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Amanda Wilson

RES 6000—Final Research Report

Dr. Alecia Jackson

May 3, 2010

COMMITMENT TO CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

An Action Research Study Of Teaching Methods In My Beginning Spanish I College Classroom

Introduction and Background

The college classroom is usually viewed as a setting full of mature adults. The general

consensus seems to be that these students are responsible for their own education. As teachers,

we need only enter the classroom and impart knowledge or facilitate discussion. The expectation

is that we are not responsible for the behavior of these adults in our classrooms. It is their own

responsibility; either they do the work and learn, or they fail. All the responsibility falls on the

student to be mature and focused on their education. This is simply not the case. We owe these

traditional students more than that. We must try to understand them a little better so we can

approach teaching them in a way that is productive for them and fulfilling for us.

In his paper, “Principles of Adult Learning,” Lieb (1991) quotes the pioneer of adult

learning studies, Malcom Knowles’s characteristics of adult learners. These proposed

characteristics include being goal-oriented, autonomous, and self-directed learners. In other

words, these students are expected to have their own ideas about what they want to learn. They

are seen as being capable of gathering this knowledge themselves. They are expected to have the

discipline to stay focused and on-task. While these traits may be accurate for describing non-

traditional community college students, I feel they are less descriptive of the more traditional, 18

year-old college freshman.

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I teach beginning Spanish at a public liberal arts university. Typically, I have 28 students

in each of my classes. They range from freshmen to seniors, from 18 years old on up into their

fifties. The majority of my students, however, are freshmen and sophomores, and they are mostly

between 18 and 22 years of age—an interesting demographic to teach. Reflecting on the

educational path that led me to this career, I realize that most of the focus has been on teaching

children, adolescents, and non-traditional college students. I remember little that focused on

teaching in a traditional college environment or dealing with students in the 18 to 22 year-old

range.

If I approach my classroom thinking my students are there for the joy of learning, that

they are totally self-motivated, autonomous learners, and that they carry within themselves all

the motivation they will need to succeed, I am failing them because I am not understanding

where they are coming from and what they need from me. I am also failing myself because I will

not be able to achieve my goal of teaching them to communicate in another language and be

more active global citizens.

I believe that students can be successful in learning a foreign language if they can interact

in an appropriate environment. This is why I always try to create a low-stakes, minimum-stress,

friendly classroom. I want my students to be comfortable and have a good rapport with each

other and with me. I set up my grading scale to take attention away from passing a test and

towards being engaged and active participants in the classroom. In general, my students seem to

like me and enjoy being in my class. The easy-going, friendly interaction we share makes them

more comfortable with themselves and more able to focus on learning and growing without the

debilitating fear of being wrong.

By creating this comfortable space, students have the freedom to become more
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autonomous learners. They are free to make mistakes without harsh judgments. Although there is

some lecture involved when explaining grammatical concepts, the majority of my classroom

time is engaged in allowing the students the opportunity to practice the language through

interaction with their classmates and myself. They are required to create, rehearse, and perform

skits, engage in dialogue with their group members, and create their own meaning by pursing

personal interests within the scope of the course materials. This demographic is generally not yet

aware of any intrinsic goals of language learning. They are simply fulfilling the requirements of

a degree program. By allowing space for personal interest, I hope to help facilitate this group

becoming more goal-oriented. The focus of the class is to allow the students a safe place to take

the basic building blocks of the language and create a relevant context that helps them become

more aware of themselves and the world they live in. When they decide what they are interested

in, the students are free to become more self-directed as they develop intrinsic goals to pursue

more global awareness. The ultimate goal is to help a student evolve into a more informed global

citizen.

My concern is that, although I feel I am providing a comfortable and supportive

environment, I still have two types of students in my classroom that I have difficulty

accommodating. These two ends of the spectrum are the extremely introverted and the extremely

extroverted students. The far end of the introverted side of the scale leaves me with students

who are too shy or reluctant to speak up and engage in the active learning I promote in my

classroom. I would like to help these more introverted students become more actively engaged in

my classroom. The other side of the scale leaves me with students who are so outgoing that they

either dominate the classroom or make inappropriate comments, distracting the rest of the class

as well as impeding their own progress. I would like to help these more extroverted students
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participate in a more democratic, or fair, manner. What I would like to learn through this process

is: What can I do to help promote active engagement and democratic participation in my

beginning Spanish I college classroom?

To this end, I further researched class participation, engagement, motivation, attention,

interest, and boredom as they relate to the college classroom. These resources not only provided

some insight, but also helped me formulate interview and survey questions. I interviewed five

former students to get their perspectives on what I can do to further facilitate engagement and

participation in my classroom. I also administered an anonymous survey to a larger sample of my

student population to find some general attitudes about certain aspects of my classroom and the

way I approach teaching Spanish. Finally, I observed a very talented colleague as she

successfully engaged her students in her beginning Spanish college classroom. From this data, I

have gained insight into how I can improve the facilitation of engagement and participation in

my classroom and move toward more effective teaching and learning. Looking into both the

literature and my gathered data, I have developed five goals to improve my practice and three

suggestions that may be transferable to other college instructors.

Literature Review

Introduction

Upon researching the topics of class participation, engagement, motivation, attention,

interest, and boredom, I found certain themes throughout the literature. The themes influencing

and influenced by student engagement and participation in the college classroom can be

summarized into two main categories: student perception and student interaction. Student

perception involves how student attitudes, emotions, and perspectives effect their engagement

and participation. Student interaction deals with the ways in which faculty and students interact
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as well as how students interact with each other, and how these interactions effect student

engagement and participation.

Student Perception

Students' perception of the educational environment has been shown to influence the way

they engage and learn in the classroom. The term educational environment in this context is

meant to represent everything from the students themselves to the faculty to the class materials,

topics, assignments, and projects in any given course.

In regards to a student's self-perception, a 2007 study by Kozanitis and Chouinard

showed a relationship between how students perceive themselves and their abilities with the

effectiveness of their learning. Handelsman, et al's 2005 study assessed emotional engagement in

relation to student learning. This study found that by looking into how learning the class material

affects students personally, faculty can steer overall engagement in a positive way. By creating

and facilitating situations that students' perceive to be personally valuable, faculty can increase

emotional engagement and thereby increase overall relative engagement. Providing an impetus

for students to become emotionally connected to a subject will motivate them.

Students' perceptions of the faculty also play a role in their classroom engagement and

participation. A 2007 study published in the ASHE Higher Education Report on student

engagement in research and creative activities found that students felt satisfied with their efforts

to learn when there was meaningful interaction and collaboration with faculty and their peers.

Feedback helped spark and encourage their interest in learning. Being engaged in creative

endeavors, in which they had some control of the focus, helped keep them motivated, persistent,

and confident in their research. These types of activities and projects empowered students to take
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charge of their own learning. The motivation and confidence continues to fuel and facilitate

active learning, creating a positive cycle of learning.

Finally, students' perception of a course's materials, topics, assignments, and projects

influence their level of engagement and participation in class. In Hu et al's 2008 research,

students self-reported that being involved with active learning projects and activities had an

overall positive effect on their college experience, although the effects were conditional on the

students. Some students benefited more, while others did not benefit as much. The students'

perceptions of engaged, active, and hands-on learning promoted their sense of positive effects.

Beran and Violato's 2009 study shows that when students evaluated teaching effectiveness,

activities that created hands-on engagement increased satisfaction in learning. In addition,

teachers and classes that engaged in active learning and collaboration were closely tied to higher

ratings of teacher effectiveness.

The research shows that when students are engaged in active learning and they perceive

this engagement to be a positive learning experience, they achieve more. As the old adage states,

if you believe, you can achieve. Students learn more and learn more effectively, when they

believe they can. Engaging students in the active and creative learning projects helps them to

perceive themselves as more effective learners.

Student Interaction

Students’ interaction with faculty members and their peers influence the way students

learn. Unfortunately, as we learn from Herington’s 2008 article, situational and collaborative

aspects of learning have received little attention in higher education settings. Beran and Violato's

2009 study revealed that the more opportunities faculty and students had to interact, the higher
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students rated their learning experiences. This was attributed to the ability of instructors to help

develop and enrich students’ knowledge and skills as they had further opportunity to interact. In

Hu et al's 2008 study, continuous feedback was key in helping students to benefit in the broadest

terms and ways during an inquiry-based learning activity. Furthermore, this guidance and

feedback was necessary to maximize the desired learning and personal development outcomes.

The 2007 aforementioned study from the ASHE Higher Education Report also showed that

frequent and meaningful interactions between students and faculty were critical to learning and

personal development. The more contact inside and outside the classroom between faculty and

students, the greater student development and satisfaction, but the frequency and nature of the

interaction matters in producing desirable outcomes. The difficulty being that this requires a fair

amount a dedication and time from faculty. Faculty, especially at research institutions, seem to

have a difficult time justifying much extra mentoring time.

Additionally, the 2007 study showed interaction with other students and development of

collegiality with their peers was found to enrich the students’ own educational experiences by

providing new and multiple perspectives. Alfonsi’s 2008 study of discussion groups showed

ways in which peers can help facilitate each others’ learning experiences. She had a more

extroverted speaker help facilitate discussion and encourage classmates as a way to keep that

student from controlling the discussion by redirecting their energy. This also helped to encourage

the more reluctant speakers. She also used a sign to help the more dominant student be more

aware of when they were taking control of the discussion. Additionally, she allowed the more

introverted speaker to communicate with her through written feedback to begin with. This

allowed those students to participate in a less threatening way and to receive feedback on their
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thoughts that helped give them more confidence to speak up.

Collaboration in higher education, both student-faculty and students-peers, is a critical

component to student engagement and participation. The more meaningful interaction and

collaboration and the more feedback, the better a student’s learning experience will be.

Conclusion

Existing literature on students’ perceptions of their engagement in college helps us see

that encouraging these students to work on active and creative projects facilitates positive self-

perception. It is up to faculty to reflect on these findings and adjust curriculum planning in ways

that facilitate these attitudes. One weakness of the existing literature is the lack of the thread that

ties all this research together in such a way as to call attention to the need to encourage students

in these ways.

Faculty and peer collaboration in undergraduate study seems to be an aspect of learning

that is overlooked. While the research continues to show time and again that this type of

collaboration is one of the most effective ways to engage students, too often excuses like high

student to teacher ratios and encumbered teacher workloads hamper progress towards more

collaborative measures. The biggest weakness is allowing these concerns to outweigh or

discourage ideas for creating functional solutions to overcome these perceived difficulties.

Students’ perception of themselves and faculty must be taken into consideration in

curriculum and course planning. Faculty must find ways to promote engagement in creative

projects so students’ perception of their engagement and learning is promoted. Engagement in

class is imperative to continued improvement in learning. The first step in this direction is to

value student input in their learning. This is why I sought to illicit student input throughout my
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research, to determine what makes them feel more engaged. This information will help me adjust

the way I teach to work better with the way they learn.

Students’ interaction with faculty and their peers is invaluable to student engagement and

participation. The more feedback we can give students and the more opportunities we can give

them to collaborate, the more they will engage and the more meaningful the learning experience

will be. To this end, I currently employ these strategies—making myself as available to students

as possible by working in my office with the door unlocked whenever possible and by taking on

two instructional assistants with the skill to really connect with and help my students. In addition

to strategies I already use, I inquired of my former students as to how these strategies have

helped them and where they see room for further improvement.

Research Context/Setting

My research was conducted by gathering data from former students of my beginning

Spanish college courses. I teach at a public state funded institution and although we are moving

towards being a more research focused institution, the current focus is more aligned with

teaching. I am fortunate to have a great deal of freedom and control in my classroom. While it is

true that my general curriculum and my textbook are mandated by the tenured faculty of my

department, I am free to choose whatever path I believe will best help me achieve the course

goals. That is to say that while I am not free to choose what I teach, I am free to determine how

to teach. While I also receive feedback from peers once a year, I feel no other demands from any

supervisors on my teaching methods. This allows me to constantly experiment with ways to

improve how I teach my classes. I am currently in my fifth semester teaching these courses and I

can say with certainty that no two semesters have held very much in common outside of my

general teaching philosophy. I am constantly trying to improve my methods based on what I

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have perceived as being effective. This hands-off situation created by the administration allows

me to be fluid in my methods. While the freedom to teach the way I feel is best has many

advantages, it also carries heavy responsibility; I have to rely on my perceptions of my students'

learning with little feedback from anyone else.

The classes I teach are capped at 28 students. This is a moderate number of students for a

beginning foreign language class. While it would be ideal to have a smaller number because it

would allow for more individualized attention, there are advantages to this class size as well.

With this many students it is easier to employ group learning strategies, allowing students to

facilitate their own and each others' learning processes.

Participants

For this project, there were two primary participant groups. For the first group, I invited

28 freshmen and sophomore former beginning Spanish I students who fall into the 18-24 year

old demographic to participate in the broad attitude survey. While I did not expect all of them to

respond, I am fairly satisfied that I got 11 responses, which is a little over 39% and enough data

for a valid sample. The survey questions presented to the group, along with their responses are

located in Appendix A of this report.

The second group consisted of five former students who were interviewed individually

and classified into one of two groups, introverts and extroverts, with one individual classified as

somewhere in between the two extremes. These interviews were conducted with the aid of the

semi-structured interview guide found in Appendix B of this report. All data and reflections

obtained during these interviews are represented in Appendix C.

The first individual, for the purposes of the study we will call her Mia, is 19 years old.

She's a freshman Criminal Justice major. Mia was in my 11:00 am section of beginning Spanish I
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in Fall of 2009. She is a very exuberant young woman, always smiling and joking around. She

tended to speak loudly inside and outside of class and showed no fear or anxiety when asked to

perform in front of groups. Her positive attitude and willingness to dedicate herself to her work

made her a model student. For the purposes of this study, Mia will be classified as an extrovert.

The next student I interviewed, Sabrina, is 18 years old. She's a freshman Political

Science major. Sabrina was also in my 11:00 am section of beginning Spanish I in Fall of 2009.

Sabrina is more reserved than Mia. Although she is always smiling and is a very pleasant person,

she is also much quieter. While Sabrina was always willing to work hard, she was less

enthusiastic about performing in front of the rest of the class or speaking up during group work.

She always kept up with the work and excelled in tests and assignments, but she was much less

likely to practice her language in class because of her shy personality. For the purposes of this

study, Sabrina will be classified as an introvert.

Lorie is 21 years old. She's a sophomore Foods and Nutrition major. Lorie was in my

9:00 am section of beginning Spanish I in Fall of 2009. Outside of class, Lorie is a very cheerful

and boisterous person. Inside class she was a little bit less so. Although more often than not, she

had the right answers or knew how to pronounce words correctly, she was less likely than others

to put herself out there. When asked to perform for the class, she always did well; but her

confidence in this area never seemed to grow. She did well in the course, but might have done

better given more oral practice. Lori seemed to enjoy the more social and presentational elements

of class more than some. For the purposes of this study, and due to her performance in class,

Lorie will be classified as sort of in between the two extremes of extroverted and introverted.

When called upon to perform, she would, but not to the extent of some of the others.

Micah is 20 years old. He's a sophomore International Business major and was in my
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10:00 am section of beginning Spanish I in Fall of 2009. Micah is a nice, polite young man.

Although he did not always perform well on exams or get all his homework done, he was always

willing to speak up and practice his language skills in class. Micah was never afraid to step up

and show his peers how to put themselves out there. Micah will be classified as an extrovert for

the purposes of this study because of his willingness to speak up in class.

Dana is 19 years old. She's a sophomore English major and was also in my 10:00 am

beginning Spanish I class in Fall of 2009. Dana is very social outside of class, but very reserved

in my classroom. She came to class prepared most of the time but showed no desire to speak up

or take opportunities to practice her speaking skills. After speaking with her and some of her

peers, I found out that Dana is quite outspoken in most of her classes, especially her English

literature classes, but because she is not confident with Spanish, she turned inward in my class.

For the purposes of this study, Dana will be classified as an introvert because of her performance

in my class.

One more participant was added at the last minute. Due to comments from Micah during

his interview, I chose to observe a colleague of mine as she taught a similar course in a similar

setting at the same school as myself. For the purposes of this study, I will call her Mariana. She

is a native speaker, holding a Master's degree in Spanish from a U.S. institution. She is new to

my university, having only started here less than one year ago, but students already know her

name and recommend her to their friends. Sitting in her class, it was easy to see why she is well

liked. She is patient, clear, and obviously cares about her students. Further reflections on this

experience are included in Appendix C.

Research Plan

I completed my research by three methods: individual interviews, a broad attitude survey,

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and an observation of my colleague. First, I employed a semi-structured interview method for the

above mentioned former students. The semi-structured interview guide I used can be seen in

Appendix B of this report. I asked the students about three main topics: what other experiences

they have in learning Spanish other than my class, what they thought about the methods I used in

the class they took with me, and what made them comfortable or uncomfortable in any class. By

asking them to reflect on other experiences they have had learning Spanish I was able to hear

what they liked or did not like about how those experiences played out. Here I gathered very

specific tips on things to avoid or new ideas to try. When the students were asked to reflect on

my methods from the class they took with me the previous semester, I received direct feedback

on which activities were the most or least memorable, what they enjoyed the most, and which

methods did not seem useful to them. It was interesting to see the preferences differed in

expected ways depending on whether the students were generally more extroverted or more

introverted. Some specific implications did emerge here related to which methods are preferred

by which group and how adjustments to these assignments might make them more engaging for

both ends of the personality spectrum. Finally, by asking the students what made them

particularly comfortable or uncomfortable in any type of classroom, I became aware of where I

could focus my energies to make my own classroom a more comfortable and safe environment

for my students to take the risks necessary to learn a foreign language. To finish the interviews I

asked for any additional comments, ideas, or advice the students might for me. This allowed me

to hear more helpful comments that I had not thought to specifically ask about and showed me

what was important to the students. These comments will help me shape future interview guides

and survey questions as I continue this research in future projects. All comments, notes, and

reflections can be seen in Appendix C of this report.

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Additionally, I issued a broad attitude survey for a large group of former students to

complete. With this survey I hoped to measure general attitudes towards my teaching methods in

regards to active engagement and democratic participation in my classroom. The attitude scale

survey provided some insight into which methods students perceive as being the most effective

and the most interesting. While undergraduates may not be education specialists, they have been

going to school for more than a decade and they know what works and what doesn’t. I believe

that learning what they think is effective and interesting will help me focus on the methods that

are most likely to help me achieve my goals of facilitating learning for both the introverted,

extroverted, and all the in between students in my class. The survey consisted of twenty

questions. The first question was simply consent to participate in my research; the last was a

place for additional comments. Questions two to nineteen asked the participants to rate nine

teaching methods they experienced the previous semester in my class on a scale from strongly

agree to strongly disagree about each method's usefulness and level of fun. The full-text of the

questions and the resulting data are included in Appendix A of this report. Some of the results

were surprising. I hope to revise the survey to reflect new methods developed as a result of this

study and administer it again to a future group of students to compare the results. Especially the

reactions to textbook activities were a bit surprising to me and I will be interested to see if the

results will be duplicated in future studies.

Finally, I observed my colleague, Mariana's beginning Spanish class. I took notes while I

observed her and wrote reflections immediately after the class on what I observed. This data is

cataloged in Appendix C, the research log of this study. The insights I gathered during this

observation were inspiring and I hope to model some of my future practice from what I learned

from watching her.

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Validity

I chose to focus on four types of qualitative validity, described by Hendricks in her text

on action research, to validate this study: democratic, outcome, process, and catalytic (2009). I

chose democratic validity as the first way to validate my study because I chose particular

students to voice their opinions. I have chosen students to interview whom I attribute to one end

or the other of the spectrum of students, both those who are more introverted and those who are

more extroverted, whom I am trying to help accommodate. In addition, I chose one student who

falls between these two extremes of personality measures. Since my research question involves

finding ways to facilitate oral participation and learning outcomes for both the reluctant, or

introverted, and the outspoken, or extroverted, students, I have chosen to interview some of the

more introverted and the more extroverted students from my previous semester of teaching. By

looking at both ends of the spectrum and one in the middle, I have a clearer picture of the needs,

opinions, and perspectives of the full range of students in my class.

The second measure I chose is outcome validity because it speaks to how I will use the

results for continued planning, ongoing reflection, and deepening my personal understanding of

the topics I am exploring. Through this research I have learned which of my methods are

working well and which need improvement. I have also learned about new ideas while

conducting the interviews and observing my colleague that will help shape how I move forward

in my practice. I have taken what I have learned, reflected on what it means to me, and begun to

brainstorm ways to apply my understanding to the way I approach my classroom. I also plan to

continue to solicit feedback from my students in future research to continue the cycle and work

toward continual improvement of my practice. I hope that by taking their opinions into

consideration, I will continue to improve the way I teach and thereby help my students engage
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and participate in class and generally get more out of their learning experience with me. There is

so much more to learn and try as I continue my path to become the best teacher I can be.

Next, I chose process validity because I need to insure I have looked deeply at the

problem so I can understand the ways context and processes have impacted my results and how

this information carries me forward. To insure I have looked deeply and critically at these issues,

I have relied on two main methods: asking open-ended questions during the interviews that left

plenty of room for the students to tell me what they really think and writing out my reflections on

the interviews, the broad attitude survey, and the observation in a reflective journal style so I am

very conscious of conclusions I have drawn. All of these notes and reflections can be seen in

totality in Appendix C of this report.

Finally, I chose catalytic validity because it allowed me to be aware of the ways my

processes and outcomes will change my practices. This is the most important part of my study. If

the results do not change the way I approach my classroom, I will need to revise my research and

try again. While I believe that I am a proficient instructor, my primary goal is to improve. Any

insight I can gain from this study will help reshape my perspective and improve my practice. The

primary insight I have gained at this point includes five personal goals to improve my teaching.

Ethics and Subjectivity

I am very invested in my research topic because I am my research topic. I knew the first

step for me would be to distance myself a bit and try to view the focus of my study as my

teaching methods rather than myself. By trying to put a little intellectual separation between

myself and my methods, I was able to be honest with myself about improving the way I do my

job, but also get my students to be as honest as possible with me about their reflections.

I tried to be as clear, honest, and open-minded as I could while I asked these students to
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dissect my performance as their instructor. I endeavored to make it as explicit as possible that I

was not interested in having my ego stroked. While I did want and need to know what worked

well for them, it was also imperative to be honest about the aspects of the class that were not

particularly helpful. I believe this attempt was successful because I did get feedback on aspects

of my methods and performance that could use work, like my tendency to be too variable in my

daily teaching methods and my inconsistent use of the target language in class.

Beyond assuring them that I was open to criticism, I had to really and actually be open. It

was essential that I be neither overtly nor subtly defensive in my responses or my body language.

The last thing I wanted to do was shut them down or squelch their opinions. This was another

reason for including the broad attitude questionnaire. While I know who had access to the

survey, I set the responses to anonymous to allow for more freedom and honesty. I was open to

getting some negative or even potentially hurtful feedback in exchange for the chance of

obtaining some useful feedback to help me be a more effective teacher. Fortunately, I did not

receive any hurtful feedback. The students who participated in this research seemed to genuinely

want to help me. Their comments were not also positive, but they were considerably

constructive, especially considering the assumed maturity level of such a young research pool.

Data Representation

I ended up with three data sources, instead of two, once all my research was completed.

In addition to the survey and the interviews, I also observed a colleague's class and made note of

her methods. This was a pleasant surprise that came from one of the interviews. One student had

nothing but glowing recommendations of one of my newest colleagues. After speaking with her,

she agreed to allow me to observe and learn from her. Below, I will present the data for each

source and synthesize the themes I found.

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The Learning Survey

For the Learning Survey (see Appendix A), I asked a series of 20 questions, receiving 11

responses, from the 28 students surveyed, or 39% of the sample. The first question was one

requiring the participant to consent to the use of their opinions in this project. The next 18

questions, numbered 2-19, essentially asked first, if one of nine particular teaching methods were

perceived to be useful in their learning process, and second, if each method was perceived as fun.

Table A:
Responses to Q2-Q19 of Learning Survey
Q19: OralTBclass-fun
Q18: OralTBclass-useful
Q17: OralTBpairs-fun
Q16: OralTBpairs-useful
Q15: Text-fun
Q14: Text-useful
Q13: VocGam-fun
Q12: VocGam-useful SD
Q11: Review-fun D
Questions

N
Q10: Review-useful
A
Q9: GrpCult-fun SA
Q8: GrpCult-useful
Q7: DVD-fun
Q6: DVD-useful
Q5: Oral-fun
Q4: Oral-useful
Q3: Skits-fun
Q2: Skits-useful

0 2 4 6 8 10 12

Responses

The final question asked for additional comments. The entirety of the results and comments can

be seen in Appendix A, but the attitude scale responses to the 18 primary questions can be seen

in Table A below.

While for the most part, it can be seen that most students agree that all nine methods are
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useful for learning Spanish and more than half are fun, which is good to know because this what

I strive for, some methods received more attention than others. The nine methods, in order of

questions asked in the survey are: skits, orals, the DVD project, the group culture research

project, student-led final exam grammar review, vocabulary review games, written textbook

exercises, oral textbook exercises done in pairs, and oral textbook exercises done as an entire

class.

The skits are prepared and practiced in advance, and students are allowed to use notes

while performing. The orals are prepared in advanced and memorized. They are performed

without the aid of notes, but students are permitted to have images as reminders of their

sentences. The DVD project is a final project that students work on in large groups. They write a

script, film it, and then edit a newscast in Spanish. In most cases, they will also include

commercials in this project, but all I require is that they focus on the news, weather, sports, and

entertainment of an assigned Hispanic country. The group culture research project asks the

students to choose a topic they are interested in and that is related to an assigned target culture.

For example, a group might choose to read about sustainability practices in Peru. To allow for a

depth of research and reporting on the cultural aspects of this project, it is done in English. Once

the students collect some interesting data, they share it with the entire class via a blog. The

student-led final exam grammar review is another group project. Since the final exam is

cumulative, as a final presentation, I assign each group to a chapter we covered during the

semester. Each group then prepares and presents a summary of the grammar they learned in each

chapter to review for the final exam. The vocabulary review games are sometimes student-led,

and other times I lead them myself. Examples of these games include Jeopardy, Bingo, and a

hot-potato-style vocabulary recall game, amongst many others. The written textbook exercises
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are simply the exercises in the textbook in which the answers are written out on paper. The oral

textbook exercises done in pairs are the exercises in the textbook done aloud with a partner. The

oral textbook exercises, done as an entire class, are the exercises in the textbook done aloud as an

entire class.

Table B: Table C:
Ranking of Methods by Percentage of Students Percentages of Students that Found Each
Who Agree Methods are Useful or Fun Method Useful or Fun, sorted by Method
Useful % Fun Method Useful Fun
written textbook 91% skits 73% 46%
exercises
oral textbook exercises 82% oral textbook exercises orals 64% 46%
done as an entire class done as an entire class
vocabulary games
oral textbook exercises 73% oral textbook exercises the DVD project 55% 55%
done in pairs done in pairs
exam review
skits vocabulary games
orals 64% the group culture the group culture research 55% 64%
research project project
the group culture 55% the DVD project student-led final exam grammar 73% 46%
research project review
the DVD project
46% student-led final exam written textbook exercises 91% 28%
grammar review
orals
skits
28% written textbook Oral textbook exercises done in 73% 73%
exercises pairs
Oral textbook exercises done as 82% 82%
a class

The results of this survey were surprising in many ways. The tables above illustrate the

preferences for each method over the others. Table B ranks the methods from most useful and

fun to least useful and fun. Table C lists the percentages of students who agreed that each method

was either useful or fun in the order they were presented in the survey. I was surprised to find

that 91% of students perceived the written textbook exercises as useful ways to learn Spanish,
 Wilson 21

but I was not at all surprised to find this method ranked the very worst on the fun scale at 28%.

As I reflected in my research log, simply putting an exercise in a textbook is a good way to turn

students off to it. I am not a big advocate of textbooks. I use Internet sites to help students

engage in learning. The same information will be infinitely more interesting in a browser than in

a book. Taking that activity out of the written arena slightly dropped the students' perceived

usefulness. The usefulness of activities done as a class went down to 82% which also matched

the fun level. The usefulness of activities done in pairs went down to 73% which also matched its

fun level. This shows that they believe writing exercises is the most useful and least fun way to

learn Spanish, but doing the exercises orally are almost as useful and much more fun.

The other most useful methods, as perceived by the students, were the vocabulary games

ranking in at 82%, the student-led final exam grammar review and the skits at 73%, the orals at

64%, and the group culture research project and the DVD project at 55%. It is important to

remember that these measures are the students' perceptions of the effectiveness of these activities

and perhaps not necessarily true measure of the effectiveness. However, I would agree that these

statistics are valid based on my own observations of my students over the past few semesters. A

critical part of language learning is amassing vocabulary. Any activities that reinforce

vocabulary learning are going to be perceived as being useful because they are one more

opportunity to be exposed to and reminded of the language. It is also not surprising that the

grammar review project and the skits rank high on the usefulness scale. The grammar review

project essentially asks students to be so familiar with a grammatical topic that they can explain

to others. Modern day philosopher, Richard Bach, has it right when he says, “You teach best

what you most need to learn.” The skits allow the students to take all the grammar and

vocabulary from the chapter and build a potential conversation. Put together, these three
 Wilson 22

particular activities, vocabulary games, the grammar review project, and the skits, allow students

to practice what they are learning, show they understand, and build a meaningful context using

the various elements of the language they are learning about.

On the fun scale, the vocabulary games ranked in at 73%, the group culture research

project at 64%, the DVD project at 55%, and the student-led final exam grammar review, orals,

and skits at 46%. Overall, I think it is interesting to note that for the most part, the methods were

ranked higher in their usefulness and lower on the fun scale, but the fun scale is relatively top-

heavy if you consider the fact that I am asking 18-22 year old students about how much fun they

are having while learning and working hard in a classroom. Over half of the methods were rated

by more than half of the students surveyed as being fun. That has to be counted as at least a

minor victory on my path of making learning Spanish fun for my students.

Based on this survey data, I would be interested in asking some follow-up questions of

future students. I want to know how they think these methods can be improved. What would

make skits, for example, more fun and useful for the students? I did receive some useful

feedback in the additional comments section of the survey as well. The full transcript of these

comments can be seen in Appendix A. These comments, as well as the comments made in the

five semi-structured interviews I conducted, revealed some of these answers and followed some

interesting themes.

The Interviews

The primary themes I traced through the interviews and the additional comments from

the survey relate to 1) the students' self perceptions and comfort levels, 2) the students'

perceptions of and interactions with their instructor, 3) the students' perceptions of and

interactions with their peers, 4) the students' expectations of the course, and 5) the students'
 Wilson 23

perception of the methods and materials of the class, many of which can also been seen reflected

in the 18 primary survey questions. My research log, which also contains my reflections on the

data gathered, can be found, coded to these themes as Appendix C.

Students' Self Perceptions and Comfort Levels

As I looked over the comments related to the students' self perception and comfort levels,

I found it interesting that the students' comments back up the ideas espoused in the literature

review related to active and creative projects facilitating student engagement and learning. For

Mia, one of my extroverts, I observed from her comments that anytime I gave an assignment that

required the students to go out, get the language, and build it up into a real context, it was most

memorable and helpful for her. It was interesting to note that Mia was very excited about the

skits, and Micah, another extrovert, felt they were fun and good oral practice. On the other hand,

the most introverted two, Sabrina and Dana, thought the activities were fun, but complained

about having to deal with and get to know their peers. Neither was comfortable with these

exercises until they had time to get to know their classmates better.

Sabrina, the quietest of the five, named her favorite activity as the daily activities book,

saying that it made learning more visual. This activity requires that the spoken portion is

recorded individually. As an introvert, it is not surprising that she really liked an activity that did

not require her to speak up in front of the class. It is also interesting that Lori, who I classified as

near the middle of the introvert/extrovert scale, thought the sound recording was more trouble

than it was worth. She complained that the technology made it a pain when really the skits

accomplished the same task of oral practice of the language. She was not too shy to get up and

perform in the class and did not see any benefit to doing a project that allowed for a private

performance of oral skills. I was not surprised to find that this activity was preferred by an
 Wilson 24

introvert, but not at all mentioned by the two more extroverted students. Although Lori, being

middle-of-the-road, did mention it, I was not surprised that it was in a less than positive light.

Dana, classified as an introvert in my class, is much more extroverted in classes where

the material is more comfortable for her, like her English literature classes. However, she did

really enjoy the exam review presentations. She did not mind getting up in front of the class to

explain a grammatical concept in English and was glad for the experience. Having to teach the

concept helped her understand it. Her comments seem to ring true with the survey results that

again had 73% of those surveyed agreeing that this particular activity was useful for learning

Spanish.

In the survey comments, students asked that I allow more freedom in the methods they

choose for learning. One student said, “We all learn differently and especially in a foreign

language we want to do it our way.” This is what I hope to do, more than anything else. I want to

find the balance between my goals and theirs and find the space to allow them to learn in the best

ways possible. Overall, from these comments, I can draw the conclusion that creative and active

learning projects that allow for freedom of interest and learning styles are perceived to help

students feel more comfortable and therefore engage more effectively in their learning processes.

Students' Perceptions Of and Interactions With Faculty

Students' perceptions of and interactions with faculty were summed up best when Mia

said, “When a teacher seems to care about your input, that matters a lot.” Whenever any of the

students were asked about their comfort levels in class or what makes them confident in the

classroom, the comments overwhelming came back to the instructor's attitude. Teachers who are

perceived by their students as real people who care about them inside and outside the classroom

help students be comfortable and successful in the classroom. To engage students, we have to be
 Wilson 25

real people, not just teachers, and we must care about who they are as real people, not just

students. Sabrina said that what makes her uncomfortable in class is a teacher who is rude and

disrespectful and leaves no room for students' opinions and interests. Dana felt comfortable in

my classroom because she felt like I wanted them to learn. Lori felt a teacher's attitude makes a

big difference. When teachers are relaxed, more personable and approachable, a good speaker,

and knowledgeable, they make learning possible for her. Similarly, Micah felt that a teacher's

personality should be not too serious. They should like to have fun and laugh in class. By

connecting on a personal level, teachers are able to engage their students more thoroughly.

These comments draw to mind Parker Palmer's ideas on bringing the heart back into

education that he promotes through the organization, the Center for Courage and Renewal

(2008). The idea is that by becoming detached from our classrooms and students and trying to be

too clinical, we perform a disservice to our students and impede their learning. Students need to

see that we are whole and genuine people, not just tools for learning. Making our relationships

more personal and less institutional adds a critical element of authenticity and trust that is a vital

component of learning and growing. Students need to trust us. They don't necessarily have to like

us, but they do need to believe we care. That trust allows them to be comfortable with

themselves, take risks, make mistakes, and learn. Effective learning and improved student

engagement will occur in an environment where students feel valued as people.

Students' Perceptions Of and Interactions With Their Peers

Students' perceptions of and interactions with their peers can be seen reflected in two

primary ways: the acknowledgment that when they know their peers well, it is easier and more

enjoyable to learn collaboratively, but that dealing with peers in issues of scheduling,

collaborating, and conflict resolution are tough. Mia disclosed that what made my class fun was
 Wilson 26

making friends and working together on projects. Shy Sabrina said that while the skits were

awkward at first, they became more comfortable as she got to know her peers better. Micah,

commenting on the skits, said he appreciated opportunities to connect with his peers.

Unfortunately, all is not a bed of roses. Both Sabrina and Dana talked about having a hard

time both scheduling time to meet with peers and learning to collaborate in some sense other

than just dividing the work and sticking it back together at the end. In Sabrina, Dana, and

Micah's class there were several major conflicts among peer groups that were never resolved.

While peer collaboration can make class more interesting and learning more productive, students

need guidance on how to interact and collaborate in meaningful ways.

Students' Expectations

A huge theme in student comments dealt with their expectations of the class. Micah

spoke most strongly to this when he asked for more regularity in class. While my class tends to

be very free-flowing and variable, he felt that students should know what to expect every class.

For example, explaining one vocabulary theme and allowing a few minutes to practice, then

explicating one grammar concept and going over a practice exercise, are activities students can

expect with regularity. He felt that expectations help keep them on track and instill a sense of

awareness of their own learning. Dana also commented on needing to know what to expect in a

class and what would be expected of her. Their expectations of the class are vital to keeping

them focused.

Sabrina dreaded her Spanish class that didn't live up to her expectations. While she was

interested in learning to speak Spanish, the class was almost exclusively taught on the cultural

aspects. Mia also commented that she dreads a class if she feels she is not learning. Goals and

expectations are best when they are clear and shared. Students will learn what they want to learn.
 Wilson 27

When teachers and students can collaborate and share their goals and make those goals explicit, a

more successful learning environment will be fostered.

Students' Perceptions Of My Methods and Materials

Students' perceptions of my methods and materials, as mentioned above being related to

their own self-perception and comfort-levels, are most successful when they are active and

creative projects that allow for student freedom of interest and learning style. The skits and exam

review projects seem to be most popular among my students. Even the introverts seemed to like

these projects when they are comfortable with me and their peers. While the survey showed that

students rank textbook activities high in usefulness, it is those that involve an element of

collaboration with a partner or the entire class that have the highest overall ranking. From this, I

draw that it is vital to use methods that also contain collaborative elements, but there needs to be

an overt focus on how to collaborate effectively.

Observation Of A Pro

Thanks to Micah's comments in his interview, I had the opportunity to observe a truly

magnificent colleague in action. There are several elements I plan to steal from Mariana's style.

One of the first elements I plan to steal is her patient, clear, and concise interactions with her

students. She takes her time when explaining new concepts and slowly leads them through a few

examples. She then patiently gives them time to process the information and allows time for

practice and questions. Sometimes, I fear I get in too big of a hurry and rush my students. This

must be as frustrating for them as it is for me when at the end of the day, they simply do not

understand. As much as possible, I hope to adopt a more patient style that I believe will help my

students engage more actively in the classroom.

Secondly, I plan to adopt, again as a suggestions of Micah's that I got to see in action in
 Wilson 28

Mariana's class, the way she organizes her class and lets them know what to expect next. She

scaffolds the materials she teaches, and she uses consistent methods that let students get into a

comfortable routine. As Micah said, she explains the grammar and then allows for practice,

before moving to the next grammar topic instead of explaining everything and then trying to let

students sort it all out.

Finally, I hope to speak the language more and with more confidence, using familiar

repetitive phrases and showing the language existing in context as much as possible. Granted as a

native speaker, Mariana has an advantage, but I do not want my students to be at a disadvantage

because of my language skills. I hope to continue to improve and practice my speaking skills

and, as almost everyone commented in the individual interviews, use Spanish more in my

classroom.

Conclusions, Implications, and Recommendations

Introduction

As I began this project, I developed the research question, “What can I do to help

promote active engagement and democratic participation in my beginning Spanish I college

classroom?” Initially, I intended to focus on the most introverted and the most extroverted of my

students. I wanted to know how I could help my introverted students engage more actively in

class while finding ways to help my most outspoken students participate in a more democratic

and fair-handed way. Along the path, I found that my lens was a bit skewed. While focusing on

both ends of the personality spectrum, what I was really looking at were my students as a whole.

I believe that as I draw conclusions on the data I have gathered, and while there are specific

implications for particularly introverted or extroverted students, I have become aware of ways to

improve the way I do my job for all my students. The real focus group here is not necessarily the
 Wilson 29

extroverts and introverts; it is the traditional college freshman or sophomore. These young

students are not yet mature adults, not yet the autonomous, goal-oriented, and self-directed

learners we expect older or non-traditional college students to be. These students are at a critical

point in their development toward becoming adults. They need their college instructors to

provide them with an environment that will allow them to grow and become more mature as they

learn more about whatever specific topic we are trying to teach them.

To this end, as I pour over this enormous amount of data, literature, and reflections, I am

satisfied to find five main points that I believe can help me be a better teacher in general for

these students, as well as help achieve my goal of helping to promote active engagement and

democratic participation in my beginning Spanish I college classroom. From the start of this

project, I planned to learn about how changes in my behavior in the classroom could help make

learning more successful in my class. To that end, my five main points take the form of

statements of my future goals. Through this process, I also learned about some things that I do

already that seem to help promote engagement. Those I will list here as potentially transferable

suggestions to other instructors of traditional college freshmen and sophomores. These

suggestions might be applicable to any number of fields of study.

My Goals Suggestions for Instructors

• Be patient.
• Be intentional in planning.
• Collaborate with my students on goals • Be genuine.
and expectations.
• Value student input.
• Help students become better and more
• Answer questions
effective collaborators
• Model good language skills and
scaffold learning in a clear progression.

Be patient
 Wilson 30

First, I want to be more patient. As I saw in Mariana's classroom and heard in comments

from Micah, as well as from anonymous comments in the learning survey, I need to be patient. I

need to give students the time and opportunity to absorb and practice what they are learning

instead of rushing through explanations or asking for questions before students have time to

process the information. Some specific ideas I have to accomplish this are four-fold: 1) make

initial grammar exploration a homework activity, 2) slowly walk students through examples in

class, allowing them time to figure out the answers, 3) create and provide an easy to reference

grammar guide to use in class, and 4) use class time to work on more difficult activities to flush

out the students' questions and misunderstandings.

My first tools on this journey are some wonderful videos I have discovered online. A

teacher named Señor Jordan has produced and published some very well done and free videos

online explaining grammar points for beginning Spanish students in a clear and interesting way

(2010). I plan to have students watch the video pertaining to the upcoming grammar topic for

homework. I will provide them with a guide to read over and use as a note-taking tool while they

watch the videos. The next class period, I plan to walk students through specific examples of this

topic on the board. These examples will afford me the opportunity to model the target language.

Additionally, I will give the answer to the first example, but allow the students time to think

about and answer the other examples themselves. This will allow them to see if they understand

what is going on or not right away.

I also plan to create and distribute a very concise grammar guide at the beginning of the

semester. This guide will summarize each grammar point in the order they will be presented in

the course. This guide, along with the note-taking tool for use while doing the homework, will

provide the students with a visual reminder of what we are covering and hopefully help them
 Wilson 31

focus and be more confident in their knowledge of the Spanish language. Finally, after going

through several examples as a class, I will put students into pairs or small groups and have them

work on more difficult or complicated examples to flush out their questions and

misunderstandings. During this time, my instructional assistant and I can circulate through the

class answering questions, modeling good language use, and encouraging the students to

cooperate with each other and practice speaking with their peers. I believe these specific tools

and processes will help me slow down and become more patient and aware of my students and

their questions. As I begin my next round of research, I will solicit feedback from students on

these new methods to determine how they are playing out. This will allow me to be conscious of

needed adjustments and able to make those changes, as the class progresses.

Be intentional in planning

I want to become much more intentional and aware as I plan future classes. Taking into

account the overwhelming demand for more active and creative projects that allow for freedom

of student interest and learning styles, on the one hand, and making sure my classes are more

consistent in format, on the other. The specific ideas for grammar lessons above really put the

learning into the students' hands. They must watch the videos and take notes. I am stepping back

as the all-knowing provider of knowledge, to become a guide and facilitator of learning. I feel

this will cause students to perceive themselves as being more autonomous in their learning

processes. I want to continue using projects like the skits, the vocabulary games, the daily

activities project, the DVD newscast, and others to offer students a chance to take these

grammatical topics we are practicing and create a more authentic context. I want them to feel

like they are doing something with the language, not just memorizing rules and vocabulary.

While I do want to develop more of these types of activities, I also want to make some
 Wilson 32

strategic changes to the specific directions and conditions of the ones I already use. I plan to

bring the focus of these activities away from “using the vocabulary” and toward creating

something that is important to them. They need to use the language in ways that have meaning to

them personally to help them engage and become more self-directed learners. I want to find ways

to fuse culture and language study in more meaningful ways that interest the students. While

doing all of this, I want to find a rhythm in my planning that will allow for some consistency for

students to rely on without becoming boring. I plan to use the upcoming summer to instigate

these curricular changes for my upcoming fall classes.

Collaborate with my students on goals and expectations

Because I value student input and I believe that by engaging their interests, I help them

be more successful, goal-oriented learners, I plan to spend the first day of each of my upcoming

fall classes discussing goals and expectations of the course. While my course material is dictated

to me and there are certain topics that must be covered as a proscribed part of the course, there is

room for student interests. I want to take a little time and basically say: “This is what I expect

from you,” as well as, “What do you expect from the class?” and “What do you want to learn?”

This will allow me to collaborate with my students to create a set of shared goals and

expectations. I make to be very overt and clear about how what we do on a daily basis

contributes to those shared goals to keep students focused. I need to be very aware of how I

present information so that I can scaffold information in a logical and consistent manner. I

believe if students can be made aware of the why behind what I want them to do, they will be

more willing to do those things and begin to become more self-directed.

Help students become better and more effective collaborators

Another important goal I have is to spend a sufficient amount of time on positive group
 Wilson 33

interactions and team building at the beginning of the semester. I know from the comments I

collected in this research that if my students can connect on a personal level with each other, they

will be more willing to engage in the classroom and they will enjoy the learning experience

more. I want to provide opportunities for them to make friends and learn together, finding space

for both introverted and extroverted students. I realize that not everyone will make fast friends.

To this end, I plan to research strategies to facilitate group interaction. I want to become more

aware of and provide resources to my students on topics related to working well with others.

Group work is important to learning but it is also essential to social maturity. Students need to

learn to cooperate with peers to be successful in pretty much any field. I believe emphasizing this

importance and providing tools to help students refine these social skills will help them grow and

mature as members of the larger community, while they are learning the specific skills I need to

teach them for them to learn to speak Spanish.

Model good language skills and scaffold learning in a clear progression

As I have said in other sections, I want to model good language skills in class as often as

possible and encourage my students to practice even more. I want to be more intentional in

planning to be sure I am doing this and not just thinking about doing this. I may even write

myself a semi-script to help me remember to be intentional with my language use until the

practice becomes more natural to me. This will also help me to be less free-flowing and variable

and more consistent as teach. While adaptability is a key attribute for teaching because you never

know what will happen in a class, I know my students will be more comfortable when there is

more structure. I plan to accomplish this by creating more specific lesson plans and a broad

curriculum map to put myself into a routine.

Suggestions for Instructors

 Wilson 34

Three suggestions that have served me well and I would encourage other instructors to try

to transfer to their practices are: 1) Be genuine, 2) Value student input, and 3) Answer questions.

I spoke a bit about Parker Palmer earlier and his ideas about putting the heart back into the

classroom. His ideas really expound well the idea of being genuine in what we do. His

organization, the Center for Courage and Renewal, with the tag line, “Reconnecting who you are

with what you do,” provides resources and information about how important it is to be true to

ourselves and our beliefs and to really care about our students (2008). By showing our students

that we are real and complete human beings and not just teachers, we can develop a sense of trust

that facilitates all aspects of learning. I am well aware that on the surface this seems a bit too

“touchy-feely” for most of us, but taking the time to really reflect on these ideas, they just make

good sense. If we show our students only one side of who we are and only consider one side of

whom they are, we miss building relationship and making connections that make all of our

experiences richer. My students are not just bodies sitting in my class to learn the grammar rules

of speaking Spanish. They are sons and daughters. They are friends. They are young adults with

hopes and dreams. They are human beings with their entire futures laid bare before them trying

to sort out what they want, what they need, and who they are. Yes, looking at them this way

makes my job more complicated because suddenly I'm thrust into the lives of my students. I want

to know why they missed class, not to punish them, but because I'm worried about them.

Connecting with students this way helps me know how I can help them on their personal

journey. This is a lot of work, but it is infinitely rewarding to help. Perhaps I believe this because

I see myself as not only their Spanish teacher, but also as their mentor. I am someone who has

experienced a bit more life than they have and can help guide them. Perhaps this isn't the path for

every teacher, but it is something that each teacher should reflect on and make a choice.
 Wilson 35

My second suggestion to instructors is to value student input. Students are our livelihood

and while I do not prescribe to a consumerist view of education, that students are paying us to

put the information into their heads, I do believe that student opinions and input should be

considered in all aspects of planning and teaching. The traditional college freshman has been

going to school for more than 70% of their lives. Trust that they have some insight into being

successful learners. If they didn't, they would not be in your classroom because they would not

have been accepted at your institution. Try not to get jaded by a few bad experiences with

students. If you show them you value their opinions and input, you will begin to develop a

relationship that is beneficial for your class and fulfilling for your career. We all learn from each

other and even 18-year olds have something to teach even the most seasoned professional. Look

for opportunities to learn what they have to offer you.

Finally, we must answer questions. I know, what a silly suggestion, right? Unfortunately,

it is a common complaint of students and is again reflected in my research that students are,

justifiably, frustrated by instructors who won't or don't answer their questions. Remember, it's

okay to not know the answer, but it's not okay to pretend you do if you don't or ignore the

question entirely. Be sure you know your resources. I'm not above tracking down a colleague and

asking them a “stupid” question that I should really know the answer to. If you're uncomfortable

in these situations, it is okay to put the responsibility on the student to find the answer, but it

should be the instructor's responsibility to point them in the right direction at the very least.

Genuine instructors who value student input and can answer student questions are

valuable resources to any institution. These suggestions might help any instructor, in any field

improve their student and peer evaluations and become more likely to be hired or rehired, but

more importantly, following these suggestions might help create a more fulfilling teaching
 Wilson 36

experience.

Conclusion

This study has been extremely valuable to me personally and professionally. It has given

me the opportunities to reflect and learn about how I do my job and how I can do my job better. I

have enjoyed learning how my students feel about their learning experiences and what

suggestions and ideas they have for me. Mostly, I've been inspired to widen my perspective and

continue this process of growth and renewal. Moving forward, I plan to setup further research

into how I can continue to modify and improve the way I approach my classroom with the

constant goal of providing the best learning experience for my students that I am able.
 Wilson 37

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 Wilson 39

Appendix A

Learning Survey Questions and Data

Questions text:

Q1: Participant consent for action research project: The following questions are part of a survey
to collect data on your preferences in regards to teaching methods and styles. The findings of the
research will be written up as an action research study for a graduate course and used to improve
personal teaching methods. The findings will not be published in any public forum. Your
answers to the following questions are completely anonymous and are in no way tied to any
individual's name or user id.
Response: I confirm that I have freely agreed to participate in this action research project.
I have been briefed on what this involves and I agree to the use of the findings as described
above.

[Q2-19 response data in table, legend: SA (strongly agree), A (agree), N (no opinion), D (disagree), SD (strongly
disagree)]

Q2: Performing skits in class on chapter topics is a useful or effective way to practice speaking
Spanish.

Q3: Performing skits in class on chapter topics is an

Learning Survey Data
interesting or fun activity.
SA A N D SD
Q2: Skits-useful 1 7 2 1 0
Q4: Memorizing phrases and reciting them at the end of Q3: Skits-fun 1 4 4 1 1
each chapter is a helpful way of improving speaking skills. Q4: Oral-useful 0 7 1 3 0
Q5: Oral-fun 0 5 1 3 2
Q5: Memorizing phrases and reciting them at the end of Q6: DVD-useful 0 6 2 3 0
each chapter is an interesting or fun way of improving Q7: DVD-fun 1 5 3 1 1
speaking skills. Q8: GrpCult-useful 2 4 2 2 1
Q9: GrpCult-fun 1 6 2 2 0
Q10: Review-useful 3 5 0 3 0
Q6: Creating a video final project that encompasses all the Q11: Review-fun 1 4 4 2 0
vocabulary and structures learned in the course of the Q12: VocGam-useful 2 7 2 0 0
semester is a useful way to practice and learn Spanish. Q13: VocGam-fun 3 5 3 0 0
Q14: Text-useful 2 8 1 0 0
Q7: Creating a video final project that encompasses all the Q15: Text-fun 0 3 5 3 0
vocabulary and structures learned in the course of the Q16: OralTBpairs-useful 0 8 0 3 0
Q17: OralTBpairs-fun 1 7 2 1 0
semester is an interesting or fun way to practice and learn
Q18: OralTBclass-useful 3 6 1 1 0
Spanish. Q19: OralTBclass-fun 1 8 2 0 0

Q8: Working in groups to research Hispanic culture is a useful way to study Spanish.

Q9: Working in groups to research Hispanic culture is an interesting or fun way to study
Spanish.
 Wilson 40

Q10: Exam review presentations are a useful way to review materials and reinforce learning.

Q11: Exam review presentations are an interesting or fun way to review materials and reinforce
learning.

Q12: Vocabulary review games are useful ways to reinforce learning.

Q13: Vocabulary review games are interesting or fun ways to reinforce learning.

Q14: Written exercises in the textbook are useful ways to practice and learn Spanish.

Q15: Written exercises in the textbook are interesting or fun ways to practice and learn Spanish.

Q16: Oral exercises in the textbook performed as a dialog between partners are useful ways to
practice and learn Spanish.

Q17: Oral exercises in the textbook performed as a dialog between partners are interesting or fun
ways to practice and learn Spanish.

Q18: Oral exercises in the textbook performed as an entire class are useful ways to practice and
learn Spanish.

Q19: Oral exercises in the textbook performed as an entire class are interesting or fun ways to
practice and learn Spanish.

Q20: Additional Comments: (unedited responses)

• I really enjoyed Amanda's class. The only thing I would comment on is the video final
project. While it was fun to do and film, the language skills - mostly the vocabulary-
neccesary was above the level we had learned making the project stressful for the
students and the TAs.
• I thought the methods used were good. More dialogue between classmates would be
beneficial.
• I thought the video project was fun, but it was hard writing sentences on a spanish one
level. I also wish that we would have taken more notes and written more things in class to
help practice skills we have learned.
• Interesting survey. I have taken Spanish before and for me personally the best way to
learn it is to do the exercises, but not make them burdensome. Working in groups can
help and writing stuff up on the board can help. Conversations between class mates can
work but it helps if people are confortable, and that you let them learn at their own way
and not to force your ways of learning on them. We all learn differently and especially in
a foreign language we want to do it our way. I know this is not always possible, but give
them a chance. Does not mean you can not work them or help them, but letting them try it
 Wilson 41

their way first can really help and sometimes even allows students to open up.
• I really enjoyed your class and you were very understanding and easy to work with when
it came to grading and making up work.
• More time actually speaking in class and being spoken to in Spanish would be beneficial.
The video project is a good idea, and is fun, however there is less focus on Spanish and
more on the technology requirments. Quia is the most helpful, I think that requiring
students to complete quia on accuracy would increase retention.
• You really need to put more emphasis on making sure that everyone has learned the
topics, especially grammar. You should really do more oral practice in class, not
memorized sentences that students read from a piece of paper but periods of you asking
questions in spanish and students responding in spanish using the vocabulary and
grammar from the chapter.
 Wilson 42

Appendix B

Semi-Structured Interview Guide

• Tell me a little bit about other Spanish classes you’ve taken and what they were like.
Prompt: activities used, format of tests, amount you spoke up in class, what was the
environment like?
• I used various methods to teach Spanish, which ones do you remember most? Which did
you prefer? Which were not as helpful to you? Why? What do you think would help them
be more useful?
• What did you have the most fun with? What was difficult, boring, or too much work?
• What makes you comfortable/uncomfortable in a classroom? Tell me about a class in
which you spoke up and participated a lot. What did you like most about it? What do you
think that teacher did to help? How did you feel about the subject matter in that class?
• What ideas or further comments would you like to share with me?
 Wilson 43

Appendix C

Research Log and Theme Coded Data

Data Coding Legend

Monday, March 15, 2010
• Interviewed Mia
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
• Interviewed Sabrina
• Interviewed Dana
Monday, March 22, 2010
• Interviewed Lorie
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
• Interviewed Micah
Friday, March 26, 2010
• Observed Mariana's class
Monday, March 29, 2010
• Pulled survey data from AsULearn
1. the students' self perceptions and
comfort levels
2. the students' perceptions of and
interactions with their instructor
3. the students' perceptions of and
interactions with their peers
4. the students' expectations of the
course
5. the students' perception of the
methods and materials of the class

Reflections:

Notes from Mia’s interview: (extrovert)

tell me about another Spanish class you've taken:

• we didn't review the material very well
• she gives quizzes on the material before she thoroughly explains it
• she kinda blew me off so I think that that's not very good way to teach as if you just
kind of blow the student off or anything like that
• it's a self-study class
• we come in, do exercises from the book and speak and it's not very motivating or
interesting
• read from textbook, follow instructions, that's it
• if we have a question, we have to figure it out ourselves
• yes some feedback on pronunciation
• read over shoulder
• good error correction
• not a lot of grammar explication
• discouraged by expected grade—you'll probably get a C (3:22)
• not much help w/grammar
• tells you to figure it out
• tests and pop quizzes
◦ fill-in-blank, paragraph
◦ grammar tested not what taught
 Wilson 44

• pairs work on textbook acts, same pairs over and over

what of my methods were the most memorable, fun, useful, etc.
• skits—tons of fun, outside of class interaction, laughing for hours, excited to do them
b/c they're funny
• exam review presentations—got to teach our own part, made a game which was fun to
do
o improve if is less standard, ppl just reading from textbook, maybe make
directions more explicit
• DVD newscast—hours of laughing and fun, learning a lot of cultural stuff and more
Spanish
• discovery-based learning most memorable
• textbook acts not sufficient
difficult, boring, useless
• picture vocab scrapbook—very time consuming (not from my class)
• silly/funny songs would be fun and helpful, easy to remember
comfort level
• the presence of the teacher
• outline of class objectives, 'expectations'
• when teacher seems to care about your input that matters a lot, definitely makes it more
comfortable, makes it easier to come to the teacher if you do have a problem
• apathetic mood is uncomfortable, teachers should care
• seminar-style seating is good for opinions
• facing front is strict—here to learn, not to play setup
• rounder would be more comfortable
• a true circle limits interaction to the person to left and right
• bigger groups are better than pairs
• for skits, put performers in middle and audience around the edges
o informal, comfortable
• lecture is boring, if teachers ask questions and the class doesn't know each other well,
they are apathetic towards giving opinions
• dread class when not learning (when learning isn't perceived to be happening)
• my class, didn't know what to expect, but started to look forward to coming to class
o skits opened door, lot of interactive stuff, made friends, made it fun
• I.A.--very nice and knowledgeable, he taught us a lot, little distracting when he cut up,
took us to library and helped us study
additional comments
• you need to speak more Spanish in class
• pronouncing vocab helps
• reading cultural sections (completely in Spanish) helped
• well taught and enjoyable class

Reflections:

Mia was very candid. She began by complaining a lot about her current Spanish class. This was
helpful to me because it showed me what methods she was not enthusiastic about. Her main
 Wilson 45

complaints were a lack of grammar explication, a lack of open dialog with the instructor, and
boring textbook activities. Since I was Mia's immediately previous instructor, I can take these
as points to avoid or improve on in my classroom because her comments were overt
comparisons between my class and her current class. Generally, I spend the time in class to
explicate grammar in English. This is almost a taboo practice in the field, but I stand by the
students. They want this, it helps them, and it is an expectation they have of language learning.
I want to fulfill their expectations. If they do not perceive that they are learning, that may
impede their experience. I also try to keep an open dialog, always asking for questions.
Whenever a student asks a question I cannot answer, instead of brushing them off, I tell them I
will get back to them. I ask a colleague or look it up and always make sure to follow up with
the student. That way, they keep asking questions. Lastly, I don't use the textbook activities too
much. I try to create something they perceive as more fun. Simply putting an exercise in a
textbook is a good way to turn students off to it. I'm not a big advocate of textbooks. I use
internet sites to help students engage. The same information will be infinitely more interesting
in a browser than in a book. This is also why I employ Facebook as much as possible.

When I asked Mia about which methods from my class were most memorable or useful, she
immediately smiled and started talking about the skits. She went on about how fun they were to
make, how they encouraged interaction with peers outside of class, and how excited they were
to perform them because they were so funny. She also mentioned the exam review projects I
have students complete at the end of the semester. She said she enjoyed getting to teach her
own part of the book and that making a game to practice vocabulary was helpful and fun. She
said her only complaint was that the grammar explications were a little boring because her
peers just read from their notes, not really teaching. I might make the instructions on this
assignment more explicit and give role playing examples to help improve this aspect. Finally,
she talked about the DVD newscasts I have students create. She said they were hours of fun and
laughing and that through the process she learned a lot about the culture and even more
Spanish. Basically, she seemed to enjoy and appreciate discovery-based learning. Anytime I
gave an assignment that required the students to go out and get the language and build it up into
something was most memorable and helpful for her.

When it came to be comfortable in the classroom, Mia's comments moved along two main
themes: the teacher's attitude and the interaction with peers. She said that, “when a teacher
seems to care about your input, that matters a lot. It definitely makes it more comfortable,
makes it easier to come to the teacher if you do have a problem.” She continued by saying that
an apathetic mood from the teacher makes class uncomfortable, that teachers should care. We
talked a bit about the seating arrangements in a class. For the most part, she seemed to want to
be as surrounded by peers as possible. She thought bigger groups for collaborative work was
preferable to working in pairs, especially if it was the same pair every time. She said that if a
teacher lectures a lot and doesn't allow for classmates to become acquainted, they will be
apathetic towards giving their opinions or participating if the teacher asks questions.

Mia said that she dreads a class if it doesn't seem like she is learning anything. She said she
looked forward to my class because it was interactive and she made friends and had fun. I asked
her if my assistant was helpful. She said he was very nice and knowledgeable, that he taught
 Wilson 46

them a lot. She said he could be a little distracting when he cut up with some of the boys, but he
was super helpful. He was always taking them to the library and helping them study outside of
class.

Mia made a few over suggestions for me to try. First of all, she would like it if I speak more
Spanish in the classroom to help them get use to hearing it. She said when I would pronounce
the vocabulary or when we would read the culture sections aloud in class, which are in Spanish,
that that was very helpful, but she would appreciate me using the language more in class. She
also said funny songs in Spanish would be a nice addition to my current activities. Overall she
said my class was well-taught and enjoyable.

In regards to my interviewing, there were definitely places where I worried that I led her a bit
too much. I also noticed that I didn't give her a lot of time to think before prompting her in
another direction. For the next four interviews I want to be more open with my questions and
more patient when waiting for responses.

I'm not super surprised by anything that Mia said. It seems to make good sense to me that
interactive learning is important. I was interested in how much value she placed on getting to
know her classmates. I want to spend more time on this in the future. The better they know each
other, the more comfortable they will be. They need to feel comfortable and confident to speak
and not be afraid to make mistakes. I was a little surprised at her enthusiasm for the skits. I also
thought they were a fun activity and it's nice to know at least one student agrees. I expected the
comment about speaking in Spanish more in class. This is consistent feedback I get from
students and peer reviewers. I think this stems from a lack of confidence on my part. I am
working on this constantly, trying to improve. My assistants are really helpful in this aspect.
They give me an outlet to practice. It is difficult to maintain usage of a language if you can't
opportunities to practice it. Moving forward from all this information, I want to focus on the
following objectives, 1) continue to develop and improve discovery-based learning activities, 2)
foster peer collaboration, 3) endeavor to continue practicing and developing my own language
skills for use in my classroom, and 4) be more intentional about presenting and clarifying goals
and expectations at the beginning of the semester, not just tell students what I expect from
them, but soliciting their expectations of the class and taking those reflections into account in
my planning.
Notes Sabrina’s interview: (introvert)

other Spanish class

• projects
• too much work
• plan trips, book hotels, find maps
• no freedom, told them what they needed to see
• budget, had to find hotels
• mostly all culture and no language
• presented projects in English
• presentation on Che (she obviously doesn't remember anything about him)
my class
 Wilson 47

• most memorable: daily activities book b/c made learning visual

• skits: fun, awkward at first, toward end was more comfortable b/c they knew each other
• don't like being in front of people, especially being uncomfortable with language
• more comfortable: relaxed teacher, teacher treating student w/respect (on same level)
• group work: scheduling difficulties, so did work in pieces and felt disjointed, maybe
some class time for writing script might make it more together
• in textbook, focus is on answer not learning
• [my q's are too leading! I'm telling her what to say too much! She is shy and needs
guidance, but I may be too leading in places.]
• games, exam review, spelling bee, the whole class playing games (focus is off
individual)
• PLACE for estar, mnemonic devices help with learning
• first day spend time getting to know each other
• dreading Spanish, my class was relaxed and she felt like she was learning the language
and not just culture, “I want to know how to speak Spanish”
• uncomfortable: teacher was rude and disrespectful, no room for student's opinion and
interests
• IA: he was really fun, lightened mood, I liked that he taught us slang
• near the end, I felt like things got rushed

Reflections:

Sabrina was very reserved, but friendly, as is usual for her. It took a lot more prompting to get
her to talk than it did for Mia. I felt maybe I asked too many close-ended questions and perhaps
I led her a little too much, but I always feel like this is necessary with the introverts. I'm still
pretty sure she was honest with her opinions.

Sabrina mentioned as the most memorable activity, the daily activity book because it made
learning visual for her. I'm not surprised she would choose this activity. It was a individual
assignment, it does include illustrations, and the speaking portion is an individually recorded
sample. This is the perfect example for a shy student.

She did like the skits and said they were more fun towards the end of the semester when she
was more comfortable with her peers. Taking the time to get to know her classmates is a
priority suggestion for Sabrina. She is not immediately comfortable with strangers anyway, but
compound that with the nerve racking activity of learning a second language and the stress piles
up quick.

While culture is important too, she acknowledges, that's not the point of the class for her. What
made her look forward to my class was the fact that it was meeting her educational goals, as she
said, “I want to know how to speak Spanish.”
Notes from Dana’s interview: (introvert)

Other classes
• first review previous material
• page by page through textbook
 Wilson 48

• use of textbook video sometimes

• textbook exercises
• call-out method to encourage participation
My class
• remembers teaching grammar rule (exam review presentation)
• liked teaching activity, especially since she wasn't as comfortable, forced her to focus
on the subject and learn it more carefully
• liked skits, hard dealing w/partners, I really liked it because I got to use the language
more orally, directions sometimes unclear, writing in-class, more specific directions,
hard to create a conversation via email
• language was difficult, hard time with transference from English
• enjoyed the comfortable environment b/c “you wanted us to learn”
comfortable
• seating arrangement, don't like PC lab setup
• the teacher's attitude
• if teacher talks to much, she zones out and gets bored
• not comfortable in Spanish speaking up, I'm afraid the question is going to come across
stupid or something
• course descriptions that aren't clear, expectations not being met makes her
uncomfortable
anything else
• group stuff-deadlines and group participation could be improved
• extra examples if people are confused
• different deliveries for explications
• spelling bee was fun and helpful to learn ABCs
• play games

Reflections:
Dana's interview was very interesting and I learned a lot more about her. She is an English
major and wants to be a teacher. She was always so quiet during my class, but never afraid to
ask questions afterward. She really enjoyed the activity I had them do in which they had to
teach a grammar point. As a future teacher, she enjoyed the opportunity to get up and teach, as
part of a group. Normally, she's not particularly introverted, but she is very uncomfortable in a
Spanish class, because she feels less than competent. Teaching a grammar point as part of a
group, gave her the opportunity to focus on and learn the point very well with just enough
pressure because she was going to have to teach it, but not too much stress because she
wouldn't be up there alone. For Dana, a teacher with a good attitude can create a comfortable
environment just by showing students they care and want them to learn. She also stressed the
importance of various forms and sources of explanations because different people learn
differently. Finally, she communicated that nothing makes a classroom more uncomfortable
than unclear expectations. When she takes a class, she has expectations and it is frustrating
when she doesn't learn what she wants to.

Notes on Lorie’s interview: (introvert)

other classes:
 Wilson 49

• lots of worksheets
my class
• skits:
o putting together sentences helped a lot
o building 'real-life' sentences instead
o having before test would be very helpful
• daily activities book
o helpful
o sound recording was 'a giant pain in the ass' :)
 was too much work
 same thing as a skit
 technology made it frustrating
comfortable
• teacher's attitude
o relaxed
o more personable and approachable
o good speaker
o knowledgeable
• expectations
o class should be what they expect
ideas
• daily activities project right at end was a little too much at once

Reflections:
Lorie's primary concerns were three-fold. First, she really appreciated discovery-based and
hands-on learning. Any activity that allowed her to create a real context in which to situate the
language was preferred to grammar drills in the textbook. Second, she wanted to be in a
classroom with an instructor who was relaxed, personable, and approachable. A teacher should
be a real, authentic person, not just a teacher. Finally, she wanted to know what to expect.
While my style of teaching is laid back and relaxed, it is also a bit erratic. Being more explicit
with students about my expectations would have been helpful.
Notes on Micah’s interview: (extrovert)

other classes:
• native speaker
o spends whole class talking to us and asking us questions
 look at vocab page and ask, “Hay … en la foto?” and responded “Si, hay
… en la foto.”
o fewer QUIA exercises helps focus instead of being too frustrating or
overwhelming
my methods:
• group activities, despite conflicts with certain members
• skits
o connect with peers
o fun
o oral practice
 Wilson 50

• QUIA
o too many activities
• review more
o start class with a review of previous class material
 guys we did this last time
o then move into new material
 now we're doing this
o the summarize at end and look forward to what's next
 next time we will
o more structure, tie it all together
• pace was very fast
• regularity, they know what to expect every class
o one vocab thing, a little practice
o one grammar thing, a practice exercise
o expectations help keep them on track and be aware of their own learning
• assistant
o review sessions – bigger is better here
o corrected my paper, but didn't explain/couldn't explain why
 his assistant wasn't as far along in her studies
o it's nice to know that there's help, even if you don't use it.
o LTS tutoring helps too
• comfort level
o teacher's personality
 not too serious
 like to have fun, laugh
 talk to students, connect on a personal level
o knowing classmates
anything else?
• Group scheduling issues
• more explication of grammar, slower
• podcasts
o listen to grammar at home via vodcast, do acts in class w/teacher is great idea

Reflections:
The most important points I will take away from Micah's comments deal primarily with the
structure and expectations of my classroom. While it is true that I am hearing another plea for
more use of the target language in the classroom, Micah's biggest concern was not being
comfortable or confident in understanding my expectations. He pointed out that having a bit
more of a routine and a regular review of previous materials would help make my classroom
more comfortable for students.

After hearing about Micah's current instructor, let's call her Mariana, I decided to implement
another data set in the form of a classroom observation. With Mariana's permission, what
follows is a day in her classroom with me as an external observer.

Mariana’s class, Friday, March 26, 2010

 Wilson 51

Mariana began her class speaking Spanish conversationally with the students. She asked what
time it was and for them to pass in their homework. Students were on-task quickly and
responsive to her questions and comments. Whenever she asked students to turn to a page in the
book, she gave the number in two formats: the “correct” way, for example dos cientos trece, but
also as individual numbers to be sure they understood, for example dos, uno, tres. This seemed to
be a very effective method to get students to the correct page quickly without having to rely on
English and also reinforcing the target language.
Next, she told students what she planned to cover today. She asked leading questions to get
students to focus on the material and start thinking about it. For example, she asked when they
would use this new verb conjugation and with whom they would address.
Moving to the board, she slowly and carefully guided the class through the process with a first
example. She gave them all the elements they needed to conjugate it correctly and patiently gave
them time to process and hypothesize. She used the verbs and vocabulary pertinent to the chapter
in her examples. Moving on to second and third examples, she called on specific students to
follow the process and give the correct answer. Mariana gave gentle corrections and helped lead
students who weren’t following exactly right. She was very patient, giving them a little time to
think. In general, the students made almost all accurate guesses. This is mostly likely due to the
clear and concise explication of the first example. She continues through two or three more
examples of each part, calling on different students to participate.
She scaffolds each piece onto the next well; explaining first the positives, for example, and then
how to make them negative. She is obviously very well prepared, almost never checking her
notes as she goes through.
Any opportunity to use familiar phrases in Spanish is used well. For example, ‘hay cinco verbos
que son irregulares’ was one such phrase. Although the grammar may be confusing, this
sentence is simple, clear, and direct. She calls on the students to provide the information and she
writes it on the board, pointing out irregularities and accent marks that they need to pay special
attention to.
Before moving on to a new concept, she breaks the explication with a practice exercise. Again,
the page numbers, the activity numbers, and the directions to turn to a certain page and do a
certain activity are all given in the target language. Her consistent use of the directions and
numbers in Spanish in class shows clearly when students are very quickly on-task. She goes
around the room as students work and asks certain ones to put the answers to certain numbers on
the board. Again, her instructions are in the target language. The students quickly put the answer
up on the board. They then go through the exercise as a class. She has different students read the
entire sentence aloud, adding the correct answer. She then discusses with them whether or not is
correct and why. She uses the examples to point out other verbs that behave the same way.
Again, scaffolding the knowledge and tying everything together.
Students seem very engaged and comfortable in her class. They are not afraid to interrupt an
activity or explanation to ask a question. They participate willing and, for the most part, get the
correct answers. It is easy to see they are learning.
Finally, she lets them know what to expect for the next class period and returns corrected
homework from a previous class.
I’ve learned a lot sitting in Mariana’s class. Her grammar explications are clear and concise. She
is aware of her students and their concerns, allowing time for questions and for processing the
information. Her class time was used very efficiently. The students stayed engaged throughout
 Wilson 52

the class. There was no unnecessary chatter. It is obvious after sitting in this class that her
students respect her. She’s a wonderful teacher and I aspire to be more like her.

Reflections:
Thanks to Micah's comments in his interview, I had the opportunity to observe a truly
magnificent colleague in action. There are several elements I plan to steal from Mariana's style.
First, her patient, clear, and concise interactions with her students. Sometimes, I fear I get in too
big of a hurry and rush students. This must be as frustrating for them as it is for me when at the
end of the day they simply don't get it. As much as possible, I hope to adopt a more patient style
that I believe will help my students engage more actively in the classroom. Secondly, I plan to
adopt, again as a suggestions of Micah's that I got to see in action in Mariana's class, is they way
she organized her class and lets them know what to expect next. She scaffolds the materials she
teaches and she uses consistent methods that let students get into a comfortable routine. Finally, I
hope to speak the language more and with more confidence. Granted as a native speaker,
Mariana has an advantage, but I don't want my students to be at a disadvantage because of my
language skills. I endeavor to continue to improve and practice my speaking skills and, as almost
everyone commented, use Spanish more in my classroom.
Q20: Additional Comments: (unedited responses)

• I really enjoyed Amanda's class. The only thing I would comment on is the video final
project. While it was fun to do and film, the language skills - mostly the vocabulary-
neccesary was above the level we had learned making the project stressful for the
students and the TAs.
• I thought the methods used were good. More dialogue between classmates would be
beneficial.
• I thought the video project was fun, but it was hard writing sentences on a spanish one
level. I also wish that we would have taken more notes and written more things in class to
help practice skills we have learned.
• Interesting survey. I have taken Spanish before and for me personally the best way to
learn it is to do the exercises, but not make them burdensome. Working in groups can
help and writing stuff up on the board can help. Conversations between class mates can
work but it helps if people are confortable, and that you let them learn at their own way
and not to force your ways of learning on them. We all learn differently and especially in
a foreign language we want to do it our way. I know this is not always possible, but give
them a chance. Does not mean you can not work them or help them, but letting them try it
their way first can really help and sometimes even allows students to open up.
• I really enjoyed your class and you were very understanding and easy to work with when
it came to grading and making up work.
• More time actually speaking in class and being spoken to in Spanish would be beneficial.
The video project is a good idea, and is fun, however there is less focus on Spanish and
more on the technology requirments. Quia is the most helpful, I think that requiring
students to complete quia on accuracy would increase retention.
• You really need to put more emphasis on making sure that everyone has learned the
topics, especially grammar. You should really do more oral practice in class, not
memorized sentences that students read from a piece of paper but periods of you asking
questions in spanish and students responding in spanish using the vocabulary and
 Wilson 53

grammar from the chapter.

Reflections:
Four of the primary themes I've identified in my research appear here in the survey comments.
The most predominant seems to relate to advice on methods. This is appropriate since the
primary 18 survey questions dealt with nine teaching methods. The dominant comment relates to
the DVD project being too much work or not enough focus on what was actually learned in the
class. My first idea for adjusting this project for next semester is two-fold. First, I plan to be
more explicit with the directions for the assignment, pushing the focus towards pertinent
vocabulary. Secondly, and to help with the first point, I plan to devote more classroom time to
working on the script writing portion of this project. Another theme represented here is their
perceptions of and interactions with me. While my easygoing nature is appreciated, there is a
focus on being more explicit in my grammar explications and reviews and, once again, the desire
to hear me speak more Spanish in class. A third theme represented here is their perceptions of
and interactions with their peers. They value group work and interaction in the classroom and
facilitation of these interactions. Finally, the students' self perceptions and comfort levels are
expounded on in two ways. First, by letting me know that the DVD project was stressful and
second, by advising that I differentiate my teaching style to encompass different learners, as well
as being patient and allowing more room for experimentation in learning.