Talking like a Textbook

Here is a glimpse to one of the points I will be addressing this Friday, May 13th at the 7th Symposium of the Center for Intercultural Language Studies (CILS). This is a comic I drew based on one my personal experiences. Here it is:

After having studied French for over four years and having considered myself somewhat proficient and fluent in it, I embarked myself onto an unforgettable trip to France in order to "perfect" my French. I arrived to the Chambéry train station in Haute-Savoie, semi-confident in my third language, looking for my host dad, Joël. He took me home, introduced me to my host mom, Martine, and host sister, Clémence, and immediately drove me to the language school, where a placement test was warm right out of the photocopier waiting for me to take it.

I did try my best to remember all the wise words given to me by Mme. Vale, Mme. Rivas, Mme. Weaver, Mr. Harshbarger and Mr. Dunaway, so I took the test and checked for any grammar mistakes, missing accents and any wrong agreements I could have done. In the afternoon, a teacher at the language school called me for the oral part of the exam and to give me the results of the written one I had taken earlier that day. She said I had been the student with the highest grade in the exam. In her own words, she told me my use of the subjunctive was impeccable, that my vocabulary was very good and the mistakes I had made were just really silly. So, I was placed in the "niveau supérieur" at the school, the envy of all the other students. Therefore, I was very proud of myself and I remember having called home to tell my parents all about it.

After three whole months at the highest level at the language school, I was even more confident of my French, so I chatted away every chance I got. One day, I arrived home and found Martine and a friend of hers having coffee in the dining room. So, my host mom introduced me to her friend and we started talking. As we are having a spontaneous, basic, introductory conversation, Martine interrupts me and says: "Mais, Alex, qu'est-ce que tu as appris dans cette école? Tu parles come un livre!" (But Alex, what have you learned at this school? You talk like a textbook!). There it was, my confidence shredded into pieces in less than two minutes.

So, my point here is that it does not matter how long or where a student has been exposed to a foreign language if the materials of instruction are not aligned to the reality of a specific language community. Hence, the importance of keeping the textbooks updated in regards to the way that language is used in a real life context.

Therefore, here is to Chambéry and my host family: Joël, Clémence and my wonderful (and correcting) host mom, Martine.

Cheers!

    "Talking like a Textbook"

    Alejandra Escudero© 2011

Useful electronic tool for Spanish learners

I recently came across a very comprehensive website that allows students of L2 Spanish to learn and practice the language, outside of a classroom setting. This site contains news, music and information on cultural events happening allover the Hispanic world. Additionally, it contains grammar explanations and additional exercises for those students who want a different perspective from that of the textbook they use in class.

All the articles, songs and videos have text, sound and images, which allow students to practice their Spanish by reading, listening and repeating the language.

The link to the website is Practica Español

A video explaining the features of the site can be found here:

¡Que lo disfruten!

Relative Clauses: Prescriptive or Descriptive Approach in Spanish Textbooks?

Next Friday, May 13th 2011, I will be presenting the first and second stages of my research project at the 7th Annual Symposium at the Centre for Intercultural Language Studies (CILS) at The University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver, Canada.

My research is a critical study of how Spanish language textbooks present relative clauses at the post-secondary level. Specifically, do textbooks inform about what Spanish speakers actually say or do they simply prescribe usage patterns? Subordination through relative constructs is one of the ways through which L2 Spanish learners begin to produce complex discourse (e.g., clarify, integrate, and avoid repetition).  Thus, they deserve special attention.

For this study, I reviewed the presentation of relative clauses in 30 textbooks at the three different levels of language proficiency (beginner, intermediate and advanced) and then I contrasted them with prescriptive and descriptive grammars (Gili y Gaya, 1961; Solé & Solé, 1977; RAE, 1999, King & Suñer, 2008). The analysis shows that textbooks make emphasis in the preference of specific relative constructs outside a natural conversational context. That is, relative particles are presented in decontextualized examples. For instance, students learn that el que [which, who] and el cual [which, who] are interchangeable. Yet, descriptive grammars state that the latter is used after certain prepositions, it can never start a sentence and it is most commonly used in written language. Results suggest that L2 Spanish students may be learning to speak in a pragmatically deviant style. That is, using an out-dated form of the language. Therefore, textbooks may be hindering full integration into a Hispanic community when a student is not completely accepted by native speakers because of the way he/she speaks. A contrast with a current use of the language (e.g. CREA e-corpus) is suggested in order to verify the validity of the prescribed constructs.

My Philosophy of Teaching

Everyone has a passion. Teaching Spanish is mine. I have wanted to teach ever since I can remember and that may be why I have been told that I am a “born teacher”. Those who have really shaped me into the teacher I have become are those who have learned from me along the different walks of my life, my students. Much of my approach to teaching has developed as a result of what I have admired in my favorite teachers, which, in turn, reflect my personal values and beliefs. I believe that when students are valued and respected, they will be motivated to learn and succeed.

            My goal in teaching is to pass on to my students the beauty and richness of the Spanish language. I also encourage them to take risks, aiming for excellence, and go the extra mile. I want to spark their curiosity into learning about Hispanic cultures. To reach this end, I use the great advantages that technology brings into a foreign language classroom, including videos and songs in order to make Hispanic culture more accessible. I like to use the online components of our textbooks, overheads and Power Point presentations to reinforce what I teach in class.

            My methodology involves challenging students while making sure that those who are struggling get the support and encouragement they need in order to succeed. I engage students in their own learning by promoting not only the individual, but also pair and group work. As an instructor, I am passionate about what I do and I am always informed, well organized and prepared, wearing a big smile and a cheerful attitude. I believe in being respectful, sensitive and fair at all times, giving the same opportunities to everyone alike. My interactive way of teaching has taught me how to tailor my classes according to each different group. Through professional development, such as the Instructional Skills Workshop (ISW) Training, the International Teaching Assistants (ITA) program and careful observation, I am able to teach in different ways so I can deliver the same type of information to a classroom of students with different learning styles.

            Spanish is not a subject that is learned passively. That is why I design lesson plans that are fun and interesting. In order to make the most out of class, I require that students spend a good amount of time on homework and other assignments. It is for this reason that I have high expectations for all my students. I expect them to try their personal best and to become active in their learning process. I believe that my enthusiastic and interactive approach to teaching Spanish allows students to learn the language while being interested and motivated in the subject. My students know how much I love teaching them, which triggers their interest and motivation to learn this wonderful language, and that is why teaching Spanish is my passion.