On Friday I had my first "intercambio" with the husband of one of my business students. She had mentioned to me that has was looking for some English lessons, and since I was also in search of some language improvement myself, in the end we decided the best way to approach the situation would be with a language exchange. He completed his masters degree in the US several years ago and was looking to brush up, and I was looking for someone to help me in a more academic capacity, and who better to do that than a college professor himself.
I'm looking at several job opportunities in the US that would require me to have a formal language evaluation, and where I need to improve my skills is discussing more academic topics at length. I haven't had formal practice with this for years, and although you can often practice this naturally in social situations, I tend to be more of a listener in large groups of Spanish speakers and haven't yet reached the comfort zone where I jump in to give extended length opinions on social or political topics.
What's also important is that my partner knows "correct" Spanish, so he has already helped me a lot with little suggestions to tune a few things up, knowing that my ultimate goal isn't to learn Chilean Spanish, but to use "proper" Spanish in a more academic context.
He also gave me a lot of homework, I have to give a presentation the next time I see him, something about how we attribute archeological studies to the value of a culture. He doesn't mess around, and while I speak he writes things down in his little notebook to give me feedback.
So much for meeting at a cafe to drink coffee and chat, my teacher is strict!
Showing posts with label teaching Spanish. Show all posts
Showing posts with label teaching Spanish. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Language Practice Ideas
Today I thought I'd share some general language learning tips. Yes, I speak Spanish, but I'm always working on improving my level of fluency. It's easy to hide out as an English teacher and miss out on the many opportunities that surround me to practice, and I realize that some days can pass and the only Spanish I spoke was to order food or have a brief conversation with one of the secretaries at the institute. I see some of my friends here really putting in such an effort to learn Spanish and it makes me realize how fortunate I am to have come here with such a strong base and it's up to me to really make an effort to further my own learning.
1. Listen
Turn on the TV or radio whenever possible. Become an eavesdropper. I don't have a lot of Spanish speaking friends here in Chile, but I spend a lot of time out in public and on the Metro without headphones on, just tuning in to other people's conversations. I also listen to the news in the morning while I get ready and watch Spanish programming whenever possible. Many of my current students have learned a ton of vocabulary just from watching the English programming that is available to them. Who doesn't enjoy some re-runs of Friends, Two and Half Men, or the New Adventures of Old Christine? To any of my students back home who might be reading this, practice your listening! Even just a few minutes each day really does help.
2. Read
Pick up any free reading material that is offered anywhere and give it a look. I read whatever free newspaper is handed to me on my longer Metro trips, and pick up random free magazines around town when I'm out and about. I also occasionally visit the "magazine man" who sells some of the magazine inserts from older newspapers for 100 or 200 pesos.
3. Find a conversation partner at your level
Here in Santiago there are expat groups and a Spanish/English Meet up group that meet on a weekly basis. Check out this website to find a group in your area. There are also individuals who are always looking for one on one practice. It's helpful to split the time and spend 20-30 minutes speaking one language and then switching to the other. It also helps if your second language abilities are similar so it's more of a conversation rather than a translation fest.
4. Use new vocabulary
I've learned a lot of random Spanish vocabulary from my current students and I've been recording it in my little notebook so I can refer back to it. In addition, I've shared some chilenismos with my colleagues back home. I really make an effort to repeat and reuse these words whenever possible to make them my own.
5. Get out of your comfort zone
Don't be too shy to ask a question or attempt to put a sentence together in your second language. If you're out in a situation where someone needs to approach someone and ask a question, be the one who makes the effort. If someone uses a word that you don't recognize, ask them to explain to you what it means. People are usually happy to meet you halfway if you make the effort.
6. Imitate pronunciation
Pronunciation is very important. I misunderstand my English students a lot since so many English words sound similar. (sheet, sheep, cheap, cheat...) My ears got really tuned into "gringo" Spanish pronunciation from years of working as a Spanish teacher, but now that I'm teaching my first language I realize how easy it is to misunderstand certain sounds.
7. Use the Internet
There are so many resources available online that offer anything from grammar practice activities to pod casts to online pen pals. Take advantage of whatever free resources you can find.
8. Keep a positive attitude
We are always our own worst critic when it comes to judging our language abilities! Keep practicing and soon you WILL notice an improvement!
1. Listen
Turn on the TV or radio whenever possible. Become an eavesdropper. I don't have a lot of Spanish speaking friends here in Chile, but I spend a lot of time out in public and on the Metro without headphones on, just tuning in to other people's conversations. I also listen to the news in the morning while I get ready and watch Spanish programming whenever possible. Many of my current students have learned a ton of vocabulary just from watching the English programming that is available to them. Who doesn't enjoy some re-runs of Friends, Two and Half Men, or the New Adventures of Old Christine? To any of my students back home who might be reading this, practice your listening! Even just a few minutes each day really does help.
2. Read
Pick up any free reading material that is offered anywhere and give it a look. I read whatever free newspaper is handed to me on my longer Metro trips, and pick up random free magazines around town when I'm out and about. I also occasionally visit the "magazine man" who sells some of the magazine inserts from older newspapers for 100 or 200 pesos.
3. Find a conversation partner at your level
Here in Santiago there are expat groups and a Spanish/English Meet up group that meet on a weekly basis. Check out this website to find a group in your area. There are also individuals who are always looking for one on one practice. It's helpful to split the time and spend 20-30 minutes speaking one language and then switching to the other. It also helps if your second language abilities are similar so it's more of a conversation rather than a translation fest.
4. Use new vocabulary
I've learned a lot of random Spanish vocabulary from my current students and I've been recording it in my little notebook so I can refer back to it. In addition, I've shared some chilenismos with my colleagues back home. I really make an effort to repeat and reuse these words whenever possible to make them my own.
5. Get out of your comfort zone
Don't be too shy to ask a question or attempt to put a sentence together in your second language. If you're out in a situation where someone needs to approach someone and ask a question, be the one who makes the effort. If someone uses a word that you don't recognize, ask them to explain to you what it means. People are usually happy to meet you halfway if you make the effort.
6. Imitate pronunciation
Pronunciation is very important. I misunderstand my English students a lot since so many English words sound similar. (sheet, sheep, cheap, cheat...) My ears got really tuned into "gringo" Spanish pronunciation from years of working as a Spanish teacher, but now that I'm teaching my first language I realize how easy it is to misunderstand certain sounds.
7. Use the Internet
There are so many resources available online that offer anything from grammar practice activities to pod casts to online pen pals. Take advantage of whatever free resources you can find.
8. Keep a positive attitude
We are always our own worst critic when it comes to judging our language abilities! Keep practicing and soon you WILL notice an improvement!
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Teaching Here 'n There
I will try to take a break from the "look at all of the day-trips I am taking" picture portion of the blog that seems to have taken over and focus on the reason why I actually came to Chile, to teach English. I haven't said a lot about this yet and I can't give any specifics about my institute on my blog, but let me take this opportunity to report my experience teaching English here thus far.
As a teacher by trade, my observations could be vastly different from those who have never taught in a classroom in the U.S., but maybe not? I think with teaching your first language comes a certain level confidence that one doesn't ever have with their second language. Of course, there are exceptions for people who grow up other countries, live there for many years, have bilingual parents, etc. My experience in learning Spanish was in school so I became a lot more adept at learning grammatical rules of Spanish and how to use it "correctly" and completed ignored all of the English grammar rules in English class and continued to speak as I always had. This combined with several years of teaching Spanish translates to me being able to explain those rules of the Spanish language pretty well. Sure, my students here might laugh because I can't say my "r's" exactly the way that a native can, but I do have the benefit of understanding the grammatical structures of Spanish and how my students think. I know why they want to say "Have your parents any car?" and that learning "do" is difficult concept because it's so opposite the Spanish structure.
What I don't know all that well quite yet is how to explain English rules for things that I can repeat to myself 2-3 times and still not know which is the correct one since they both sound "right" to me! These are the moments that frustrate me since students seem to get caught up on some of those rules that I'm not accustomed to teaching. Meanwhile I'm waving my arms and saying "look over here at this awesome thematic lesson that I've planned" and never mind the picky grammar rule, let's just continue the conversation we were having about gossip and its negative effects. Over the course of the last few years I had stopped teaching grammar as a separate lesson and begun incorporating it a lot more holistically, hence the difficulty I'm having of doing things the "old way". I'm also working on an online TEFL course that wasn't required of me since I have teaching experience, but I want to complete one just to have the extra practice as well as the certification.
Two months into my experience I'd have to say that for me the positives outweigh the negatives. I love the change of teaching adults as well as teenagers. I love not having to spend hours and hours grading papers and being able to put that time into planning lessons for 8 students instead of 27. I'm also fortunate to be able to dip into my previous lessons that I used back home and try to use them here as an English lesson. I love being able to explain vocabulary as it comes up in class and tell an accompanying story in my first language. (last week it was "leftovers")
The schedule isn't always optimal, but I do often have time during the day to catch up on email, Skype with my family and friends at school, and possibly take a quick nap if I'm exhausted from teaching til 9 and then running home and having to be somewhere else at 8 the next morning. When you look at the breakdown of the hours, it doesn't look like much compared to what I was doing at home, but it does begin to wear you down. It's impossible to get home at 9:40 and get anything done and also be in bed at a decent time to feel rested enough for the next day's early class. That combined with also working early on Saturday mornings makes the week feel a lot longer.
Overall, I've found that it's just like anything else in life, create a balance for yourself and learn what works for you!
As a teacher by trade, my observations could be vastly different from those who have never taught in a classroom in the U.S., but maybe not? I think with teaching your first language comes a certain level confidence that one doesn't ever have with their second language. Of course, there are exceptions for people who grow up other countries, live there for many years, have bilingual parents, etc. My experience in learning Spanish was in school so I became a lot more adept at learning grammatical rules of Spanish and how to use it "correctly" and completed ignored all of the English grammar rules in English class and continued to speak as I always had. This combined with several years of teaching Spanish translates to me being able to explain those rules of the Spanish language pretty well. Sure, my students here might laugh because I can't say my "r's" exactly the way that a native can, but I do have the benefit of understanding the grammatical structures of Spanish and how my students think. I know why they want to say "Have your parents any car?" and that learning "do" is difficult concept because it's so opposite the Spanish structure.
What I don't know all that well quite yet is how to explain English rules for things that I can repeat to myself 2-3 times and still not know which is the correct one since they both sound "right" to me! These are the moments that frustrate me since students seem to get caught up on some of those rules that I'm not accustomed to teaching. Meanwhile I'm waving my arms and saying "look over here at this awesome thematic lesson that I've planned" and never mind the picky grammar rule, let's just continue the conversation we were having about gossip and its negative effects. Over the course of the last few years I had stopped teaching grammar as a separate lesson and begun incorporating it a lot more holistically, hence the difficulty I'm having of doing things the "old way". I'm also working on an online TEFL course that wasn't required of me since I have teaching experience, but I want to complete one just to have the extra practice as well as the certification.
Two months into my experience I'd have to say that for me the positives outweigh the negatives. I love the change of teaching adults as well as teenagers. I love not having to spend hours and hours grading papers and being able to put that time into planning lessons for 8 students instead of 27. I'm also fortunate to be able to dip into my previous lessons that I used back home and try to use them here as an English lesson. I love being able to explain vocabulary as it comes up in class and tell an accompanying story in my first language. (last week it was "leftovers")
The schedule isn't always optimal, but I do often have time during the day to catch up on email, Skype with my family and friends at school, and possibly take a quick nap if I'm exhausted from teaching til 9 and then running home and having to be somewhere else at 8 the next morning. When you look at the breakdown of the hours, it doesn't look like much compared to what I was doing at home, but it does begin to wear you down. It's impossible to get home at 9:40 and get anything done and also be in bed at a decent time to feel rested enough for the next day's early class. That combined with also working early on Saturday mornings makes the week feel a lot longer.
Overall, I've found that it's just like anything else in life, create a balance for yourself and learn what works for you!
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