This past weekend, I attended/presented at Comprehensible Iowa in Des Moines. This was my second time attending/presenting at this local conference, and again, it did not disappoint at all! I truly love Comprehensible Iowa (you can read my post about it from last year), because the organizers put on a such a great conference - lots of very good presenters, a very communal and welcoming Midwestern atmosphere, a great social gathering following the Friday workshops, and plenty of food and snacks!
On the first day, I co-presented a 3-hour adult German language lab with Eric Richards - since Eric is a German teacher, he did most of the heavy lifting in leading it, while I led the debriefs. Because of this, I was able to participate in the language lab; I absolutely LOVE being a participant in language labs where I do not know the language, because then I can experience learning a language like one of my own students. Years ago, being in Linda Li's Mandarin Fluency Fast class was such a turning point for me in my CI/ADI journey, and Eric is a master at implementing CI/ADI as a German teacher! Every time I sit on a German session led by Eric, I learn so much from him.
One activity which Eric facilitated during this language lab was Left/Right. Eric wrote the words "links (left)" and "recht (right)" on the appropriate sides of the board and then projected a question slide similar to this one:
- After we had moved to our sides, Eric counted us in German and then said in German, "X have brothers." Then depending on the numbers, he said, "More do have (not) a brother. Most have (not) a brother."
- He then in German asked some of those who had brothers "Is your brother older or younger? Do you have one brother? Is your brother friendly? What is your brother's name?"
- From then, Eric projected a new slide asking us a new question, and as previously done, he repeated the same pattern of questions.
- Even though the activity was in German, Eric had scaffolded the lesson already to such a degree that the necessary vocabulary had already been previewed and meaning established, so it was incredibly comprehensible for us.
- It was a wonderful example of purposeful communication in that all of us participants were able to learn about each other nonverbally based on what side of the board we were standing and then verbally through Eric's followup questions.
- The movement aspect made the activity quite compelling and novel, instead of the traditional "raise your hand" kind of response.
- This activity was done throughout the 3 hours so although each time it involved a new set of questions, we became very familiar with it.
- Eric changed up the slides so that not every one was necessarily a question, e.g., "I swim __________" (left - good, right - bad); "I have a _________" (left - iphone, right - Android phone); "I need more ________" (left - luck, right - patience). I not only loved how our responses were not always to a question but that Eric snuck in the first person singular forms. However, since the focus for us participants was not on grammar per se but rather on the activity, I do not think I even noticed that the form of the verb had changed.
- Although it started out as a group PQA, by Eric then asking individuals about their answers, it turned into an individual PQA. Eric did a master job at "keeping the balloon in the air" (I think this is a Ben Slavic phrase?) with questions until he felt that it was time to move on.
