suggestions anyone?

[Dmark916 at AOL.COM]

Richard, what you are doing invites a special legacy for the people, and  
even though it may not seem to be valued, it lights a way for language to  
flourish. Many years ago (like the 1970's) Berty Seigle developed a  technique 
call Total Physical Response (TPR). As you are exposing very young  
children to language, please consider using her approach, as it involves  movement 
and action in language learning. Gradually the children anticipate the  
language and begin using it themselves, not in a word-by-word context, but  
actually in descriptive ways. There is no "translation" necessary. And the  
teachers, looking on or looking in, can become involved as well.
While some teacher inservice workshops might be helpful, without  
administrative backing they might just be resented. Try the TPR approach (or  some 
iteration of it) instead.
In Spirit,
Dorothy Martinez-K
 
 
In a message dated 11/24/2010 6:41:34 A.M. Pacific Standard Time,  
rzs at WILDBLUE.NET writes:

thanks Doug and Natasha,
good way to explain it about not  "giving away the answer" in class.
the books (Natasha) sounds excellent...another project!  for me to look 
into.
(sounds like i need to have some meetings with these  teachers)


Its tough because ...sadly: I'm it. I'm our  local language revitalization 
effort,
which is foolish and even ridiculous. there is no  language committee in 
our tribe
and if anythings going to happen its because I'm insane  enough to 
volunteer to
attempt it on my own....and this is the 6th year of me  ..."doing it alone"


You all who have healthy language/culture  revitalization efforts
Have something to thank the Creator for.
Just don't forget about some of us foolish ones,  winging it alone,
carrying the whole weight but determined not to give  up..even if it kills 
us.


'preciate having some pros to bounce ideas upon here on  ILAT!
ske;noh
Richard










On Wed, Nov 24, 2010 at 2:17 AM, Natasha L Warner <_nwarner at u.arizona.edu_ 
(mailto:nwarner at u.arizona.edu) >  wrote:

I think Leanne Hinton's book that's actually a guide to  the Master
Apprentice program, _How to Keep your Language Alive_, has  some good
explanations of why immersion without translation is the way to  go.  Maybe
something in that would help you with how to explain it  to the teachers.
It's a challenging issue--even people who really know  better about
immersion so often want to just "help" by providing  translation.  Good
luck.

Natasha

****************************************************************************
***
Natasha  Warner
Associate Professor, Department of Linguistics
University of  Arizona
PO Box 210028
Tucson, AZ  85721-0028
U.S.A.






--  
"It  is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men." 
- Frederick  Douglass

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