This post is written in response to a lesson plan developed by fellow colleagues Anna, Rebecca, Naomi, and Betsy—all Spanish teachers. This project was assigned as part of our EDUC 504 Teaching With Technology class, and as part of the assignment, we were directed to review a lesson plan pertaining to a different subject matter than we will personally be teaching in the future. This post is such a review.
This lesson plan was developed for an AP Spanish class in which the students would be debating on the use of technology in second language acquisitions—online dictionaries and web-based translators, for example. The objective of the assignment was for students to analytically construct arguments around an selected issue and be able to effectively communicate their reasonings to the class. The lesson plan was designed to span a day and a half, where the topic and assignment would be introduced on day one, associated homework would be given, and the debate would require the allotted time on day two.
Having taken Spanish as a minor in undergrad, I am well aware of the allure, fallacies, and frustrations that online dictionaries and translators present. Online translators can have a tendency to butcher anything longer than a few words, there is no recognition for cultural influences and slang, and if you utilize them verbatim for an assignment, you're teacher will not be pleased. On the flip-side however, they have served me well in the past as a resource for learning new words and comprehending short sayings.
Ha. It seems as though I'd have a thing or two to say in this debate, but I would have to freshen up on my Spanish before I could articulately communicate my thoughts in this language. And this is where I think this lesson plan has some serious merit: the debate.
Debates are difficult and stressful even in your native language, but for students learning to master Spanish, a debate could be equally stressful but no less rewarding. The use of debate to practice Spanish requires students to practice listening, thinking on their feet, and responding effectively, all of which, of course, in Spanish. Additionally, practicing debates in high school will likely serve them well in college, future jobs, and careers.
A final component of this lesson plan that I greatly appreciated was the integration of the class's derived social norms—a collaboratively written and agreed-upon set of norms that serve to support a rich and safe learning environment. Before the debate begins, the lesson plan states that students would be given time to write down an established classroom norm that may be helpful in the coming debate. I think it is great that the social norms could be brought into daily class activities, especially a debate which necessitates higher levels of student interaction. If I were to add to the planned closing/assessment, as described in the lesson plan, I would think about having students also discuss how the adherence or lack-there-of to the social norms aided or detracted from the process of the debate. This may provide an effective "book-end" to the lesson, one that again facilitates intention reflection on the social norms and potentially their application to future debates and interactions the students may have outside of class.
