Learning Spanish on the Internet

"Can I use the Internet to teach my kids Spanish at home?". The Internet is the most valuable resource that will ever be accessible in terms of language learning. What a most wonderful tool!!! To begin with, it is a true source of real life material. There are the "native" Spanish sites, from all the Spanish speaking countries, and that in and of itself is a precious asset. We can just look for a site in any subject of interest: food, sports, travel, news, entertainment... You name it. And of course we can do searches that are age-appropriate. Then we have the countless free lessons which give us a basic foundation for the language, grammar explanations, different videos, audio, stories, songs... So it looks like we have everything we need to learn Spanish right at our finger tips, and all depending on what we need.

If we just want to have a broad idea on how to communicate in Spanish at a basic level of identifying ourselves and our immediate surroundings, asking for plain food items, doing some shopping and having some words to work our way around directions, then yes, we have a more or less good chance to get what we need out of the Internet, provided that we spend some time surfing doing a little research on what is available, and what suits us best.

If we are looking for games, activities and music to supplement and encourage our kids learning of Spanish, then the above conditions will apply too: hours of thorough surfing, searching and researching, and then choosing what we find most appropriate.

But, if we are looking to provide our kids with a solid foundation in Spanish, if we are seeking to give them a comprehensive approach incorporating grammar, vocabulary, culture, practice, writing, reading and speaking, in other words, if we want to give them a true education, then we are going to need some additional help with the Internet. If we want to count with the accumulated work and expertise of a team of applied linguists and educational designers, that spend thousands of hours putting together appropriate vocabulary in context that builds upon itself by recycling words in strategic ways, with a productive incorporation and explanation of grammar, as well as facilitating study guidelines, speaking, reading and writing skills, and finally a self-evaluation plan that can adequately indicate what needs improvement, then Internet can be the optimum choice to provide students at home with an efficient and appropriate Spanish program. If we want to offer our kids the best possible education in Spanish, then Internet can help us find a program such as that one as well: BlueBell Spanish.

Hasta pronto!!

Learning Spanish: Myth Five - Speaking is the best way to learn Spanish

Speaking Spanish is the goal but, when it comes down to foreign languages, speaking them can barely be the means to reach it. Why? Well, first, because obviously we don't speak them, so what can we say? And secondly, because besides speaking Spanish, we want to do so in the most effective way, in other words, we want to sound as good as possible, just as we would in our native language. This second feature requires education, besides exposure to the oral language, just like a well educated English speaker has more command of the language than a more poorly educated one. And what is an indisputable tool of education, that both self-educated and academically educated people have relied on? Reading.

When it comes down to learning a foreign language the way that feels most natural and comfortable to a majority of people is to read the language. First of all, it is easier to understand, mainly because it can be visualized and more easily identified, since the sounds are very foreign to us, but the letters that are used are still the same ones (when it comes down to the regular Western languages). Second, Spanish -unlike English- happens to be a very phonetic language, meaning it has simple and systematic spelling rules, so we can easily learn how to read it and start getting used to pronouncing those "foreign" sounds. Thirdly, reading gives us more time to think about what is being communicated. It also gives us time to analyze the grammar, to "visualize" how the language is working, how the words are relating to one another.

These features above are helpful at all stages of language learning, and almost exclusive in the beginning stages. As we learn more and more, by also hearing the language along with practicing the reading out loud, we are able to rely less on the written, and more on the spoken language, as we feel more comfortable understanding it. But in addition to this, the written language is the quintessential tool of education, and what happens as we advance in the speaking ability is that, if we want to continue polishing our skills and knowledge in the language, our effort in the reading and writing will always be carrying our progress in our ability to speak it.

So what is the best educational approach for our children to learn Spanish? If we want them to not only speak, but also be effective communicators, then a program that develops their reading and writing skills, as well as oral communication, is the best choice.

You do expose your children to an English reading and writing program, correct? And you do think that reading in English is a good way of expanding their education, do you not? Well, this is the original English version of the video above, which wants to make a call to the appeal of that reading bug.

Hasta luego!!

Learning Spanish: Myth Four - Young Children Learn Faster

I could provide you with countless links, showing you expert research claiming one or another aspect that presents evidence that the younger the student, the faster they learn Spanish. So who should I listen to?

Well, in my twenty years of experience as a Spanish teacher, I would like to appeal to your everyday common sense. Scientific research goes on specific variables, and those specific variables are affected by so many other specific variables that it is quite impossible to come to a definite answer regarding age and foreign language learning.

I have taught students from the age of 4 to the age of 80, and I have been just as impressed by their progress, no matter their age. As a teacher, all I have to do is consider the factors that are most beneficial for the particular students, and apply a method that is best suited to them. Obviously, a 70 year old will not enjoy jumping up and down, while singing and playing in Spanish, and this learning style will be quite detrimental to his or her progress. Yet, they can understand complex grammatical explanations, especially given in the appropriate context, and they can make communication leaps that a five year old couldn't accomplish, simply because the child does not even have that communicative ability in his/her own language.

So is age a factor in how fast a student can learn a language? My position, based on my experience as a teacher, as a mother who helped three children become bilingual, and as an academic researcher, is that age is not a factor in language learning ability. The most important factor to consider, that by all means supersedes age, is motivation. The more a language program is able to keep students interested in using the language, the more successful their language acquisition will be.

Hasta luego!

Learning Spanish: Myth Three - Grammar is not helpful

There has been a popular tendency, backed by certain research, to believe that grammar makes learning a foreign language more difficult. Many Spanish programs just emphasize the communication aspect, and do their best to go around any grammar explanations. Is grammar a bad thing, then?

Well, first comes language, and then we come up with something to analyze it with. That is called grammar, so it is true that when we first learn to speak, and until we become analytical, we have no need for any grammar whatsoever, we simply speak, and pick up the language naturally. That is called a native language. But... What is the difference between learning Spanish as a native language and learning Spanish as a foreign language?

• A native language is learned in a natural environment, where everybody speaks that language, and we observe the use of it in thousands of situations by different people every moment of every day. In contrast, a foreign language is learned in an artificial environment, with an actual exposure of an hour a day, at best, in a very limited number of situations, where nobody speaks the language except for, maybe, one person: the teacher.
• When we learn our native language we do not know any other. We have no assumptions on the way people communicate. We know nothing, and we are willing to learn everything. When we learn a foreign language, we cannot identify ourselves with any of it, because we already perceive our native language as the "natural" way. It is hard for us to detach all that knowledge that has shaped us for so many years. We are so used to it, we think it is our very selves. Learning a foreign language feels like if we had to give up all we know, and start all over again. Imagine if they say to you: Now walk out of your house, and leave all your belongings, money, possessions, family and friends and move to a foreign country with nothing." Pretty scary. That is how we feel about a foreign language.

So we can see that there are actual strong physical and emotional aspects that completely set apart the way that we learn Spanish as foreign language, and the way that we learn Spanish as a native language. There is one thing that can bridge this immense difference, and help us find some common ground, to advance faster and make up for all the difficulties that a foreign language presents to us. Grammar is the bridge. Grammar teaches us how a language works, and it does so in our own language, so we can first understand what this grammar looks like, and feel more comfortable about applying it.

Grammar is not the goal; it is the means to help us communicate. It is like crutches we lean on. In the beginning we may have to rely on it more, and think more about it, and it appears as if it slows down our learning process, because we cannot be "spontaneous". But as we become more exposed to the language, we think about the grammar less and speak more. In addition, grammar helps us learn about our own language, in other words, it educates us, and this is the reason why preparing our kids with a solid educational and communicative Spanish program will be crucial to help their success in college.

Well, it is important to understand that learning foreign languages does take time (no "learn to speak Spanish in 8 weeks", sorry) and sometimes grammar gets confused and transferred back and forth in our heads, from one language to another, until we are exposed to enough situations and communication with the languages.

Here is a typical example of what happens with all that grammar in our heads when we try to communicate. It may look like a bad thing, but actually, it is very good. This wonderful kid tries his best to explain his story. It is not clear what foreign language this class teaches, but the student is a native Spanish speaker. If you want to know what happened (I could understand it only when his friend briefly said it in Spanish), this is more or less the gist: The "poor" kid goes to a bar, and tries to be "cute" by "stealing" a glass. Apparently he was caught, and he got a highly disproportionate reaction from the employees. He is still in shock. That may be the reason why he is so confused as to what language to use, but he certainly deserves lots of credit, for his honesty, and his eagerness to communicate.

Hasta pronto!

Learning Spanish: Myth Two - Games make it easy to learn

As always, it is best to find a balance between work and pleasure, and this is also the case when teaching children. We want to make their learning pleasurable, but we don't want to cancel the value of the effort they need to put into their work, because without it, there will be no progress.

Some Spanish programs emphasize the "fun" part to the point of making the language so irrelevant, that kids just focus on the games themselves. True, they may learn a couple of words they need for playing, but they are not even considering those words outside of the context of the game, and they are unable to extend their meaning, and apply it in other situtations. It's sort of like when we remember a commercial, but we have no idea what they were advertising.

Incorporating games and fun activities when teaching Spanish to our kids is a profitable idea, if it is within in a larger context that keeps them also studying, practicing, and not just acquiring the Spanish for basic use, but also learning about the language and the rich diversity of the Spanish speaking world.

Here is a page where you can add some fun to your children's Spanish classes: BLUEBELLSONGS .

Enjoy.

Learning Spanish: Myth One - Learn Spanish FAST!!

This may be one of the most popular showcases of "Learning Spanish" videos on the net. It has gathered about two million viewers. While Mike does not really know how to speak in Spanish, he certainly tries his best to remember the higlights of his first semester Spanish class. That is called "motivation", and it is one of the most important factors in learning a foreign language.



Well, how fast did Mike learn Spanish? Not as fast as he would have liked.

So if Mike, with all his eagerness, did not manage to "learn" Spanish, what are the hopes for the rest of us? Does he have a learning disability?

Actually, poor Mike is quite smart. He understands that the best thing to learn a language is to stretch the imagination and abilities to the limit, that is, to be creative, and to be unafraid of making mistakes. These are the golden rules. USE IT, whichever way you can. We all try to do our best, so it is assumed that when we hear a foreigner speaking our language, that person is doing an amazing job to try to communicate with us. And that effort is the very means by which s/he will learn. The mistakes are the learning tools, and all the speakers the exchange of communication, are his/her teachers.

So how fast can we really learn Spanish? In two weeks? In a month? In one semester? That all depends on what is considered "learning". It depends on our needs. If we just want to travel, and to have some basic skills to go to the police station, say our name, and address, and tell them we are lost, we can do that in an hour. If we also want to communicate at a restaurant, and tell them what we want (and most importantly, do NOT want) to eat, then it may take as much as a week. If also we want to be able to find directions, then that requires a bit longer. And in all this, our ability will be 100% based on some memorized vocabulary and sentences. Most of them we will be able to articulate, but barely understand if a native speaker says them to us.

Learning a foreign language is a complex process. How long did it take us to learn our native one? 3 years? How well did we speak it when we were five? And let's not forget that at that time of our lives, we are more capable of learning than we will ever be again.

So now our children need at least two years of a foreign language for college. That is in America. In Europe, a foreign language is required since kindergarten, and soon after a second foreign language is added to their educational curriculum.

As parents who are educators, what do we want our children to get out of learning a foreign language? It depends on our idea of the skills we want to teach them. Spanish is the most popular foreign language in the US. Actually it is almost a second language, and a first one in some States. So we certainly want our children to be able to successfully function in a world that values Spanish as a means of communication. Thus, we can say that the ability to communicate is the number one priority. Is that all? Well, there are different aspects of communication, there is oral, and there is written. Do we want our kids to also be able to use the language as an educated speaker, or as Mike, who just has his very specific interests with girls?

What do you think a college wants? They want grammar, they want spelling, they want cultural knowledge. How fast can our children acquire those? Well, I like to think of myself as a life long learner, so the sky is the limit for a personal approach. And if we are to aim for the higher educatin approach for our children, then a well paced and structured two-three year academic program with an emphasis in communication is the solution.

I think Mike didn't like college too much, though. I am a native Spanish speaker, and I do my best as well to understand what he may mean, and I believe that he is saying in the following interview that "La universidad muy mal" or something like that. Just watch for yourself and judge how fast he is learning the non-academic way:

Hasta la vista!!!!