This blog is a practice exercise for EDM 510 Microcomputing Systems in Education.The topic is how to engage students in class into learning a foreign language—in this case, Spanish for students from P-12 grades.
How to:
Some students are eager to learn a foreign language while others dread it, particularly for older students. So, I would like your genuine input on this topic as to how you can help students to want to learn Spanish—in a meaningful way—while having fun at the same time.
How to:
Some students are eager to learn a foreign language while others dread it, particularly for older students. So, I would like your genuine input on this topic as to how you can help students to want to learn Spanish—in a meaningful way—while having fun at the same time.
I think teaching students that Spanish is becoming a very world wide language and is looked at in the future as a resume asset, I think they would appreciate that. I also think telling them about being an Exchange Student and how they can learn abroad and then can use their Spanish they learned in school, and also get a once in a lifetime experience for travel they would be more encouraged to learn it. Some students will never get that opportunity to travel like that, but I think more people would want to learn Spanish if they can travel and use it and actually live in a Spanish setting and that it possibly will help with a future job.
ReplyDeleteI think the key word is "fun." I think it is important to make learning fun so students will want to participate. One way to make students want to learn Spanish in a meaningful way would be to show them how to make some classic Spanish foods. The foods could be prepared in the classroom and the students could learn all the Spanish words related to what is being made. This would be fun even to have a Spanish chef or cook be a guest for the day.
ReplyDeleteI do like the idea of incorporating things in the classroom that resonate with people, and food seems to be a the top of the list to many people. It would be fun to learn the name of a variety of foods while allowing students to sample them. And there’s nothing more fun than sampling foods from different countries. Thanks for your input.
DeleteOne thing that the foreign language teachers do at my school is they play games and sing songs. The French teacher has a scavenger hunt where the entire school gets involved. The classrooms are stores and the students have correctly ask for your merchandise. Thankfully, the French teacher gives us cheat cards to know what they are supposed to be asking for. She also plays a version of Fear Factor with food. The Spanish teachers go to each classroom and sing Christmas carols and other songs. The students love it all.
ReplyDeleteExactly. Students tend to learn best when they become engaged no matter the subject. Playing games is fun, and everyone wants to be part of it. Sometimes it does take a little bit of creativity, as well as energy, on the part of the teacher. But if at the end, the students learn, it is definitely time well spent. Thanks.
DeleteI think having a guest from a Spanish speaking country could spark interest in learning a foreign language. The guest coould speak on his or her necessity of speaking two languages and situations where being biligual would ne beneficial. Plus, hearing someone speak fluently in the language of their upbringing is just unique. Students could experience what a true conversation in Spanish is like. Since most are still learning, the conversations they have had with their teacher are probably very broken due to their lack of fluency. Seeing a fluent conversation in Spanish between two people might allow them to see that it is possible.
ReplyDeleteLearning vocabulary from a textbook was not easy for me. Practice listening to and speaking the language was better. Having a language coach around while you try to communicate with native speakers who don't know English is better still (especially if your next meal depends on it). That probably is not possible in a school setting. Working from a textbook is still important for learning things like proper verb tenses and sentence structure.
ReplyDeleteI think that learning a language is just like any other subject. It has to be fun and different for kids to want to learn about it. I think incorporating things kids like (food, songs, movies, pictures, etc) would make the subject more interesting. My favorite part of my foreign language classes in middle and high school was the food! I also think having guest speakers who are fluent in the language would help too.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Allie, incorporating things like food and movies is a great way to get students interested in a concept. Learning a new language can be frustrating, but when students are able to see their progress, they are more likely to stick with it.
ReplyDeleteGetting students engaged on a subject--particularly learning a foreign language-- can definitely be a tricky thing to do. As you suggest, I do like the idea of exposing students to things they find fun, such as watching movies, trying different foods, playing games, etc. And I do hope that many of these approaches do become handy when the time comes. Thanks.
DeleteI teach Spanish too, and I try to relate it to the kids. The first day, I go over popular actors and singers/rappers who are Hispanic. Also, I sometimes show (appropriate) music videos from Hispanic countries. My kids seemed to really like "Egoista" by Belinda. You have to make sure it doesn't have any objectionable lyrics or content though.
ReplyDeleteYes, definitely. Music is fun, is moving, is exciting, and I love the Latin rhythm. After finding the right music, like you said, it is important to make sure the lyrics, as well as video, are appropriate for everyone. I for one do try to stay away from offensive language at any point. Thanks much.
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DeleteI took two semesters of Spanish in college and I really liked the teacher. She made it fun and interactive. When she would walk around the room she would have us all walk and say the word or then she would have us touch objects and say the word over and over again. The not so fun part was in the lab listening to tapes over and over again.
ReplyDeleteWe play a lot of games and use objects to learn. I get to know my students and make it all about them. We watch video clips to enhance the lessons and try to make it fun. Grammar is not easy to teach and can often by "dry" but I try to incorporate some games into it to make it more fun. We play verb battleship for example when we are learning to conjugate regular verbs. The level 1's are very eager to learn. The level 2's not so much!
ReplyDeleteOh, and they LOVE music...incorporate it into your lessons too!
ReplyDeleteI would say find out what motivates your students. Maybe allow them to chat with Spanish speakers in person or online; show them they can actually use what they are learning. Also, think of cool ways to get the students to remember grammar, word meanings, and conjugations, and always show enthusiasm for your subject.
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