"I am struggling with word order in Spanish sentences."

At the beginning level, a large number of questions students have concern knowing how to put everything together to construct grammatically correct sentences. I assure you, many other students have this exact same concern. So do not feel alone! I understand it feels like a completely different ballgame than the structure of your first language. However, you will find this process becomes easier and easier, the more years you study Spanish. Yes, I said years. Try not to get in a hurry, but just learn it as it comes. It will take effort.



In this blog, I will attempt to point out some tips that you can use as a general guide. Do not follow them religiously, as there are always exceptions to the rules. But hopefully this will help, overall.


In case I start using "parts of speech" vocabulary that you could really use a refresher on before beginning, refer to: http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/definitions.htm



A few simple rules:

• A sentence that is a declaration or statement (not a question) will typically follow the same structural order as English: Subject + Verb

She walks. Ella camina.

You add objects right after the verb.

She walks the dog. Ella camina el perro.

• A sentence that is a question will now have some changes: Verb + Subject

Does she walk? ¿Camina ella?

And when you start adding objects, or recipients of the action, you start to have a little more flexibility or possible change in the word order:

Does she walk the dog? ¿Camina ella el perro? OR ¿Camina el perro ella?

In the first example, the subject is right after the verb. In the second example, the subject now comes after the object. That can seem confusing that it works more than one way, but the important thing to remember is that, in either case, the subject comes AFTER the verb. So aim for that.

• Adjectives Adding adjectives to a sentence complicates your life slightly. But it shouldn't be too bad. Generally speaking, when you have a noun and adjective right together, use this order: Noun + Adjective

the fat dog = el perro gordo

If the noun and adjective are separated by a verb, those would follow the word order from the first posted rule: Subject + Verb + Adjective

The dog is fat. El perro es gordo.

Of course, just as soon as you learn this rule of "noun before adjective," you will see it broken. This rule is generally used for more descriptive adjectives. There are other adjectives, that provide different purposes:

this hat = este sombrero

three hats = tres sombreros

(both the words "this" and "three" are adjectives)

Here is a helpful link that goes into much more detail about adjectives and word order:

http://spanish.about.com/cs/grammar/a/whereadjective.htm

While this is not a complete synopsis on Spanish sentence structure, it does provide a start in the process for beginning students. If you didn't get enough detail in this blog, or just want some reinforcement, here are a couple of other sites, including a wiki and another blog, that can help:

http://easiestspanish.blogspot.com/2007/08/bienvenidos-using-visualization-tricks.html

http://www.lingolex.com/spanishbasic.htm

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Spanish/Word_Order

http://spanish.about.com/library/beginning/bl-beg-sentences-word_order.htm

"How do I get started? I am overwhelmed!"

Your questions about where to go, where to begin, how to start... I will attempt to answer all of that here, as all of my courses are generally designed in the same fashion. Let me start with some definitions:

• CMS Course Management System--This is the school-hosted platform where you will find the primary instructions, due dates, discussion boards, etc. (i.e. Blackboard, D2L, eLearn, eCollege)
• eText Online textbook and resource materials-- This is where you will find grammar tutorials (text and video format), practice and graded exercises. This constitutes the real bulk of material to be learned. (AKA Quia site, Supersite, etc.)

1. In all cases, the syllabus is where you need to start. It is displayed prominently in the CMS, but if you can't locate it, post a question in the discussion forum. Read it at the start of class and refer to it often.
2. I then would make sure you have accessed the assignment due dates sheet, or course calendar and get those into your own personal calendar. They will not change (unless I have made an error, in which case I would send out an announcement).
3. Get enrolled in the eText site. You get your code(s) through the purchase of your texbook (so don't throw away ANY of the packaging until your code(s) are accounted for and you've enrolled in the eText site).
4. There also is a teacher code posted prominently in the CMS. You will also need this to get enrolled in my course on the eText site. A common issue I see is students who enter the codes that come with their textbooks, but don't enter my teacher code. You need to do this to appear on my roster and get credit for your work.
5. From there, I would then spend some time getting to know the CMS. Do not try to pass up this self-orientation time, and do not rush the experience. During this stage, I would also get to know the eText site as well as you can before you start working on the assignments.
6. Once you have spent some time in both the eText and CMS, you should go ahead and begin in your first lesson or chapter. You naturally may feel hesitant or doubtful if you are completing everything I have assigned. I would be glad to check on something for you to confirm completion. Just send me a note about it.
7. Chapter or Lesson 2 will get easier! It will be essentially the same routine for each of the 6 chapters.

If, after following all 7 steps, you still have questions or feel lost in some aspect, please let me know!

"There is so much work in this course!"

Yes, I know. I am very aware that if you have a full load of classes, home and family responsibilities, a job or anything else going on in your life, you probably feel overwhelmed by this class. If you really have all that much going on, something just may have to give.

Let me present some objective thinking. It's a 4 credit class. [NOTE: You may be enrolled in a 3 credit class. In this case, please adjust the math accordingly.] This means 4 hours you spend each week should be considered "in-class" time. Then, the commonly accepted recommendation for college-level courses is to spend 2-3 hours outside of class for EVERY hour in class. That would be 8-12 hours [for a 4 credit class]. Add it all up, and you should be spending at least 12 hours each week. I encourage you to keep a watch to monitor this at least once. When you hit the 4-hour mark, just consider that "in-class" time. Beyond that, it's "out-of-class" studytime.

Learning a second language is going to be a more labor-intensive subject to learn because you are trying to attain a skill. This is going to take lots of practice and repetition. So, several assignments and/or assessments are required in this class to provide as much opportunity as possible to acquire the new language.

If you think about it from a practical standpoint... how long did it take you to learn your first language? Are you even finished with that process yet? Granted, learning Spanish cannot naturally happen the same way, but just think about it from the standpoint of time-on-task. It took lots of time, lots of practice, and lots of mistakes to get to where you are today in your first language. And even now as an adult, you probably are still learning new and complicated vocabulary words in your first language. We are all still learning... this is a lifelong process! So certainly, it is going to take comparable amounts of time to devote to learning a second, third, or fourth language.

My advice? Do your best to embrace the process. Try to not get frustrated if time is not being your friend. The best way to do that is to divide up the work. Spend time on your work every single day. Certainly do not cram it all in the day before it is due! Depending on what it is, you may or may not finish.

Before you consider giving up altogether, consider the following:

• Does something have to give? Rank your responsibilities, and if Spanish class ends up at the bottom, perhaps it's better to throw in the towel and try again some other time.
• If a major life event or tragedy happens, contact me ASAP. With proper communication and requested documentation, I am a very understanding instructor willing to extend due dates. I only ask you to discuss this with me BEFORE the due date. After the fact, I usually feel it's too late unless it was impossible for you to communicate with me beforehand.
• Even if life is a little uncomfortable, this class does have an end date. Ask yourself if you can just put up with it for the short term to successfully finish the course. And then breathe a huge sigh of relief! The pain is temporary.

Hopefully this has answered the "why so much work?" question. Like it or not, in my courses I really want you to be able to speak some Spanish. :)

¡Te mando mucha suerte!

What is appropriate help for written compositions?

Mis queridos estudiantes...


I want to set clear expectations about what is fair and allowable when you are completing written compositions or syntheses in Spanish class. Please read the following very thoughtfully:

All written compositions should be considered asessments. Another word for "assessments" COULD be "tests." These are ways for me to assess your progress in class. What this means is that I expect you to do the work yourself, with minimal assistance from tutors, translators (online or otherwise), bilingual friends/family members, or whatever other means out there.

I prefer you only use your textbook and supplementary class materials as resources for all written assignments. It is very hard for me to come across an assignment that, clearly, not all of it came from your own brain. In past experiences, students have frustratedly said to me, "but in my other classes, my professors actually prefer that we have our writing proofread or peer-edited before turning it in." That logic makes complete sense to me... in a course that is more research-based. But this class IS grammar, punctuation and spelling. So to have someone else do that for you (what is essentially happening when you have someone edit your work, or run it through a translator) is not demonstrating academic honesty.

Now, I understand you need resources when writing. So I would prefer that you only refer to your textbook, or the online textbook resources, to aid you in your writing. If you haven't learned how to say it yet (whether that's a grammar construction or a sentence full of unfamiliar vocabulary) I prefer you leave it out.

So do not write your whole assignment in English and then translate. I think this is a very common approach, but that is also how you can get into trouble. In this way, you are not really consciously considering what you CAN say in the second language. You are only focusing on English. Instead, I suggest that you go through the lesson chapters we've already covered, looking for constructions and vocabulary that we have actually learned in this course, that are applicable to the writing prompt. You may have a word here or there that you really want to include, in which case, you can look it up in a dictionary. I have no problem with that.

In short, I do not want you to use the help of a tutor, a bilingual friend or family member, or an online translator (unless it is just for a word here and there) on writing assignments. I know this really limits what you can write about. But it is the only way I can assess you for what you were supposed to learn from this semester. I am not grading you on what you haven't yet learned. There is A LOT out there that you haven't learned yet.

There is a policy outlined in your syllabus regarding how I will approach suspicions of academic dishonesty. If you have doubts about what is acceptable assistance, please email me ASAP. If a major percentage of your work appears to be beyond your means, please be prepared to demonstrate your current levels of capability so I can determine if the work appears to be yours or not.

Thanks for reading this far through the blog post. It is really important to me, and I take this very seriously. Good luck and happy writing!


Profe Croghan

Social Networking for Spanish

I continue to experiment in other areas of teaching Spanish online. This includes social networking, primarily through Facebook.

This has evolved somewhat. When I taught my first online courses just a year ago, I made it a requirement for all of my students to keep up a Facebook page in Spanish. They received a grade for updating their profile, status and comments in Spanish. Great idea in theory, but very hard to put into practice and keep up with it while still having a personal life. There were two main problems with this: (1) the upkeep on my end and (2) many students not favoring such an assignment.

1. As I was designing the courses, I was also creating the assignments for what I expected of them on Facebook. When students learned to say their names and where they are from, I had them linked to their classmates so they could post introductions to each other. Likewise, when students learned how to express a few likes and dislikes, I would then have them post this on their profile. What I didn't consider at the time, was, how am I going to monitor all of this? Since the assignments are intermingling work between their own wall, my wall and those of their students, how was I supposed to track everything, for all 30 students per class? Nightmare! I came up with a Facebook Tracking page, where they would just copy and paste everything they posted. They submitted that, and I graded their work from this. This freed up more time for me to actually spend time on their pages networking with them. It still was a lot of work, though.

2. Since the majority of my students are non-traditional learners (i.e. adults), several of them were not familiar at all with Facebook, and there was a high learning curve just in that regard. Even though I tried to assure students that I would help them through it, there was a lot of anxiety, which became frustration because they were spending a lot of time trying to learn Facebook instead of Spanish. I did not want this. I did a survey at mid-term and found there was a lot of resentment about the Facebook requirement. One student stated that social networking should not be a requirement for the course, that this is what discussion boards were for. Another student claimed it was a privacy issue. I had told students that they create a virtual reality if they prefered, and didn't have to share any facts with people that they didn't want known. However, this bothered the student that she either had to give up her privacy or become a liar.

Even though there were a number of students who enjoyed the Facebook component, the overall attitude about it was not positive. I was a little saddened, because I love Facebook and I think it's fun and is a beneficial way to learn. But just because I love it doesn't mean I can expect all of my students to love it.

I have since found a compromise that I am content with and students don't feel uncomfortable with. I now make that a voluntary portion of the course. It is solely used as a vehicle for me to relay course reminders, post sites that I would call course "teasers," communicate with students who want to communicate with me there (through chat or private message), and then social networking. I have found that a good number of my students took me up on it, and some remain quiet, but others take full advantage of the offering. I also linked this Facebook account to my Twitter account, and made my Twitter account available to students as well. So, for the course reminders I would tweet those, and they are then available in my Twitter, but they are also copied to my Facebook wall to reach a larger number of students.

I still want more of my students to participate in social networking with me. I considered making it extra credit, but I am concerned with the amount of time I would be spending on that again. To make it extra credit, I would expect them to do more than just become one of my Facebook friends. But I am content with the way I am currently offering it, and am excited to brainstorm other ways I can use it to help my students learn.

Kagan meets Web 2.0

I have been busy, busy, busy getting everything prepared, updated, ready etc. for my fall courses. I am just beginning my second year teaching 100% online courses, and I can honestly say that it's become a professional obsession. I am feeling guilty when my husband "catches me" on the computer, trying to get all of my assignments and directions loaded into ecollege or D2L. It's strange to feel that way about something you get paid for, but there certainly are lines to be crossed between work and home life, even when those take place in the same house.

In addition to my online teaching assignments, I will be teaching one face to face Spanish course at a local community college. I am excited about adding a little more variety to the fall. I am excited to pull out some of my Kagan tricks (Spencer and Laurie Kagan, Kagan Cooperative Learning, 1994) again to get the students communicating and collaborating.

This method of learning came up in my mind again recently for a different reason. I am in the application/interview stage with another online school. This one will be quite a bit different, since I would meet my students once a week live through a web conference. This actually intrigues me to think of Web 2.0 tools and web-based learning with a bit of a new twist. Wow, I will actually have students online together! One of my first thoughts was... "what can I have them do so that they are interdependent and inter-accountable with peers? Cooperative learning! I began thinking of some of my old Kagan standbys in Spanish. Quiz-quiz-trade, where students quiz each other over given topics, then trade topics and move on to a new person to do the same thing. "Find someone who" is known as a great start of the year icebreaker, but in a language class I use it over and over again throughout the year, and just adapt it to the context I need. For example, when studying clothing... find someone who is wearing tennis shoes, find someone who doesn't like to wear skirts, find someone who is not wearing socks, find someone who owns more than 10 ball caps, etc. Of course, all of the language is in Spanish. These two Kagan structures are two of my favorites.

One of the steps in the interview process with this school is to teach a 7-10 minute realistic session of your content. I began thinking through some ideas, when it suddenly hit me that it may be possible to do cooperative learning in an online learning environment, even an asynchronous one. I began thinking about how discussion boards could be utilized as cooperative learning platforms, and how one could use a "Find someone who..." exercise in Spanish in a threaded discussion. I figured there must be more possibilities out there for other structures or cooperative learning techniques, and was interested in researching more. I did find one paper out on the internet that directly correlated specific Kagan structures to asynchronous learning. Absolutely applicable to what I was looking for! However, in searching for that resource again to reference it here, it is not loading for me. I will check back for it another time.

This was a bit of a revelation for me, and it turned into me thinking that if I were to ever pursue my Ph.D, that I would do so in instructional technology with my dissertation focus directly on cooperative learning possibilities in synchronous or asynchronous online learning environments. I almost feel that since I have my topic already chosen, that it is good motivation to one day pursue this further education. I am now extremely motivated to learn and study this, and perhaps synthesize something that can be used in my online Spanish courses. Even better, I would be greatly satisfied if my virtual colleagues out there could benefit from the ideas as well. I guess time will tell!

Speaking in an Online Language Class

I have been spending more time than I hoped, designing one of my courses for a particular school I teach with. I changed textbooks for this school from last semester to this one. I didn't realize that, by doing that, I was also taking away a speaking component that was already built in with the previous text. I want to create voiceboards where, just like a written discussion board, students verbally respond to an oral post, and then comment on the posts of their classmates. Vista Higher Learning's Adelante Supersite provides an actual voiceboard powerd by Wimba. But I've changed to the "En Linea" program for other reasons. But the voiceboards are not present in En Linea. It is nice that there are several assignments in En Linea which have them recording their voices (ideally, they are supposed to find an epartner, but logistically that will be a nightmare so I won't require it.) But I want more authentic communication, hence, a voiceboard. I have recently been alerted to a nice looking program called voicethread.com. It's not exactly what I am envisioning needing for my class, but it provides some of its own really great qualities. I have an idea, which will either be a masterpiece or a disaster. Or I guess it could also fall somewhere in between. I have been using vocaroo.com for awhile now with students who submit their voice recordings to me in an email. My idea is to have them record their voice there, then paste it into the discussion board. Then can then listen and verbally post to each other right there in the discussion board of D2L, hence, my voiceboard. My fear is that the process will be choppy, going back and forth between D2L and Vocaroo. It shouldn't be too bad if students just open up a second browser and go back and forth between the two. So we will see how it goes. But until the course starts on August 30, I will continue to scour the internet for other possible tools to fit my goal!