Getting personal during the lessons
During my years of experience teaching mathematics and now Spanish as a foreign language a common aspect of my metodology among topics, approaches, ages, countries, levels, is that I usually cross the line and talk one to one with my students, and it has been giving me different results.
The main positive result of my decision to share my real weekend plans in the end of the lessons, or information about myself, my family or even some of my inner thoughts with my students is that they start to see me not just as a person able to explain grammar, or give valuable information, but also as a person who also has difficulties, doubts, expectations and even failures. So, they can connect with me in a more personal level. And in the end, are not people interested on learning languages to connect with others?
Also, one of the benefits that i started to notice is that sharing an interesting topic that makes them think and stimulates them to talk, they actually start paying more attention to the very process of talking and less to the grammar aspects. So, after this magical process occurs, i can repeat the grammar topic we are actually studying and quote related phrases and examples that we sayed while discussing.
Either as student or as a teacher, do you have a similar experience?
August 26, 2019
