The rich and varied cultures of the Hispanosphere provide ample resources to excite any group of students.
The modern language-learning classroom is one which focuses on communicative learning – that is, learning that emphasizes a student’s ability to use a language in real, life-like and contextualized situations. Rather than producing grammar, students now produce meaning; the structure of a language is taught naturally as students learn to express more and richer ideas. The role of a teacher in this classroom is to mediate the conversation that occurs between students, to provide structure that allows students to build confidence with new ideas before using them with their peers, and, ultimately, to serve as a resource for students by modeling target language use through constant interaction with students. This classroom is one where the target language is the primary means of communication, but without a dogmatic and prohibitive approach which would hamper learning when the native language may be a useful resource.
As an instructor, I believe the teacher’s desk often acts as a wall to helpful interactions with the student. I spent many years in my early Spanish education with teachers who taught grammar from behind an overhead projector, relying on fill-in-the-blank workbooks to teach both vocabulary and verb forms without context. While this “language-in-a-vacuum” style of education may suffice for the motivated student who possesses an interest in language and culture, all types of students will benefit from the Communicative Language Teaching approach I later learned with at North Carolina State University. These teachers sought to interact with students rather than to them, and to discuss topics that were of interest to the students instead of using lifeless sentences in a workbook. In this way, they could model real language use and employ a student’s passions to support their language learning. This is the approach of teaching I wish to emulate in my work with students. Further, I will use a flipped-classroom style, where students study the difficult points of grammar and vocabulary outside of class, as homework; this way, our classroom can be a place where the focus is developing fluent communication in speaking, listening, writing, and reading, all while developing cultural competency.
It is my opinion that a teacher should be present in the conversations of his or her students, supporting students when they find areas of difficulty and engaging them promote fluent language production. My lesson plans support these ideas by including games, debates and discussions, and pair or small group activities that promote casual conversation. All these plans rely on supporting the development on language skills by requiring that students share information and communicate effectively in the target language. Where students are expected to have difficulty expressing their ideas, my plans provide scaffolding that will aid struggling students (in addition to my own conversational support) and allow advanced students to be even more creative. In this way, our classroom becomes a community where students at different levels can work together and benefit from each other, leaving no one behind and no one bored.
Of key importance in our classroom will be the cultural resources that I provide for my students, and, indeed, that students provide for each other in culture-based presentations and student-led discussions. The cultures of the many Spanish-speaking regions and countries of the world is a wonderful source of inspiration for a language-learner. Imagine using whatever parts of Hispanic culture with which students are already aware as a starting point from which to extend students’ understanding of the regions’ food, music, and literature, as well as their roots in both Spain and the indigenous cultures. From the Venezuelan arepa and Salvadoran pupusa to the Spanish matador and Argentinian gaucho, the rich and varied cultures of the Hispanosphere provide ample resources to excite any group of students. The use of materials created by and for native speakers of Spanish will enable students to use and possibly extend their language abilities within a cultural context. What could prepare them better to engage with native speakers? I will use these real-world items as the base for many activities in my classroom, whether we are taking on restaurant roles with a menu from a Spanish café or talking about recent events published in news clips from Paraguay. When students use these items, they will engage with grammar, culture, and spontaneous language use holistically (by, for example, understanding and then speaking about a written document), as any native speaker does every day. In so doing, we can focus on fluent communication, either in writing or speaking, and allow the other pieces to fall into place with guidance by the instructor.
As an instructor, I hope, of course, to help my students grow in their language use and to promote their fluency in Spanish. However, I would also love to help them appreciate the diversity present in the Hispanic world and see it reflected in their own culture – whichever that may be. Our classroom will be a place where students develop the means to think critically about language, literature, and culture. Even if they decide to longer study Spanish after they leave our classroom, – though I hope to inspire them to continue – my students will be able to apply these skills to make themselves better writers, speakers and students in any field, so universal are the themes we study in a Spanish classroom. Ultimately, our classroom should also be a place where any student, regardless of background or previous experience, can feel welcome to grow, learn, and develop with his or her peers.