Juliana's Journey to Learning Spanish by Juliana S

julianaasweet — 2024-04-23 23:09:33 UTC

I listened to this story and understood most of this! I was so proud of myself!

Beginning to Use it in the Classroom

julianaasweet — 2024-04-23 23:10:53 UTC

I began really using my Spanish in the classroom by echoing what my students said in English, in Spanish. (2/15)

Beginning of the Journey

julianaasweet — 2024-04-23 23:14:32 UTC

I have just began Duolingo! It is January 29.

julianaasweet — 2024-04-23 23:15:13 UTC

Beginning to listen to Spanish stories! (2/18)

Almost to the end of the semester!

julianaasweet — 2024-05-06 21:16:50 UTC

(4/29)

julianaasweet — 2024-05-06 21:18:14 UTC

Duolingo update! Hit a 50 streak! (3/20)

Another Duolingo Update!

julianaasweet — 2024-05-06 21:18:56 UTC

(4/7)

Goals

julianaasweet — 2024-05-06 21:20:01 UTC

I hope that I can really use and understand some basic phrases by the end of this. I hope it becomes a little more automatic and fluid (since I know full bilingualism is not a possibility, haha!)

March Reflection

julianaasweet — 2024-05-06 21:21:05 UTC

I definitely hit a lull here. I started to use more streak freezes and really had to make myself do it. But I have started working on a book/ dictionary of sorts.

Growth

julianaasweet — 2024-05-06 21:25:22 UTC

I began the journey, essentially not knowing any Spanish. I have ended the journey with being able to ask for help both verbally and written. Necessitas ayuda? It is no longer something that I have to look up and think about. I just have it off the top of my head! The thing I struggle with the most is listening, still. Even when listening to the stories, I rely a lot on transcriptions. I can usually pick out words and phrases that I know, but it is a lot of piecing together.

The Journey

julianaasweet — 2024-05-06 21:26:58 UTC

The journey was hard. I definitely hit a point in March when it was the last thing on my list when my plate was really full. I used a lot of freeze streaks, but I would then take extra time on the weekends to bring myself back into the journey by listening to stories on YouTube meant for beginning learners.

Final Thoughts

julianaasweet — 2024-05-06 21:30:08 UTC

Besides allowing myself to enjoy a hobby not usually required by school, I was able to better understand my new to country students that have limited or no English skills. It is confusing and difficult when I listened and still are listening to stories without any supports. It was a good exercise in empathy and really getting a sense of what my students are going through and what they are facing when learning a new language. This takeaway was not even something that I planned to happen, but it really is a great way for teachers to get some sense of what their students may be going through. I definitely would not be prepared if I was thrown into a full Spanish speaking space.

During the Month of February

julianaasweet — 2024-05-06 21:38:38 UTC

This recording is an example of how I used Spanish in the Classroom!

A little classroom tradition!

julianaasweet — 2024-05-06 21:42:05 UTC

A student and I have a new thing every morning where we greet each other in Spanish and she tries to push me along in conversation. (3/4-15)

julianaasweet — 2024-05-06 21:49:36 UTC

Used Duolingo Podcasts (2/2)- This was really challenging.

The (Not Really) Final Product

julianaasweet — 2024-05-08 17:53:41 UTC

I worked on this from around April 4- May 8!