Un Profesor

8-A-1 BOE

Big Shift #4 Teaching is Conversation, Not Lecture

It has not affected my teaching yet, but it has affected the way I envision it and expanded the parameters of what I consider when I am thinking about potential lessons and the additional possibilities that are now apparent. As a Spanish teacher I am way down on the pecking order for reserving time in the Computer Lab. I managed to get two periods for myself, back to back periods when I have the 8^th grade. This presents some possibilities for designing some projects.

I have, for awhile now, wanted to establish a connection to a school in a Spanish-speaking country. This would not only provide some incentive for my students (and theirs) to learn the target language from native speakers, but it would also present a real opportunity for these students to get to know each other and help shrink their personally established ‘globes’. Americans in general know much less about the world beyond our shores than other countries know about us. This leads to mistrust through misunderstanding. Conversing with students from another country, from another culture, would directly impact my students’ concept of the world and of their place in it; directly impacting-I believe-‘their lives and future careers’.

My views about what and how I would like to be teaching haven’t really changed since I started this course, but the knowledge about how to initiate those changes has certainly presented itself. Also the knowledge about how to improve communication within the Spanish Language department is compelling. It is not right to not take these steps having that knowledge.

The variety of Web tools-audio, video, photography, etc. – provides the opportunity to develop the kind of program I have been envisioning. Getting clearances, permission forms signed and connecting with the right partner overseas are some of the next steps to bringing this to fruition.