Mini Project #3
“The purpose of education is to bring out the best in you” – Gandhi

My life plans changed after a successful year-long exchange experience in Spain. I decided that I was going to major in Anthropology AND Spanish at University…I also decided that teaching was in my future. Interestingly enough, my teaching journey during the past two years of my M.A. degree has followed a similar path to my second language acquisition process. That is to say, I had almost no previous knowledge but armed with a positive attitude, the appropriate environment and a large period of time in which to learn and progress, voila, I have become a Spanish teacher.

During my M.A., I have been privileged to take courses on foreign language methodology and technology in the foreign language classroom while simultaneously teaching beginning level Spanish classes. This shock method for how to become a teacher has proved to be a valuable learning experience all on its own. Both the material from my foreign language teaching methodology class and the daily trial and error class time forced me to continuously evaluate and modify my teaching style and approach. When I became comfortable in the classroom with my greatest resource, myself, I began to integrate technological tools that suited my teaching style, my needs and served to enhance my lesson plans. Overall, I have benefited extremely from this learning/teaching process because it has helped me to become a dynamic teacher.

However, in order for this dynamicity to be effectual, I believe that every trained teacher who wishes to be a great teacher must also acquire and develop a personal approach to education. In forming this conceptual approach I recognize that students must be engaged and challenged academically in a positive environment created by the teacher who educates by engaging and challenging the students.

As an expressive and energetic person, my personal teaching style and work ethic is infused with my passion for the Spanish language. I strive to instruct in a highly communicative, interactive and contextual manner while incorporating cultural sensitivity and real-world relevance. In the classroom I exude a positive nature and encourage academic excellence while seeking to create an environment conducive to equitable education. I promote the learning of language and culture in a societal ‘real world’ context as it helps the students to foster a broader social concept of Spanish speaking countries and can increase the interest level in the target language. I also integrate my linguistic expertise with the lessons learned from my personal experiences to assist and motivate students in the often daunting process of second language acquisition. I believe that it is fundamental to share my enthusiasm for education while encouraging students to set personal goals for academic development.

In the classroom, I enjoy incorporating technology into my lesson plans and I welcome the integration when, and only when, it will assist and/or improve the objectives of the lesson. I think that technology can greatly assist teachers as a tool, but it is important for me that it remain a tool and that it does not become a classroom crutch. At the moment I most often use power point as a visual aid and to relay information quickly as it can greatly save time (i.e.: review sessions). I also use a blog occasionally to post audio files for my class.

In the future however, I want to incorporate the more innovative technology that I have spent the past semester learning about and fawning over into my classroom (i.e. the Cultura Project, specialized chat tools etc.). Computer mediated communication has a place in the foreign language classroom, justified through Social-Cultural theory, helping both the teacher and the students to achieve new possibilities and make new cultural connections that include guest speakers from half way around the world – projected on a screen, chats with ‘key-pals’ in other countries and question and answer periods with professionals in other states through discussion boards. Technology is a part of my educational and foreign language teaching journey and I plan to use it, maintain it and advance with it.

Ultimately, I have chosen the teaching profession because of my desire to contribute to the educational and personal development of students. As a teacher I want to encourage my students to enjoy the learning process (+ to love Spanish!) and I want to see them shine! Education should inspire just that, as Gandhi said, it should “bring out the best in you”.