Beliefs & Practices

How do I promote proficiency? I believe that promoting proficiency starts with the teacher. If students hear and can understand a teacher that speaks Spanish fluently, it will help to give them the motivation and encouragement to try it themselves.

How do I engage and motivate learners? I believe that motivating learners starts with building a relationship and showing them that you care and will be there for them. I have learned that students may not care about what you teach them but if they know that you want them to be successful and you want them to learn they will try a little bit harder and they will be more willing to do well.

How do I teach grammar and vocabulary? In many language classes grammar and vocabulary lessons can be separate entities that seem boring or redundant for students. Placing grammar and vocabulary within contextualized stories, videos, and concepts, helps students to understand how it's applicable to the real world around them.

How do I raise intercultural awareness? In the past, I taught culture as knowledge about different countries. Now I understand that teaching culture isn't stagnant with specific facts or details. The idea of intercultural awareness starts with understanding yourself and the cultural around you. From there, we can push students to understand the cultures in our community, state, country and continent. Just because I teach Spanish, doesn't mean I can only teach Spanish culture. I want to open students eyes to the culture around them, and allow them to take a look at the cultures around the world, to understand how our culture affects our way of life.