Talking Circles in the Second Language Classroom Giving students meaningful and useful French language skills

My Big Question: How can I get my students to actually speak French!?

Do our programs give students the skills they need for the real world? Personal experiences as student Teaching experiences

Learning French as a Second Language “Language classrooms are often said to provide little opportunity for student-generated talk and meaningful use of language.” Gisela Ernst Why are teenagers and adults so hesitant to try speaking in the second language they are learning? Self-concious? Anxious? Lack the vocabulary Lack practice

What can I do as a teacher to create speaking opportunities? Consulted with sponsor teachers What can we do? - Only French allowed to be spoken in class? - Penalties for speaking English or first language? - French Fridays What issues arise? - varying levels of understanding - relationships - overwhelming - could lose students Consulted with other cohort members What else could we do?

Talking Circle Traditionally, many Native American communities have used the talking circle as a way of bringing people of all ages together for the purposes of teaching, listening, and learning.

Talking Circles in the Classroom “A group activity used by the teacher to encourage talk and interaction which can provide rich opportunities to practice the L2 and engage in direct and meaningful interaction.”

Activity Structure 1)Begin exercise by forming a circle. 2) Inform students what the purpose of the talking circle is – listening with respect, sharing in a supportive and safe environment, speaking only French. 3) Give students a question to answer or topic to discuss. 4) Instructor starts by answering the question personally and then passes a previously chosen object to the first student which signifies he or she has the right to speak without being interrupted. 5) Students continue passing the object and taking turns speaking. 6) Each student must contribute, unlike in the traditional talking circle where participantshave the option of remaining silent. Unless they have extreme anxiety or an IEP that states they should not be asked to speak publicly, all must contribute. * Question/discussion prompts * How I implemented talking circles

Assessment & Analysis Circulated and observed student participation Student self-assessment Anecdotes & observations

Results What Worked Students spoke French Students more comfortable in smaller groups All participated What Didn’t Work Time constraints Student feedback Sponsor teacher last minute adaptation Lacking spontaneity “…the benefit of this form of engagement for language learning is not only for the participating speaker but also for those listening. By listening to other students, learners can observe, and later practice, different communicative strategies used by others to keep the flow of the conversation.”

Future Practice Priority Student journal reflections Entire class as one talking circle Consistent & frequent Begin implementation regardless of grade level

References Gisela Ernst - “Talking Circle”: Conversation and Negotiation in the ESL Classroom Paulette Running Wolf and Julie A. Rickard - Talking Circles: A Native American Approach to Experiential Learning