Today we are all immersed in a world full of challenges and opportunities. Therefore, as educators we are called to constantly search for new and dynamic methodological strategies that guarantee the learning of our students. The educational field especially brings with it not only the pedagogical responsibility of the teacher to guarantee the learning of the students, but also requires from our part a commitment to human beings eager for knowledge and full of the innate energy of childhood and youth.
Considering the above, as an educator I seek an approach that goes beyond the pedagogical and that makes it possible to incorporate the student as the protagonist of his or her own language learning project. I am fully convinced that a great and harmonious atmosphere within the educational space significantly promotes student participation and acts as a fundamental axis in the development of communicative skills necessary in the language learning process. According to my experience as an educator at all school levels, including college, I can confirm that proposing playful, organized, attractive and methodologically well-structured activities to students, such as songs, poetry readings, stories, comic strips, plays and videos, among others, make possible not only the acquisition of language but also the enjoyment of language learning. I have understood through the years of my pedagogical practice that all those who face the learning of a language, manage to learn it to the extent that they find in the teacher the confidence and security to express themselves, which as I have mentioned is directly related to the effective intervention of the teacher.
As an educator, I understand that approaching a language broadens our panorama and exposing students to the knowledge and recognition of other cultures helps them to reaffirm their identity and to recognize the importance of the other in a world we all share. Hence, I promote respect for life, culture, and individuality within the educational space.
Considering that the learning of a second language implies grammar instruction, I propose as an educator that this instruction should not become the fundamental axis of the encounters with the students, but that my objective is based more on the interaction of the students with the language through methodological practices that aim at the interaction with the language and that favor communication. This methodology is based on new theories for the acquisition of a second language and its effectiveness is evident when after a few days of work with the students, they make use of the language almost without realizing that they are doing it. Some of these activities propose the distinction of similar and/or different characteristics between objects or situations, reflections on culture through dialogues, comparisons between sports, daily routines, and healthy living, etc.
I also recognize the importance of technology now and agree with its uses in the acquisition of a second language as long as the activities are created by the educator with a clear educational purpose. I’ve included in my teaching journey: Duolingo, Babel, Busuu, Quizlet, Kahoot and some grammar tutorials for the students.
Although I wish to express that the perfect educator does not exist, but I firmly believe that as educators we are building our noble profession by understanding and respecting the identity and individuality of our students, therefore the effectiveness of the learning process will depend in how capable we are to create tasks that in addition to achieving the acquisition of the language, guarantees the confidence of students to communicate effectively within a society that evolves and that confronts them with constant challenges.