I've been thinking lately about my expectations with my students, particularly my Spanish 3s. I expect a lot out of them and I challenge them. I want them to increase their proficiency level in Spanish, to experience other cultures, to get better all of the time. BUT, I am not sure if they are having fun. I know that there have been engaged in a number of activities and projects that we have done, particularly when we have used technology or they have had the opportunity to be creative. So, can these two concepts co-exist in the intermediate to advanced foreign language classroom? There are times when fun does not equal using the language and times when the challenge discourages some and the end result is that they don't use the language.
Whatever my students say or feel about Spanish, the three emotions that I don't want from them is: stress, discouragement or apathy about the language. I will give my students an end of year survey to find out what they enjoyed about Spanish this year. I want to know where they grew most, what areas discouraged them or helped them learn.
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