1 Initial feelings
Initial Feelings
In this section, you will reflect on how you feel when you speak Spanish.
We recognise the importance of our emotions and affect when we speak Spanish. The activities in this part will help you to get a sense of how you feel.
Throughout this book, you will think about these feelings and reflect on how they change or are modified in response to the concept of the ‘ideal’ Spanish speaker.
Let’s think
- Which of these (if any) is most closely associated with how you feel when speaking Spanish?
- Are there any feelings not listed you would also associate with speaking Spanish? Where in your body do you feel these feelings?
Teaching Tip
Body Mapping can be used for students to visually add their emotions to a gingerbread person cut out. Get a copy of an editable worksheet here.
Alternatively, students can trace life-sized outlines of their own bodies and decorate these with collage materials. See examples from our research.
You can always use the Word document we used!
Look at these examples!
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- Example 1 Body Map with Feelings
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- Example 2 Body Map with Feelings
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- Example 3 Body Map with Feelings
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- Example 4 Body Map with Feelings
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- Example 5 Body Map with Feelings
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- Example 6 Body Map with Feelings
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- Example 7 Body Map with Feelings
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- Example 8 Body Map with Feelings
Let’s think a little bit more
- Can you think of other ways you could feel when speaking Spanish?
- How do you think most people feel about speaking Spanish in your context (class, family, country)?
- How did this way of feeling become so common?
Take a few minutes to discuss the following
- Who might feel differently from you about speaking Spanish in your context?
- Why do you think you feel the way you do about speaking Spanish in your context?
- How do your feelings about speaking Spanish impact your ability to do so?
Let’s get to work
Look at the ways people feel about speaking an additional/foreign language.
- What feelings do they mention?
- What assumptions do they show about how people should feel when speaking Spanish (or another language )?
- What could be the impacts of these assumptions?
Let’s watch the following video, write our thoughts and share them with the group.
Let’s get to work
Please watch the following Ted Talk and answer the following questions.
- Do you agree/disagree? Why?
- Why do we struggle to learn languages?
- Do you feel related to this person? If so, why?
Notes
Write down your answers to the following questions:
- Should everyone try to feel a particular way when speaking Spanish? What would this be and why?
- Do all people always feel this way? What might result in some people feeling differently?
Examples of People speaking Spanish
Let’s think
- What are some similarities and differences in how the people in the examples seem to feel about Spanish?
- Why might they feel this way?
- How does this make you feel as a fellow Spanish speaker?
(Re) start
Let’s think
Examine your description of your feelings about speaking Spanish from the start of this section.
- Can you identify why you might have felt that way about speaking Spanish? Where did these feelings come from?
- How do you think these feelings about speaking Spanish influence your actions, relations with others and overall progress in learning Spanish?
Notes
Write down your answers to the following questions:
- Comment on what you have learned from the activities about yourself, feelings/emotions, and speaking in Spanish.
- Has your thinking changed in any way?
