Hi Whizzes!
So, in this blog, I will touch upon what the ideal World Language Learning Environment of the future COULD look, feel, sound, smell, and taste like, and what the role of the educator COULD be like.
At my now “old” school, we had a professional development session that asked us to imagine this, and write about it.
Here is in essence what my colleagues in the WL Department and I wrote during that wee-little exercise. Before you read on, please do a little something for me. Highlight, in your head or for reals either:
🛼The ones that were true for you in some WL learning environment of the past (LUCKY YOU).
🛼The ones you think we achieved in the WL Department at my “old” school up until last (2022-23 academic year). I do give you the answers further down…so CALM DOWN.
🛼If you’re an educator, the ones you think you could realize/achieve in the next 4 years (WEPA).
I can tell you right now that, after studying 8 languages formally at some of the world’s most prestigious institutions, none of these were true of any of the environments I was in. Sadness😫. Fury😡. Eye-roll🙄. Ok, here we go. ⏱ ⏲ ⏰ 🕰 ⌛️ ⏳is of the essence!!!
🪣Environment is more like a Black Box Theater, and Amphitheater, or ANY THEATER WHATSOEVER.
🔮Closet-fulls of props and costumes (or backstage)
📿Customized props for specific novelas.
🩻Many images around the environment to help with comprehension.
🧪Digitized wall displays that change depending on whatever is going on that day, and could serve as a whiteboard too where learners could do Drawing Comprehension Tasks on the walls. Wall could also turn into a green screen for filming tasks.
🧫Digitized scent, to help make the experience more real during Reader’s Theater, for example
💎Digitized floors—could have games pop up on the floor like a chessboard or tic tac toe or hopscotch.
🎈Surround sound in the walls (for music, choreography, Warm-Up Circles, audiobook listening)
🖼Virtual class buddies from different environments across the country and world who will virtually appear (like 3d) to be able to have conversations in the TL.
🎀Teachers from across the country and world who are doing similar things collaborating virtually in each other's environments.
📮Deskless
📟WL Teachers as Facilitators-Coaches-Directors-Producers — this will only increase in the future as more and more WL departments at all levels get access to the research on language acquisition.
🖲Video replays of class events that then we work with in a different way.
🚘Students-Facilitators with physical disabilities/impediments being able to participate & engage fully online, with something like a 3d avatar.
🌠Appropriate phone usage for class surveys, scanning docs, uploads etc.
🌅Easier access to resources both nationally and internationally.
🎽Recorded classes and a digital database for students to access and retrieve info/lessons/work from previous classes
Ok. Which did we achieve in my Department up to last academic year? They are the ones in RED.
Drum Roll….
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(more like Mouse Roll)
🪣Environment is more like a Black Box Theater, and Amphitheater, or ANY THEATER WHATSOEVER.
🔮Closet-fulls of props and costumes (or backstage)
📿Customized props for specific novelas.
🩻Many images around the environment to help with comprehension.
🧪Digitized wall displays that change depending on whatever is going on that day, and could serve as a whiteboard too where learners could do Drawing Comprehension Tasks on the walls. Wall could also turn into a green screen for filming tasks.
🧫Digitized scent, to help make the experience more real during Reader’s Theater, for example
💎Digitized floors—could have games pop up on the floor like a chessboard or tic tac toe or hopscotch.
🎈Surround sound in the walls (for music, choreography, Warm-Up Circles, audiobook listening)
🖼Virtual class buddies from different environments across the country and world who will virtually appear (like 3d) to be able to have conversations in the TL.
🎀Teachers from across the country and world who are doing similar things collaborating virtually in each other's environments.
📮Deskless
📟WL Teachers as Facilitators-Coaches-Directors-Producers — this will only increase in the future as more and more WL departments at all levels get access to the research on language acquisition.
🖲Video replays of class events that then we work with in a different way.
🚘Students with physical disabilities/impediments being able to participate & engage fully online, with something like a 3d avatar.
🌠Appropriate phone usage for class surveys, scanning docs, uploads etc.
🌅Easier access to resources both nationally and internationally.
🎽Recorded classes and a digital database for students to access and retrieve info/lessons/work from previous classes
Hey…not bad yeah? And the ones we did achieve…trust me, it wasn’t easy. Each school has its own reality, circumstances. For mine, MONEY (such a good song...love Abba, and the video not so bad, except for EVERY Time the men's faces show...which is about 500 too many) is a HUGE issue, SPACE (hello SMALL APPLE—such a good song!!! yay Alicia Keys!) is a GARGANTUAN issue…although I wish that translated into GARGANTUAN AMOUNTS OF SPACE🦧🦧🦧. And therefore, lack of storage space.
A teacher saying “I don’t need these desks” to the head of school becomes a BIG (great movie! yay Hanks) issue because, although he trusts us, he can’t just throw the desks out (💸 💵 💴 💶 💷...if he needs desks at some point he can’t then say…well I threw some out), space…no storage space. But, WE DID IT, and goodness GRACIOUS GORGEOUS GODDESS (Eva Green...just watch it...such a crush) did it help with our pedagogy. 👐👐👐
And just the history of the place and its ossified ways (all institutions have this)…it was actually COVID🦠🦠🦠 that forced my school to adopt tech, in any way shape or form. Before I came four years ago, there wasn’t even “email”…I’m not even joking.😳😳😳
Constanza Ontaneda
your own personal Language Acquisition Witch
