MR. EAGAN'S PARENT & FAMILY BLOG
September 30, 2023
Dear Students, Parents and Families:
Here we are, already at the very end of September. Coming up on October 5 is our first major performance assessment. So far, we've had two vocabulary quizzes, working towards this assessment.
The first assessment is reading and writing. Students have to read and understand questions, and answer them in Spanish.
Here is how the grading works in a nutshell: If students can demonstrate that they have understood the question by answering with a short answer in Spanish, that answer is a B. If they can stretch to write a complete sentence, that answer is an A. We also have a Level Up section. These are stretch questions, just beyond student's expected readiness (Zone of Proximal Development, if you want the educational philosophy jargon). By attempting the stretch questions, students can earn points (They can't lose any).
We did a practice assessment on Thursday and reviewed with some feedback on Friday. We'll do some more review this week. My official office hours are Wednesday after school, but I am usually available much more often and can sometimes meeet students during free blocks or in LC.
On the practice assessment, I asked students to rate their confidence level after each question. Doing so helps me gather important information about them, and our next steps in the classroom. It's SEL with a focus on the important connection between a student's emotional state, their sense of belonging, and their academic mindset. These four academic mindsets have a positive impact on persistence and school performance. (Farrington et al, 2012):
I belong in this academic community.
My ability and competence grow with my effort.
I can succeed at this.
This work has value for me.
Here are some good study tips:
Check your PRACTICE ASSESSMENT score in PS. The ungraded practice is scored 4, 3, 2, 1, roughly equivalent to A, B, C, D. This score gives you an idea of where your performance lies in relationship to the learning targets.
Review the vocabulary for the assessment with Flash cards.
Practice Listening and Pronunciation. Yes, this is a reading and writing assessment, but multi-modal learning is beneficial.
Review your practice assessment with a classmate, a friend who is in Spanish 2, 3, etc, or with Profe.
I am confident that with effective effort, all of the kids in the class can be successful on this assessment.
Yours truly,
Tim Eagan
September 20, 2023
Dear Students, Parents and Families:
As we dive into a new school year, I'd like to share with you something about myself and Beginning Spanish A at WHS:
First, I am the 6-12 department head, so some of the students will recognize me from seeing me around WMS in years past. I've been the department head in Wellesley since 2008. Before that I was in Newton for 11 years, teaching at Bigelow Middle School, then as curriculum coordinator for world languages, working with teachers at the four middle schools and the department heads at North and South. Prior to Newton, I taught grades five through twelve in a variety of districts.
I have a M.A. in Critical & Creative Thinking, from UMass — an interdisciplinary program where I studied philosophy, cognitive psychology, applied linguistics and education, all in the framework of curriculum and instructional design for languages.I was on the board of directors of MAFLA (the Massachusetts Foreign Language Association) from 2008-2020, serving as president in 2017, and am currently on the executive board of NADSFL (the National Association of District Supervisors for Languages). I frequently present at state, regional, and national conferences.
Proficiency is at the center of the department's curriculum and approach, what we teach and how we teach it. Each course has a performance target based on the Proficiency Guidelines from the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages and the Massachusetts Curriculum Framework for World Languages. I was on the team who wrote the new state standards (framework) updated in 2021. These targets help us to frame our set of expectations and standards at each level. Targets are based on research conducted by ACTFL that show the correlation between hours of effective, quality language instruction and movement through the levels of proficiency.
So, what is proficiency anyway?
Proficiency is what you can do with language in terms of speaking, writing, listening, and reading in real-world situations in a spontaneous and unrehearsed context.
The Proficiency Target for the beginning units in Beginning Spanish is Novice-Mid. We'll revisit our proficiency target as the year goes on, moving up to Novice-High.
About Beginning Spanish A:
This course is designed with the same standards as our other year 1 language courses, with more scaffolding and support built in. Research in second language acquisiton is clear that all people can learn a second language. It's the approach that matters. I love teaching this class. If you have any questions or want to touch base for any reason, please feel free to reach out to me at 781-446-6290 or email.
Yours truly,
Tim Eagan