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Philosophy of teaching

Since there are many different subjects and many kinds of knowledge, there are many ways to learn. Second language acquisition depends on individual differences and learning styles. Think, for example, that when we were at school, we had to comprehend an abstract subject such as mathematics, or that we had to memorize information in history classes. Nevertheless, it is possible to learn both subjects through empirical research, through documentary videos, through deductive processes, just through reading or via other media; because, these days, we have many available resources. Furthermore, we learn to play tennis by playing tennis, by practicing it. And we learn social behaviors by being immersed in social life. Is there another way? Is this not the same way we learn to speak? So why is it important to learn a second, a third or a fourth language by immersion in a real context? And how can we do it in our classrooms? Before giving answers, we should think about how our contemporary world shapes our learning behaviors. It may seem to be a naïve question, but it is important, because as teachers we interact in the environment of a new millenium and we help others to do as well.

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Brief Course description

Spanish 1, 2 and 3 are courses for students who are native speakers of a language other than Spanish. Two hours of these 4-credit one semester courses are completed in class and the rest (instruction + homework) is fulfilled on-line. The purpose of this course is to develop and improve communication skills when listening, reading, speaking, and writing in Spanish. The course follows a communicative information-based task approach, which springs from the idea that languages are best learned when real world information becomes the focus of students’ activities. Therefore, during the semester, you will exchange real-life information about yourself and your classmates.

Reflection on lessons learned using technology

As we can imagine, technology has varied and has been incredibly improved since the last century. In every field, we can find amazing improvements and innovations in its use. Particularly, educational use of technology refers to creative use of information and to a fast and easier preparation and acquisition of any subject.
The last years have taught us that we have to consider the variety of uses for computing and related forms of electronic technology in teaching. They tend to proceed from rather theoretical or general information to some empirical and instructive resources. At Penn State, we could find specific applications of technology to teaching and learning, because it allows the graduation of work on diverse level tasks for any particular subject. Furthermore, as an instructor and as a graduate student, I find that technological tools ultimately offer me the opportunity for more profound studies since I can access a great wealth of information in a very small amount of time. I am grateful to those who could give me suggestions, corrections, and introduced me to additional resources.