The Question 1. It has been said that young children learn through their talking, that through talking they are able to think (Buckley, 1981). You will hear young children talking even when they are playing by themselves. Children will talk aloud while they play with dolls or Legos or other toys. What would be the effect on children’s language growth of organizing a class to be silent most of the time? What kind of classroom organization provides children with the greatest opportunities for language growth? In terms of language acquisition, are input and output equally important? Whose input and output?
My Response The effects of a classroom that is silent all the time would be catastrophic. There is a time and a place for silence; not every time nor every place should be silent. I have learned thus far that native English speakers need an abundance of time to practice speaking; so why would I think that non-native English speakers would need any less time. How would I, as a teacher, be able to assess each students' progress in vocabulary, sentence structure, or their understanding of what they are speaking if speaking wasn't permitted? How would they be able to practice what they are being taught if they never spoke it out loud? There are 3 main theories that are associated with language acquisition: the behavorist, the innatist, and the interactionist. I do not believe that a single theory would or could apply to all children. Although, I might sway more towards the interactionist theory which states that language develops over time, not within a single interaction. It is also identified as a trial-and-error process of give and take as people try to understand and be understood. If students were never aloud to speak or the environment was continually silent how would their communication skills progress? This is one of the reasons that they are in school to begin with; to learn new skills and to use them effectively.
A classroom where there is balance of all things, I believe, would be the ideal Utopian environment. A balance between individual and group learning opportunities. Giving my students continual opportunities for reflection, listening, reading, writing, and speaking. Time for students to share their ideas with others in small, or large groups. Creating an environment where print is available in multiple forms and in abundance. The more that I can give them, the more exposure they will have, and the more curious they will become. It seems that the word of the day is "more." Although more is great, there again must be balance. If students are feeling inundated with information and aren't able to process it all, there will be problems. I, as a teacher, will constantly have to assess, and re-assess what my students need and how much they need. Enjoying my students and their curiousity; encouraging them to be excited about what they are learning and giving them plenty of opportunities to be leaders of their own learning, I feel, is what drives me as a teacher. Above all, make sure that my classroom is a safe environment. All the great teaching in the world will not amount to anything if my students do not feel that my classroom is a safe place for them to make mistakes and to share. The ultimate goal, I see, is to create a place where each student would have a low effective filter so that they can take risks, and feel comfortable to respond (whether right or wrong).
As much as I may like to talk, my main role is to facilitate learning. Whom should I be most concerned about; my students. Whose voices should I hear more often than my own; my students. That being said, in the early stages of language acquisition, input (what the teacher says, and how it is said) is just as important as output (what the student says, and how it is said). As students progress there is less need for teacher input and more focus and emphasis placed on the students output. There is a fine line here, though. As a teacher I have to create the scaffolding that my students will use for the rest of their lives. How I teach and where I put my emphasis is what my students will pick up on. What level of expectation I give my students, I hope, will be the same level of output I get in return. If I don't push them, they won't rise to meet my expectations. If I don't challenge them, they will glide right on by. If I don't encourage them to take ownership of their work; they will have no personal investment in it. Granted, all of these things happening in perfect harmony is an ideal situation and although ideals do not always occur; that doesn't mean I can't expect my students to create amazing things and be amazing people. The bottom line is that input and output are equally important especially at the beginning. Using serveral different stratagies and methods to convey information will eventually yield me, as the teacher, the greatest output of student understanding and participation.
Love Angela
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