domingo, 9 de septiembre de 2012

What have I learned so far?



During the first weeks of this semester I have had the opportunity not only to discuss and learn many things regarding grammar patterns, but also criticize different teaching methods. While participating in the Socratic seminars developed in class, we have shared our opinions and brought up thoughts and ideas on what it is the best way to teach grammar. One of the things that we criticized was the traditional instruction at schools. It is a bit frustrating and sad to know that there are still some teachers that use traditional methods to explain, for instance, punctuation, and do not care too much about the meaning and ideas that their students want to develop. On the contrary, they only focus on form and structure of a piece of writing. In my opinion, the traditional method does not work because its characteristics do not include the encouragement to compose a piece of writing focus on content and creativity. I think it is essential to keep in mind that punctuation is a process (with developmental implications), acquired over time, and an indicator of language awareness; therefore, we need to be careful with the different tools that we use to teach the proper use of grammar and punctuation to our students. Even for us it is difficult to accomplish grammar or punctuation rules because they are constantly exposed to different adjustments and modifications. When I first started to learn mechanics in English, it was difficult to figure out where a punctuation mark had to be placed. It was different than the punctuation I learned in Spanish. As a second language learner, I am aware of the different challenges that young native speakers face; as a future teacher, I am willing to help my students to succeed in grammar.
Finally, I would like to mention that this course has been really helpful for me. Listening to my classmates’ discussions and sharing different perspectives have helped me to broaden my knowledge about grammar and also about American classrooms. My knowledge about the American culture is not that deeper as theirs, obviously.

1 comentario:

  1. I really like that you said, "punctuation is a process." I believe that is a very accurate explanation of the writing process. Creativity is important especially in the beginning stages of writing. If that is curbed then it will discourage children from wanting to write. Pounding the strict facts and mechanics of writing into a child's head will give him a headache, not a love for writing. When you admitted that we as teachers still struggle with punctuation by saying,“Even for us it is difficult to accomplish grammar or punctuation rules because they are constantly exposed to different adjustments and modifications” I thought that was a great thing to recognize and become comfortable with even when we are trying to teach our students.

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