Language Teaching - Refresh Your Skills

Teaching a Foreign Language

Facing a class full of students is something that, at the very least, puts into question your ability to make wise decisions (have you ever wondered, while racking your brain for an effective way to teach some confusing piece of grammar, why  you didn’t become a taxi driver instead of a teacher?). If you’re teaching a language that’s not your native language, it’s more complicated, and if you’re in a country where the language you teach isn’t commonly used, things get even tougher.

Learning a Foreign Language

Studying a foreign language is a challenge that constantly tests your patience and persistence. Everyday contact with the language you’re teaching is fundamental for keeping your skills fresh and staying on top of the latest linguistic modifications produced by current affairs and the natural evolution of usage.

Fortunately, the internet and new forms of technology are eliminating many of the barriers that used to stand between non-native teachers and their goals of keeping in touch with the language they teach. There’s still no comparison however between being a more or less passive participant in a language (listening to the radio, watching movies or the news on TV, reading periodicals, etc.) and actively engaging in it while fully immersed.

Non-native Spanish teachers are often professionals with an incredible ability to make sacrifices and to dedicate themselves to their work. Isolation from the living language however is a factor that many of these educators must keep in mind.

That’s why it’s not only advisable but nearly essential to periodically (as time and economic availability allows) visit Spain, or any other Spanish-speaking country, to take a course for teachers –and it doesn’t necessarily have to be a long one, some courses specifically designed for teachers are just a few weeks long. In these “brush-up” courses, you’ll not only work and network with other Spanish teachers with whom you can share experiences, teaching tips, and resources, but you’ll also update your knowledge of the most effective teaching methods (which don’t always reach home countries very quickly) and the newest materials on the market.

Spanish for Spanish Teachers

Getting away for a few weeks to take a Spanish for Spanish teachers course in Spain is an excellent way to refresh your Spanish skills and broaden your knowledge of Spanish teaching methods, which will make your classes more dynamic and help guarantee that your students reach their study goals.

Just as we say “you learn how to swim by swimming”, we can also say “you learn how to teach by teaching”. Switching roles and putting yourself in the shoes of a student for a few weeks could be a unique opportunity to not only brush up your Spanish but to also grow professionally and personally, interacting with colleagues from the field in an environment in which you’ll all share the desire to improve in the wonderful profession of Spanish teaching.