Pat’s Polemics

LINGUISTIC ORIENTATION Therefore the SLA research and other research in the psychology of learning can only stimulate, not dictate. In this situation, best practices can (Continue Reading)

• The structures do not represent the culture but may reflect categories of mind. Recent theories of universal grammar examine these categories. • No L (Continue Reading)

The Linguistic Orientation • L is the common property of all humans. • All humans possess L equally. • Differences are due to variety. • (Continue Reading)

If you can change one grade, why not change them all? If your calculations are so error-prone, why bother? I don’t get it. The only (Continue Reading)

Another AATSEEL meeting has occurred. Today in Tucson at the U of A we met and it was one of the better meetings I’ve been (Continue Reading)

Just this second I heard a teacher tell two kids that she read everything in high school and did all her homework (she’s 30) and (Continue Reading)

I recall an 8th grade teacher of “careers” describing a job in a factory where a man simply reached up and guided engines hanging by (Continue Reading)

I’m sitting alone in the house late at night with a glass of wine. Time to ruminate. A number of factors cause this rumination: reading (Continue Reading)

Recently I’ve blogged a little re Diane Ravitch. A friend, Brian Barabe, has finished her book and has written the following about it. The Death (Continue Reading)

A brief comment on a note about a conference presentation: “Eileen Glisan’s keynote address was absolutely OUTSTANDING! A real paradigm shift! (Yes, that was the (Continue Reading)

Here’s a typical post: I feel like I am using too many worksheets in my Spanish 2 class, but I am unsure how to get (Continue Reading)

Similar to the article in the New York Times magazine Sunday March 7, this article in The Atlantic offers another analytic survey of good teaching. (Continue Reading)

This is hard to type up but it’s worth doing so people will understand why a natural order of acquisition is important to establish (p.s. (Continue Reading)

I’ve really dropped the ball on keeping this up. I’m turning over a new leaf this coming year and blogging at least once a week (Continue Reading)

Read this post: HUGS! I can understand your frustration with the kids! I worked in a small rural community for the past 11 years and (Continue Reading)

I cannot remember who in this group is on flteach and who is not; but an issue came up about parents described as helicopter/hovering parents (Continue Reading)

Look at these questions (I’ve deleted names in case people don’t want to be associated with my blog but you know who you are…. the (Continue Reading)

This is a genuine rant. Sometimes we use the word to label a slightly dyspeptic discourse on something that merely irritates us. No, this is (Continue Reading)

Here are comments by parents that help me determine that students are learning and determine in some ways why they are learning. One couple has (Continue Reading)

I think this response [immediately below this entry] cuts to the core of the dilemma for communicative vs grammar teachers. Yes, I know, we all (Continue Reading)

How is it that the culmination of a Latin program is to read a Latin author in English? It is quite one thing to offer (Continue Reading)

Why do some people, even teachers, oppose scaffolding? The definition of scaffolding I pulled off the internet is by Beth Lewis: Scaffolding refers to the (Continue Reading)