When children are immersed in a living experience of language, they naturally acquire it because their innate sense for language is still very active. We begin our journey in the early grades, with a multi sensory approach that invites the children into another world. We will enjoy a wide range of stories, poems, songs, and games that open the door to such an experience. The teachers of the course will provide examples in French, Spanish, and German and encourage participants to share materials from their own classrooms. The themes may take us anywhere from the land of fairies and gnomes, to legends of yore and the epic deeds of historic figures!
While the context provides the source for firing the imagination, a teacher also employs a wealth of pedagogical tools to impart the language. We will explore the methodology involved in teaching languages based on the development of the human being and with an artistic approach. We will look at practical ways to enliven speech with gesture, and the value of repetition and rhythm. We will progress through the grades, examining the structure of a balanced, age appropriate lesson, the foundation of class management! The lesson transforms as the students approach grade 6 and we will investigate how to meet those developing intellectual abilities, still holding the students’ interest.
There will be time to discuss the questions that so often arise for language teachers. How does one lead a first grade circle and still manage the class? Which methods work in learning to read a second language? How does one work with grammar in a way that is not dry? Should we use textbooks? Is it appropriate to use textbooks? How can one teach in a way that includes diverse abilities? We are open to your own questions, too!
It is our intention that this year’s course will support newer language teachers and still be a renewing experience for experienced teachers. There will be time each day for our own “doing”. We will create visuals, games, puppets, and props for your classrooms as well as play games and practice skits. At its core, language is dynamic and we look forward to an invigorating week!
LOREY JOHNSON has studied French at Middlebury College and in Strasbourg, France. A French teacher in grades 1 through 8 at Pine Hill Waldorf School for 23 years, Lorey regularly offers workshops in teaching foreign languages. Lorey lived in France for two years and still returns there regularly to travel and to eat crème brulee.
KATI MANNING, a German and Spanish teacher in both public and private schools, has taught at the Cape Ann Waldorf School since 1987. For the last 15 years, she has been active in teacher training and consulting at many Waldorf schools across the country. Kati, whose family worked in the first Waldorf school in Stuttgart, has also written a series of widely used German readers.
