Learning a second language can be very scary. The pressure of having the perfect accent, using the right verb tense, thinking on the spot. These are all very hard to do, especially in the beginning stages. With a classroom full of eyes judging you, students can become very self-conscious and anxious during Spanish class. We all aim to have a classroom full of eager students with no reservation, but that is a far-fetched dream. Try out some of these tips in your classroom today!
Create a classroom environment where questions are encouraged and mistakes are not the end of the world. Don’t correct EVERY mistake. If you do, students will start to fear participating even if they know the right answer. If they are communicating, that is the goal! If you start to notice many mistakes as a whole class, then address the mistakes towards the entire class, not just one student.
Circulate around the room. The shy students won’t ask their questions aloud. Walk around and check in with all of your students. Show them you care about them and take interest in their performance.
Don’t have every speaking assessment be a “stand in front of the class and present” presentation. Allow for small group discussions in the hall. Or, let them record themselves and submit it to an online platform (Google Classroom or FlipGrid).
Implement more turn and talks prior to class discussions. When they practice their ideas with a partner before you just randomly start calling on students, they may be more confident in their responses.
Post resources around the room. They will get sentence starter ideas and have a way to check if they’re on the right track. Find some of my ideas for posters here!
Give positive and specific feedback. Tell them exactly what they are doing well, so they receive feedback that encourages them to continue doing what is working. It is not enough to just say “Muy bien!” Be more specific… “Me gusta esta frase elaborada que escribiste; tienes muchos detalles.”
Overtime, this should help create a classroom culture that is accepting of the process of learning a second language. One that is positive, happy, and eager to learn and participate.
