Use of target language in the classroom

There is a great deal of research in second language acquisition that supports the sole use of the target language in the foreign language classroom. Some foreign language teachers are skeptical about this idea, but from my own experience I can see how important it is. I remember writing a paragraph when I was in Spanish III and reading the feedback from my teacher when she returned it to me. At the time I was concerned that I had spelled a word wrong, however looking back at it as a Spanish teacher myself, I see something different. I had actually used a grammatical function in my writing that had not yet been introduced, yet I had picked it up (unknowingly so) from the repeated input I received from my teacher. While I spelled one of the words wrong, I was still able to communicate using this structure without direct instruction of it. While direct instruction is very important, using the target language is a key way to demonstrate to students the context in which these functions are used.

Colby University Spanish Language and Culture Website

Colby University's Spanish Language and Culture website is a great tool to use in the classroom if you have a projector or SMART Board available. There are many grammar exercises that help create an interactive learning climate. Also, there are many cultural topics/activities that have been strategically placed to enhance the concepts. I recommend this website!

Wordreference.com

Wordreference.com can be a great resource when translating, or simply looking for a word that you don't know. The best part about this website is that it is not simply a translator or a dictionary. There are forums where you can ask a question about a word, phrase, or topic, and others who are experienced in that area respond to you with reliable information. Many times when translating, a dictionary makes the job harder because it's difficult to choose the correct meaning out of context. The forum resource helps to eliminate that, as well as getting the native speaker perspective of your questions.

Also, there is a wordreference toolbar which is awesome! If you have Mozilla Firefox, it'll go in the upper right hand corner of the window and you simply type in the word you need a translation for, and it will give you the translation. As stated in the previous paragraph, exercise caution when looking up words out of context in a dictionary.

Communication Assignments