Thaddeus Young

Supplemental Activity 6.3

Teacher A
1. Get it right from the beginning
2. Grammar Translation and Audio-lingual Approach
3.
a. I work very hard on punctuation from the beginning
b. We also spend a lot of time on careful sentence drill
c. Group or pair work is hard to control so I dont do it
4. I would defiantly correct mistakes as they occur although I do not wish to
take it to an extreme level such as this. There is a particular importance to
correct pronunciation of a language and without having some form of
appropriate language use other than myself in the classroom I can not in
good conscience allow my students to develop without being exposed to the
correct ways to sign something.
5. I do not expect to try and memorize short dialogues. More than likely this
does nothing more than further display the Parrot Theory which deals with
students who simply copy what their teacher does. In the early stages it may
appear that there is progress but the progress is short lived when students
are asked to complete a new story or dialogue with a new sentence.
Teacher B
1. Just listen..and read
2. Comprehension based teaching, total physical response
3.
a. We never talk about grammar rules.
b. I just make sure that the students hear and read lots of interesting
material
c. I never correct them
4. I dont think I would use any of these features. While agree that students
need some level of freedom, I can not see only exposing them to ASL videos
and expect their to be growth. As in one of the research examples, students
may be able to reproduce many sentences; they may not be able to recognize
sentences that are in error. Given that there is a wealth of ASL variety
students would have a difficult time successfully acquiring this language.
5. I would not use any of these features as was mentioned in my answer for
number four. It does not aid advanced learners who may find themselves
exposed to the wide varieties in sign language and may lead to confusion.
Teacher C
1. Lets Talk
2. Tasked Based Instruction
3. D
a. I set up activities that students work on in pairs or groups
b. I teach them how to do that for each other
c. Its all in the negotiation
4. I really like this approach and would probably use most if not all of it. In fact I
already do now. I think that it is the appropriate balance of freedom for

Thaddeus Young
students and instruction for teachers. This is also the most acceptable
method to teach some minority groups who often need meaningful
interaction and activity to make the concepts relevant to real life situations. I
also agree with students working with each other and having conversations
with each other. Studies have shown that even though these interactions are
not primarily with native users of the language, it does not lead to less
acquisition. I think that is true because students are still exposed to the aid of
the teacher but at an appropriate level but students are allowed to work out
the errors themselves.
5. None. I like every aspect of this approach.
Teacher D
1. Get it right in the end
2. Tasked based instruction
3.
a. They have to notice language features because they are interested in
what they are trying to understand or say
b. Second language learners have to see for themselves what features of
the new language are important
c. Supply lots of second language material for them to process on their
own
4. I do like trying not to make students anxious by not correcting them all the
time. I work with high school students are there are times when they are
intimidated but like to keep it to themselves. The more I correct them, the
more intimidated they become and they will shut down and stop learning. I
also would talk to my students and discuss how language works, especially
when they are struggling with things they already should know. These short
reminders are often enough to jog their memory banks and they are able to
recall what they learned.
5. My comments here will focus on the aspect that says the student must be
motivated and interested in order for learning to take place. As mention
previously, I work primarily in the high school setting. There are times when
students have little motivation in class. Their emotional state fluctuates from
day to day and has an effect on how well they learn. A teacher must be able to
adjust with these fluctuations and adjust their approach as needed. Relying
only this approach will cause many students to just stop learning. Of course
this does not apply to those who come into class with a desire and motivation
to learn, but many students have to be taught and then their motivation
develops in later levels.