In this week’s Growing with Proficiency The Podcast episode 60, I spoke with a special guest, John Bracey, a Latin teacher who has been using Comprehensible Input methodology for several years.
In our discussion, John emphasizes the importance of finding strategies that can be consistently implemented without overwhelming teachers’ work-life balance. We also discuss the importance of emphasizing reading in the classroom as a powerful tool for language acquisition, as well as the significant impact of spending target language time in class.
While talking about sustainable teaching, we explored the pressures teachers face, the impact of social media on teaching expectations, and the importance of prioritizing what works best for individual teachers and their students. In this week’s blog, I’m highlighting our conversation, but to hear all of the details, click above or here to listen to our whole conversation.
A few weeks ago, I read something someplace, I don’t remember where, but it said something like, “If a strategy, approach, activity, or idea in teaching is not effective, it is not sustainable.” That is so good because the reality is that we can bring this amazing approach, this amazing idea, but if we only do it for one week, then why are we doing it?
Letting Go To Be Sustainable
We started off by talking a little bit about how we can make comprehensible input and comprehensible and communicative language teaching sustainable for teachers. John explained that he had to let go of the idea that a 15 minute demo is the same as teaching an entire school year. What he meant was that anyone who attends a workshop or conference at any time and sees demos of this kind of teaching, what you’re seeing is the result of time constraints. “You have a very limited amount of time, you have a captive audience, and you want to give them the best that you have, and show them how things are done in a very specific environment.”
The thing he had to let go of was that it will not look like this every day of the whole year. The energy and freshness just won’t be there. The same is true with social media. You watch reels that look like the teacher is perfect, but that’s not the case every day of the year. You have to let go of the idea that an activity or strategy will always look like the demo you see.
Steps to Sustainable Teaching
John shared a little about how many classes and students he has. His class sizes range from the high 20s to somewhere around 30. He exclaimed, “I love it. On the other hand, this is exhausting.” Not only is his schedule full, but he has an hour commute between home and work along with three young children. So, how does he stay sustainable in his teaching and life?
Practice Being Sustainable
John then shared the first practice that helps him be sustainable in his teaching and that is super important, it is emphasizing reading. John says, “If you’re reading something in the target language, that’s target language time, just like when you’re hearing something in the target language, that’s target language time.”
I think there is a temptation to interpret 90% target language time as 90% talking. Really, it's just 90% of the time, ideally being exposed to comprehensible input.
As teachers, we can’t talk from eight in the morning to 2:30 pm. Students don’t want us to do it either. John talks for about 10, to maybe 20, minutes, depending on the interest level of the students on that particular day. Then, he immediately shifts to something to do with reading.
This can include partner reading, read and draw, read and complete a choice board on something, or even read and dance! You just need five go-to activities, and you need to have consistent activities. You also need to show up, and say, I’m going to start my class like this every single day, whether you like it or not, that is going to be that listening or reading.
Assessment for While Being Sustainable
First, nobody has the time to grade lots of things, like any of this stuff. If you grade outside of your contractual hours, that’s still not having time to grade. I asked John how he does assessments for sustainability. He says that if he has to grade it, he generally doesn’t look through something with a fine tooth comb and error correcting all the things. John continued, “The purpose of assessment is for me to see what students have acquired, generally speaking, it’s pretty much information for me. There’s nothing they can do with it. “
Instead, he offers assessments that do not resemble quizzes or tests of any kind. his favorite thing in the world is to use a choice board. He tells his students, “Here’s a choice board with different activities on it to demonstrate your comprehension, pick two or three that you find interesting that you think would be fun to use to show off, or rather to celebrate your understanding of what it is that we’re doing.” He grades pretty much everything for completion.
Listen to episode 60 to hear more about his assessments and his opinions of rubrics. You don’t want to miss this discussion! In the Spanish Teaching Academy, we talk a lot about assessments. Join the waitlist here.
John’s Important Message
Towards the end of our discussion, John made an important point, “Nobody wants you to be anyone but you. No one. No one wants that.” He explained, “One of the most important lessons that I learned [from his previous career as an actor] was how compelling it is to see people be themselves and to be truthful.”
You, exactly as you are, is absolutely fascinating!
John encourages, “If you just get a moment, just take the long way to wherever you’re going. And just walk by a couple of classrooms that you don’t normally walk by outside of your world language department, look around, see some of the educators who your students adore. You’ll see people of all kinds that are absolutely adored by the students and who are tremendously effective at what they do. But, what you won’t see, are 10 extremely extroverted, boisterous, charismatic, on fire superstars. You might find one.”
Do that and recognize that whoever you are, that is more than enough.
Hear more of our discussion on your favorite podcast player, above, or here.
John Bracey
John Bracey has been a Latin teacher in Massachusetts since 2010. He’s a former Massachusetts Latin TOY and currently teaches at Belmont High School in Belmont MA. He has a BA in Classics from University of Massachusetts Amherst and an MA from Boston College. He has taught Latin exclusively using Comprehensible Input methodology for the past several years. He leads workshops around the country for language teachers of all kinds.
Links & Resources
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