Success in a Second-Language Feels Just as Good

Knowing your students' strengths as well as your own helps promote success in the classroom, says Valerie Pike.

Pike, who teaches languages at Prince of Wales Collegiate in St. John's, builds on her own strengths and those of her students by designing learning activities that address a wide range of learning styles, open new avenues of learning and lead students towards improving their skill and proficiency.

For example, to strengthen her students' French-language reading abilities and their appreciation for literature and the arts, she presents a video of the French version of the popular musical Les Misérables while they study Victor Hugo's classic novel. Period artwork, posters and other visual aids also deepen their understanding of the novel and its historical and social context.

"When students discover that reading a text in another language can bring a new perspective to their understanding of the story, another dimension to their learning and a broader appreciation of history and culture, not only are they motivated to work hard, they succeed," explains Pike.

And when you hand the students a really challenging exercise, such as reading the original text of Les Misérables, she says, you are expressing confidence in them. You are telling them, "I know you can do this."