The World Together, One Student at a Time

When I looked into the classroom, I witnessed our students of all different ages, different backgrounds and different walks of life laughing and playing and learning Spanish, all at the same time. That’s magical. - Holy Angels Principal, Dr. Mary Elizabeth Muir

This past summer I ran a program for Title I students at a local private school. Most were students from the school, but some were not. Most spoke English as their first language, but some did not. And most were under 5th grade, but some were not. So there it was. My program, myself, on the line - Engage, teach and play with these students for a half hour’s time, Monday through Thursday, for four weeks straight, one of which you will also train and prep your replacement teacher for the following two weeks. You are considered their “fun class” and “break” from the day. Now go!  Spanish as the “break.” What a concept! Well, the program is called, “Spanish through FUN.” And fortunately, it ended up being more than a break. As I heard time and time again, it was their “favorite part of their day.” 

Looking back, I’m somewhat surprised I wasn’t more structured with a “Plan B: If this Blows up in my Face” option, but then again, I’m not. I feel that this year has very much allowed me to test my program with various constraining factors and age ranges and the formula always seems to be the same: connecting with the kids + making kids smile = helping kids learn. The only tricky aspects to this situation was that I’ve worked with all of these ages and backgrounds, but not together and I’ve worked with Spanish natives on ESL, but not in the same class as my students who had never taken Spanish. So how did it go?

They soared. My Spanish natives became leaders for my debutants, even when some of those Spanish natives were in 1st grade, 3 ft. tall, and wearing pigtails. This is the magic of teaching students to work together, but to have fun doing it. The pressure comes off and the lessons resonate. On day one, I couldn’t have told you what would happen, but I could not have been more happy to see that by the end of the summer, this class relied on one another’s efforts to win games, play together, and use their Spanish. And just like Dr. Muir said, to see all of those faces looking toward you and laughing with you, and calling out new Spanish vocabulary together to reach new heights, “That’s magical.”

If you're Happy and you know it, you can Learn!

Recently I had a trial Zoom class with a group of students, and I thought that I had nailed it. Every child was engaged, smiling, running around, and confidently rattling off their new French vocabulary in silly voices with me.  We all had so much fun, I didn’t even realize how quickly the class had come to an end, which was a surprise to me, because I am usually very structured when it comes to my lesson overview and goals. After the class ended, my fiancé high fived me and told me he had felt the class’ energy from our outside patio. I felt proud to have done right by them, despite the group’s large age ranges and varying backgrounds with French. 

Yet to my surprise, none of the families signed up.  So what went wrong? A parent emailed feedback from the parents as a whole, and some found me to be too jovial and boisterous. In my 12 years of teaching, I had never heard that before. That stopped me in my tracks. Engaging my students is like air to me. I need to see them concentrated and happy to help me breathe properly. It’s like a comedian needing to hear laughter or a performer aching for applause. What’s the point of teaching, if my students aren’t enthusiastic about what they are learning? 

After all, this is one of the reasons I created my own program. I have no red tape from school districts and I myself have imagined and crafted each language’s lesson and curriculum over a number of years. I don’t teach French. I teach “French through FUN!” Exclamation point included! This is because I know that if my students are excited to come to class, then they will naturally learn French, even if French isn’t their life’s passion. And I know that my students learn the most when they are smiling.  This methodology of fun isn’t just a theory of mine. It’s proven that humans learn and retain information when they are happy and stress-free.

Take this 2015 study from Harvard Graduate School of Education lecturer Christina Hinton. She found that happiness is “positively associated with intrinsic motivation (a personal drive to learn) for all students.” In essence, happiness drives learning. And this goes for all students.  She also found that students are more motivated to learn when they are rewarded and praised. Thus, implementing dry learning tactics or having more astringent practices seems very well opposite of what they need. Especially as kids.  And finally, Hinton noted that “happiness is predicted by students’ satisfaction with [their] teachers and peers.” Therefore, my personal connection with my students is crucial for their learning process.  My engaging them and making them feel happy and silly and confident is what will then motivate them to learn a language. 

I know this may not sound groundbreaking, and that’s because it isn’t. When it comes down to it, if an educator can create a safe, positive and engaging class for their students, the students will learn, no matter the subject matter. Because when students are smiling, they are more determined to learn. And that makes us all happy!

Read Christina Hinton’s study for yourself! 

Looking to add more fun and engagement into your lessons? See our quick videos and blog posts!

1. Using Silly Voices and Repetition in the classroom [1 minute video]
2. Using Art in the Classroom [1 minute video]
3. How to teach a foreign language using crafts (blog post)
4. Adding music to foreign language education (blog post)
5. A guide to teaching F.L through games (blog post)

Art from the Start: Teaching a Foreign Language using Crafts

(For an even quicker “art in the classroom” run down, see our 1-minute Tidbit for Teachers!)

Teacher: “Perro. Perro. The word for dog is ‘perro’! What’s the word for dog in Spanish? 

Students: …  

For teachers and parents alike, one of the most frustrating things we experience as educators is telling our students and children something over and over again only to have them tell us that we never told them, or that they forgot. It’s a tale as old as time. If they can’t even remember some of our simplest lessons, how will they remember a foreign language!? We (Language University!) find that in order to build a foreign language foundation for our students (generally 3 years to fifth grade) students need to stay engaged and enthusiastic. To do this, we incorporate a number of tools, especially art, to help our students get the most out of each lesson. 

Why art? 

Students who color and draw during the learning process are doing so much more than doodling. They are subconsciously creating a lasting and memorable learning experience through their own creativity. 

How is this happening?

Even more basic than art, colors themselves connect with all of us on a human level.  According to Senior Psychologist Ayben Ertem, colors influence our emotions, productivity and learning. When we are stress-free and using our creativity, we are better able to process material and retain it.  There is also a clear connection between color and the brain development of children. When our students create a craft or a scene that focuses on a targeted theme, it helps them internalize the vocabulary and add that information into their long term memory versus their short term.  

Are you sure this connection occurs in the language classroom?

Of course! In our languages classes, our students cut, color, paste and design all of the time! Crafting also incorporates our students’ senses: touch, sight and hearing (we play our songs during craft), which also stimulates their learning.  For example, when we introduce the word “astronave” (the Spanish word for spaceship); it’s not just another word to memorize. It’s part of a space adventure that our students can play out on paper and it’s a great way for them to start using their new vocabulary as they explain what is happening with their crafts. Now instead of being intimidated by a new language, they are thrilled to discuss! And when our students feel safe, creative and engaged, we are setting them up to be the best language learners they can be! 

Great! But the learning stops after we put the crayons down, right?

Nope! In fact, the craft is just the beginning! When students bring their masterpieces home to show mom and dad, or when they hang their projects up in their room, they are not only visualizing the picture with its labeled vocabulary words, they are also gaining a natural opportunity to talk and think about it.  Their crafts works as a “study guide” at home, and this helps the target language become more natural to them. And the more our students and our children see and hear their target vocabulary and phrases, the more likely they are to use it in everyday life! So bring on the crafts and coloring! We are ready to learn!

To see how we incorporate games in the classroom, click here!