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Read through Jin's reflections to find out more about some of the challenges he is facing in the classroom. Click on any of the highlighted areas to find out more about that issue from Dr. B!

1. Jin is finding that his general checklist is not working for his SL classroom observations. Why do you think this is so? Is there a difference between teaching a second language and teaching other subjects?

2. Jin feels lost while observing. What are some of the things that could be included on a checklist for a SL/FL classroom observation?

3. Jin notices that his mentor teacher uses some of the TL in his classroom. How much do you think the TL should be used in the SL/FL classroom and why? What might be some barriers to using the TL in the classroom?

4. Jin notices that his mentor teacher has specific routines to which the students respond well. Thinking about your language learning or teaching experience, what type of routines have you seen in the classroom? Did some work better than others? How does creating routines relate to B-SLIM?

5. Like many beginning teachers, one of Jin's biggest anxieties is classroom management. Is classroom management in a SL/FL classroom the same as in other subjects or are there differences of which to be aware? What might these differences be?

6. Jin talks briefly about using a seating plan. Brainstorm some different seating plans that you have seen and think about which ones may be best in the SL/FL classroom.

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1. Jin believes he has developed a good rapport with his students; how could he discern this?
2. Why is Jin disappointed he is getting so little feedback? What sort of feedback could he be looking for?
3. Why did Jin have so much trouble speaking only in the TL? What could he have done differently?
4. Jin was disappointed the students hadn’t learned the vocabulary words he had given them the night before; were his expectation reasonable? Why? (Consider Miller’s Magical Number)
5. Jin believes the students are getting bored with the vocabulary exercises and decides to move on; is this an appropriate reason to switch activities?
6. Jin audio-video quality is poor; what are some things to look for in finding good AV quality clips?

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1. Jin decides to use mnemonic devices to help the students remember new information; look at the example of a mnemonic device he uses, and then describe which multiple intelligences it appeals to.
2. Some students in Jin’s class are rebelling at the differences between English and Spanish; do you think this problem would occur in other parts of the world (ie. Europe)? Why or why not?
3. Jin tries to show his students how knowing Spanish could benefit them when learning French or Italian. How does this fit into Cummins’ Interdependence Hypothesis?
4. Jin is trying out different methods to involve the students more in the language learning process; do you this would influence their motivation or investment? What else could he be doing?
5. Looking back over his reflections, Jin can see his improvement over the weeks. Has completing these reflections helped Jin? How?

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