Adriana Umaña Hossman, PhD

Researcher, Teacher, Writer

Can you really teach a group by using just one methodology?

After reading the different approaches to teaching a Second Language presented by Ommaggio, I must sit back and wonder if at the end of the day, learning is not after all a VERY PERSONAL MATTER.  It actually leads me to question the idea of teaching itself. Or better perhaps, my own preconceived notions of teaching.

This may seem a bit revolutionary, specially considering that  we are seeking a career in teaching, but it seems to me that any REAL LEARNING happens in solitude.  The teacher is a guide, a mentor, but does very little (in the learning process, not in reality as teachers do a lot) at the end of the day.  Most of the work remains in the hands of the student and as teachers our job is very limited.  We must be humble and understand that our job is to facilitate the tools to the students and from that point forward, it is up to them to travel the road.

So what approach to take as a teacher when everyone’s learning is a separate and individual process? To follow the conclusion that Ommagio reaches, it is necessary to implement a “hybrid” of multiple methodologies to reach the very different needs of the students.  Is this realistic? Probably not, as we tend to favor one ourselves, the one we believe would work better for us.  So again, the question remains and we must keep modifying, twicking and perfecting the art of sharing with others what we know, in the hope that they will be motivated enough by our effors and take on the challenge to learn.

adrianaumana

2 responses to “Can you really teach a group by using just one methodology?”

  1. christanguay Avatar
    christanguay

    “We must be humble and understand that our job is to facilitate the tools to the students and from that point forward, it is up to them to travel the road.”

    Adriana, I think you have a great point here, one which reminds me of something which was oft repeated by my professors at my undergraduate institution. “We’re here, not to teach you facts, but to teach you how to learn.”. I believe this approach works well for a good number of students, if the post B.A./B.S. successes enjoyed by myself and my friends who attended the same university are anything to judge by. The idea is, as you point out, to hone thinking skills and to make students aware of where important resources are located. In the end I think an instructor of any stripe can wish for no more.

  2. Jose A. Narbona Avatar
    Jose A. Narbona

    I agree with Chris. Sometimes I like to tell my students I prefer to invest a little bit longer with my teachings and I rather target at a learning process that will continue after the class is over by teaching them how to learn without me being behind their ears. I think about this more and more, since I have already taught a few generations of students and many times, when I meet them after a few years, or quite often not so long ago, they can hardly speak any Spanish to me!! So I wonder about what I’m teaching them, and perhaps teaching them how to learn is also a good strategy. Another comment related to what you say so eloquently Adriana, a good exercise that I like to do from time to time is asking your students about how they learn. I do this a lot with my vocabulary quizzes. I like to ask them about how they study those vocabulary lists because you learn so much about your own students by doing so!

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