My Classroom

I think one of the best ways to get students to communicate in Spanish is to constantly engage them in conversation. At first, they are somewhat uncomfortable speaking, but gradually they become comfortable and are less afraid of making mistakes. This is achieved not only through my own interaction with them personally in and out of class, but also through group work, interviews, and cultural discussions with their peers.

cultural and literary readings

Readings are important because they give students a context in which to work with the Spanish language. I try to use a variety of readings, from online news articles (from Mexico's La Jornada , Spain's El País, or CNN en español) to pop culture readings in magazines to excerpts from literary texts. I tailor the difficulty of the text to the class level and frequently check for understanding to be sure my students are on track. Click here to view an article I used in teaching a segment on technology and globalization for Intermediate Spanish II at the University of Kentucky.

bringing my research into my teaching

I conduct research on the Latin American jungle novels: research that is informed by the fields of ecocriticism and geography. I bring my interests into the classroom by helping my students not only relate ecology to their own lives on a local level, but also to Latin America and Spain. I find that environmental themes are useful in language and cultural learning because they can be found in every Spanish-speaking country and they are issues students can relate to. To see an example of what I do to combine Spanish grammar with an environmental segment using the EPA's web page, click here.

using games makes it fun

Games are an important way to check knowledge that is a form of "quizzing" that is fun and non-intimidating. I use games at the end of a chapter or when I see my students feeling overly stressed from a grammar segment. The games are either team or individual, and always include some kind of reward whether it be candy, points on a participation grade, or dropping their lowest assignment grade. Games like Bingo are particularly useful for learning vocabulary, and Jeopardy is perfect for testing culture or grammar knowledge. Click here to see a Bingo game which quizzes vocabulary on sports, outdoor activities, and other pasttimes.

sample lesson plan and syllabus

Each day in the classroom, I try to include activities that focus on the four skills of communicative learning: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. I also try intersperse lecture with conversation, reading with games, and writing with group work in order to keep my students interested. I think that a syllabus should also focus on the skills of communicative learning, as well as include lessons that are at the same time dedicated to grammar, culture, and literature. (more)

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