Christopher D. Sapp

 

 

 

  • Teaching Portfolio

 

Teaching Portfolio

Teaching Philosophy

Teaching Experience

Sample Syllabi

Teaching Materials

Student Evaluations

 
Teaching Philosophy

 

I believe that communication is the central component of language learning.  There is much about a foreign language that students can learn on their own–grammar and vocabulary can be learned from a book, and pronunciation and comprehension can be practiced using audio recordings.  However, what students can not learn by themselves is oral communication, so my primary role as instructor is to provide the students with comprehensible input, facilitate their communication with each other, and help them put new structures into practice.

 

Communicative activities may take a number of forms, including role plays, small-group conversations, and class discussions in the target language.  If these activities are suited to the students’ level, they can communicate using the skills they already have.  Language learners are often self conscious about making mistakes, so I focus on the content of their speech, which puts them at ease and encourages them to participate.  To prevent errors in grammar and pronunciation from becoming ingrained in their speech, I wait until everyone has spoken and then address the errors that need the most attention.  Students seem to appreciate being reminded of the correct forms without being singled out for their mistakes.

 

Although explicit grammar instruction is not the focus of my classroom time, it does play an important role.  I assign grammar readings as homework and begin class with a short review of that grammar in the target language, followed by a few activities in which I will overtly correct mistakes.  Then during the communicative activities that occupy the rest of the class time, I will address any errors in the target structure with positive feedback or the non-threatening method described above.

 

While the focus is on communication during class, correct grammar is essential in written homework.  Most daily homework is in a form that gives students immediate feedback, for example on the computer, making them responsible for their own progress.  This allows me to give much more detailed suggestions on grammar and style on longer writing assignments.  I expect the students to use that feedback on a second draft or the next assignment.  My hope is that this process leads students to reflect on their grammar use and to correct themselves both while writing and speaking. 

 

Finally, I believe that teaching the literature and culture of the target language is important, even at the beginning levels.  Literature and culture are what many students find the most interesting, and discussing them in the target language provides still more input to the students, gives them more practice communicating, and reinforces vocabulary and grammar.  Now more than ever, foreign languages and cultures can be brought directly into the classroom using the internet and other technologies.  For example, in my introductory German classes, I have been showing current music videos by German and Austrian bands, using them not only to illustrate contemporary culture but also to reinforce certain grammar points.

 

In conclusion, I believe that communication should be the focus of the foreign language classroom.  Not only is it the most efficient use of class time, but it is also what I enjoy most about teaching.  A class is at its best when the students are engaged in lively conversation, either with the teacher or with each other, using the target language.  The other aspects of language learning–grammar instruction, cultural information, and literature–are best used to enhance communication in the classroom.

Teaching Experience

In my capacity as Assistant Professor of German at the University of Mississippi, I teach all levels of German.  These courses range from German 101 through intermediate courses on German language and culture to graduate courses on German linguistics.  In addition, I have taught Introduction to Linguistics, a required course for the majors in English and Linguistics.  Please see my CV for the most current list of my courses. 

 

My teaching responsibilities as an Associate Instructor at Indiana University were primarily at the intermediate level: I taught third-semester German three times and fourth-semester German twice.  I also taught first-semester German and German for Reading Knowledge for graduate students.  For one semester, I was the course chair for fourth-semester German.  As course chair, I supervised three other Associate Instructors, selected materials for the course, and wrote the syllabus and exams.  Finally, I taught two semesters of beginning Norwegian, a course which had both undergraduate and graduate sections meeting together.  This was the first time that Norwegian was offered at Indiana University, and I was responsible for creating these new courses.

Sample Syllabi

As an example of an intermediate-level language and culture course, I have included the syllabus for the intensive second-year course that I taught in Spring 2007.  This six-hour course combines the third semester of language instruction with the fourth semester, for which the instructor may choose the topic.  Given the large percentage of International Studies majors in the course, the topic was “Landeskunde” (German geography and society), concentrating on the recent history, politics, culture, and regions of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.  Approximately the first hour of each class was devoted to the textbook (Deutsch: Na Klar!), and the second hour was spent on Landeskunde topics, which were also used to reinforce the structures learned in the first hour.  Throughout the semester, the students created a website containing information about the German-speaking countries.

 

I have also included two syllabi for more advanced courses.  One of these is for the course on the History of the German Language that I taught in Fall 2006.  This course is not only an introduction to the internal and external history of the language, but also functions as an introduction to medieval German literature.  The second course, on the structure of the German language, is one that I would like to teach at some point in the future.  This course serves as both an introduction to German linguistics and as an advanced review of grammar and pronunciation. 

Teaching Materials

The first sample activity is based on the music video for the popular song “(Bitte gib mir) Nur ein Wort” by the band Wir Sind Helden.  The students watch the music video, in which the band members hold up signs showing many of the words in the song.  The students receive the lyrics but with many of the words gapped, especially personal pronouns in the dative case (the topic of the current chapter of the textbook) and modal verbs (from the previous chapter).  I have used this activitiy in both first- and second-semester German.

 

The second activity is an assignment for the History of the German Language course.  To familiarize students with the Germanic consonant shift (Grimm’s Law), they are asked to compare familiar Latin roots with words in English or German, and to indicate with part of the consonant shift is illustrated.  The purpose of this assignment is to provide practice with the sound shift, to equip the students with a large number of examples that they can later use, and to illustrate an important principle of historical linguistics: knowledge of a consonant shift can be an important clue to understand a word’s origin.

 

The third item here is the webpage that students in Intensive Intermediate German (syllabus) created in Spring 2007 as part of the Landeskunde component of the course.  Although I designed the layout, the students in the course wrote the essays and chose the pictures and the links.

 

Finally, I have created two web pages that contain links to online exercises for my first- and second-semester German courses.  These are arranged by grammar topic according to the chapter in which they appear in Deutsch: Na Klar!  All of the activities are self correcting, so the pages are intended for extra practice or reviewing for tests.

Student Evaluations

The following graph represents a summary of the numeric scores from my course evaluations from Indiana University.  I will soon replace this with evaluations from my courses at the University of Mississippi.
Graph of evaluation averages, 1999-2004:     

The following comments from student individual evaluations (plus one unsolicited email) reflect how I have put my teaching philosophy into practice: a relaxed atmosphere that encourages students to speak, short but clear grammar explanations, and the use of authentic cultural materials.  One comment, regarding feedback on speaking, illustrates why I developed part of my teaching philosophy.

  • “Chris - Many thanks.  As I have said before, I think you’re an excellent
    A[ssociate] I[nstructor] - one of the most professional I’ve ever encountered, and I’ve been around I[ndiana] U[niversity] a long time now.  I have really enjoyed the class, and I certainly get the impression that the other students think well of you.  Most of all, I’ve been impressed with the difference what I have learned this semester makes in my ability to write and converse in German.  (My in-laws, who just arrived in the States for a visit a few days ago, are greatly impressed).”  [Email message, German 200, Spring 2000]

  • “Chris made our environment conducive to learning.  He was open minded and willing to answer any question fully.” [German 250, Fall 2001]

  • “It would also be helpful to get more corrections on oral when speaking in class...” [German 250, Spring 2002]

  • “Everything I learned in this course has greatly improved my comprehension skills.  Mr. Sapp was a very good teacher.  He has always been willing to help every student and I always understood what he said.” [German 250, Spring 2002]

  • “The instructor has a very upbeat, positive attitude that creates a good atmosphere essential in learning a difficult foreign language.  [...]  Since he clearly has a good knowledge of the grammar, his explanations are clear and concise.”  [German for Reading Knowledge, Summer 2002]

  • “The course was incredibly effective, and pushed us to begin significant translation work even after the first class.  The instructor did an excellent job, was very approachable and helpful, and was good at reviewing the material - definitely one of the best language instructors that I’ve had.” [German for Reading Knowledge, Summer 2002]

  • “Chris has done an excellent job preparing for this course.  He has made learning interesting and enjoyable by bringing in material beyond the text to supplement the learning process.”  [Norwegian 100, Fall 2003]

  • “The course was an excellent combination of all aspects of Norwegian language & culture.  We really learned how to speak - in two semesters - which is quick.”  [Norwegian 150, Spring 2004]
      

Created by Christopher D. Sapp
Last updated August 29, 2007