About Cristina:
-Post-graduate Certificate of Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language, Autonomous University of Barcelona
-Degree in Slav Philology at University of Barcelona
-DELE Examiner
Responsible for steering our curriculum, and serving as chief adviser to our teachers, Cristina is our highly experienced and ever-enthusiastic Academic Coordinator. She has over a decade of experience teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language, and knows the standards of the Instituto Cervantes inside and out, having taught at Centers in Istanbul and Moscow. Having been exposed to many different student profiles, Cristina was well-prepared to join our team of educators at Hong Kong Spanish World, where she quickly distinguished herself as a standout teacher.
From Barcelona, Spain, Cristina studied Philology at the Universidad de Barcelona. She has taught Catalan, as well as Spanish, and also speaks basic Russian, Turkish, and French.
Parte del proceso
By Cristina Serra
Hay cosas en la vida que son completamente inevitables, y una de ellas es cometer errores cuando estamos aprendiendo algo nuevo (sea un idioma, a conducir o a resolver ecuaciones de segundo grado).
Los que tenemos una cierta edad, o un gusto particular por el cine de los años 80, recordaremos cómo el maestro Miyagi enseña al joven Daniel que es la práctica la que hace al maestro: “aprenderás a dar puñetazos cuando aprendas a mantenerte seco” le dice, mientras Daniel lucha por mantener el equilibrio de pie sobre una barca. El chico asume que acabar mojado es parte del proceso, persevera y acaba aprendiendo.
Una clase en la que los estudiantes se atreven a cometer errores es una clase en la que se habla con libertad y sin vergüenza, una clase en la que se avanza. Los docentes tenemos la responsabilidad de ofrecer a nuestros alumnos una nueva perspectiva un asunto que para algunos puede resultar tan delicado. Pero, ¿cómo podemos hacerlo?
Todo pasa por normalizar los errores: hacer ver a los estudiantes que la mayoría de los errores no impiden la comunicación y que en todo momento se sientan seguros en clase, a pesar de los muchos errores que puedan cometer.
Aunque el idioma de las clases es obviamente el español, en ocasiones, sobre todo en los cursos iniciales, usamos el inglés como lengua vehicular para aclarar conceptos más abstractos (o incluso para fomentar la socializacion entre docentes y estudiantes). Para mí, ser el ejemplo vivo de que se puede ser comunicativo a pesar de cometer errores de gramática o pronunciación en una lengua que no es la nuestra, es una oportunidad de enseñanza bastante importante.
Mención especial merece, por supuesto, el uso del juego -la gamificación- como herramienta para la normalización de los errores, pero ese es asunto al que se dedicará su propio artículo.
Para terminar, y volviendo al cine de los años 80, hagamos caso al maestro Miyagi e ignoremos el poco pedagógico consejo de Yoda en El imperio contraataca “Hazlo o no lo hagas. No te limites a intentarlo”, recordemos además que la gramática no era precisamente el punto fuerte del maestro jedi.
Part of the process
There are some things in life that are unavoidable and making mistakes is one of them, especially when learning something new (whether a new language, driving, or solving quadratic equations).
Those of us of a certain age, or with a particular taste for 80s movies, will remember master Miyagi teaching young Daniel that practice makes perfect. “You will learn to punch when you lear how to stand”, he tells him, while Daniel struggles to keep his balance on a boat. The boy assumes that falling is part of the process, perseveres… and learns.
A class in which students dare to make mistakes is a class in which the language is used with confidence and with no trace of embarrassment, a class in which things move forward. Teachers hold the responsibility to present our students with a new perspective over this sometimes delicate topic. But, how can we achieve it?
The key is normalizing mistakes: making the students realize that most mistakes are not a hindrance to effective communication, and help them feel that the classroom is a safe space in which mistakes are allowed.
The language used in classes is course Spanish, but sometimes, more often in initial levels, we make use of English as a bridge language to clarify abstract or difficult concepts (or as a socializing tool). In my opinion, being a live example of how it is possible to be communicatively effective in an acquired language, is a very important teaching opportunity.
Gamification deserves a special mention as a tool for the normalization of mistakes, and a whole article will be written about it in due time.
To sum up, and going back to the 80s cinema, let’s listen to Miyagi and ignore the poorly pedagogical piece of advice that Yoda gave Luke “Do or do not. There is no try”, keep in mind that grammar was not exactly the Jedi master’s strongest point.
