After having the opportunity to observe National TOY candidate Grant Boulanger in action last year, and seeing the amazing way in which he connect with students, I wanted some to incorporate some of the things he was doing with his students into my classroom. Later in the year, I had the chance to see Grant and Bryce Hedstrom present a 3 hour workshop on Persona Especial. Perfect! I now had no excuse not to do these with my students. I began to implement the Persona Especial Interview in my classroom a short time later, with amazing results.
Acquisition is the order of the day in my classroom, and the amount of vocabulary students acquire through these interviews is incredible. Through Persona Especial interviews, the acquisition is absolutely painless. In fact, I had one student comment recently that she likes learning about everybody in the class, but doesn’t feel like she learns a lot of Spanish during the Persona Especial Interviews. I countered by asking her how to say various words in Spanish (brother, she drives, she plays, she lives, city, country, etc.). She was able to tell me all of these words instantly in Spanish. I reminded her that she “learned” all of these while listening to her classmates during their Persona Especial interviews. She left the conversation impressed that she had learned something, and without even trying! That is one HUGE benefit right there. Another benefit is the classroom culture and environment the Persona Especial interview creates. Through these interviews, I am getting 10-20 minutes plus of one on one time with a student. This truly creates something magical between that student and myself. It also creates a wonderful repoirte in the classroom, as all the students know that they will also get this individualized attention. The interviews build trust between myself and the students, as well as within the classroom. The students are learning about one another and creating a community by doing so. I work in a small, rural district, and the majority of my students have been together since kindergarten. As such, many feel like they know “everything about everyone.” However, the Persona Especial interviews are destroying that stereotype. Yes, they may know how many brothers, sisters, etc are in one’s family, but how does Tom feel about driving? What does Ashley like to eat for breakfast? What hidden talents does Michael have? It is these kinds of questions that are at the heart of the interviews, and ones that truly engage the students listening to the interviews. A final benefit is the atmosphere the interviews create. I am not talking about community building, which I already mentioned, but about the atmosphere. Days that are set aside for Persona Especial interviews are some of the most laid-back, stress-free days that I have ever experienced as a teacher. I can enter my classroom without an “agenda” and simply enjoy conversing with my students. The students are only tasked with listening - actively - during the interviews so they feel as though they are getting a pass on doing any work. Little do they know that this is exactly what I want them to do, listen to comprehensible, compelling input that drives their acquisition forward. Overall, the Persona Especial interviews are a FANTASTIC addition to my classroom. Thank you, Bryce and Grant for introducing them to me. If you are interested in learning more about or trying Persona Especial interviews, Bryce Hedstrom has a TON of resources and information about Persona Especial interviews on his website including how to get started and steps of the process.
2 Comments
9/19/2017 09:13:55 pm
When do you start with Spanish I? Right away? Or about how many weeks into a school year would you suggest?
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Jessie Oelke
10/13/2017 07:59:46 pm
I do start right away! I start in Spanish I, about the third week of school. The first ones do not last long, but that is okay. We are learning the process of the interview and building community.
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Jessie Oelke
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