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Monday, April 30, 2012

Professional development of foreign language teachers (2 of 2)

(From Professional development of foreign language teachers (1 of 2))

Another matter we should take into account, is that the teacher cannot assume when starting a new topic that the student already knows the content, especially if the student hasn´t previously been in the class. It doesn´t matter what similarities there are between the native language of the student and the language being studied; sometimes this similarity makes the student learn incorrectly. The teacher, when they are explaining a language, should do it from the point of view of a “knowledge builder”, from the most basic to the most complex phase making sure that at each level the student can take in the concept and can use it correctly.

Lastly, the teacher should be able to assess and evaluate the learning process of a student and in an objective manner. By doing this they will be capable of identifying when a student doesn´t know or makes errors in the language due to their low level and when they make these errors because the teacher hasn´t explained something correctly. In the first case, the teacher should find ways to motivate the student and in the second, through self-criticism, the teacher should correct this error to avoid it happening again.

How can all this be achieved? As it has been mentioned before, a teacher is like a “surgeon or a builder” in constant training. A teacher can give classes to students of different ages: children, teenagers, young people, adults and elderly people. The first thing a teacher should do when faced with a group is to identify the age and different interests and then to adapt to them by using resources that they are familiar with: technological aids, cultural aids, etc. For this reason (amongst others) one of the continuous tasks of the professional development of a teacher is to be aware of new technology. This doesn´t mean the teacher has to become an expert in new technology but they need to know how to use it and adapt it to their own needs. Although, sometimes it can be particularly difficult to follow the advances, the teacher must always be able to assess the usefulness of such technology and use it adequately.  The teacher must avoid breaking away from the reality in which we live, the reality in which their students live. The Internet for example, allows us to be continually informed and use it whenever we want, access real material, and real language samples about any topic and in any format, written texts, audio, etc. It also allows us to do distance learning: it allows us to give language courses to our students and to do training or re-training courses. This means, we´re not just talking about the technique of the teaching service but also the learning process; the Internet is a supplier and facilitator of teaching means. If we group together all these resources, a course for teachers can, for example, teach us to find real language samples, show us how to use them and in the necessary case, how to adapt them to lower learning levels.

Let’s also talk about the training and retraining of teachers, as another logical route to improve the professional development of a teacher. How do the training and retraining courses help? For a teacher without experience, the course enables them to organise, understand and pass on the necessary knowledge to be able to learn a language. They will learn that they have to teach “how” and “when” and acquire the ability to analyse the language in a scientific way, which will in turn allow them to teach in a more conscious way. Furthermore, they will review materials, assess the use of different mediums available to them - technical or not - and they will listen to experiences that will be able to help them in the future. For a teacher that already has previous teaching experience, these courses will serve to share their experiences with other teachers who, at the same time, will share their own experiences. They will also be able to assess the activities carried out on the courses and learn from their mentors (and class mates) new techniques, new materials and news means of teaching. What´s more, if these courses are carried out in a country where the official language is the target language, the benefit will be even greater: the student-teacher will be continuously immersed in the language, making contact with native speakers of the country, and be used to teaching students of different nationalities and thus possessing a more global view of language teaching.

Technology and continuous training are only two possible routes for the development of a teacher. A teacher has to have a reflective and receptive character to be able to find new ways of teaching because then they will be on the right path towards adequate professional development. And here more than ever, the path itself is the ultimate goal.

(If you are interested in teacher training of Spanish as a foreign language/ ELE teachers, please visit our website: SpanishTeacherTraining.com)

Friday, April 27, 2012

Extra-curricular activities 30th April- 4th May


Monday 30th, 21.00: Tapas route in the centre. We will go to different bars to try tapas from Salamanca. Price: +- 6 € Meeting point: Tía Tula  - Approximate duration: 1h30

Tuesday 1st: Public holiday

Wednesday 2nd, 17.30: Film. A brilliant opportunity to immerse yourself in Spanish cinema. Meeting place: Tía Tula.

Thursday 3rd: 19.00: Cooking class. You´re going to learn how to tapas Gallegas and then you can eat it. Price 8 euros. Meeting place: Tía Tula. Approximate duration: 1h

Friday 4th: 19.30: Cinema. We will go to the cinema to see a Spanish film on the big screen. When we get there we will decide which film everybody wants to see. Price: 5 euros (with Tía Tula´s student card. Meeting place: Tía Tula. Duration: depending on which film is chosen.

Remember to sign up for the activity at reception beforehand (the minimum number of people needed for each activity is 3). If the cost is not stated then the activity is free. We recommend our students to participate in the activities so they can get to know other students in the school, so they can broaden their knowledge of Spanish culture and to practice and improve their Spanish in a fun way.

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Professional development of foreign language teachers (1 of 2)


Here we present the first part of an article written by the head of studies at Tía Tula. The article was written for the Language Magazine and is about the training of foreign language teachers:  

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHERS

The reasons for becoming a teacher of a second language or a foreign language (FL) can be numerous: having studied a language and it being one of the job opportunities at the end or having given individual, private or group classes; having helped foreign friends in the study of their own language, having lived in a country where demand in that field is important (although initially it doesn´t count as concrete training), etc. In the moment in which - in a constant and conscious way - one starts to work in this field (not as mere fun or to help friends), we can call this person a foreign language teacher. In many cases this person will become a professional who will develop their career throughout their whole life.

However, being a FL teacher isn´t simply about being a native and passing on knowledge to a greater or lesser extent, this is what language teaching manuals set out. When this happens, the teacher is limited to going over the content and activities that they have to do, just before the class, then interact during and after the class with their students and on a few occasions analyse the development of their classes and evaluate the learning process. Nevertheless, being a foreign language teacher goes further than mere repetition of instructions and activities with the language. The teacher should be able to analyse the entire language curriculum and know how to pass on this knowledge whenever it´s needed to all levels at a gradual pace and also in accordance with the capability of each student. Only in this way do we achieve a solid, seamless learning foundation where students won´t suffer from frustration or anxiety when they are learning. Furthermore, the teacher should be able to analyse and assess the manuals that they will have to work with, weigh up the proposed activities from the manuals and be able to use them, reuse them and adapt them to the concrete characteristics and the characteristics that differentiate each concrete group. They should even be able to create their own material that can be used to teach, reinforce and clarify, these being: specific teaching materials for communication and interaction activities that can cover and accomplish the needs of the students and can be adapted to different language levels. In this way the teacher will not fall into the routine of just transferring information. The more years a teacher is in this profession the more capable they will be of analysis, therefore there will be more scope to be creative and adapt to the interests and needs of the students.

In contrast, being a teacher in whatever area is about accepting the constant need for training. Just like a surgeon should do research his whole life because medicine advances and new technology allows him to discover new tools, a teacher should take the same measures. The starting point when a teacher starts in this profession is to know, as I’ve mentioned before, that a FL teacher doesn´t just pass on theoretical knowledge but should be an actor who teaches his students through the use of their own language in a descriptive and practical way, explaining why, when, how and for what for every communicative use.  The second stage will be the ability to adapt to each teaching level, being able to pass on information whenever it´s needed, so that the student can use it with the level they have. For example, if a teacher gives beginners classes (A1 level in Europe), he or she must be able to overcome the difficulty that teaching involves when the student has a lack of knowledge in the target language, which in turn complicates their understanding of explanations. Therefore, this will make the teacher give more visual and imitative explanations and more importantly, be more intuitive than in any other phase of teaching/learning. It is pointless if one knows what to explain well but doesn´t know how to make one self understood.

(To be continued in Professional development of foreign language teachers (2 of 2))

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Extra-curricular activities 23rd-27th April


Monday 23rd:  Public holiday 

Tuesday 24th, 18.00: Film. A brilliant opportunity to immerse yourself in Spanish cinema. Meeting place: Tía Tula.

Wednesday 25th, 19.00: Cooking class. You´re going to learn how to cook paella and then you can eat it. Price 7 euros. Meeting place: Tía Tula. Approximate duration: 1h

Thursday 26th: 17.30: Sport. We will go and play tennis or basketball (depending on how many people sign up) Meeting place: Tía Tula. Approximate duration: 1h30.  

Friday 27th: 20.00: Exhibition. LA MEMORIA DEL TIEMPO. FOTOGRAFÍA Y
SOCIEDAD EN CASTILLA Y LEÓN, 1839-1939 Meeting point: Tía Tula  - Approximate duration: 1h in the “sala de exposiciones de la Plaza San Boal”

Remember to sign up for the activity at reception beforehand (the minimum number of people needed for each activity is 3). If the cost is not stated then the activity is free. We recommend our students to participate in the activities so they can get to know other students in the school, so they can broaden their knowledge of Spanish culture and to practice and improve their Spanish in a fun way.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Lunes de Aguas


El Lunes de Aguas is a local traditional public holiday in Salamanca, maybe the most well known and loved by the people here. The tradition consists of going out to the countryside or to the river to eat dinner with friends and/or family. The typical food is a “hornazo”, a type of pastry filled with typical food from Salamanca like: chorizo, lomo, eggs etc. They´re usually eaten with “empanadas” which are a little thinner and filled with different fillings: tuna, ham and cheese), Spanish omlette and sandwiches, and they are usually accompanied by wine, beer and other drinks.

Typical images of the day are, groups of young people laden with bags of food and drink and long queues of people coming out of the cake shops, all in search of a hornazo. In the evening, it´s normal to see deserted streets  in Salamanca whilst everybody is in the parks and green areas of the city eating, playing in groups and sitting on the grass. Then later on there are usually traffic jams and chaos in the bus and train stations as people come back. A lot of the time the rain shows it presence and ruins a bit of bread but it´s normal, it´s the beginning of spring. This has not been the case this year fortunately!

The origin of this tradition is that years ago in Salamanca, it was governed by it´s morals and customs of the strict religion of Catholicism, like the rest of Spain and during the time that proceeded lent, prostitutes were sent away from the city. They were sent to the other side of the river where they stayed there for nearly 2 months in the Casa de la Mancebía. It was constructed at the end of the XV century and governed by “the father of the prostitutes” who was locally famous for being religious. The following Monday after Easter Monday the veto and exile ended and students and men of the city - supposedly only single men ... -, crossed the river in boats to go looking for them whilst snacking on the banks of the Tormes, mainly hornazo and wine.

Obviously the part of the tradition for prostitutes has been left behind and only the part that corresponds to the picnic has stayed. This distorts some of Cicero's famous quote: other times, other customs. It´s the same hornazo, though. (And don´t miss it!).

As you can see in the picture above, Tía Tula celebrates this day with it´s students, carefully following the rules of this day: sitting in groups on the grass to eat hornazo. We believe that they loved both the tradition and the hornazo itself. These things are universal!

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Extra-curricular activities 16th-20th April


Monday 16th: 19.00:  FREE EVENING: It is an exclusive public holiday in the province of Salamanca. It´s always held on the Monday after Easter. On this day people gather in the countryside to enjoy the traditional hornazo, a pie filled with sausage and boiled egg. The origin of this festival dates back to the sixteenth century, when King Philip II gave orders under which the prostitutes who lived in the brothel House of Salamanca, were to be taken, during Lent, out of town. From Ash Wednesday, the prostitutes left their residence and were moved across the river Tormes. The person responsible for monitoring, care and attention to prostitutes was the "Father of the prostitutes". This character accompanied the students to pick up the prostitutes, always the Monday after Easter (Lunes de Aguas).

Tuesday 17th, 19.00: Foosball. You´re going to play foosball in a games room. Let´s see which team wins! Price: your consumption + your participation in each match (between 1-2 euros) Meeting place: Tía Tula. Approximate duration:1h

Wednesday 18th, 19.00: Cooking class. You´re going to learn how to cook tapas Vascas and then you can eat it. Price 8 euros. Meeting place: Tía Tula. Approximate duration: 1h

Thursday 19th: 20.15: Cinema. “LA MISIÓN”. Roland Jossé (1986)- cinema and religión. Price 1 euro. Meeting place: Tía Tula. Approximate duration: 125 mins.  In the theatre of la Plaza de Santa Teresa

Friday 20th: 20.30: Theatre. Homage to the work of Jardiel Poncela Eloísa, incorporating humour and social themes from the XXI century. Ciclo de Muestra Universitaria de Artes Escénicas – Theatre Juan del Enzina Meeting point: Tía Tula  - Approximate duration: 1h30

Remember to sign up for the activity at reception beforehand (the minimum number of people needed for each activity is 3). If the cost is not stated then the activity is free. We recommend our students to participate in the activities so they can get to know other students in the school, so they can broaden their knowledge of Spanish culture and to practice and improve their Spanish in a fun way.

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Extra-curricular activities 9th-13th April


Monday 9th: 19.00: Exhibition:  “LA MEMORIA DEL TIEMPO. FOTOGRAFÍA Y SOCIEDAD EN CASTILLA Y LEÓN, 1839-1939” Meeting place: Tía Tula  - Approximate duration: 1h Sala de exposiciones de la Plaza de San Boal

Tuesday 10th, 17.30: Film. A brilliant opportunity to immerse yourself in Spanish cinema. Meeting place: Tía Tula.

Wednesday 11th, 16.00: Horse trekking. The trek will take place in an equestrian centre situated in the Charro countryside. Price: 25 euros (includes horse trek for 2 hours + transport there and back) Minimum number of students: 4 Meeting place: Tía Tula – duration 3 hours

Thursday 12th: 19.00: Cooking class. You´re going to learn how to cook paella and then you can eat it. Price 7 euros. Meeting place: Tía Tula. Approximate duration: 1h

Friday 13th: 20.00: Tapas route in the centre. We will go to different bars to try tapas from Salamanca. Price: +- 6 € Meeting point: Tía Tula  - Approximate duration: 1h30

Remember to sign up for the activity at reception beforehand (the minimum number of people needed for each activity is 3). If the cost is not stated then the activity is free. We recommend our students to participate in the activities so they can get to know other students in the school, so they can broaden their knowledge of Spanish culture and to practice and improve their Spanish in a fun way.

April, a perfect month to sign up to courses in Tía Tula


April is the perfect month to sign up to a Spanish course in Salamanca with Tía Tula. This month we have many special offers available that make it easier for you to come and carry out a course. It doesn´t matter when and for how long you want to do the course, the only thing you have to do to benefit from these offers is fill in the registration form today or throughout this month.

On TíaTula´s official website, you will find the offer HOY that applies an attractive discount off the price of intensive Spanish courses, especially this month. The catch with this offer is that the discount reduces everyday which means the faster you fill in the registration form, the more money you will save - waiting in this case means lost money.  

You will also find on our website our 4 x 3 offer which means for every 3 weeks you sign up for, we´ll give you a fourth free. In other words, for every 4 weeks of the course, you´ll get one of these free. This is another great offer that you can apply to the original price of the course (quote) to get a great discount. Between the two offers you can see which one works out the best for you.

So, if you were thinking of coming, coming back to Tía Tula soon, or if you know anybody interested in coming, now is the time to sign up. Don´t miss these great offers!

Monday, April 2, 2012

Spanish courses now available via Skype!

Tía Tula is now offering it´s in-school courses via Skype! This means you can learn or improve your Spanish without leaving home. The classes are taught from Salamanca (Spanish city of reference in the world) by native teachers who are highly qualified in teaching Spanish to foreigners. They are ideal for answering specific questions your may have about Spanish language exam preparation (DELE, for example), or for any situation (a work trip, an interview, etc...) that may require specific and rapid preparation and it´s all from the comfort of your own home!

There are different types of classes on offer and you can choose as many as you like.

The courses are tailored to the level of each student - which is assessed via an online exam and Skype interview. There is no minimum knowledge of Spanish required (except in cases of certain kinds of complementary courses at a High level: Literature, History and the like).

All you need to carry out the classes is a Skype account (with microphone and headphones), or fixed phone line. It´s that simple!

So if you were thinking of doing a Spanish course with us aren´t able to come to Salamanca, now you have the perfect solution.

For more information about our online courses, please follow the link:  http://www.tiatula.com/courses/skype/spanish.php