Spanish and World Religions course materials for Darren Witwer's classes Fall 2004 all material copyright Darren Witwer, 2000-2007 unless noted.
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Language learning is a complex and sometimes unsettling experience.  There are many factors involved in feeling confident in the class.  I like to suggest that students think about these factors carefully. Start at the level appropriate to your ability.  While it's obvious that you shouldn't go to a level higher than your ability, it's not so obvious why it's bad to start below your level.  The most important reason is that it is a waste of money.  Also, the apparent simplicity of the material is deceptive.  Attendance, participation and completion of the workbook are essential to success in the class.  In my perspective, the better a student's language ability is, the more I pay attention to these other indicators of academic seriousness.  One other factor is that students who are too advanced for the course usually intimidate students who are at the right level.  Be aware that some people, irrespective of previous language learning experience, may find learning Spanish to be extremely easy, while others may find it to be extremely difficult.  Talents and learning deficiencies are a significant aspect of language learning.  There is no sure way to predict whether or not a student will have difficulty learning Spanish.  However, I have noticed some important tendencies.  visual vs auditory learning -- each of us has a preference for certain sorts of input.  A language class will generally contain both, but it is not always practical to address both in every situation.  Determine the way in which you seem to learn best, and make sure that you are getting that input from me, the tutors or your own efforts. dyslexia and related input-output problems -- I have observed that learning disabilities cause a great deal of trouble in language learning.  These problems are not always insurmountable, but they will require a great deal of time and effort on your part.  If you know you have a condition like this, I highly recommend taking a light load when you take your first Spanish class.  One of the most powerful techniques I have found for this problem is to read text aloud with a qualified tutor listening and rigorously correcting all pronunciation errors.  Comprehension exercises should also be used, but the main focus is the repetition of the text along with a solidification of the associations between visual cues and auditory factors.  This combination of visual/auditory/oral/conceptual skill development provides a mutual reinforcement.  You don't have to be dyslexic to benefit from this.  If you find that you have great difficulty with spelling, and you feel terribly tongue-tied, and your vocabulary is weak, then I highly recommend this technique.  Combine this with the vocabulary acquisition technique mentioned below. algebraic and abstract thinking skills.  If you are able to see underlying structures and formulae behind systems, and apply the structure or formula to other situations (use an algebraic formula, or a pattern), then you will probably find that these skills help you a great deal with the grammar involved in learning a language.  One way to help improve this skill is to diagram sentences.  Break a complex sentence down into subject, verb, direct object, prepositional phrases, clauses, etc.  Then, see if you can swap out different words in the sentence to create a new sentence that follows the same structural pattern. grammatical understanding.  If you already have a solid understanding of grammatical concepts and terms, you have an enormous advantage.  If not, this is completely normal and typical.  Most of us did not learn diddly squat in our English grammar classes.  You will probably get a grasp on these concepts for the first time in a foreign language class.  Do not make the silly assumption that taking English grammar first will help you.  Most students are impervious to grammar rules in their own language, and rely on imprinted habits.  Because these habits don't apply in Spanish, it's like having a fresh start.  musical talent, ear for pitch (sing on key), ability to imitate foreign accents or impersonate voices of others.  It is not unusual for someone to be quite effective in learning a language, but lack this ability.  However, it's fairly rare that the resultant spoken Spanish will not be tainted by a thick accent from the native language, and perhaps extra difficulties with listening comprehension.  There are ways to improve this skill, but it requires a lot effort.  Because there are many people who have thick accents in English, you should assume that to a certain degree, it's just not that important if you just can't break through to sounding like a native.  Henry Kissinger has lived in America for over forty years and he still sounds distinctly "foreign."  Nevertheless, I have observed that talent in this area often translates to talent in language learning.  It is usually present in those who lack the abstract talents mentioned above, but who still have strong ability in Spanish. vocabulary in native language.  In the second year of the program, students are expected to assimilate "college-level" vocabulary so as to be able to make intelligent commentaries on social issues, literature and art.  Students who lack the vocabulary and linguistic structures to do this in their native tongue will find these problems amplified when they begin trying to learn "ten dollar words" in Spanish, or write a review of a story or movie.  Because of this issue, I strongly recommend that you use a journal to learn new vocabulary.  In that journal, write the word, its translation, and then use it in a meaningful sentence.  Learn the word by memorizing that sentence.  Your brain is not designed for memorizing discrete words.  Keep in mind that even newspaper level Spanish language is characterized by a broad vocabulary of what appear to be rather florid words in English.  Learning this vocabulary in Spanish will also improve your English.  Most importantly, it is evident that the higher levels of thinking demand the use of connective expressions to assemble complex sentences.  Words like these: although, nevertheless, however, provided that, unless, as long as, at least, in spite of, because of, therefore, etc. are essential to making intelligent commentaries.  tolerance for uncertainty, ambiguity and divergence from what you are used to.  In many cases, the fact that Spanish is different from English is reason enough to get uncomfortable.  "Why don't they say it like we do?"  Perhaps the single most important skill to develop in language learning is the ability to accept the fact that you won't understand every word you hear, or that you won't be able to account for why you need a definite article in one sentence but not in another.  For students who are accustomed to the rigid certainty of a math class, a language class can be frustrating.  There are many different ways to accomplish the same task.  There are many ways that people break the rules in real life.  Languages are all very complicated and contain innumerable details that require years of exposure to assimilate.  When you are confronted with some unknowns, then it is common to become nervous, angry and uncomfortable.  When this happens, language ability will shut itself down.  You must work hard to overcome this tendency.  So, the technique I recommend is to do your best to relax when you are being exposed to real, raw Spanish from a newspaper, a movie, a TV show, or a book.  Try not to let a few unknowns make you crazy.  Guess some, use the dictionary for others, but always try to be open, receptive and relaxed.  Grasp what you can, and let the rest slip by.  Keep in mind that languages are organic systems.  The size and complexity of this system can be very upsetting, so try to focus on the parts you can grasp at your level.  This is an extremely important aspect in relation to test anxiety, and confidence in speaking.  Relaxation is essential.  Figure out what techniques work for you. laziness.  Yes, I do need to make a comment on this.  So much of the time when students tell me they aren't understanding, I ask them to show me their workbooks.  More frequently than not, I discover that students who are not doing well, or who are feeling uncertain about their progress are avoiding doing the workbook.  It can be tedious, but it is essential.  You'll remember that when you took music lessons, you had to play a lot of scales and unmusical discipline exercises.  Over and over and over.  These exercises are building habits by imprinting patterns in your memory.  Not every exercise might appear useful to you at the time, but this is usually deceptive.  The real learning is going on at a deeper level.  So, if you feel the workbook isn't helping you, and you don't want to do it, then my answer to you is: nonsense!  Get to work! Do your workbook.  If the work is too simple for you, then you are in the wrong level, and should refer back to the first item in this list.