El Patio Spanish Language School

When did you begin teaching Spanish?

I first started teaching Spanish in Perú. I was doing my third year at university when I met some guys from London in a conversation class. They were going to travel around Perú and needed to pick up some Spanish before they went on their adventure. That is how I joined the volunteer group at university to teach Spanish. We ended up having large groups of students. Later on, I got a job as Spanish teacher in a language center in downtown. It was a wonderful experience.

How did you start in Australia?
I arrived in Melbourne July 2014, I gave myself some time to get used to the city: public transport, unusual accents and cultural codes. In October 2016 I found out about Spanish language centers in Melbourne and got in contact with El Patio. I was lucky to be offered a job as a Spanish teacher. I have been working here since then and it has been so much fun.

What is a loveable aspect of teaching Spanish in Australia?
I really like it when students show their interest towards the Spanish and Latin American culture. They want to know it all: our traditions, music, varying accents from different Spanish-speaking countries, etc. It feels so good to share my culture with them because I am aware of the big motivation it gives in their learning process. Also, they are pretty cool and friendly to me! This makes my job pleasant and fun.

What is the most challenging aspect of teaching Australians?
I could think of many. However, one that I find particularly challenging in all students is the teaching of listening in Spanish. Whenever it comes to do a listening comprehension exercise, I tell my students to relax and keep trying, as it can be a hard task. Even though most students find this skill quite difficult, I encourage them to listen to the track again at home. Another aspect about teaching Australians that I found challenging in the beginning was when my students told me they did not understand some part of the class very well and would like me to go over it again. Now I love it when they let me know because I can approach the lesson from a different way.

Do you have any suggestions for how students can better prepare for each class?
From my personal experience, I can suggest doing ‘Reflective study’. I call reflective study the time we spend on revising the lesson on our own, checking vocabulary, grammar points and building our own learning strategies. This can be done after class at home in a quiet environment. Students will soon notice the advantages of doing reflective study and feel more confident in class to perform any activity. Other suggestions are watching films in Spanish and trying to communicate only in Spanish in class as this is the only time of the day they have the chance to speak the target language.

What do you think the best method for memorisation is?
I strongly believe that memorisation is only possible done through writing practice. I remember when I was studying English; I used to have a notebook where I wrote down all the important grammar notes, useful expressions and conversations done in class. I believe there is a connection between our hands and brains that make memorisation easier to do, especially in adults. For my students at El Patio, I would advise them to take the lessons very seriously and have a notebook, a special one, where they can write the most important notes in an organised way, such as: conjugations of verbs, new words, sentences, etc. Later on, when they need to use some piece of language, they can consult their personal notes. This seems to be simple, but it can be very helpful too.

What teaching methods do you like to bring to the classroom?
There are two methods that I try to include in my classes. One is the communicative method, in which students have to role-play dialogues, and learn by speaking and simulating social situations. In Elementary classes I let my students write their conversations beforehand so that they can feel more confident when practicing. In upper levels, students can speak right away, but they should always write down the new words and expressions. Another method to explain grammar that I use is the ‘Inductive method’. I like to have my students discover the grammar rules from observation first. They attempt to give different explanations to the grammar topic and then we can all come to conclusions. This method challenges students and keeps them active in the classroom. I really enjoy using this method.

Is there a common question that students ask about the acquisition of Spanish? And your answer?
They always express their concern on improving their listening and speaking skills. I always tell them to take it easy and not to despair. The learning process of a language needs to follow its own course. However, they can do a lot to get better. Keeping in touch with the language by watching films or reading stories in Spanish is a good technique. They can make summaries of the expressions they find useful and use them in class. Also, if they can make friends with people who speak Spanish, they should practice with them very often. This is a good way to live the language and acquire it.

Have you produced some work that you're proud of?

I enjoy videos so whenever I have the chance I play one in class in order to motivate students. Here is a video that students have to watch to talk about differences between people. The topic is describing people. First, students have to review the vocabulary below so they can understand what the people say in the video. Then, students watch the video and answer the comprehension questions. Finally, they have to watch the video a second time and write down the differences between the two people in the video.

Vocabulary