User:Jlbonilla

SPANISH IN THE EFL/ESL CLASSROOM

Throughout the fifteen years or so that I have been an educator, I must have heard the discussion regarding the use of Spanish in the EFL/ESL classroom a thousand times or more. Hitherto the discussion goes on and on.

On the one hand, there are those totally opposed to this parctice claiming that it hampers the process of acquiring the ability to think in English, while on the other hand, there are those who defend this practice, claiming that without it it is impossible to prevent grammatical and structural flaws that will eventually result in speech habits which could be very hard if not impossible to change.

For me, it is a matter of determining the specific needs and learning style of my students. When an educator becomes obsessed in deffending a particular posture, he or she loses total focus of what educatuion is all about. In an evermore changing world, one cannot afford to use straight jackets when there's such an array of methodologies available, to be fit into the particularities of each individual group.

However, it would be interesting to know what you think...