Susan in TN Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 The urgent care doctor I saw on Saturday just called and is moving me up to the "real people dose" of Prednisone. Did he mistake you for an imaginary person? :D (((Renai))) hope you and gymnast get over this mess quickly! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrissiK Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 I had noticed recently that both my kids and my husband would be talking at me at the same time, apparently oblivious that others are talking as well. What is the deal?!My kids do that, too. I’m like, “do you not notice that there is someone else talking to me right now?? Wait yer turn, Sparky.†5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in TN Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 I had noticed recently that both my kids and my husband would be talking at me at the same time, apparently oblivious that others are talking as well. What is the deal?! Maybe a recessive New Yorker gene. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrissiK Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 The urgent care doctor I saw on Saturday just called and is moving me up to the "real people dose" of Prednisone.And this is opposed to the fake person dose you have been taking previously? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junie Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 I was just being a brat. I know. :D Did he mistake you for an imaginary person? :D (((Renai))) hope you and gymnast get over this mess quickly! She's short. (Sometimes I'm a brat, too. :leaving: ) Hope you feel better, Renai. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoJosMom Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 I keep thinking about picking that one for my month in my book club- I may get it for next year. This year I picked The Soul of an Octopus, but I need to plan ahead because the books can get reserved quickly! Do you think a bunch of grandmother-aged mostly professional women would like it? Yes, I think so. I thought it was fascinating. Absolutely loved it. The kids woke up at the same time I did and now everyone’s talking at me. 🤪 Can't like this. I had noticed recently that both my kids and my husband would be talking at me at the same time, apparently oblivious that others are talking as well. What is the deal?! Ha. My family knows better. I simply cannot process ANYTHING when this happens (legacy of my post-childbirth experience.) I get decidedly cranky should anyone forget (think: Do you not remember what I went through to give you life/the daughter you desperately wanted?) The urgent care doctor I saw on Saturday just called and is moving me up to the "real people dose" of Prednisone. :grouphug: . I hope it works. The bugs this year! :svengo: 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Another Lynn Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 The urgent care doctor I saw on Saturday just called and is moving me up to the "real people dose" of Prednisone. Ah, up to the "world take over" dose! Bwahahahahaha! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slache Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 She's short. (Sometimes I'm a brat, too. :leaving: ) Hope you feel better, Renai. This was my exact thought! I think John is nearly her height. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renai Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 Ha. My family knows better. I simply cannot process ANYTHING when this happens (legacy of my post-childbirth experience.) My family doesn't learn. I can no longer even process things when there is too much noise in the background (I put tv on mute if someone wants to talk to me). Besides this, they still insist on running off with the mouth at the same time. Until I've said I've had enough! And point to them one at a time and ask them each what they want. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renai Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 Did he mistake you for an imaginary person? :D (((Renai))) hope you and gymnast get over this mess quickly! :lol: She was taking into consideration that I was skeptical about taking a new medication because of reactions I've had. And this is opposed to the fake person dose you have been taking previously? :laugh: Yeah, she said she usually prescribes 40mg, and she gave me 20mg. Ah, up to the "world take over" dose! Bwahahahahaha! I hope so. I'm getting a refill of another 20mg, so I'll be taken them a few hours apart. She did say not to take the last dose to late in the afternoon (like, not past 1 or 2) because it can interfere with sleep. Since I"m up at o'dark thirty, I figure I"ll take one when I get up and another at lunch. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renai Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 So, I'm not "real people"? At 10mg, I'm not sure what you'd be classified as... :lol: . When I saw you were taking 10, I thought 20 was good until she said she usually does 40. :svengo: 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renai Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 So, I belong to a few local homeschool groups (one I moderate on my own, a couple of others I help moderate), and one lady reached out and asked if I'd like to teach my online classes to a face-to-face group. It is something I had proposed in the past, but didn't get much of a response, so continued with my online ventures. She asks me how many students do I need to make a class run, and what would I charge. I let her know I have several different classes I offer, so it depends on what they are looking for. I also gave her the link to my profile so she can get an idea of what I do. She writes back, "I am not thinking of a subject. Just an ongoing Spanish class for elementary ages. So the kids can grow and learn over time." Ok, that's not helpful. I tell her what ages I work with, and tell her about the different series I do. I tell her they are mostly thematic -science, literature- or even seasonal. I let her know I write my own curriculum, try to adjust to the learners, and I have classes that I run currently. I again tell her to look at my page to get an idea of what I do. She answers back, "Sounds good to me. Think about pricing for me. It would be hard to gather a group together without that." She also asks what days or times am I available. I feel like she's not getting what I'm saying. Or maybe I'm just not getting it. I just wrote back, "Some of the classes are one-session skills (alphabet/pronunciation, shapes,) holidays, songs, etc.; other classes are multi-session series (Story Time, Science Time, Beginning Spanish, etc.) that would require a commitment. Some things could be combined (a skill class and song class). But, it really depends on what families want. Have you looked at what I offer?" I also gave her the average price per one hour class, per student. In other words, I can accommodate using the classes I already have, but I need to know what she wants. Can anyone enlighten me? What am I missing? Why do I feel so dull? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 So, I belong to a few local homeschool groups (one I moderate on my own, a couple of others I help moderate), and one lady reached out and asked if I'd like to teach my online classes to a face-to-face group. It is something I had proposed in the past, but didn't get much of a response, so continued with my online ventures. She asks me how many students do I need to make a class run, and what would I charge. I let her know I have several different classes I offer, so it depends on what they are looking for. I also gave her the link to my profile so she can get an idea of what I do. She writes back, "I am not thinking of a subject. Just an ongoing Spanish class for elementary ages. So the kids can grow and learn over time." Ok, that's not helpful. I tell her what ages I work with, and tell her about the different series I do. I tell her they are mostly thematic -science, literature- or even seasonal. I let her know I write my own curriculum, try to adjust to the learners, and I have classes that I run currently. I again tell her to look at my page to get an idea of what I do. She answers back, "Sounds good to me. Think about pricing for me. It would be hard to gather a group together without that." She also asks what days or times am I available. I feel like she's not getting what I'm saying. Or maybe I'm just not getting it. I just wrote back, "Some of the classes are one-session skills (alphabet/pronunciation, shapes,) holidays, songs, etc.; other classes are multi-session series (Story Time, Science Time, Beginning Spanish, etc.) that would require a commitment. Some things could be combined (a skill class and song class). But, it really depends on what families want. Have you looked at what I offer?" I also gave her the average price per one hour class, per student. In other words, I can accommodate using the classes I already have, but I need to know what she wants. Can anyone enlighten me? What am I missing? Why do I feel so dull? It sounds like she wants a typical semester or year long language class. So if you wanted the content to be what you teach in those different series, that would be fine. But she wants pricing per student per class or month or whatever. Personally, I would want to charge per month and would want the money up front. I've had too many people flake out on paying for my services. If you wanted a certain amount per class, you could figure out how much it would be per student if you had X amount of kids in the class and could tell her that - times how many times you would meet in a month. (Way back in the day, I charged $10 a student for a month x 10 students for $100 a month for the class. Prices are probably higher now.) Is she wanting once a week? Or more? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoJosMom Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 (edited) So, I belong to a few local homeschool groups (one I moderate on my own, a couple of others I help moderate), and one lady reached out and asked if I'd like to teach my online classes to a face-to-face group. It is something I had proposed in the past, but didn't get much of a response, so continued with my online ventures. She asks me how many students do I need to make a class run, and what would I charge. I let her know I have several different classes I offer, so it depends on what they are looking for. I also gave her the link to my profile so she can get an idea of what I do. She writes back, "I am not thinking of a subject. Just an ongoing Spanish class for elementary ages. So the kids can grow and learn over time." Ok, that's not helpful. I tell her what ages I work with, and tell her about the different series I do. I tell her they are mostly thematic -science, literature- or even seasonal. I let her know I write my own curriculum, try to adjust to the learners, and I have classes that I run currently. I again tell her to look at my page to get an idea of what I do. She answers back, "Sounds good to me. Think about pricing for me. It would be hard to gather a group together without that." She also asks what days or times am I available. I feel like she's not getting what I'm saying. Or maybe I'm just not getting it. I just wrote back, "Some of the classes are one-session skills (alphabet/pronunciation, shapes,) holidays, songs, etc.; other classes are multi-session series (Story Time, Science Time, Beginning Spanish, etc.) that would require a commitment. Some things could be combined (a skill class and song class). But, it really depends on what families want. Have you looked at what I offer?" I also gave her the average price per one hour class, per student. In other words, I can accommodate using the classes I already have, but I need to know what she wants. Can anyone enlighten me? What am I missing? Why do I feel so dull? It sounds to me like she wants you to say, "Gosh, yes, I'll commit to three hours of my time weekly without any attendance commitment from anyone for a $2 per session drop-in fee. Oh, and they'll be fluent if they just show up once a month or so for, like, 6 months. Not counting months with holidays." But I may just be overly cynical. ETA: You should probably just listen to Jean. Edited January 25, 2018 by JoJosMom 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junie Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 So, I belong to a few local homeschool groups (one I moderate on my own, a couple of others I help moderate), and one lady reached out and asked if I'd like to teach my online classes to a face-to-face group. It is something I had proposed in the past, but didn't get much of a response, so continued with my online ventures. She asks me how many students do I need to make a class run, and what would I charge. I let her know I have several different classes I offer, so it depends on what they are looking for. I also gave her the link to my profile so she can get an idea of what I do. She writes back, "I am not thinking of a subject. Just an ongoing Spanish class for elementary ages. So the kids can grow and learn over time." Ok, that's not helpful. I tell her what ages I work with, and tell her about the different series I do. I tell her they are mostly thematic -science, literature- or even seasonal. I let her know I write my own curriculum, try to adjust to the learners, and I have classes that I run currently. I again tell her to look at my page to get an idea of what I do. She answers back, "Sounds good to me. Think about pricing for me. It would be hard to gather a group together without that." She also asks what days or times am I available. I feel like she's not getting what I'm saying. Or maybe I'm just not getting it. I just wrote back, "Some of the classes are one-session skills (alphabet/pronunciation, shapes,) holidays, songs, etc.; other classes are multi-session series (Story Time, Science Time, Beginning Spanish, etc.) that would require a commitment. Some things could be combined (a skill class and song class). But, it really depends on what families want. Have you looked at what I offer?" I also gave her the average price per one hour class, per student. In other words, I can accommodate using the classes I already have, but I need to know what she wants. Can anyone enlighten me? What am I missing? Why do I feel so dull? Renai, I looked at your website. It sounds like she wants the Beginning Spanish and Conversation 1a class with the hopes of continuing with 1b, 2a... in following semesters. If the group's semester is longer than 10 weeks, you could supplement with Brown Bear or Blanca Navidad or whatever. I would figure out a price per student per semester based on the price per student per week that you usually charge. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renai Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 It sounds like she wants a typical semester or year long language class. So if you wanted the content to be what you teach in those different series, that would be fine. But she wants pricing per student per class or month or whatever. Personally, I would want to charge per month and would want the money up front. I've had too many people flake out on paying for my services. If you wanted a certain amount per class, you could figure out how much it would be per student if you had X amount of kids in the class and could tell her that - times how many times you would meet in a month. (Way back in the day, I charged $10 a student for a month x 10 students for $100 a month for the class. Prices are probably higher now.) Is she wanting once a week? Or more? Ok, I think this is what I was leaning towards - putting together classes in a sequence (I already have a sequence in my head for the Story Time anyway), and adding in songs and seasonal things to make it a semester. I did let her know I would need a commitment, but I didn't say monthly or upfront... 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renai Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 It sounds to me like she wants you to say, "Gosh, yes, I'll commit to three hours of my time weekly without any attendance commitment from anyone for a $2 per session drop-in fee. Oh, and they'll be fluent if they just show up once a month or so for, like, 6 months. Not counting months with holidays." But I may just be overly cynical. ETA: You should probably just listen to Jean. I understand your cynicism. People are flakey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luuknam Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 I decided what I want to be when I grow up. A flower delivery person. All you do all day is make people happy. Especially women. DH gave me flowers for my birthday. I was very excited when they got delivered. FWIW, some percentage (I have no idea what percentage) is going to be flowers sent by stalkers, or by husbands trying to apologize for cheating, etc, so not all of it is going to get a happy reception. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luuknam Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 So, I'm not "real people"? Wait, you're claiming to be more than one person? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luuknam Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 (edited) "I am not thinking of a subject. Just an ongoing Spanish class for elementary ages. So the kids can grow and learn over time." Can anyone enlighten me? What am I missing? Why do I feel so dull? I think she means a year-long class, accommodating anything from K-5th graders, at various ability levels, to just practice and improve their Spanish. Different weeks can have different topics, but she doesn't really care. So long as they get better at Spanish. This, fwiw, is not going to be very useful/effective, but anyway... kind of like the thing listed on page 27/28 in this brochure (which is more of an afterschool program): https://issuu.com/ktufsd/docs/file121117fallwintercommunityed Boeja! Edited January 25, 2018 by luuknam 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luuknam Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 Btw, she probably doesn't want any homework either. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luuknam Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 Though I could of course be wrong... you should ask, but I wouldn't count on homework, and if you were to give homework, odds are half the class wouldn't do it anyway. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Critterfixer Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 I am tired. I wish to nap, but I must stay awake for school and all the other things I must do today. So caffeine it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renai Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 Btw, she probably doesn't want any homework either. Though I could of course be wrong... you should ask, but I wouldn't count on homework, and if you were to give homework, odds are half the class wouldn't do it anyway. I provide Parent Notes. Whether the parents use them or any of the printouts I give them is up to them. I can tell who practices or not, but I continue on. At least, that's the way it has been done in my online classes. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luuknam Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 Btw, the brochure should mention pricing too. For your area, the pricing might need to be lower, especially since I bet most people using the thing in the brochure largely use it as afterschool daycare, a benefit your class wouldn't have, and there are more Spanish speakers in your area, but I could be wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slache Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 Mary's new thing is to talk in a Southern drawl, break down giggling, say "I'm just kidding" and run away. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renai Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 Btw, the brochure should mention pricing too. For your area, the pricing might need to be lower, especially since I bet most people using the thing in the brochure largely use it as afterschool daycare, a benefit your class wouldn't have, and there are more Spanish speakers in your area, but I could be wrong. There are a lot of Spanish speakers, but this is for a particular group. They had an ongoing class or something going last year, but the teacher discontinued because she decided to teach with CC this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slache Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 Mama: Connecticut John: Hartford Mama: Delaware John: Dover Mama: Florida John: Disney Land He legitimately thought that was true. 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slache Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 Mary's new thing is to talk in a Southern drawl, break down giggling, say "I'm just kidding" and run away. Problem from Ray’s: you buy a book for seven cents and sell it for eleven cents, how much do you gain? Twilight Sparkle: I’m not interested in books unless they’re being read to me. Make it about My Little Pony. Me: *sigh* Okay. You buy a mlp book for seven cents and sell it for eleve, how much do you make? TS: * gasps* I did?! How could I?! *looks at me solemnly* you’re not very good at this, Mommy. Mama: Connecticut John: Hartford Mama: Delaware John: Dover Mama: Florida John: Disney Land He legitimately thought that was true. Battle of the cuteness. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slache Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 20 days until Lent 113 days until school's out 244 days until we can ditch our phones 1,257 days until the car's paid off 1,604 days until we're debt free 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Critterfixer Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 20 days until Lent 113 days until school's out 244 days until we can ditch our phones 1,257 days until the car's paid off 1,604 days until we're debt free How many hours until bedtime? Asking for myself because I don't think my brain is working that well today. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in TN Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 Ok, I think this is what I was leaning towards - putting together classes in a sequence (I already have a sequence in my head for the Story Time anyway), and adding in songs and seasonal things to make it a semester. I did let her know I would need a commitment, but I didn't say monthly or upfront... Not sure how things are usually done in your area, but I would definitely go by semesters and require registration/class fees up front. If this is part of a larger group that offers classes, maybe the semester fee can be broken into 2 or 3 payments, to be collected by the leader of the group (not you). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoJosMom Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 Problem from Ray’s: you buy a book for seven cents and sell it for eleven cents, how much do you gain? Twilight Sparkle: I’m not interested in books unless they’re being read to me. Make it about My Little Pony. Me: *sigh* Okay. You buy a mlp book for seven cents and sell it for eleve, how much do you make? TS: * gasps* I did?! How could I?! *looks at me solemnly* you’re not very good at this, Mommy. :lol: :lol: :lol: I :001_wub: Twilight Sparkle! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slache Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 My ideal Spanish class as a stay at home mom would be a class for both student and parent to learn everyday conversation skills to practice together. I would only want the workload for the student and I'd only want to pay for the student but I would expect to be able to sit in on the class and have some kind of a review to take home a la parent's notes. I don't care about shapes. I want "What's for breakfast?", "Please, clean your room", and "How long until Daddy comes home?" I like the idea of the books because I would buy them and review them often. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slache Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 FF methodology: Begin with sounds and spelling so that what you hear, speak, read and write are all the same. He used the example of Des-car-tez vs De-cart. A small error but an underlining huge issue that cripples understanding. Most frequently used vocabulary first. The, and, because. This is boring but I don't care. It's very efficient. This way when you get to a grammar you can understand it. La chica (cocinar) de la ciudad. You might not know cocinar but you'll know the rest so the translation exercises are easier and grammar can have a stronger focus. Visual vocabulary. You don't want to think cat = gato, but 🈠= gato. Thinking in your target language. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Another Lynn Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 Wait, you're claiming to be more than one person? Maybe, but according to her prednisone dose, she may only be one-fourth of a person. :laugh: 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slache Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 Actually, do you know what I would actually participate in? Because I don't do things. A class aimed at fast language acquisition. Something demanding. Language classes are *so* slow. I can cover a year's worth of Spanish in 2 months and that would have the students practicing the language because they'd actually have something to practice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lanalouwho Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 I hit a wall. I think it's naptime. The children disagree. They have all the energy in the world. Sent from my HTCD160LVW using Tapatalk 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 FF methodology: Begin with sounds and spelling so that what you hear, speak, read and write are all the same. He used the example of Des-car-tez vs De-cart. A small error but an underlining huge issue that cripples understanding. Most frequently used vocabulary first. The, and, because. This is boring but I don't care. It's very efficient. This way when you get to a grammar you can understand it. La chica (cocinar) de la ciudad. You might not know cocinar but you'll know the rest so the translation exercises are easier and grammar can have a stronger focus. Visual vocabulary. You don't want to think cat = gato, but 🈠= gato. Thinking in your target language. Slache has given me permission (by text) to put my rebuttal here. This method is not based on a language like Japanese. Japanese does not have an alphabet. It has a two syllabaries and pictograph characters. The syllabaries make the sounds of the words but even to know which syallabary to use requires you to know which words are native in origin and which aren't. And the pictographs aren't associated with sounds at all and have a "Chinese" reading and a "Japanese" reading with totally different sounds and if you combine them. . . Japanese kids cannot read and write at the level of a newspaper until middle school for a reason. Japanese does not have words like "The" or "a" and while it does have other particles I do not agree that they should be learned in isolation. No one naturally learns language that way. Also in Japanese, which form of the common vocabulary do you want to learn? Do you want the formal term? The less formal? The casual? They are different. Verbs especially are extremely different than English because while you have a root, the word includes the grammar in the term and so it can be significantly different depending on what you want to say. I do agree on visual vocabulary. My biggest beef with this method is that it sounds mind numbingly boring. I cannot imagine any child that I've ever taught over the 43 years I've taught foreign language liking to learn this way. Actually, I can't really imagine my adult learners liking it either. Just my honest opinion. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lots of little ducklings Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 :seeya: Hi all! Can't ketchup, but I wanted to pop in during a particularly crazy week. (Nothing bad; just crazy.) I'm hoping to carve out a little time this weekend to gain some traction, so that next week will be less crazy. Thinking of you all and sending hugs along to those who need them! Duck 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slache Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 Slache has given me permission (by text) to put my rebuttal here. This method is not based on a language like Japanese. Japanese does not have an alphabet. It has a two syllabaries and pictograph characters. The syllabaries make the sounds of the words but even to know which syallabary to use requires you to know which words are native in origin and which aren't. And the pictographs aren't associated with sounds at all and have a "Chinese" reading and a "Japanese" reading with totally different sounds and if you combine them. . . Japanese kids cannot read and write at the level of a newspaper until middle school for a reason. Japanese does not have words like "The" or "a" and while it does have other particles I do not agree that they should be learned in isolation. No one naturally learns language that way. Also in Japanese, which form of the common vocabulary do you want to learn? Do you want the formal term? The less formal? The casual? They are different. Verbs especially are extremely different than English because while you have a root, the word includes the grammar in the term and so it can be significantly different depending on what you want to say. I do agree on visual vocabulary. My biggest beef with this method is that it sounds mind numbingly boring. I cannot imagine any child that I've ever taught over the 43 years I've taught foreign language liking to learn this way. Actually, I can't really imagine my adult learners liking it either. Just my honest opinion. I like perfect pronouncing (and stroke order) of the two syllabary systems first so we're doing that. After that I want to do the most common vocabulary thing, but combine it with sentences so it's not so boring. So drilling vocabulary with Pimslur. This is how I learned Spanish and I learned it well. Natural bilingual conversations with friend plus "What does un poco mean?" I'm really irritated by what you said regarding casual, less formal, formal. I did not know this. I agree that it is mind-numbingly boring. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renai Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 My ideal Spanish class as a stay at home mom would be a class for both student and parent to learn everyday conversation skills to practice together. I would only want the workload for the student and I'd only want to pay for the student but I would expect to be able to sit in on the class and have some kind of a review to take home a la parent's notes. I don't care about shapes. I want "What's for breakfast?", "Please, clean your room", and "How long until Daddy comes home?" I like the idea of the books because I would buy them and review them often. Adult and child conversations are different. I'm thinking my Spanish 1b will be covering routines though. I've already started working out a plan. Part of the conversation is knowing the question, so when learning about breakfast, yes, they will also learn "what do you eat for breakfast?" (something along those lines) and "I eat....". Parents often sit in on the classes I teach and I find it helpful for parents to know what the children are learning. This is why I sit in on all of Gymnast's Chinese lessons. :) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renai Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 FF methodology: Begin with sounds and spelling so that what you hear, speak, read and write are all the same. He used the example of Des-car-tez vs De-cart. A small error but an underlining huge issue that cripples understanding. Most frequently used vocabulary first. The, and, because. This is boring but I don't care. It's very efficient. This way when you get to a grammar you can understand it. La chica (cocinar) de la ciudad. You might not know cocinar but you'll know the rest so the translation exercises are easier and grammar can have a stronger focus. Visual vocabulary. You don't want to think cat = gato, but 🈠= gato. Thinking in your target language. It's not just a FF methodology. It really isn't new. People have been teaching like this for a long time - think immersion classes. One cannot learn the nouns without the genders (el, la), so that is a given that it will be taught from day 1. At least, it's in my Session 1 Parent Notes. Other words don't make sense to learn right away - ex., because. Children aren't learning to give reasons of something right away, so why teach it? I'd prefer to teach the language that will be used so that it can be integrated in everyday conversation and thus more easily practiced. More practice = better retention. Languages are different, thus one methodology will not work for all languages. Gymnast is learning Chinese. Giving her random characters that mean the, and, because would be useless because there would be no context to it. She's currently learning with a riddle the teacher has assigned. It is fun, it rhymes, and she's learning the characters through repetition. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renai Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 Slache has given me permission (by text) to put my rebuttal here. This method is not based on a language like Japanese. Japanese does not have an alphabet. It has a two syllabaries and pictograph characters. The syllabaries make the sounds of the words but even to know which syallabary to use requires you to know which words are native in origin and which aren't. And the pictographs aren't associated with sounds at all and have a "Chinese" reading and a "Japanese" reading with totally different sounds and if you combine them. . . Japanese kids cannot read and write at the level of a newspaper until middle school for a reason. Japanese does not have words like "The" or "a" and while it does have other particles I do not agree that they should be learned in isolation. No one naturally learns language that way. Also in Japanese, which form of the common vocabulary do you want to learn? Do you want the formal term? The less formal? The casual? They are different. Verbs especially are extremely different than English because while you have a root, the word includes the grammar in the term and so it can be significantly different depending on what you want to say. I do agree on visual vocabulary. My biggest beef with this method is that it sounds mind numbingly boring. I cannot imagine any child that I've ever taught over the 43 years I've taught foreign language liking to learn this way. Actually, I can't really imagine my adult learners liking it either. Just my honest opinion. Oh, I should have just kept reading instead of putting in my comments... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slache Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 (edited) I know it's not new, I just don't have another name for it. Edited January 25, 2018 by Slache 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renai Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 I like perfect pronouncing (and stroke order) of the two syllabary systems first so we're doing that. After that I want to do the most common vocabulary thing, but combine it with sentences so it's not so boring. So drilling vocabulary with Pimslur. This is how I learned Spanish and I learned it well. Natural bilingual conversations with friend plus "What does un poco mean?" I'm really irritated by what you said regarding casual, less formal, formal. I did not know this. I agree that it is mind-numbingly boring. I learned a lot of basic Japanese conversation structure with Pimsleur. It worked for me too. Not so much with Gymnast. After the basic sentence structure, I started plugging in common vocabulary. By "common" I mean, I worked in a school, so learned the vocabulary pertaining to that. In fact, that is how my Spanish grew. I learned house Spanish. I learned counseling Spanish (a place I worked). I learned educational Spanish (when I worked in a school). I didn't learn all these at the same time, but learned as I needed it, thus retention was greater. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Critterfixer Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 It was long school day, y'all. Any day that we have to go to town just makes the rest of the day crawl. Come spring, I'll have to figure out golf lessons on one day and art on another. That is going to be tough. But we got through with minimal grumbling and growling. Even I was a good turtle. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Critterfixer Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 I don't have strong feelings about foreign language study. Latin I do mostly for the logic of it and the word study. French because it's a beautiful language and I'd like to be able to read in French and understand a little bit when I hear it. But I have no plans to push for fluency for myself or for my boys. I think I would be bound to be disappointed and unhappy if I did. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Critterfixer Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 The boys have almost completely cleared the garden of weeds for spring planting. Grandpa gave us some spare raised beds to put together. We may be able to start some leaf lettuce and spinach soon. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renai Posted January 25, 2018 Share Posted January 25, 2018 My ideal Spanish class as a stay at home mom would be a class for both student and parent to learn everyday conversation skills to practice together. I would only want the workload for the student and I'd only want to pay for the student but I would expect to be able to sit in on the class and have some kind of a review to take home a la parent's notes. I don't care about shapes. I want "What's for breakfast?", "Please, clean your room", and "How long until Daddy comes home?" I like the idea of the books because I would buy them and review them often. You know, this isn't a bad idea. Spanish Around the Home: Talking to one another. A class for parents and children together - family-priced, instead of per student. A lot is geared to communicating outside the home with other people. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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