Experiencias
Experiencias

Experiencias

Beginning and Intermediate Spanish

Alan V. Brown, PhD

University of Kentucky

Diane Ceo-DiFrancesco, PhD

Xavier University

Gregory L. Thompson, PhD

Brigham Young University

Kathy Barton, PhD

Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Professor Emerita

A Guided Journey of Language and Culture

Experiencias: Beginning and Intermediate Spanish is just that— a program developed to guide students through a collection of rich cultural experiences of the Spanish-speaking world while prompting interaction and communication in Spanish. Students build their own multimodal cultural portfolio of engaging projects in the target language. Culture is the point of departure for all activities, and cultural and linguistic competencies are cultivated.

Based on research in second language acquisition, metacognition, and student-centered pedagogy, Experiencias offers a unique approach through which students are empowered with strategies that encourage them to take charge of their own learning experience.

Culture is the Content

Deepening students’ cultural awareness and developing cultural competence are priorities of this program. Culture provides the context for all activities.

Each chapter introduces students to real people, products, and practices of a specific region, and then prompts students to investigate, describe and reflect on what they have learned, building unique connections to the people and their cultures.

Task-Supported and Project-Based Approach

Students are asked to engage in interesting task-based projects throughout the program. In each chapter, learners need to complete three multimodal projects; write their own travel blog, apply language as it applies to their future profession, and build an e-cuaderno synthesizing all they have learned about each region. In addition to these three portfolio-style tasks, which repeat in each chapter, students are also asked to work on cultural, high-interest contemporary and community research projects.

Social Justice Integration

Our world is ever changing and today’s students want to engage with challenging topics. Through the integration of social justice issues, Experiencias invites students to see the world through the lived experiences of real people, connecting them with people who are making a difference in the Spanish speaking world.

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