Changing the way we teach a Second Language is not an option, is a must.

Do we need to change the way we teach a Second Language?

   I've been asking myself this question for quite sometime.   My curiosity began few years ago when my daughter got placed as a freshman in high school in an  honors Spanish class.   My kids grew-up in a bilingual household because my husband is American and I am Mexican.   I raised them bilingual and I knew my 13-year old would do just fine in an honors class.   After the first week of school I asked her who else was in her class.   I knew that most kids would be juniors or seniors, and I was surprised when Bella said that several of her freshman friends were with her, including her friend Lilly.  Lilly? I said, I didn't know Lilly spoke Spanish! Mom, she said, she doesn't!
   My daughter's answer forever changed the way I thought about Foreign Language learning and education.  Her answer made total sense after I realized, during my first year as a Spanish teacher in a very high-achieving school, that most of the kids never learn to actually speak the language.   They just get REALLY good a "filling-n the blanks" and memorize skits.
   How is it possible that, with all the incredible tools we have to make second language learning meaningful, practical and fun, we are still teaching our kids to memorize oral sentences or written paragraphs?   How can we measure their mastery of language by simply putting a check mark on all the vocabulary words and verb tenses that we have covered with them in class?
   Learning a language is MUCH MORE that that.   Lets not forget that to be able to say "I speak Spanish" (or any other language) we must be able to perform the four skills the language: Listening and Reading for Input and Speaking and Writing for Output.
   My journey since the day my daughter told me "she doesn't" has been looking for ways to improve my teaching and enhance my student's learning experience. Many things have changed the way I teach, but one of the most powerful ones
is Technology.  
   I have adopted a completely different approach to teaching and learning.  I'd like to believe that I've embraced an "innovator's mindset" that hopefully will allow my students to go beyond "filling-in the blanks" and into the fascinating world of real communication.   
This is my journey right now and I hope to share what I discover during this journey with the rest of you.

 

The heart of Innovative teaching

 
While going through my "Journey of Innovative Learning and Teaching" I keep asking myself if there is such a thing as a "Sweet Spot" that represents the Heart of Innovative Teaching and Learning. Is there?
What do YOU think?  If your answer is "yes", then what is for YOU the Heart of Innovative Teaching? What do you do in you classroom that makes you feel like a real innovator?
Is your teaching guided by the TPACK framework?, Do you try to follow the SAMR model?  Do you find yourself overwhelmed trying to keep-up with technology?
We cannot keep-up with the pace of technology.  We cannot get "attached" to a "cool" new app to be innovative in our teaching.   New tools appear every day, and the ones we love or currently use, might not be available tomorrow.
The challenge for educators is not to learn the new digital technologies and incorporate them in their teaching.   Our challenge is to "let go" of our need to keep-up with technology and focus our teaching on creating a solid foundation that could be innovative with or without specific digital tools.
Going back to the TPACK idea, I see the three areas always changing but no necessarily at the same rate.   I teach Spanish, and for me the CONTENT does not change much, my PEDAGOGY is always evolving to meet my student's needs and TECHNOLOGY is that "wild piece" changing at an exponential rate and keeping things exciting.   It is the piece that is keeping me honest and pushing me to keep re-inventing myself as a teacher.
I will not attempt to keep-up with technology, but I will try my best to search, adopt and embrace the technologies that will enhance my students' learning.

Why this blog?

Why not?
We've been trying to learn languages all our lives and we're still embarrassed to hear ourselves order a meal in Spanish at a Mexican restaurant.  So far our success in the foreign language classroom has been measured by how well we can "fill-in-the blanks".
In our 21st century, where our voices can be "heard" instantly across the globe, we cannot communicate by "filling-in-the blanks".   Our language students need to be prepared for a more demanding and changing world.  We cannot settle with the traditional language classroom.  
It's time for a change, and that's exactly what I want to explore and share in this blog!☺