If you were to work across the hall from me you would hear laughter, you would see students leaning forward at their desks or towards one another, hands fly up in the air to contribute, you would hear enthusiastic chatter in Spanish like ¡Qué interesante! (how interesting), an occasional shout of glee, or an ¡olé! (bravo). This is the overall authentic engagement I experience in my classroom. My students are invested in their learning and obviously having fun while doing so. My philosophy of teaching has evolved over the years of my teaching experience, especially since my first year as a California credentialed teacher. As I reflect on my beliefs regarding teaching and learning, it has become clear to me that as a (Spanish) teacher my mission is to promote and cultivate teamwork, spark an enthusiasm for learning and an appreciation for other cultures.
Students make meaning together - Since Spanish was not my mother tongue, I am empathetic towards my learners. I understand the feeling of not understanding and the stress and anxiety it can provoke. I can recall sitting in Spanish 2 as a high schooler and after given a set of oral directions watching my peers go into their binders to do something and I’d have no clue what was going on. For this reason, I strongly encourage my students to work with a partner and make meaning together. When students work together I witness the following: authentic engagement and collaboration, I witness the use of the target language in meaningful and practical situations, I see introverted students who typically keep to themselves have an opportunity to speak without feeling afraid or embarrassed, and I see outgoing students helping them or visa versa. It is essential that students have a chance to make meaning together because it fosters both interpersonal and intrapersonal skills, as well as independent learning, rather than dependence on the teacher. Furthermore, language learning is based on social interaction (Vygotsky).
Building relationships in a culturally diverse classroom - According to cognitive learning principles, in order to make meaning together in the classroom, it is crucial to create and establish an environment that is academically challenging yet safe emotionally and socially. Once the classroom norms and expectations are decided upon by both myself and students, the building of a community and relationships can take place and subsequently, learning. The learner needs to feel concern and care from their peers and the teacher, therefore it is my goal to ensure that all my students feel cared for and important in my classroom. As a culturally responsive teacher I reflect upon and recognize my beliefs, behaviors, and practices that may interfere with my ability to respond constructively and positively to my students. Therefore I continually consider the challenges that can impede acceptance of students who are different from me in background, race, class, gender or language. A few ways I strive to build trust and relationships is by by greeting students by name everyday, I ask them questions about their lives, I comment when I notice they’ve got a haircut or are wearing a new jacket, and pay attention to the times I see a student is down or acting differently. In class, I recognize and validate different cultural learning styles and behaviors, such as extensive oral communication or the need for individual recognition. We have meaningful conversations about current events or happenings on campus and share our feelings and opinions. My efforts to build relationships with my students and being the role model to encourage them to trust, support and help one another is directly related the their academic and socioemotional success in my classroom.
Low stress environment - Lastly, I strive to maintain and provide a low affective filter and assist my students in acquiring Spanish by way of using meaningful and understandable language. If my ultimate objective is for students to be able to converse in Spanish, then it is crucial I speak Spanish as much as possible, while giving them authentic, candid, and real opportunities to practice. Before this happens however, students mustn’t feel the stress and anxiety of having to speak another language or embarrassed by making a mistake. By establishing a safe learning atmosphere, building relationships, and fostering collaboration, there is a low affective filter in place, which promotes student participation. I routinely design and implement multifaceted, fun, relatable and practical activities where there is high interest from diverse learners and a clearly identifiable lesson objective. For example, students research tourist attractions in Chile and then “shop” on an authentic Chilean website called Paris.cl and buy clothing and equipment to prepare for the trip, and explain what they buy and why. Students also compare their own culture to that of Chile. Another activity students love is researching recipes and preparing cooking videos from Spanish speaking cultures to present to the class, along with a sample. Students draw upon their own cultural backgrounds and make connections to the culture and content of the lesson.
I can confidently say that my teaching practices of encouraging my students to work together and make meaning, building relationships and a safe learning environment, has helped me grow in my love for teaching and learning. More importantly, I have discovered that, by sharing my passion for teaching and learning and using these practices with enthusiasm and empathy, my students successfully learn to speak and understand Spanish. As a result of teaching meaningful and relatable lessons, teaching with passion, sincere empathy and zeal, my students leave the classroom with a “cariño” (fondness) for the language and the learning experience. They are excited about the many Spanish-speaking cultures, the travel possibilities that lay ahead of them, and the realistic opportunities to use the language in the world. My students become ambassadors for teamwork, they learn how to be leaders, all the while becoming culturally informed and speakers of Spanish.
Students make meaning together - Since Spanish was not my mother tongue, I am empathetic towards my learners. I understand the feeling of not understanding and the stress and anxiety it can provoke. I can recall sitting in Spanish 2 as a high schooler and after given a set of oral directions watching my peers go into their binders to do something and I’d have no clue what was going on. For this reason, I strongly encourage my students to work with a partner and make meaning together. When students work together I witness the following: authentic engagement and collaboration, I witness the use of the target language in meaningful and practical situations, I see introverted students who typically keep to themselves have an opportunity to speak without feeling afraid or embarrassed, and I see outgoing students helping them or visa versa. It is essential that students have a chance to make meaning together because it fosters both interpersonal and intrapersonal skills, as well as independent learning, rather than dependence on the teacher. Furthermore, language learning is based on social interaction (Vygotsky).
Building relationships in a culturally diverse classroom - According to cognitive learning principles, in order to make meaning together in the classroom, it is crucial to create and establish an environment that is academically challenging yet safe emotionally and socially. Once the classroom norms and expectations are decided upon by both myself and students, the building of a community and relationships can take place and subsequently, learning. The learner needs to feel concern and care from their peers and the teacher, therefore it is my goal to ensure that all my students feel cared for and important in my classroom. As a culturally responsive teacher I reflect upon and recognize my beliefs, behaviors, and practices that may interfere with my ability to respond constructively and positively to my students. Therefore I continually consider the challenges that can impede acceptance of students who are different from me in background, race, class, gender or language. A few ways I strive to build trust and relationships is by by greeting students by name everyday, I ask them questions about their lives, I comment when I notice they’ve got a haircut or are wearing a new jacket, and pay attention to the times I see a student is down or acting differently. In class, I recognize and validate different cultural learning styles and behaviors, such as extensive oral communication or the need for individual recognition. We have meaningful conversations about current events or happenings on campus and share our feelings and opinions. My efforts to build relationships with my students and being the role model to encourage them to trust, support and help one another is directly related the their academic and socioemotional success in my classroom.
Low stress environment - Lastly, I strive to maintain and provide a low affective filter and assist my students in acquiring Spanish by way of using meaningful and understandable language. If my ultimate objective is for students to be able to converse in Spanish, then it is crucial I speak Spanish as much as possible, while giving them authentic, candid, and real opportunities to practice. Before this happens however, students mustn’t feel the stress and anxiety of having to speak another language or embarrassed by making a mistake. By establishing a safe learning atmosphere, building relationships, and fostering collaboration, there is a low affective filter in place, which promotes student participation. I routinely design and implement multifaceted, fun, relatable and practical activities where there is high interest from diverse learners and a clearly identifiable lesson objective. For example, students research tourist attractions in Chile and then “shop” on an authentic Chilean website called Paris.cl and buy clothing and equipment to prepare for the trip, and explain what they buy and why. Students also compare their own culture to that of Chile. Another activity students love is researching recipes and preparing cooking videos from Spanish speaking cultures to present to the class, along with a sample. Students draw upon their own cultural backgrounds and make connections to the culture and content of the lesson.
I can confidently say that my teaching practices of encouraging my students to work together and make meaning, building relationships and a safe learning environment, has helped me grow in my love for teaching and learning. More importantly, I have discovered that, by sharing my passion for teaching and learning and using these practices with enthusiasm and empathy, my students successfully learn to speak and understand Spanish. As a result of teaching meaningful and relatable lessons, teaching with passion, sincere empathy and zeal, my students leave the classroom with a “cariño” (fondness) for the language and the learning experience. They are excited about the many Spanish-speaking cultures, the travel possibilities that lay ahead of them, and the realistic opportunities to use the language in the world. My students become ambassadors for teamwork, they learn how to be leaders, all the while becoming culturally informed and speakers of Spanish.