Domaleski 1

Meredith Domaleski

Sister MaryAnn Jacobs.

EDUC 206

27 October 2017

Research Paper

Look at the Problem

A teachers purpose in their profession is to maintain engagement from their students,

and assuring that they have implanted an impact on their lives. With a diverse group of teachers,

students are given the opportunity to find their interest by being exposed to different content

areas. It is necessary that a secondary education major is prepared for teaching 9th grader (which

is most likely where first year teachers are placed) find that specialty about themselves and their

content area that will hook their students for the remainder of the year. Most importantly, a

relationship must be formed An English teacher may spark your classmate to becoming the next

Shakespeare, or your history teacher will discover the next president of the United States, and

foreign language educators will open students eyes and make them pursue in world travels.

Second language learners best serves as the role model who can enrich ones cultural

perspectives. Learning an additional language opens a new world of traditions to one, which

could lead to developing personality by adapting those traditions, and the passion to discover

more through travel. Foreign language educators have this idealized situation where they can

incorporate out of school activities that put the grammar and vocabulary of a language into

practice. However, many schools are disposing all of the foreign languages taught in school other

than Spanish and ESL which correlate with one another. The reality of it is that teachers of

european languages lack the talent of keeping students engaged.

 Domaleski 2

A questionnaire that took place in Budapest consisted of 301 participants that were

students of several schools in the region (Dornyei, Noels 425). Students were given a

questionnaire that asked for their opinion on how positive they felt about different elements that

occur in a foreign language classroom. The high results were: likelihood to make friends with

foreigners, and feeling like they are being educated of something (Dornyei, Noels 430). The

elements that fell on the least likelihood of expectations of learning a foreign language were, the

passion to travel , be more knowledgeable, and finding usefulness in a future job with a second

language The main cause that contributed to the failing of foreign languages in secondary

schools is because students are not becoming more knowledgeable. (Dornyei, Noels 430). The

next step is to find what can be done to help western european languages survive in the high

school curriculum.

Examine What You Know

Looking back on experience, I know that the only classroom where I felt fully engaged five days

a week was my French class. Throughout all four years of studying this language I have realized

that without the use of a proactive and passionate teacher, I would not have found where I

wanted to be in the future-a French Teacher.

I had recently spoken to French teacher in high school-Madame Corrao, and our

conversation consisted of what techniques, practices, and materials she had brought into our

classroom that brought success for her first level learners. Madame Corrao responded,

The first step is to adapt to your students. Not every class that you teach has the same dynamic

as the last. Every class has their own distinct personality. Creating and modeling respect is

always important too. This way each student feels and realizes they are important to the success

of the class as a whole, and a little bit of humility in each student and the teacher is the way to
 Domaleski 3

go. Another thing to engages students comes from the teacher-their passion to teach. With the

lack of a teacher who loves the subject they teach, the students wont find the passion to learn the

content as well. In order to develop a student-engaged classroom, necessary materials are

required to fulfill this promise. I remember throughout my four years of having Madame Corrao

as my French teacher, she utilized the following: Learning through song, our French readers

that followed French families, learning historical facts, playing calm French music while testing,

sharing movies, museums, restaurantswith students and family, motivating through

competitive games for PRIZES, rewards systems, not being monotone while teaching, showing

your love of learning to your students, technology writing a grant for iPads and showed you

Duolingo on your phones, researching in the computer lab/library with friends, and challenging

you to do your best on tests, quizzes and homework, and giving real and sincere reactions to

the quality of work presented. I believe that Madame Corraos pedagogy is significant to me

college career in secondary education is because I repeatedly replicate her teaching ideas into

my own lesson plans. Her impact did not just remain in the classroom. Emphasizing on the

importance of inspiring students, I can speak from experience. Referring back to the importance

of enriching oneself into other cultural perspectives, I had began to take action into finding the

experience of this. Madame Corrao and I had established the French Honor Society of our

school, marking each chapter with a ceremony recited in French. We had organized a charity for

a boy with brain cancer, and also coordinated a trip to see Les Miserables on Broadway. My

peers were thankful that this was organized because it was different from a classroom setting.

Any foreign language teacher is resourceful to a students high school career, because there are

perfect scenarios where 9th graders can be inspired to understand other countries cultures.
 Domaleski 4

Although I had been gifted with a talented teacher for French, foreign language

departments in high schools across the world have been progressively decreasing. More schools

have been turning away from European languages like Italian, French, and German, and

emphasizing a higher regard to ESL learners who are Spanish native speakers, and vice versa.

Although several careers in the United States require a knowledge of the Spanish language, it is

still important to branch out with other languages to see what is being offered. This all traces

back to the success of a teacher. Without a teachers obvious passion to teach the forgotten

languages, language departments in secondary schools will continue to subsidize, leaving no

room for creativity.

Acquire Knowledge

What causes the motivation to learn a foreign language? In French is the language of

Love and Stuff: student perceptions of issues related to motivation in learning a foreign

language, writers of this article discuss Gardners two of the learning orientations in order to

depict a better understanding of motivation in learning a foreign language. Integrative

orientation occurs when the learner is studying a language because of a wish to identify with the

culture of speakers of that language (Williams 505). This is important to know as educators

because as the standards state, we are required to incorporate not only the content of the

language, but the cultural environment that surrounds the language as well. If a student is in

search for a new way to communicate, then they will be motivated in the classroom. However,

this is when the students who lack motivation fall under the instrumental orientation of learning.

Instrumental orientation includes a group of factors concerned with motivation arising from

external goals such as passing examinations, financial rewards, or furthering a career (Williams

505). These are the students who will perform little to no effort in classroom discussions, but
 Domaleski 5

strives to make it by. As students are becoming more and more disengaged in the cultural

classroom, the language department in schools across the world will fail to see improvements

and eventually be dismissed.

So what can teachers do to maintain the life of foreign languages? A second language in

the secondary education curriculum has been often neglected by administrators and supervisors

when teachers are stuck on the issue of motivation. A lack of motivation directly contributes to

the failing of the foreign language department.

Devise a Plan

Over 200 Foreign language teachers who teach English in Hungary were given a list of

necessary elements needed that a teacher must create and practice in their classroom. The

teachers were asked to read over them, and decide which three elements were more important

than the others. Once the questionnaire was finished, the researchers of this project selected

which elements teachers consistently chose, and created the Ten Commandments that teachers

will follow in order to successfully keep engagement amongst the students. The Ten

Commandments are:

1. Prepare for the lessons properly

2. Create a pleasant atmosphere in the classroom

3. Give clear instructions

4. Develop a relationship with your students

5. Give positive feedback and appraisal

6. Select interesting task

7. Encourage creative and imaginative ideas

8. Try and fill the tasks with personal content that is relevant to the students
 Domaleski 6

9. Help the students develop realistic expectations about their learning

10. Familiarize the learners with the cultural background of the language they are

learning. (Drnyei, Csizr 221-222).

Execute the Plan

Once this fundamental background is established and observant for the students, teachers

should also take students to cultural out of class excursions that surround their foreign language.

This will help grow a better understanding, and put the language into practice. Role playing can

also be effective as a classroom lesson. Students must be put into the lives of the specific

foreigner, and given creative tasks that will inspire them to want to learn more of the language.

Repeat steps as Needed

Overall, the first step comes from the teacher, and it is their choice if they are accepting

of facing challenges. Students must be reassured that they have a trusting relationship with their

teacher, and also a voice in the classroom that will allow them to look into further discussion.

Works Cited

Clement, Richard. Language Learning 44:3, September 1994, Pp. 4174. Language Learning

44:3, September 1994, Pp. 417448 Motivation, Self-Confidence, and Group Cohesion

in the Foreign Language Classroom. Language Learning 44:3, September 1994, Pp. 417448

Motivation, Self-Confidence, and Group Cohesion in the Foreign Language Classroom.

https://s3.amazonaws.com/academia.edu.documents/39366021/1994-clement-dornyei-noels-

ll.pdf?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAIWOWYYGZ2Y53UL3A&Expires=1505927309&Signature=G
 Domaleski 7

GKC9M5WEmjfEcj1StczWVEjwn8%3D&response-content-

disposition=inline%3B%20filename%3D1994-clement-dornyei-noels-ll.pdf

Drnyei, Zoltn, and Kata Csizr. Ten Commandments for Motivating Language

Learners: Results of an Empirical Study. Language Teaching Research, vol. 2, no. 3,

1998, pp. 203229. Communication & Mass Media CompleteTM, EBSCO,

doi:10.1177/136216889800200303.

http://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=2&sid=bfc46727-a883-4e77-8959-

232576739a0c%40sessionmgr4008

Williams, Marion, et al. 'French Is the Language of Love and Stuff': Student Perceptions of

Issues Related to Motivation in Learning a Foreign Language. British Educational

Research Journal, vol. 28, no. 4, 2002, pp. 503528. Academic Search Elite, EBSCO,

doi:10.1080/0141192022000005805.

http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=2&sid=6f9946bf-9399-47ed-8074-

b4e1df88044b%40sessionmgr103