RES 5040: Teacher as Researcher (spring 09)

Tina

Your main point seems to be that you want your students to use Spanish. How? What meaningful opportunities do they have to use Spanish in the context of their lives? Do they have pen pals from Spanish speaking countries? Does the school permit trips to Europe or Latin America? Are there materials in your community that need to be translated for immigrants that cannot speak English? Can you bring in guest speakers for whom knowledge of Spanish is an important part of their lives? Do they listen to Spanish music? How do the students want to involve Spanish in their lives?

An idea that I think would be really great (in the long run) is performing short scenes or Readers' Theater in class to give you the chance to evolve a procedure for effectively using drama in your class. Students would be challenged in reading and understanding the text, and they would also have to convey the social experience of the language to the audience. It can be a lot of fun and may feel more comfortable for some of the students. For example, a student from China who was in a class I student taught would not say very much, but he surprised everyone with a great performance of Tom Robinson in To Kill a Mockingbird. The rehearsal process gave him confidence he hadn't show before because he could practice the English until it was just right.

I can relate to what you say about the students' responses to bookwork and worksheets. That happens in literature classes as well. I never did very many grammar worksheets but occasionally would try them with the students and always found it disturbing. They behaved so well and acted like parts of a machine. There are so many better things we could have been doing in a language arts class. The better things are worth doing even though they can take so much effort. Your challenges definitely sound familiar, though I taught a different subject. I think the educational system is dominated by practices that might work well in math but tend to shortchange the humanities.

Good luck with your National Boards!

Thanks for your comments, Daniel. I appreciate all of the questions you posed. My students participate in ePals with a school in Valladolid, Spain. We also have scheduled to meet via Skype with those students so that the students have a better idea of with whom they are communicating. We also put on an annual performance for the entire community called Noche Latina. This huge event is a wonderful opportunity not only for the students to show off what skills they have learned, but also to teach others in the community more about the different Spanish speaking countries and their diverse cultures. We also use drama on a more regular basis in the classroom ( I am a theatre person from way back!) As a musician, I not only use music to teach, but I also give my students opportunities to showcase their own talents to sing, compose music-lyrics, and/or choreograph dances to accompany the music. We have a lot of variation of methods/activities on a regular basis in class. Maybe my idea for the project is just too broad an idea, with too many variables, on closer evaluation.

Tina,

Your idea is the flip side of something I've already commented on, the lack of services provided to Spanish speakers in the public libraries. It's interesting to me how your topic fits into that perfectly. You've hit on what I think is at the heart of the matter. Too often, people (even young ones) have developed the idea that Spanish is the language of "those people", the ones that they've been taught to believe are somehow below them and by virtue of this, that Spanish is somehow below them as a language. I grew up in South Texas, in a community that was deeply influenced by the large Spanish-speaking population. We began learning Spanish in the first grade as well as learning about Hispanic culture and how it influences what America is today. It's my belief that while the apathy you see in your students might have other motivators, that much of it comes from a lack of understanding and appreciation for another culture.

In the last few years, there's been a huge rise in the interest that young people show in learning about all that's Japanese, due in large part to the popularity of graphic novels, anime and manga. Because of this, there's been a growing interest in learning Japanese. They're voracious about it, wanting to be the first to be able to read/watch the Japanese versions of those modern-day comic books and cartoons. I know it would be difficult (if not impossible) to inspire that same level of interest in your students, but tapping into what interests them might be a good place to start.

Just a thought :) Good luck!

Hey Tina. As you can already see we are on the same track. I definitely think that action research will guide us to discover how we can better motivate our students and get them more involved in the Spanish language and culture. I will be interested to see how both of our research compares. I also wonder how the age groups will differ and if so, how much. Will the different things motivate both middle school and high school students or will the same topics and techniques work interchangeably for our students?

I look forward to comparing notes with you Tina. Oh yeah, let me know how National Boards goes. I am interested in pursuing that as well.

Tina,
I hear your struggles in your post, and I understand how this research problem has evolved out of your naturalistic setting. It seems you have tried multiple, creative methods to motivate/inspire students, but what appears to be missing is that personal connection to Spanish. As adults, of course we can see the relevance of language use in larger society, and you yourself have traveled and used the language in your daily life. It's just not that way for adolescents -- especially if they see "those people" as "others" rather than connected to their communities and daily lives -- so there's the real challenge!
I think you can still investigate this "problem" but take it on from a different angle. Rather than trying to come up with more methods and strategies, why not interview your students about this phenomenon? Ask them what their interests are -- perhaps pop culture might play a role, as Kate suggests -- and see how Spanish might intersect with their interests.
Or, you might think about a service-learning project that they could do that would have immediate impact on the community, and then research how that might shape students' views of Spanish in their daily lives?
These are just a couple of suggestions. Your topic is good; the problem of motivation is universal but the Spanish angle (esp. in our region) makes it unique.

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