By: Kelsey Patton
M.A. M.T (Master of Teaching)
French Teacher
Voice Intermediate School
“Language learning has three ingredients: risk taking, vulnerability and
intuition”
John
DeMado
These words above were shared with me at an AIM Language Learning conference this summer, and I look to them at every
turn as my students and I co-create our French experience this year. This
program utilizes a gesture-based approach and incorporates drama, music, and
dance to help kids gain fluency, confidence and a joy of language learning. As
part of the program, we work toward a big goal: “Seulement en Francais” (French
only) during class. This is a huge undertaking! It calls on students to take
risks outside the comfort zone of English and to be willing to experience the
vulnerability of a new language. It calls upon teachers and students to value
intuition and to make space for it to grow.
As part of this process, one of my students
suggested that we make crepes in celebration of our immersion efforts. I was
thrilled by the idea and gathered all the necessary ingredients. I found a
Québécois recipe and bought milk, sugar, flour and of course, lots of butter
and maple syrup! But I was missing one last ingredient: the students
themselves. Once they dug in, the activity took on a life of its own. We mixed ingredients, spilled milk, and
congratulated each other on that perfect "flip"; and we were able to
bring our whole selves to the classroom. The class shared stories of making
meals together with their families, laughed over cooking mishaps, and sat
together eating and chatting, all in
French.
I watched carefully and attentively
as they collaborated to mix ingredients, bringing care and connection to their
learning. Others carefully flipped crepes, taking pride and ownership of their work,
and that perfect golden hue. There were plenty of smiles, and a ton of
laughter, as we ate together -- celebrating our work, and sharing good food and
good company.
A friend asked me: “Why cook during
French class?” It’s simple! For me, it’s all about my students engaging in
language learning with their heads, their hearts, and their whole selves, and allowing
me to appreciate the diversity of experience and personality they bring to our learning
community.
The class ended with a friendly
“merci”. All I could do was thank them in return, for bringing their
enthusiasm; their willingness to take risks, to be vulnerable and to trust
their intuition. This shared activity reminded me once again that,
"education is not preparation for life. It is life itself!
John Dewey