I am now just a few weeks away from completing the MATL program, and although I still have much work to do, I find myself reflecting more and more on my experience over the last three years. Three years! Wow! It has been a truly remarkable journey. I can say without a doubt that I have enjoyed every course I have taken. As I go back through my readings, course notes, research papers and lesson plans, I am actually quite awestruck by the sheer amount of work that I have done and the new knowledge I have gained. My first class was Sociolinguistics which is where I learned the importance of culture, identity, diversity and pragmatics in the language learning process. This course set the tone for everything else I was to learn in the program. I loved learning about the structural elements of language in Applied Linguistics and lost myself in the exploration of perspectives and theories of Second Language Acquisition. While understanding the central role of cognitive and psycholinguistic processes, I cannot help but be drawn to the overall importance of socio-cultural influences on the language learning process. I was truly inspired by my classes on Francophone film and literature and my friends and family were very happy to benefit from my preparation of French onion soup and Poulet Provençal during my French Gastronomy class.

 

I’m also reflecting on the vast number of papers and research reviews I had to write. Some were in English but many were in French, and the subjects covered were just as inspirational and valuable as my course readings. The first significant paper was how the lack of identity awareness and exposure to diversity created very real challenges to language learning in Study Abroad situations and, of course, what could be done to remedy the situation. My other writings during the MATL included how a student’s L1 ability can impact their L2 development; why we need to teach pronunciation and how to do it effectively; practical ways to develop speaking skills and interactional competence in the classroom; and how the multimodal nature of Bandes Dessinées make them one of the most effective language teaching resources at our disposal.

 

In addition to my academic projects, my work during the MATL has also helped me gain invaluable experience and knowledge in the more practical classroom areas needed to be an effective foreign language teacher. These areas include instructional planning and how to integrate the World-Readiness Standards such as the three modes of communication, cultural comparisons and the primary language skills into classroom activities. In addition, I learned about teaching grammar in context and using various approaches such as the PACE Model; using normative and summative assessments; and structuring a backwards lesson design. Classroom observations and readings during the Practicum drew my attention to the importance of teacher interactional competence. A very separate skill set from content knowledge and instructional ability, interactional competence can make the whole learning process much more effective through a teacher’s ability to get students to fully engage, ask the right questions, knowing when to stress fluency over accuracy and create situations that require students to participate in genuine conversation where they must negotiate meaning.

 

All of this work in teaching preparation, my readings, my papers, my writing and my research throughout all of my courses over the last three years have helped me grow to become a more knowledgeable and effective language teacher.  As I reflect, however, I’m realizing that despite the impact of all of this knowledge as well as the insight and experience I have gained, there have been a few key areas from my courses that have had more of an effect on me than others. That is, things that I learned or was exposed to that caused me to stop and reflect. Some hit me hard and others inspired me, while some caused me to question my assumptions about what I knew and what, up until that point, I had believed was important about the French language and teaching it.

 

Chief among these areas is the importance of the cultural and linguistic diversity of the Francophone world. Prior to starting the MATL, my view of the French language was based primarily on my experience from having lived in Paris for over nine years. I was so engrained in the Parisian way of speaking and thinking that on a work trip to Senegal I recall being shocked that a stranger asked me how I was doing. That was something you don’t do in France and I remember very vividly being shocked by that and then being surprised at myself that I was shocked, realizing what was happening and laughing at myself. But it was representative of my way of thinking, which was: Parisian French was the French that was best to teach my students. Little by little, this attitude changed. It changed when I learned about the plight of the Acadians and challenges and pride of their descendants today in Louisiana and the resurgence of the French language that has been taking place there.  It changed when I learned of the early 20th century Canadian immigration and the richness of French influences across New England and elsewhere in the United States. It changed when I learned of the cultural influences of people from Africa and the West Indies on the evolution of New Orleans. It changed when African film and literature opened my eyes to the richness and diversity of Francophone cultures on the African continent. And it changed when I learned of the evolution of French from its Latin roots, the other versions of the French language like Breton and Provencal that are officially recognized by the French government, and my study of inclusive language in French as a representation of how the French language is still evolving. How can I not share all this with my students. I feel that it makes the French language even stronger and so much more interesting and to not share this would be a disservice to their development as language learners and global citizens.

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At the beginning of my MATL experience, I was not aware of the degree of diversity in learner differences, nor their importance in the second language acquisition process. However, the essential importance of learner differences has been one of the most significant recurring themes throughout the MATL program. Learning styles are cognitive, affective and physiological traits that determine how students interact with an environment and processes information. I also learned that different contexts can evoke the use of a different learning style within the same individual. This knowledge has completely changed how I teach by ensuring that everything I do is student focused and takes into account the individual needs of the students in my classes.

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One of the surprising insights from my Second Language Acquisition course was the sheer amount of research that has been done and is currently being done today in first and second language acquisition. Yet for all we know, I am still surprised by how much we still do not know. Many researchers and articles that I have read come down hard in support of one perspective or another. My reaction from my work in the course is that all the perspectives have something to offer and, in some way, explain part of the puzzle. That said, as I reflect on what spoke to me more, of what made the most sense, here are the perspectives that I take with me to the classroom. First would be the importance of Stephen Krashen’s perspective of the importance of comprehensible input and his Input +1 hypothesis. Second, is the importance of Merrill Swain’s comprehensive output hypothesis and the subsequent versions of that hypothesis as it relates to placing students in situations where they must engage in genuine communication, negotiate meaning and become aware of their knowledge gaps. In addition to these perspectives is the essential importance of Affect in the learning process as well as the integration of culture so that students develop intercultural competence.

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Another big moment for me was when I understood how powerful comic books are in the language learning process. This first occurred from the viewpoint of being a student because the graphic novel Aya de Yopougon was assigned in my course on Francophone Literature. This graphic novel tells the tale of an educated, witty, young woman living in a very animated neighborhood of Azerbaijan. I have to admit that when I first saw a graphic novel on the Syllabus, I was not excited. However, just a couple of pages in and I was completely hooked. There were a few books I felt this way about during the MATL program, where although it was assigned reading, it felt like a book I read for pleasure. I soon saw how the drawings and visual expressiveness of the characters’ faces combined with the text to create a very effective learning process. In the course French Culture through Comics, I read Astérix et Obélix and my views on the effectiveness of graphic novels in the language learning process strengthened even more. Part of the work in that course was the development of lesson plan in which I researched articles on the use of graphic novels in foreign language classes. From that experience I learned that my initial reaction to having to read a graphic novel is fairly common among both parents and teachers, and that unfortunately this is the main challenge facing the adoption of comic books into more curriculums. That comics and graphic novels are extremely effective is evident and a further step towards a multiliteracies approach.

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One of my greatest joys during the MATL program, and one of its key strengths, is the richness and experience of its instructors. My instructors were always supportive and offered advice and direction when I needed it. They also each had their own strengths and I loved when they shared their insights and experiences into the language learning process and their teaching experience. One of my huge take-aways from my experience here, and also something that has profoundly shaped my teaching philosophy, is the importance of the language and culture of the Francophone world, which includes, of course, the French influence in the Americas. These are passionate subject areas for my instructors and I cannot help but think that I would not have had the same experience if I had done my Master’s at another school. As I reflect on the people I have shared this experience with, I would be remiss not to point out the knowledge and pleasure I have gained from working along side some incredible fellow students. The students in this program are all professionals, teaching students of different ages and different levels, all coming with their own cultural and professional experience. My class discussions and projects where I collaborated with my fellow students made the whole experience even more rewarding.

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As I bring my MATL experience to a close, I feel I have become a wiser, more knowledgeable, and more effective teacher. As I prepare for my next steps, I not only take with me the experience of the last three years and all I have learned, but the strong sense that I am now part of a larger community of foreign language teachers that collaborate on teaching approaches and the sharing of research through local and national organizations.