Teachers use the “Wheel of Competence” in their classrooms to explain to their students the purpose of the activities chosen by the teacher for the students to do.  The first quarter of the circle is the concept of Strategic Competence through which students learn the importance of circumlocution to avoid using the native language when there is a conversation breakdown.  According to the author, “the payoff for encouraging explanations and definitions of new vocabulary rather than translation is obvious throughout the four-year program”(148).

The second quarter of the wheel covers Discourse Competence which is “the ability to converse in Spanish by asking and answering questions, giving commands, explaining, narrating, and describing”(148).  This ability to converse appropriately in any circumstance in my mind constitutes proficiency in Spanish or any foreign language since this is a main goal of most educators in this field.  This concept needs to be facilitated by the teacher again giving students opportunities to receive and give input to and from their peers.

Sociolinguistic Competence is knowing what is appropriate to say and do in any given situation.  Linguistic Competence, the final quarter of the wheel, deals with the ability to recognize and use correct grammar.  According to the author, student motivation to study grammar and to participate in classroom conversation is greatly enhanced if they are also given realistic expectations for their ability to control grammar in their speech.(149)

Grammar is hard for any student to grasp and providing authentic materials and many opportunities to hear correct grammar to reinforce concepts learned helps foster a

be tested and come back within five minutes and therefore miss

no student is evaluated by his or her own teacher, which I allows for a more objective evaluation.  The tests are as follows: a simple warm-up covering How are you? What is your name?, etc.; “Explain It, Please” is an activity with the use of circumlocution and “items to explain are chosen specifically to include those vocabulary words that students are not likely to encounter in a first year class” (150).  The author includes the evaluation rubric used with sections for Discourse competency, Strategic competency and Sociolinguistic competency.

Overall, through reading this article I have gotten a good idea of how to implement an adequate oral proficiency test for first year Spanish students.                                                                                                                                                         other activities were not used                                                                           However, I must take into consideration that this article focused on the oral assessment techniques and activities that pertain to the competencies in regards to effective proficiency.
 
 

"in response to a national emphasis on second language proficiency and global awareness, many elementary schools are implementing foreign language (FL) programs." (380)

However, even with the implementation of solid FLES programs, unless there is also an emphasis placed on teacher preparation for these types of programs, none will be very successful.  There are different types of FLES and FLEX programs and, whatever the model, there is a necessity for those who teach to know a language fluently and to be certified to teach at the elementary school level (380).  I believe that there is definitely a necessity because with the new Virginia license of K-12, I will be “qualified” to teach Spanish in the elementary school.  I have only studied secondary education methodology and therefore would not do an elementary school class justice.

This article describes a parallel between a sound teacher preparation program and a successful FLES program.  Thus, the “Companeros” program between Washington State University and Fletcher Elementary School was established.  At its inception the program was backed by support from faculty and parents who wanted their students to get the experience necessary to function within a multicultural society through learning a foreign language.  In terms of the university, the faculty there “was exploring ways of enhancing the preparation of prospective bilingual and ESL elementary teachers”(381).  Through this program these prospective teachers have a way to put into action in a real classroom what they are learning simultaneously in their methods course.
 Within the elementary school, instruction is grade specific in accordance with the regular curriculum.  The goals for this program “are designed around the five C’s of foreign language education - communication, cultures, connections, comparisons, and communities”(382).  It is suggested through Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences that the units learned in Spanish be parallel to what is being taught by the regular classroom teacher.  This parallelism allows for cross-cultural understanding and a link for learners to grasp the concept.  In regards to the application of methodology learned into classroom actions, “emphasis on the sociocultural aspects of communication is what sets second language instruction apart from other disciplines”(383).  Just like we have been learning in this class, the authors stress the importance of contextualized and communicative activities to maximize the learning experience of all students.

The FLES seminar that is part of the university’s methods course helps the participants learn from each other’s successes and failures through daily lessons.

These teachers have a model to follow that is made up of
six components: Comprehension, Observation of Videotapes, Transformation (within which there is Preparation, Representation, Selection and Adaptation), Action, Reflection and New Comprehensions.  The last part of this article breaks each component down and tells how the teachers learn something new from each concept.  Through this model, “each component informs others and insights gained at each stage of inquiry are repeatedly recalled or incorporated into succeeding components”(383).

 The “Companeros” program is a great practicum experience for those who wish to gain experience teaching at this level.  The method model allows for constant self evaluation and reflection through techniques such as journals that the teachers are required to keep.  In the conclusion the authors praise the efforts of the Fletcher Elementary community for spreading the enthusiasm over FLES programs to other schools in their district.  However, they did voice their opinions that more courses and field experiences specifically tailored to the development of reflective L2 teachers will need to be developed for inclusion in general teacher preparation programs if we are going to meet the growing need for accomplished foreign and bilingual/ESL teachers.(388)

I agree wholeheartedly with what this article says and wish there were ways to coordinate such a program around here.  Having been a product of a FLES program growing up, I now understand the true benefits of getting children to learn a foreign language as early as possible.