circling
From storyasking
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circling means asking good questions to make sure language is understood.. if you're helping someone learn a bit of language, you can circle it to make sure they get it.. she is happy! is she happy? yes correct, she is happy. is she happy or is she sad? happy correct, she is happy is she sad? no no, she's not sad, she is happy! is she happy? yes, she is happy! she isn't happy? no, she is happy! she isn't sad? she isn't sad, she is happy! a simple statement like "she is happy" can be circled with many questions.. the questions help the listener learn:
each part of a statement can be circled with questions: he is sad is he happy? no, he is sad.. correct, he is sad.. who is happy? is he happy or is she happy? she is happy she isn't sad? no, she isn't sad is she sad? no, she is happy! you get the idea.. if you're helping someone learn a bit of language, you can ask them many many questions to make sure they really get what is being said with that language.. the circling questions build on a known context; the circling strengthens belief in the language being learned; the repetitions etch the language in memory; the language gets learned. another way to confirm a statement may be to center it.. [edit] from TPRS in a yearAll research indicates that output cannot occur without having first been preceded by massive amounts of comprehensible input (listening). Thus, listening (CI) should be the pre-eminent focus of all foreign language instruction. Circling is the pre-eminent feature of CI. The astounding results gained by TPRS students would be impossible without circling. The focus of circling in each sentence is on the part of the sentence new to the students. If you are in touch with what your students have already learned, then, when you circle, you can stress with an increase in sound in your voice the part of the sentence that is new to them. One thought must be in the forefront of the instructor’s mind when circling: the word or structure that you want the students to know must be repeated, repeated, and repeated again, and vocally accentuated at the same time. Some instructors focus more on the circling than on the structure, thinking that there must be a “right” way to circle. Circling is not a formula to be blindly followed! Rather, repetitive questioning that accentuates and repeats the structure to be learned is proper circling. By focusing less on the circling itself as a formula and more on the structure being circled, the structure quickly becomes comprehensible to the students. It becomes instantly recognizable to the students when it occurs later. Just remember that mixing up the questions and thus avoiding patterned responses is required for success. CIRCLING Besides pausing and pointing properly, the students become strongly engaged when you are circle properly. There is always a strong link between student engagement and good circling. In the early stages of learning this skill, you will probably refer frequently to your circling poster. Circling is:
Here is an example of circling:
[You add: That’s correct, class, there is a boy.”]
[You add: That’s correct, class, there is a boy.”]
[You add: That’s correct, class, there is not a girl. There is a boy.]
[You add: That’s correct, class, there is not a monkey. There is a boy.”]
[You add: That’s correct, class, there is a boy.”]
[You add: That’s correct, class, the boy’s name is Howard Ino.”] (When, Where, Why and other details are circled in only when relevant.) It is possible to get ten questions from one sentence by circling all three parts of the sentence. If the structure is: avait l'intention de (intended to) I ask a student to stand next to me in front of the classroom. I ask, "Class, did Zach intend to drink some water yesterday?" And then I circle that as below. I circle the subject, then the verb, then the object. Note that although there are twelve sentences below, the first in each group is the same so there are really only ten questions. First, you circle the subject:
Next, you circle the verb:
And then the object:
It is not intended that you do all ten possibilities above. Instead, pick and choose depending on the situation. This technique gets good personalization of the structures, the students get needed repetitions, and the story will definitely roll along more easily with you having done this. Stop the circling when the class shows confidence in what you are saying. Once the pattern is understood, you then have the option of mixing it up. This is a good way to make students process each question at a higher level, resulting in greater gains. You have mastered this aspect of the skill when you can circle at will in random order without glancing at the chart. A word of caution, however. Too much random circling, though artful, can really confuse the students. It is the old trap too many teachers fall into with TPRS: they think that because they get it, that their students naturally do as well. In that interest, I often repeat the same exact question three or four times in a row. One would think that this would bore the kids, but the kids can be fooled into decoding the same sentence multiple times by asking them question in different ways using different emotions. Ce n’est pas vrai/That’s not true said in a romantic way, for example, conveys a completely different meaning from the same expression said with anger, or with surprise, or with embarrassment. The emotions override the meaning, and the students don’t notice that the words are the same. This is because some research has shown that roughly only 10% of communication occurs as word content, with up to 40% being a function of how the words are said, and the rest being a function of body language. If this research is accurate, that up to 90% of human communication is non-verbal, then it is almost unbelievable that language educators do not plan how they teach around that astounding fact. It means that many language teachers plan their teaching around only 10% of what is actually happening in the classroom! Whether you choose to circle by repeating the same sentence with different emotions, or in the way described above, just remember the cardinal rule of all circling – SLOW.
If the line (here by Les Ogres) is: Il y a un mec sur un banc (there is a guy on a bench), write any new words or structures on the board or the overhead. Put two chairs together, call it a bench. Put a boy on it, and start circling. Class, there is a guy on a bench. (ohh!) Is there a guy on a bench? (yes) Is there a guy on a bench or is there a guy on a suitcase? (bench) Is there a guy on a suitcase? (no) Is there a guy on a desk? (no) What is there on a bench? (a guy) Where is the guy? (bench) etc. The students have to believe and you have to create via the circling what amount to little scenes. Once a line has been circled enough so that you feel that the students have gotten enough repetitions of one line of a song, you create another scene for the next line. If the line is not conducive skip it. For a lengthy example of circling, see skill 48 below. Circling drives it all – PQA, extended PQA, stories, songs, retells, spin off stories, and, indeed, all comprehensible input – forward. As such, it is arguably the sine qua non of TPRS skills. Someone once posted on the TPRS listserve, “Circle or die!” |
