Erin Fontaine

Introduction - About Me

All About Me

I think I knew I wanted to be a teacher all my life. As a child, I remember setting stuffed animals in little desks and teaching them the day's lesson. Eventually those animals turned into friends and a childish dream became a career aspiration.

I have been teaching Spanish for 7 years and am in my 2nd year at a public school. Though I miss the cozy feeling of a private school, I am excited for this new adventure.

I am about half way through the CDIT program at the University of Albany. I love how I am growing as an educator and how this program is giving me the tools to put my student's learning first, above all else.

My Topic & Purpose

Education is in a constant rotation. The good and the bad, what works and what doesn’t, out with the old, in with the new and sometimes we even revisit the old with new ideas and concepts. TPRS and Comprehensible Input are a new concept in foreign language education that focus on teaching a second language using the same skills from our earliest forms of language acquisition. Just like a baby learns to speak by absorbing all that is around them, a TPRS instructor hopes to fully emerge students into a language and culture so that comprehension comes naturally. This participating in this mini-course will leave with:

1. Understanding the concept of what TPRS and Comprehensible Input are.

2. What are some basic ideas behind TPRS and CI? What are some misconceptions?

3. How to implement activities into your already developed curriculum.

Needs Assessment

Instructional Problem

Traditional methods of teaching FL are outdated. Students are more apt to recite memorized material than be able to use and comprehend language through proper language aquisition.

Learning Objective

Within this mini course, educators will develop an understanding of what TPRS and CI are and how to implement them into their current practices and curriculum.

Learner Analysis

The learners within this course will be foreign language teachers who see the value in full language aquisition and comprehension. These educator are able to see that traditional methods are lacking and are eager to learn new innovative ways to bring engagement and comprehension into their classrooms.

Context of Learning

Learners will participate in a series of units that introduce them to TPRS and CI and will give them basic TPRSCI activities that can be implemented into their current practices.

Unit 1- What is TPRS & CI?

unit 2 - Why is TPRS & CI the way to go?

Unit 3 - How can I start using TPRS & CI?

Unit 4 - How can I blend TPRS & CI into what I'm already doing?

Course Goals

The main goal of this mini course is to introduce educators to an innovative style of teaching aimed at engaging students and create a more meaningful comprehensible language aquisition. The process of implementing TPRS and CI is not an easy one but as educators is is important to remember

"It is more about your students success versus your own." ~ Carrol Gaab

Analysis of Learner & Context

Who are my learners?

Those interested in this min-course are foreign language educators interested in new, innovative techniques that promote engagement and comprehension of a targeted language.

Context of Instruction This course will be presented with a series of modules geared towards presenting educators with the ideas and concepts of TPRS. Within each module, participants will find videos, blogs, websites and activities that will help them implement TPRS and CI into their current curriculum.

Performance Based Objectives

1. Understanding the concept of what TPRS and Comprehensible Input are.

2. What are some basic ideas behind TPRS and CI? What are some misconceptions?

3. Sample activities

4. How to implement activities into your already developed curriculum.

Task Analysis