I gave the second ACS (quiz) today. I threw three girls out of one turma because they were talking during the quiz. They complained to another teacher, and the teacher begged me to let them in. But I held my ground and made sure it was understood that a rule is a rule, not to be bent when convenient - I can really be an asshole like that.
Naturally, giving these quizzes, when all I have to do is watch for cheating, I get plenty of (dangerous) time to think. Like about how we internalize language.
It seems like we teach language as if it were created at some point as a bunch of rules that define how it should be spoken. But, with rare exception, that's not how it happens. Rules can help with language learning because it can, in some cases, account for the majority of the grammar. But what often gets ignored is that you're teaching a new way to think. The rules that someone makes by looking at the language scientifically are just an entry into that way of thinking. When language is seen as a bunch of rules as opposed to an entire method that transcends these rules, learning the language is more difficult.
But how is this overcome? How do you structure lessons and an entire curriculum around teaching a way of thinking if not rule by rule? I think this point needs to be more carefully addressed. Maybe there's some way to teach how to think in the other language - still in the mother tongue of the student - so as to give the vocabulary and even grammar somewhere to sit when it's learned.
Which brings up another point. Learning, the actual integration and association of facts, only happens when these connections are made by the learner. I think it's our job as teachers to only provide the information and methods of integrating the information - and not actually making the connections. This means giving questions and not the answers. And questions that don't have just one correct answer. This means explaining clearly everything up to a certain point, when it becomes the responsibility of the learner.
The quiz I gave today reflected that philosophy and I'm seeing the difficulties in doing so.
I fell asleep reading at 8 PM last night and didn't wake up until 7 AM this morning. I believe that's the longest night's sleep I've had in Mozambique - it was my body saying "Enough - pay attention now, you need to rest." Speaking of...
Peace
John
