«Cultura» en el PEFPI intereses del profesorado de español en formación inicial

This study is framed in the context of the pre-service masters degrees in the teaching of languages (Spanish as a foreign language + Portuguese as a mother tongue, and Spanish + English as foreign languages) given at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities of the University of Porto. This training is preparation for the teaching of languages in lower and upper secondary education in Portugal.During the second year of these masters degrees, trainees conduct a teaching practicum in secondary schools and prepare a reflective portfolio related to this experience. One of the sections of this document is based on the descriptors of the European Portfolio for Student Teachers of Languages (EPOSTL).In this study, seventy-five trainee portfolios were collected from 2014 to 2019 and the written reflections related to the EPOSTL descriptors associated with “Culture” were selected for analysis. The objective was to analyse trainees’ concerns, interests and perceptions about culture and its didactics in Spanish classroom, and in light of this, consider how to improve the training offered.

Social interaction in the Spanish classroom: How proficiency and linguistic background impact vocabulary learning

Spanish learners engaged in two-way interaction gap tasks where, through social interaction, they identified and defined low-frequency vocabulary. Participants (referred to as actors to differentiate them from task partners) completed two such tasks. Each time, they collaborated with different partners of varying degrees of Spanish proficiency and linguistic background, either an L2 learner or a heritage speaker (HS). The purpose of the study was thus to shed light on if and how features of the collaborating partners in mixed (HS–L2) and matched (L2–L2; HS–HS) partnerships impacted vocabulary learning. Through a mixed methods analysis of the data (perception measures and qualitative responses, plus pre- and post-vocabulary tests), it was deduced that learners’ language proficiency level alone was not associated with differences in vocabulary gains. Rather, the nature of the partnerships among learners was more salient. In particular, learners in mixed partnerships had greater gains than those in matched partnerships. In addition, actors’ perceptions of the experience of working with their partner had no discernible effect on vocabulary, except for HSs who increased less when working with partners’ whose linguistic abilities they had rated as low. Pedagogical implications address learners’ social interaction in mixed language classrooms.

REDEFINING AUSTRALIAN LANGUAGE CLASSROOM EFFECTIVITY: TOWARDS INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE LEARNING

ABSTRACT Global competence has inevitably expanded the way of education conducted in recent year. One key aspect of global competence is the emergence of cultural intelligence in the classroom – as one medium of global competence transfer is through language learning. Interest to learning a foreign language raises in which many people see foreign language learning as the window and door to the world. This paper aims at exploring global competence is delivered and conducted in a Spanish classroom in Brisbane, Australia. Data were gathered through (1) classroom observation (2) questionnaire distributed to the learner and (3) interview with the learners. Finding shows that in the program is perceived as effective and teacher holds the most important factor in the classroom. In addition to being knowledgeable and skillful, a teacher who possesses cultural intelligence is likely to be preferred. Classroom is portrayed as a hub for transfer of knowledge, allowing learners to bring their identity inside the class while learning being exposed to other foreign language. Keywords: global competence, cultural intelligence, foreign language learning.

Linguistically Science (Using EGU Planet Press to promote Science in a native language)

<p>Spoken and written language are the foundation for learning. The power of the spoken and written word is important to researchers and students. When students can understand, discuss, and verbalize their learning in their native tongue, we can provide the perfect platform and conduit for the next generation of scientists and inventors. The EGU Planet Press is a perfect resource that I use to facilitate this in my school with the advanced Spanish classes. Students use authentic and science based content to further their learning of the foreign language. The articles are also helpful for our English second language (ESL) Spanish speakers in their science content learning. This type of usage of the material is producing a benefit in the Spanish classroom, for the school’s ESL population and as an extension for English speaking students who are curious about science research not currently presented in their textbooks. Additionally, I am also using the material with my polyglot daughter and her Swedish school friends to include authentic language to the teaching of science content.</p>

Service-Learning as Part of the L2 Spanish Classroom in Canada

Service-learning in foreign language classrooms is an effective resource for developing language motivation. Unfortunately, Canadian language programs have been off to a slow start in adopting integrative teaching such as service-learning in their foreign language curricula (Hale, 1999). This work reports on a Community Service Learning (CSL) initiative introduced at a Canadian university in the Hispanic Studies program. A total of fifty second and third year Spanish language students volunteered with various community partners on a weekly basis for a total of sixteen weeks. End-of-term questionnaire indicates that overall students had a favorable experience at their placement and CSL had a positive influence in continuing their studies in Spanish.