Foreign Language Learning Autobiography
Name:_________________________________________ L-number________________________________
Please answer the following questions as thoughtfully as possible, so that we can get to know each other. Print out and bring to the next class as part of your homework.
Placement: Let’s make sure you are in the correct class. Please describe your foreign language history:
1.
What level was the last Spanish class you had, and where did you take it?________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
2.
How long ago did you take that class?_____________________________________________________
3.
How did you do in your previous Spanish classes, and how did you feel about them?_______________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
4.
What are your feelings about taking this class? _____________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
5.
Think back on classes you have taken (not necessarily foreign language classes) that you really liked, and classes you have taken that you really despised. What was it that made you like them or despise them?
Good Bad
6.
Now, think about teachers you thought were good and bad. What traits make you classify them as good or bad?
Good Bad
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7.
Complete the following statement –
For me, foreign language is like…
8.
How is your anxiety level going into this class? If it is high, is there anything you can do to control it?
9.
What are your goals for this class? This semester?
10.
What are your passions? Mine are cooking, reading, travelling, and keeping up on current events. I want to know about yours.
11.
What is your major? Minor? If you haven’t chosen one yet, what areas are you leaning toward?
Notes from your professor about this class and this semester.
Here is what I hope will happen this semester: a.
You will gain confidence in your ability to learn and use Spanish. b.
You will gain flexibility in career and educational choices. c.
You will gain prerequisite skills to prepare you for additional experiences in Spanish. d.
You will progress in reading, writing, listening to, and speaking Spanish, and work effectively in groups. e.
You will learn about foreign language through real-world applications and see connections between foreign language and other disciplines. And you will learn about what the cultures of Spanishspeaking countries are like. f.
You will find our classroom to be a non-threatening environment, where you are encouraged to ask questions and where making mistakes is OK.
It has been said that you do not have to be a natural talent to succeed in a foreign language. What is necessary is an open mind, risk-taking and hard work. I hope that you will keep this in mind this semester and in all of your other classes as well.
1.
Any comments about what you just read?
2.
Any final comments? Is there anything additional that you want me to know?
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