Learning networks

I’m relatively new to teaching. For me, it is a second career and one that I’m enjoying immensely. The ability to use all the different facets of my personality, creativity and intellectualism makes teaching an ideal career choice for me. Teaching Spanish was a natural choice for me because my previous careers depended on my language expertise. 

Actually, teaching a foreign language was not on my radar when I was making the decision to teach. I had received advice from a veteran teacher to substitute in all grades and subjects that interested me first before making the final decision. But as in all things, God had a plan for me. I accidentally signed up to substitute at a middle school and realized that I liked interacting with middle school students. From then on, I began to take jobs at that one particular school. After a few times, I got a frantic call from the school asking if I spoke Spanish and the rest is history. 

The very first thing my mentor told me when I began teaching Spanish at that middle school, was to join two different groups. The groups are the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Language, ACTFL and the Texas Foreign Language Association TFLA. Both associations provide education, leadership, vision and support to all language educators. The benefit of becoming a member of these associations is the educational opportunities they provide along with the support they provide to teachers. 

After teaching for a year, Covid hit. We were all forced to learn how to deliver engaging and instructional lessons online. Most of us muddled through the transition from traditional teaching in the classroom to going fully online and then settling into a blended learning format. Now there’s no going back. I can’t imagine running my classroom in the traditional way. I have incorporated technology into all of my lessons. My classroom presentations are mostly on Google Slides. I have also added DuoLingo into my classroom routine.  

I’m constantly looking for new ideas on how to do things in the classroom. How can I present a better and more engaging lesson for my students? It takes research. I’m constantly looking through content in Pinterest, YouTube and listening to Podcasts on my way to work. Some of my favorite podcasts include:

• World Language Classroom with Joshua Cabral

• Growing with proficiency

• Blended learning in action

• Technology in the classroom

I can’t say that I’ve contributed much to online groups I’ve joined. I’ve mostly been an interested participant rather than a contributor. Reading online posts and comments give me ideas and keep me up to date on new technology, issues and advice on how to incorporate technology in the classroom. Some of the Facebook groups I have joined are:

• Technology for World Language Teachers

• World Language Teachers

• World Language Teachers Lounge

• New Technologies in the World Language Classroom

• Technology Based Gamification in the World Language classroom

In my classroom, I definitely use a feedforward approach by routinely asking questions and getting feedback from students. In my elementary age students, I use a program called QTalk. Students participate orally in class by responding to questions and reading out loud. It’s definitely easier to have a growth mindset while using this program. Students see progress in every class. 

I still consider myself a novice teacher since my teaching was interrupted by a life changing event. I moved from one city to another. I’m just now getting back into teaching and rely on research and other teachers for ideas to enhance my classroom. 

Works Cited

Gironella, F. (2023). Gamification pedagogy: A motivational approach to student-centric

 course design in higher education. Journal of University Teaching & Learning 

Practice. 

Szabó, F., & Kopinska, M. (2023). Gamification in Foreign Language Teaching: A

 Conceptual Introduction. Hungarian Educational Research Journal, 13(3), 418–428.