My ideal classroom would be an environment that fosters understanding and respect for the Spanish speaking people and cultures as well as for each individual in the class. I believe that Spanish, like any language, gives the speaker the power to create and therefore I would set up the classroom in a way that would help promote creativity. On the walls you would find posters of important figures, buildings, and sights from various Spanish speaking cultures. I would also make it a point to label in Spanish the various common objects in the room (clocks, garbage cans, desks) in Spanish to help students increase their vocabulary. The seating arrangement would have students sitting in tables, this would allow them to practice speaking Spanish in groups or in pairs.
The attitude I would hope for from everyone (teacher, students and parents) would be one of respect; respect for one another and for the things we will be learning about. I would expect students to show respect by staying on task and not talking out of turn. I would show respect to students and parents by listening to them, trying to see their point of view, and doing my best to answer any questions they may have. I would expect the parents of the students to respect my grading procedures and the rules I set at the beginning. If they have a problem with the way I am doing something I would expect them to come talk to me about it to see if we could work something out. I believe that a foreign language environment is a great place for students to learn about new cultures and people and would expect them to approach the things we learn about without the ethnocentrism's that too often exist when we learn about something new.
One of the most important teaching techniques I would apply in a Spanish class would be the use of the language as often as possible. From day one I would make it a point to speak Spanish to the students and use signs actions and visual aides to help with understanding. I would expect students to use Spanish as much as possible as well. In order to reach different learning styles I would use a variety of activities, games and assignments that could appeal to each student. I would employ technologies such as videos and music that would demonstrate the language spoken by native Spanish speakers as well as the cultural highlights they contain. I would like to have a projector in the classroom so that I could use slides, PowerPoint presentations and websites in teaching material and for other games or discussion activities.
As far as content, I feel that the students will need to learn the language in a way that allows them to begin speaking in basic phrases and sentences almost immediately, then as they learn these we will point out the specifics of pronunciation and grammar. Along with language it is important that the students learn about the different cultures and peoples of the Spanish speaking world as previously mentioned.
One of my main goals for the students is that they feel comfortable speaking Spanish both in and out of the classroom, without the fear of making mistakes. I would also like them to learn more about the world around them and recognize that there are many cultures outside their own with much to offer.
