. When an assignment or activity doesn’t work quite right, it is important that we model the reflection process with our students as well. Including them in the reflection not only provides us as teachers with a different perspective, but also teaches students that mistakes are great, but reflecting and improving is even better!

Failure provides that real-life, teachable moment. So grab your epic fails by the horns and reflect and change to make the failure worthwhile.