The Interview

Besides getting my notes from my observation, I wanted to get more information from Mrs. Perez, the Spanish teacher. My inquiry project is “How teachers motivate students” so I asked her about what she does to get students interested in learning Spanish. She told me that the first day of class she makes her students read an article about the benefits of learning Spanish. So, kids realize how useful it is to learn this language because of the amount of Hipanics living in the United States, especially in their communities. For example, some students work, so they feel good about being able to help a customer who only speaks Spanish. By relating learning a foreign language to their lives and making it meaningful to them, she motivates her new students.
To motivate her students she uses “differentiated instruction” because every student learns in a different way. So she uses visuals, audio devices, her body, hands-on activities, and so on, to adjust her teaching to the needs of her students. For example, when she teaches the names of the fruits, she brings in plastic fruits; and to learn the names of objects she uses flashcards. She also uses music to get them interested in learning this foreign language, for example, she has a song that teaches the alphabet, and another one about the months of the year. Also, she uses video tapes, and a proyector to show transparencies.
I asked her about other resources she has. She told me the textbook is outdated, and that she barely uses it because she does not like it. She said they have been trying to get an updated book, but they are still talking about it. She hopes the Newark Board of Education takes care of that soon. Then I asked her about technology: how they use it, and if she thinks it is the best method to teach Spanish. She said that they only have one computer lab in the entire school (with 27 computers), and that it represents a problem because she cannot take her students there often. She tries to take her class at least once a month to the lab, but there are many teachers who want to use it, so there is limited access to it. Moreover, the lab does not have the appropriate program installed. She said her students would really benefit from having a good Spanish computer program because they love computers, and they are already familiar with them. If they had more computers and the right technology to teach Spanish at school, she would be able to get them interested and motivated. There is a chance that Arts High School will buy the Rosetta Stone (language software) next year for Spanish and French, so that every computer can have it, and students can each practice on a computer. Because this software is an interactive approach to learning a language, kids will see learning Spanish as something fun, instead of getting bored reading the textbook.