VoiceThread Communication Mode Activities

As I mentioned in my last post, interpretive skills are overly stressed in the traditional Arabic curriculum. I tend to focus on the interpersonal in class meetings and probably should give more attention to activating and engaging students' interpretive skills. I have many ideas on how to do this, both in the traditional classroom and online. I would benefit most from other teachers' ideas on bringing the presentational skill into play without it feeling too much like an assessment to the student. Unfortunately, the VoiceThread project didn't help me here; four groups did an interpersonal project (including mine), one did an interpersonal project, and the presentational was wholly unrepresented.

While my group designed an interpretive activity, I want to do more with this in my classes (and in a way that engages my students). I liked my group's activity, but had a look at the interpretive activity designed by group 4.

Their asynchronous activity focuses on cultural awareness, and one of the primary goals is to demonstrate that lunch is the biggest meal in the Arab world. Students are shown a video of a Friday lunch in an Arab home. (I immediately thought of Khalid and his family in the nearly-inescapable Al Kitaab textbook, as there's a very similar video in that text.) Students watch the video and are asked three multiple-choice questions to ascertain they understand the basic content (that the scene takes place midday on a Friday, etc.) Students then do a presentation using Photo Story or Comic Life.

This activity is fully online and I probably wouldn't change much if I were to use it. Asynchronous activities can be done as homework in a blended class. However, this could be done in the classroom as well. Students could also work in groups on their presentations, and this could also be done remotely. I think it should be fairly simple to discern students' understanding of the material regardless of where they may be.

The thing that most intrigued me about this activity is that, like the one my group designed, it culminates in a presentation as an assessment vehicle. I found myself wondering if this is why none of us designed an activity focusing on the presentational skill. Maybe we're all "thinking inside the box," considering presentation only in the context of assessment. I'm starting to have ideas for activities that begin with a presentation.

Working Remotely in Groups

Videoconferencing has been around awhile but, let's face it, it still feels surreal. It does the trick, though. Last night I met with my cohort in Hangouts and I don't think we could have worked better if we were in the same room. In fact, we probably work more efficiently in Hangouts, precisely because the medium isn't altogether comfortable. We do what we need to do, finish up and move on. When people come together in a room for a meeting things can go on far longer than necessary.
The biggest challenge in such virtual breakout sessions is scheduling a time to meet that accommodates everyone's schedule. After that, one only needs to contend with the occasional video or audio glitch. To date Reeham has not joined us; for the sake of expediency Jiun and I completed our work without her. Reeham's absense may have had nothing to do with technology, however, and I'm still a fan of videoconferencing.

Jiun and I put our heads together to design an activity focused on the interpretive mode (with a bit of presentational assessment). We worked well together and I look forward to doing this activity with my students (with slight modifications since the exercise is for intermediate Chinese). While a bit unsettling, it's great to collaborate with a virtual stranger (pun intended).

Technology provides us tools that can enhance our ability to reach students and connect with peers. But technology is not an end in itself. Obviously, the tool should serve the outcome. When we talk about assessment in the DL environment, we're talking about assessment, not about tools. There may be new means by which we can assess, but assessment (both formative and summative) need to be built into lesson plans regardless of the medium. The activity Jiun and I developed takes place entirely in the virtual realm and there's a written formative assessment at the end.

Modes of Communication

In the west, Arabic has traditionally been taught as a classical language and teachers tended to focus on the interpretive mode. Unfortunately, this approach still tends to predominate in Arabic classes. Arabic is a living language and I believe it should be taught as such. Students must develop active as well as passive skills in MSA, despite the fact that it's no one's first language. To that end, I'm always focusing on ways to get students to produce the language. Always.

At Pacific Arabic we no longer use Al Kitaab for first-year Arabic classes (and good riddance!). Al Kitaab used to take the class away from our teachers. Class meetings would become a matter of correcting homework, and students would engage in interpretive exercises like discerning the topic of an encyclopedia article about New York City. Classroom discussions were invariably in English. I had to force time into class meetings to engage students in conversation practice.

Unfortunately, not all my teachers did this. Some of them could have done more to avoid having the students sit so passively in class. However, things did change in 2008 when we switched to a different text. When we made the switch, I compelled teachers to use a communicative, interactive approach involving role play, dramatization, association and repetitive analogies. Their task was to inject steady doses of vocabulary while keeping things fun and engaging. This was much easier with the new textbook, as students were able to talk about "coffee with/without sugar" and formed their first iDaafas in texts about a trip to Sharjah (fish market, art museum). Our students are working adults and aren't too keen on discussing admissions offices or graduate fellows (the stuff of Al Kitaab).

As I mentioned, I always try to get students to produce the language (verbally and in writing), and use part of every class meeting for conversation practice. As I see it, conversation practice is the one thing students aren't able to do at home so I always consider it a good use of class time. I may be too focused on the interpersonal mode. I suppose I could incorporate activities that engage the interpretive and presentational modes, while continuing to stress active use of the language.

For instance, I could have each student read a weather forecast of a different city for certain certain days in the immediate future. I could then put them in groups to discuss a trip they'll take over the weekend. Which town should they visit, based on the weather? They could then appoint a spokesperson to report to the class on their decision. This would incorporate all three modes: interpretive, interpersonal and presentational.

In a blended environment I could utilize online materials to do the exercise described above. In a fully-online class I could have students interpret the weather from a video before the class meeting. I could then put them into breakout groups in the web-conferencing environment. Finally, students could present their travel decision in the conference. I suppose there's a way to mimic just about any face-to-face activity online. Lots to think about here!

Meeting Colleagues on Google Hangouts

Wednesday I had my first meeting on Google Hangouts. While I've tutored students via Skype, I'd never explored Google Hangouts. It's a good thing I did, as Skype is apparently outlawed in Oman so Google Hangouts is the obvious way for my Arabic students to connect with their peers at the Omani school.

One thing I liked about Hangouts was the seeming ease with which I can share my desktop (although I haven't yet tried it). I believe this is also possible in Skype, but the procedure isn't readily apparent. Overall, the Hangouts interface was easy to figure out, even the first time.

Arranging a time to meet the members of my cohort was a bit challenging, and ultimately only two of us were in the Hangout. The third member of our cohort had created a Google+ account with a Yahoo address, and I invited her using her Gmail address so she didn't have the opportunity to join us. I've put the appropriate account into my circles, though, so next time she'll be there.

I would have liked having her there, as I'd already done one-to-one video conferencing many times with Skype. I'm looking forward to our next meeting so I can see what a real, multi-person conference call is like. Also, I plan to share my desktop so I can see how that works.

It was great meeting Jiun; we discovered we work in the same building. Her Chinese international school shares a building with my French international school. She's in parent teacher conferences all week, and next week both our schools are on spring break. After that, though, we hope to meet for lunch and get to know each other face to face.

Connecting and Collaborating

Who I Am

I never thought I'd start a blog. I've shied away from certain web 2.0 platforms, and I should probably examine why that is. Regardless, I'm taking the leap and that's a good thing.

I've been teaching Arabic since March 2001 when I founded Pacific Arabic (PAR), an adult language institute in San Francisco. While I've primarily taught the standard language, I've also taught Moroccan dialect several times and facilitated a study group in the Chadian dialect.

In September I began teaching Arabic to two middle-school groups at a French-American IB school. This has been a great experience for me on many levels. It's certainly opened my eyes to the power of technology in the language classroom.

To be honest, PAR could do a better job of incorporating technology. Other than email and a vocabulary flashcard app on our website, we don't do much. I'd like to move toward a blended approach at PAR, and to offer fully-online classes in the future. (I suspect some PAR teachers may resist the notion, but they'll thank me afterward.) I'd also like to use a blended approach at the French-American school in order to keep students engaged between class meetings, and to offer more differentiated instruction.

Connected Teaching

Until September, my network consisted of my own teachers at PAR, with whom I connect regularly to discuss issues they face in their classes. I also get ideas from them that I've incorporated in my own teaching. Beyond that, I've learned and shared a lot with an ESL instructor who's a personal friend of mine. (I've always valued input from ESL instructors, and used to pick their brains when I first started PAR. Back then we used to share space with an English school called Aspect International.)

Now at the French-American school I'm surrounded by teachers. My desk is in a room populated by science and English teachers, and I attend occasional meetings of World Languages Department faculty. I have input from my principal and from other experienced language teachers. I'm employing a project-based approach this year, and was asked to share my approach with my department. It's a whole new world for me on many levels. I'm challenged to think differently, to teach differently and to grow as a professional.

The French American school distributes iPads to all students in middle school and up every year. As a part-time teacher, I was given an iPad while full-time faculty and staff get Macbooks. I'm encouraged every day to incorporate technology in the classroom.

I've made contact with a school in Muscat, Oman and arranged a language exchange. Via Google Hangouts, my students will meet a group of Omani students who are learning French. This was just arranged this week, so it's quite a coincidence that, because of this course in teaching online, I participated in my first Googe Hangout today.

I must say, I found the Omani school and made the connection by fairly traditional means. I haven't really used web 2.0 to connect with language teachers in other schools. My recent experiences have shown me how such connections can help me develop as a teacher and keep my students engaged. I plan to explore the platforms described in this module but, following Paulino Brener's advice, will do so slowly.

Thanks for reading my first blog post!