For the certificate program, I thought it would be appropriate to take a course that would help to strengthen my skills as a second-language (L2) instructor. Therefore, I elected to take SPAN 6522, an introductory Catalan class taught primarily in the target language (TL), a language with which I was not familiar. Not only was I an active participant of the class, I also examined the teaching methodology utilized in the course and the benefits of using this method in my own college Spanish courses. As a requirement of the course, I turned in several write-ups comparing the professor’s style of teaching with other methodologies embraced in the L2 field.

The first write-up examined a model known as total immersion, which is what the professor selected for this particular section. I noticed this on the first day of class when he introduced himself and the course entirely in Catalan, with the occasional gloss in English or Spanish. This style continued throughout the remainder of the course. The book he selected for the course followed a similar model in that everything was in Catalan, without English or Spanish translations. However, cognates, context clues and images within the text and in the Powerpoint presentations helped students to grasp the material.

The approach to teaching the class was primarily conversationally and task-based driven with each lesson providing real-world usage for the vocabulary and grammar learned. I had not witnessed this in previous L2 classes because, from my own experience, L2 professors spent most of the time on reading and writing activities. At the community-college level, it is important to remember that our students are seeking realistic applications for the material they learn in their classes. Therefore, this course helped me to develop my lesson plans around real-world tasks such as searching for study abroad programs, interviewing for a job, or going to the hospital. Not only do my assignments help my students to learn the language, they also emulate real-life situations that provide my students with linguistic knowledge that can be applied outside the classroom setting. For example, for a previous assignment, I asked my students to search for a position in Spain using the Spanish website Computrabajo and write a cover letter for the job of their choice. The cover letter that my students used to model their own followed a format used in many countries including Spain and the U.S.; therefore, the practical applications of these lessons solidifies language learning and teaches life skills.