Visiting and teaching in Costa Rican schools has by far been
my favorite portion of this study away trip. I wasn’t sure what to expect while
working and observing within Costa Rican schools but I am so grateful for my
time at Calle Hernandez primary school and I value my interactions with
students.
My experience within Calle Hernandez primary school
immediately started off positively because of the welcoming debriefing we received
from Dina, a teacher at this school. Dina
spoke English and was the Enlgish school at the school. Dina gave us the
demographics of the school, problems that the public school system here in
Costa Rica face, and challenges she personally faces daily in her own classroom
at Calle Hernandez.
We visited Calle Hernandez primary school on Tuesday, May 21st
and Thursday, May 23rd during the morning hours. On Tuesday, we gave
a lesson to a small group of students on parts of the body while pairing up
with a fellow study away student. As we
were assigned two fourth grade students on Tuesday and a third grade student on
Thursday, I tried to put myself into their shoes. I thought of the possible fear and anxiety
they would be feeling as they were paired off to learn a foreign language with
a non-Spanish speaking, strange looking gringa.
To counteract their possible worries, I tried my best to give welcoming
smiles, introduce myself enthusiastically in Spanish to them, and get on their
height level when speaking to them.
Giving a lesson on describing words to my student Angelica.
I faced some initial challenges when teaching the lessons on
both Tuesday and Thursday. It was
important for me to try and grasp how much English my students knew, what type
of learning style they preferred, and techniques used to make them feel as
comfortable as possible. When I would
ask a student to complete a task related to the lesson I was teaching, often
times they would not understand my English direction and appear
frustrated.
To conquer this issue and overcome the language barrier, I
started to use Dina’s motto of “Demonstration,
not Translation”. I began to demonstrate the task I desired to my
students. After I demonstrated, students
would try the task. Sometimes, this
required guidance. Eventually, my students could complete a task individually
and take ownership of their learning, progress, and outcomes. Demonstration was done by drawing pictures,
walking around the school grounds and examining objects, repeating English
words, and palying charades.
Fourth grade classroom
Implementing a demonstrative
style of teaching proved to be not only effective for my students, but also fun
for them! My students loved being able
to move around, compare objects in nature, and act out what they were learning
to their peers. The joy I felt watching
my ELL students learn and demonstrate their material was indescribable and a
feeling I want to remember each and every day in my future classroom.
I am proud of the persistence, bravery, and positive
learning attitudes of my students at Calle Hernandez primary school. The work and effort of Dina is outstanding
and she serves as a great resource for not only her students and their parents,
but also for us MSU and UNC-W students as well. I am grateful for her motto of
“Demonstration, Not Translation” and
have implemented this teaching and learning technique countless times since my
visit to Calle Hernandez!
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