Notes from the Ridge

¿Quisiera usted el español con su café?

Thanks to Ewan McIntosh’s link to John and David’s Podcast Directory, I was provided with an overview of the Spanish language learning site: Coffee Break Spanish “Language Learning with your Latte.” The site allows users to learn the Spanish language at their own pace, providing all the tools necessary to develop confidence in one’s ability to listen to, speak, read and write it.

Podcasts are free to listen to, while paid members receive bonus support materials like .pdf language guides and additional podcasts containing practice quizzes, musical reviews, and relaxation techniques. Hmmmm…. I’m a middle school teacher. Yes, I’ll have some relaxation, please! You can hear a sample of the bonus materials via the following link:

Lastly, members receive .jpeg flash cards as well as the ability to add iPod Notes to their downloads. Payment options for these extra features break out as follows: Monthly ($16) or Quarterly ($44) via Paypal subscription.

An extra cool aspect of this service is the fact that the show’s hosts, Mark and Kara, are Scottish! I don’t know why that’s extra cool, other than the fact that it’s one more accent my ears get to listen to… I like the setup, though. Mark is an experienced Language teacher with more than 10 years experience delivering online lessons, while Kara is a beginning Spanish student – someone we can learn with – who also knows a bit of French, Japanese, Mandarin, and Norwegian!

Forget Netflix, I’m Sticking with Coffee!

In an earlier post about the PodcastPeople, I mentioned my on again, off again relationship with Netflix. Coffee Break Spanish might delay me from re-igniting that love affair for a while.

I teach at a middle school with a Latino population hovering around 65%. I would venture to say that 20% of these 6th, 7th, and 8th graders are enrolled in the ESOL program, and I can count on at least three to five Spanish only speaking students in my classes – leaving about 20 or so who speak English, but are still working on its Standard academic uses. These numbers fluctuate throughout the year, but you get the picture.
As you can see, I have a functional need to learn the Spanish language. Sure, I could take Mike Gallagher’s “This is America, please speak English” approach, but the simple fact of it is that learning Spanish makes me a better educator, because I am able to forge relationships with my Spanish-speaking Technology students as they see me floundering about making mistakes that quite literally crack them up!

You see, by putting my self out there and being willing to make what can be some fairly embarrassing mistakes, I am modeling the type of academic behavior I want to see in my ESOL students. Trust me, as a man, when you are trying to say “I am embarrassed,” and it comes out “Yo soy embarasada,” you turn a deep shade of red once you realize that you have just explained to your students that you are pregnant! Woah, Nelly!

Risk taking is a huge part of learning. I can challenge my ESOL students to be bolder with their English language skills, but by modeling it, I can show them.

Technorati Tags: Coffee Break Spanish, EFL, ESOL, language acquisition

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