Growth Mindset-pedagogical Techniques to teach Spanish Grammar to Non-native Speakers: A Research Case Study
Subject Area
Foreign Language Pedagogy
Abstract
As a Spanish Professor, I have seen that many students approach modern foreign language classes with apprehension. We frequently attribute this apprehension to a fixed mindset—the belief that students have a finite set of strengths in the language. Pedagogically speaking, one of the main issues regarding the learning of Spanish, particularly Spanish grammar, is that it has been traditionally approached as an endless list of rules that students should memorize and repeat without any real context of application. These classes are commonly organized in a lecture format reviewing rules and emphasizing memorization. Therefore, assessments are usually geared towards rating the performance of students based on the final results and not focusing on the context and the process that helps them to understand the mechanics of the language. In order to address this challenge my research-based project consists on designing Spanish grammar units using Spanish TV advertisements as primary sources of information accompanied with Growth Mindset messaging as the primary source of feedback and using a deductive methodology that requires students to actively engage in the construction of the grammar rules.
Brief Bio Note
Dr. Sara de Nicolas
Assistant Professor of Spanish at High Point University
Keywords
Growth Mindset, Spanish, Grammar, Pedagogy, Advertisements.
Location
217
Presentation Year
2018
Start Date
4-5-2018 2:15 PM
Embargo
11-3-2017
Recommended Citation
Moreno de Nicolas, Sara, "Growth Mindset-pedagogical Techniques to teach Spanish Grammar to Non-native Speakers: A Research Case Study" (2018). South East Coastal Conference on Languages & Literatures (SECCLL). 17.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/seccll/2018/2018/17
Growth Mindset-pedagogical Techniques to teach Spanish Grammar to Non-native Speakers: A Research Case Study
217
As a Spanish Professor, I have seen that many students approach modern foreign language classes with apprehension. We frequently attribute this apprehension to a fixed mindset—the belief that students have a finite set of strengths in the language. Pedagogically speaking, one of the main issues regarding the learning of Spanish, particularly Spanish grammar, is that it has been traditionally approached as an endless list of rules that students should memorize and repeat without any real context of application. These classes are commonly organized in a lecture format reviewing rules and emphasizing memorization. Therefore, assessments are usually geared towards rating the performance of students based on the final results and not focusing on the context and the process that helps them to understand the mechanics of the language. In order to address this challenge my research-based project consists on designing Spanish grammar units using Spanish TV advertisements as primary sources of information accompanied with Growth Mindset messaging as the primary source of feedback and using a deductive methodology that requires students to actively engage in the construction of the grammar rules.
