Motivating Students

Keep Language Learning Relevant and Interesting

Last week I posted the Spanish for Social Justice Quiz (the answers are below). I used this activity with students who were passionate about social justice activism, and they really enjoyed it. It has been shown that student motivation and interest greatly increase their learning potential. While motivation generally has to come from the student, as language teachers we can easily tap into their interests – and I think we have a responsibility to do just that.

As a private language teacher, I have the luxury of getting to know each student on an intimate level. During the first session, I always ask what interests them. If I have resources related to their interests, I make a point to use them. If I don’t have those resources, I seek them out. I have learned so much from my students on many different topics because of this strategy. And I have found that the more you speak to students about their interests, the more they ask about yours so it’s a win-win conversational strategy. I also try different resources to see how they go – if the student enjoys a particular topic, I will bring more of the same in the future.

Choosing the Right Activity

Not only is the subject-matter important, it’s also necessary to find out what kinds of activities students enjoy. Sometimes this comes through trial and error. Bring a new activity and see how the students react. I’ve found that some adults love playing kids’ games as a way to learn while others find it immature or boring. Luckily, the Conversation Group members enjoyed the quiz (which they worked on in teams, speaking exclusively in Spanish). There are critiques of all kinds of activities; from fill-in-the-blank grammar exercises to communicative language games, there are pros and cons for each. In my opinion, the most important question is whether or not the student is enjoying the activity. If they are, they tend to forget that they are also studying…

What about Group Classes?

In a group class, it will not be possible to please all of the students all of the time. I recommend doing a short survey, or having a group discussion, on the first day asking students about their interests and learning styles. Try to find some common ground but plan to use a variety of resources and activities. You will soon discover which ones work best for the particular group.

Spanish for Social Justice Quiz Answers

I posted the quiz last week. This activity is an example of how to tap into students’ interests – create a quiz on a topic they love. Here is the Spanish for Social Justice Quiz again and the answers below:

Preguntas / Questions:

1. ¿Cierto o Falso? El español es uno de los 6 idiomas oficiales de la ONU (Organización de Naciones Unidas).
   True or false? Spanish is one of the six official languages of the United Nations.
   
2. ¿El español es lengua oficial en cuántos países?
   In how many countries is Spanish the official language?
   
3. Identifica dos idiomas indígenas hablados en Latinoamérica.
   Name two indigenous languages spoken in Latin America.
4. ¿Cuál era el sueño de Simón Bolívar, nacido en 1783?
   What was the dream of Simon Bolivar, born in 1783?
   
5. Nombra una figura importante de la revolución mexicana.
   Name an important person from the Mexican Revolution.
6. ¿Cuál es el nombre del presidente socialista de Chile que murió en 1973?
   What is the name of the socialist Chilean president that died in 1973?
7. ¿Cuál es el nombre del General que tomó poder de Chile en 1973 y continuó como dictador hasta 1990?
   What is the name of the General who took control in Chile in 1973 and continued on as a dictator until 1990?
8. ¿Dónde murió Che Guevara?
   Where did Che Guevara die?
9. ¿Quién fue el primer Primer Ministro de Canadá para reunirse con Fidel Castro?
   Who was the first Prime Minister of Canada to meet with Fidel Castro?
10. ¿Cuál fue el primer país latino para legalizar el matrimonio entre personas del mismo sexo?
    What was the first country in Latin America to legalize same-sex marriage?
11. ¿Quién es el presidente actual de Uruguay?
    Who is the current president of Uruguay?
12. ¿Cómo se llama el partido político a que pertenece el presidente de El Salvador? Pista: en el pasado, era un grupo guerrilla.
    What is the name of the political party to which the president of El Salvador belongs? Hint: in the past, it was a guerrilla group.
13. ¿Cómo se llama la ideología (o la revolución) de Hugo Chávez?
    What is the ideology (or the revolution) of Hugo Chavez called?
14. ¿Cierto o falso? En 2012, habían dos presidentas (mujeres) en Latinoamérica.
    True or false? In 2012, there were two female presidents in Latin America.
15. ¿Cuáles son dos países latinos que tienen Tratados de Comercio Libre con Canadá?
    What are two Latin American countries that have Free Trade Agreements with Canada?
16. ¿A qué compañía canadiense pertenece la mina Marlin en Guatemala?
    What Canadian company owns the Marlin mine in Guatemala?
17. Identifica dos otras compañías mineras canadienses que operan en Latinoamérica.
    Name two other mining companies that have operations in Latin America.
18. Nombra tres autores latin@s.
    Name three Latin America authors.
19. Identifica uno de los hashtags más populares que usan los participantes de las manifestaciones en España que empezaron el 15 de mayo de 2011.
    List one of the most popular hashtags used by the participants in the Spanish protests that began on May 15, 2011.
20. Nombra una organización en Vancouver que trabaja con comunidades latinas.
    Name one organization in Vancouver that works in solidarity with Latin American communities.

1.       Respuestas / Answers

1. Cierto
2. 21
3. Muchas posibilidades – Maya, Náhuatl, Quechua, Aimara, Guaraní, etc
4. Unir todo Latinoamérica
5. Muchas posibilidades – Pancho Villa, Emiliano Zapata, etc.
6. Salvador Allende
7. Augusto Pinochet
8. Bolivia
9. Pierre Trudeau
10. Argentina
11. José Mujica
12. Frente Farabundo Martí para la Liberación Nacional (FMLN)
13. Bolivarianismo
14. Falso – habían 3 (Laura Chinchilla en Costa Rica, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner en Argentina, y Dilma Rousseff en Brasil)
15. Muchas posibilidades – Perú, Costa Rica, Colombia, Chile
16. Goldcorp
17. Muchas posibilidades – Barrick Gold, Conquistador, Skye Resources, etc.
18. Muchas posibilidades!
19. #15M, #spanishrevolution, #indignados, #acampadasol
20. Muchas posibilidades – CoDevelopment Canada, CIPO-Van, BC Casa, etc.