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Intercultural Conflicts: Practical Questions
by Lauris on 5/22/2014
The other day I was recalling some situations that I have witnessed where my intercultural know-how left me a little short or simply wasn’t there. Those moments have made me reflect on how I can help our students avoid… more »
The Spanish Teacher as a Guide
by Lauris on 5/8/2014
A Guide on the Road to Intercultural CompetenceDuring the last few weeks we’ve seen how some Europeans are shocked when they discover the daily schedule of the “average” Spaniard. They frown when they hear that we go… more »
Spanish Stereotypes: Ocho apellidos vascos
by Lauris on 3/27/2014
I assume that all teachers of Spanish as a foreign language, or all teachers of any language for that matter, feel quite pleased when they come across relevant material they can use in the classroom. We’re constantly… more »
A Movie Game for Spanish Class
by Lauris on 2/27/2014
There is a “professional illness” that relentlessly attacks us Spanish as a foreign language teachers and which permanently affects sufferers: our eyes become scanners in search of real life material to use for… more »
Spanish - Memorization and Learning
by Lauris on 2/20/2014
As teachers of Spanish as a foreign language (ELE), of whom many of us work with groups of multi-national students, we are faced on a daily basis with an issue that usually puts us in one predicament or another: to… more »
Spanish Movies Awards Pay Tribute to the Work of Teachers
by Lauris on 2/13/2014
Living is easy with eyes closedSpanish film’s 2014 Goya awards took place this week and I loved one winner in particular because it touched a soft spot in my heart: the award for best feature length film went to Vivir… more »
Reported Speech in Spanish - Part One
by Lauris on 12/26/2013
Repeating what others say or saidWhen faced with the challenge of explaining to students about the use of reported speech (discurso referido or estilo indirecto, whichever you prefer) Spanish teachers often present a… more »
Dealing With Sexist Language (or not)
by Lauris on 12/12/2013
Gender Issues in the Spanish LanguageI have on occasion used the following story to remind my students of the importance of gender related grammatical elements in Spanish, especially for English speakers, who don’t… more »
Haste Makes Waste in Spanish Lessons
by Lauris on 12/5/2013
The other day I was in a city in the north of Tenerife, called Icod de los Vinos, and was witness to a tradition that occurs in this city every November 29th: young people riding on greased boards racing down some of… more »
Curious Facts about the Spanish Language
by Lauris on 11/28/2013
Learning Spanish by playingPlay is one of the most universal forms of learning. Young animals engage in play to perfect the survival skills they’ll need to possess as adults. As children play, they develop behavior… more »