Continuously Learning
Teaching is learning. In the past couple of weeks I have learned enough to write my own textbook. In the nursery school we have been working on making a days of the week calendar and painted t-shirts. We have also been learning lots of songs and playing lots of different games. We went to the pool on Monday and the students seem to be absorbing a lot of information.
Here are a few things I've learned in the classroom:
-Students learn through play.
-Differentiation is incredibly important for keeping students engaged in the learning process, and for making the information accessible for all students.
-It's important to keep the learning setting in mind. Teaching in a school during the school year is a bit different than teaching in a summer camp.
-3-6 year olds have short attention spans, especially when they are learning in a new language. It is important to keep lessons short, sweet, and constantly moving.
-As a native speaker, I often assume that students understand what I am talking about, but this may not be necessarily true. Checking for understanding is crucial.
I've also learned a great deal from my own experience as a foreigner and Spanish language learner. I've had to learn to navigate a foreign country on my own and have noticed a lot about how the native population thinks about nonnative speakers.
Here are a few things I've learned outside the classroom:
- It can very exciting to find someone who speaks English, or when I find a friend who is patient enough to help me speak Spanish.
- I have my own linguistic quirks and isms that I need to be particularly aware of when I am speaking to non-native English speakers.
- When I ask speakers to repeat a sentence slowly they often just switch over into English. This can be incredibly frustrating when I am trying to learn.
-My responses can often lead people to believe that I understand more than I actually have understood. I often find myself laughing and saying yes to things even though I am not sure that I have understood them correctly. I am mostly reading their gestures and facial expressions and responding based on that.
This weekend I went to Madrid and was able to experience some of the culture of the large city. I stayed in a hostels and got to meet and chat with many people from different nations. So far, it has been a very fun, yet challenging experience. I can't wait to see what this upcoming weeks holds!
-Lindsey
Here are a few things I've learned in the classroom:
-Students learn through play.
-Differentiation is incredibly important for keeping students engaged in the learning process, and for making the information accessible for all students.
-It's important to keep the learning setting in mind. Teaching in a school during the school year is a bit different than teaching in a summer camp.
-3-6 year olds have short attention spans, especially when they are learning in a new language. It is important to keep lessons short, sweet, and constantly moving.
-As a native speaker, I often assume that students understand what I am talking about, but this may not be necessarily true. Checking for understanding is crucial.
I've also learned a great deal from my own experience as a foreigner and Spanish language learner. I've had to learn to navigate a foreign country on my own and have noticed a lot about how the native population thinks about nonnative speakers.
Here are a few things I've learned outside the classroom:
- It can very exciting to find someone who speaks English, or when I find a friend who is patient enough to help me speak Spanish.
- I have my own linguistic quirks and isms that I need to be particularly aware of when I am speaking to non-native English speakers.
- When I ask speakers to repeat a sentence slowly they often just switch over into English. This can be incredibly frustrating when I am trying to learn.
-My responses can often lead people to believe that I understand more than I actually have understood. I often find myself laughing and saying yes to things even though I am not sure that I have understood them correctly. I am mostly reading their gestures and facial expressions and responding based on that.
This weekend I went to Madrid and was able to experience some of the culture of the large city. I stayed in a hostels and got to meet and chat with many people from different nations. So far, it has been a very fun, yet challenging experience. I can't wait to see what this upcoming weeks holds!
-Lindsey
Pictures from Madrid:
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