Ann Sittig
asittig@shastacollege.edu
TEACHING BEYOND CONTENT
Rationale: One of the main academic goals in the Spanish language classroom
is to provoke and develop critical thinking and tolerance, especially in the state of
California, where, as of 2009, more than half of elementary school students are
now of Spanish speaking heritage. Creating a respectful and safe environment
for class discussion teaches students the art of dialogue, an art I feel all students
receiving a higher educational degree must possess and exercise in both their
personal and professional lives.
Materials:
Syllabus
Instructor example and modeling
Music
Artwork
Student organizations
Service learning and community outreach
Description:
Syllabus
I include a clause that stresses what is most important to me in my
syllabus, and at the end of the first class session I make sure they can tell
someone else in the class and me what that statement is. I review it again on the
second day of class. I try to make this goal unforgettable to them. The syllabus
and first day of class is the first and most important impression we make on
students, so we should use the punch it packs to our benefit.
This is the statement I include on my syllabus:
You are expected to treat your instructor and your classmates with respect and to
contribute to group projects. We all have an equal right to be here so no
disrespect towards classmates will be tolerated.
Instructor example and modeling
I try to treat everyone with respect, and monitor myself constantly.
I explain we only talk one at a time, and we listen to each other.
We don’t laugh at others or make fun of them.
When a bad thought about someone arises, we suppress it.
I tell them how to talk to their partner in a supportive way.
I explain appropriate test taking behavior.
I assist each of them with their work or other problems, and urge them to
do the same.
Music
Music is the backdrop for my subject matter. What is the backdrop for
yours? I bring in all types of music as each one will appeal to different individuals
in class. Music affects students at a deeper level and appeals to the senses,
opening the affective domain. I use the songs as a listening activity, but I often
show the videos on YouTube afterwards, to provide an auditory and visual
experience that helps them make cultural comparisons more thoroughly.
Artwork
I bring and pass around books about Diego Rivera, David Alfaro
Siqueiros, José Clemente Orozco (the fathers of Mexican muralism), Frida Kahlo,
and contemporary Latino artists, and we use these books at all of our
presentations on campus.
Student organizations
Student clubs are a perfect place to invite dialogue in an open and
respectful environment. In Spanish it is called tertulia, a time when people come
together to enjoy and participate in the art of dialogue. Amigos Unidos is a place
where I model this cultural component that USA really needs to master. I bring
the food, give about five minutes of announcements, and then just see what
comes up. You’d be amazed!
Service learning and community outreach
I model this by participating in Eighth Grade Career Day, Cinco de Mayo,
Día de los Muertos, César Chávez March, Latino Awards Luncheon, and
Bilingual Library Readings. I urge them to come with me so that they can use
their Spanish and experience the Latino community in their area. They are now
my bilingual diplomats out in the community. This year I hope to include a
service learning component in which they will help students who are going to
apply for citizenship, or tutor ESL students. I try to help them see the connection
between my subject matter and the community, and help them build that bridge
between the classroom and the community.
Processing:
A few years ago I realized that many of the people I knew who were
“educated” did not possess the type of tolerance and respect I felt higher
education should have provided. At that point this became the heart of my
curriculum, and I tell students that if they don’t learn to respect others that are
different from them and dialogue with them, then I don’t feel they have acquired
the most basic goal of higher education. Stating this in the syllabus makes the
goal clear from the beginning. Modeling the behavior and actively enforcing it
reinforces the practice. Music and artwork appeal to the senses and embed
tolerance and respect for other cultures and ways of life deeper within students.
Student organizations and service learning provide a format for practicing
dialogue beyond the classroom in the community, with students now modeling
respect and tolerance as a way of life.