Monday, January 12, 2015

Spanish classrooms?

People ask me what I have found to be the biggest difference between the Spanish and American classrooms and I haven't really known how to answer that question.  I don't fully comprehend the events that occur in class because I cannot fully follow the language especially when spoken as fast as it is in conversational settings.  Also, due to the nature of my position and the limitations of my perspective, I am only at one school in all of Spain after all, it is difficult to say for certain. I would not want to paint with too broad of a brush. 

But with those limitations firmly in mind...

My first observations were that Spanish society is far more social than we are in the States.  Spanish children are always touching and/or talk to each other, always... during passing in the halls, lunch, and even class.  It Is typical to see teachers pat students on the back for a good job or give students a playful swat on the back of the head for a silly error (softly, the way we might smack ourselves on the forehead for doing something we should have known not to do).  Conversation and contact is a way of life here.

It put me on edge at first, because it so contrasted with my understanding of school norms.  I have on multiple occasions, though never in a classroom, witnessed boys burst into a wrestling match and once even a friendly fist fight (I didn't know those existed!). The boys were never angry with each other and never did the contact erupt into an actual fight in the way it might between two American boys especially when one of them goes "too far".  Physical contact or play is just a social norm here and although a wrestling match is unlikely to appear in the classroom, it is not uncommon for a boy to flick the ear of a distracted student next to him or for a student to be poked with the end of a sharpened pencil or given a rather rough backrub by the seatmate behind him or whatever the case may be.  The general agreement seems to be that as long as it doesn't cause a distraction to the other, uninvolved students, all is fair. And I would say that in general, these things go mostly unnoticed.

More than the physical contact, it is the desire to talk that stands out as the biggest difference for me.  Spanish classrooms are rarely quiet.  My instinctive reaction is to interpret it as unproductive.  For me, it looks a little chaotic with students interrupting the teacher with questions and wonderings about tangentially related topics.  Don't misunderstand me, I don't expect silence in my classes but there are times that are better suited for conversations than others.  When my American students are solving problems in the classroom or in lab, I expect small group discussons and encourage them to question the content and the process as they work to understand the material.  These interactions are an important and necessary part of the learning process.

However, while observing a class one day, the chaotic exchanges between various students and the teacher began to look different to me.  There was a legitimate academic conversation taking place and while the norms of the conversation differed from those I am accustomed to, it was clearly a productive exchange between an engaged class and a knowledgeable teacher.  The students freely expressed both their doubt of some aspects of the topic as well as their desire for clarification of certain components.  They connected the content with their everyday lives and had questions about how the topic could be used to explain their observations. 

After this event, I have noticed it much more often, perhaps because my Spanish is slightly improved.  I love the boldness with which these students ask questions.  They are seemingly unencumbered by the stigma that might be attached to asking the perceived "stupid" question.

I live for these experiences in my own classroom and work to create an environment where kids feel safe enough and free enough to express their curiosity.  But, I admit that it can be a struggle.  There are many factors that act to quell the curious nature of young learners.  I fear that our tendency in the States to pack more content and students in the time and space available is amoung those factors.

Nonetheless, I now observe my Spanish classes with a fresh eye and am excited to get back to having those experiences with my own students.

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