1. Course evaluation: Fall 2013
D block

2. Homework/quantity: Ranges from week to week ½ hour to 2 hours
30 minutes to over an hour
45 minutes – 1 hour (sometimes as much as 1 ½ hours)
1 hour lll
1 hour – 1 ¼ hours
Average 1:45 minutes; range ½ hour to 3 hours (on test night)
1 ½ hours
Way too much homework (unfortunately this person didn’t say what that means)

3. Homework/quality:
Some people like having a couple of things for homework because it keeps them interested and others would prefer just one assignment
Most homework articles and writing responses – doesn’t help me master the grammar (I try and indicate grammatical or vocabulary mistakes on homework – that is so that you know what you should continue to work on)
Although there is a lot of practice for grammar – don’t always understand. Ask peer for help (my suggestion – form study groups to practice and go over grammar; or meet with me individually or in groups to go over grammar – I have made that offer since the beginning of the class and few people have taken me up on my offer)
Most helpful assignments are readings and listening activities because they improve my comprehension skills and grow my vocabulary
Very helpful – especially practice exercises in grammar books, web links
Some readings feel like a lot because I still have to translate everything in my head
Would like a more even distribution of work because it would help with time management
Sometimes feels like doesn’t have enough time to study grammar because of other work
Homework has been helpful although sometimes there has been too much
Would like to do more listening and speaking activities for homework

4. Course content:
Great Important to learn not only about Spanish as a language but also about where it is spoken and cultures (doing a good job of that) ll
Interesting – would like to have more of a range of media rather than just reading. Like when we have to watch part of a video on-line and then write about it Ok
Good although not always sure what it is that we are studying
Really like content – interesting and relevant to our lives
Perfectly geared towards being able to speak and read fluently

5. Grammar:
Addressed very well, we commit a lot of class time and have tests on it
Like how we review grammar and vocabulary in class and not completely on our own to relearn
Grammar is tough but it is an accelerated class (So not concerned with speed or how it’s being taught)
Would like to do more grammar in class to make sure we’re comfortable with it lll
Would like to review the grammar comprehensively every time we start a new unit
Would like to go over the exercises in Abriendo Paso in class

6. Vocabulary: Should add a vocabulary section to the grammar test
My vocabulary has expanded greatly from the beginning of the class
Add small sessions or assignments of vocabulary review – would be really helpful
Would like to study vocabulary in a more systematic and organized way (What would that look like?)
Doesn’t like how have to learn voc on own – hard to do when not “mandatory” Would like to have identified vocab words and quizzes throughout the year

7. Themes
Not spending very much time on themes – think article project will help

8. Class discussions: Good – we have good meaningful discussions
Usually love discussions but in this class they are usually boring – asked to talk about things that we have no knowledge of – so teacher ends up talking at us Like learning about cultures and events, but I’d rather learn that from reading than listening to you
Really good
Alright – wish we were more involved as student
Would like to have more small group discussions or just speak more
Sometimes feels like same kids run the discussions
Let quiet kids speak more and have more talkative kids listen more
Like discussions and feels like everyone gets to speak
Course discussions have been scarce this year
Class is very good at discussions although sometimes a few people dominate but for most part pretty even
Great was for me to improve my speaking and listening skills
Suggestion: have more debates and have students lead discussions

9. Can you speak as much as you want?
Yes lll
Can speak when I want
Not always

10. Do you feel listened to?
Yes lllll
Not always

11. Are you comfortable speaking?
Sometimes afraid to contribute – feel like teacher is disappointed and sometimes points out errors in speech too much
Yes – don’t feel afraid to make mistakes in my speech in an attempt to reach my highest ability to speak
Class discussions and videos help me most with becoming more comfortable/confident speaking
Somewhat comfortable (feel like listening skills have improved)
Not extremely confident
Perfectly comfortable
Pretty comfortable

12. Progress speaking:
Definitely, but still have room for improvement – can better formulate ideas, now want to increase fluidity to higher level lll
Grammar is better than at beginning of year – stumble less on tenses and conjugations
Feels like my speaking is worse than it was at beginning – wass peaking more fluidly than am now – was doing it more (had been in Spain in summer)
Made a little progress – some of smaller mechanical things we’ve worked on have thrown off my fluidity
Want to improve speaking in the lab
Speaking skills have improved – largely due to growth in vocab. Fluidity has not improved greatly
Have made progress
Want to speak more in class. We need more opportunities to speak and be corrected to learn from our mistakes
Have made a bit of progress – would like to have progressed more - would like to review verb tenses

13. Responses to work: Great lll All work is graded with good speed
Work returned fairly quickly
Response time ok/would like to get it back sooner but nothing major
Comments are clear, helpful and let me know what I have to do in order to revise for a better version.
Grades and comments most helpful as well as going over tests as a class
Work clearly graded
Written comments and speaking with teacher best lll
Written responses as opposed to grammar and spelling marks on homework and papers are very helpful
Written comments most helpful
When we discuss answers to a quiz or assignment as a whole class better able to absorb info.
Comments are enough to do a good revision on a paper

14. Grading I understand lllllllll
Um I think so. We haven’t had very much graded homework, comments, etc. are always helpful
Rubrics have been good although don’t fully understand how scenes were graded

15. Most helpful classroom activities:
Everything is más o menos helpful
Appreciate the activities or games for remembering grammar and vocabulary every once and a while
Like working in smaller groups and playing games with them
Loved watching Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs trailers in English and then 2 different Spanish speaking countries to see similarities and differences.
Small group discussions – we practice our skills the most/get ideas, opinions and perspectives of our classmates
Discussing and going through complicated reading with teacher and class as a whole are very helpful as well as some of videos and articles we go over as a class
Class discussions and reading aloud
Activities where we get to speak and talk to other students who are talking with us
Read alouds = combine speaking skills with new vocab
Occasional game – competing makes me want to learn the material
Class discussions, notes and worksheets and AP activities

16. Least helpful: Can’t think of anything that’s least helpful
Large group discussions because we speak far less and can feel very tangential at times
Some of the memorization games or the methods of teaching activities are not as helpful because not as interesting as current issues and easier for me to focus less in
Lecture based classes without discussion ll
Feel like we waste our time in the lab – have perfectly functioning speakers in the room
Don’t like small group activities because we don’t get very much practice speaking and very little usually gets done

17. Most helpful lab activities
All of them are helpful because I can always find something to work on ll
Get us talking and listening
Listening activities and reading out loud in lab
Listening activities from AP practice book
Prefer to do AP work in lab because it is more stressful than work in the classroom
Listening and questions llll (would like to do more of them)
Listening and answering activities most tedious and difficult but are the most useful
Hate lab but really helpful when teacher gave us tips – the more we practice, the better I’ll become, the more I’ll like it

18. Least helpful lab activities
Recorded conversation – unnecessary stress ll
Speaking and conversation activities because they are extremely difficult and confusing

19. Wiki: Helpful in every way lllllll
Yes, constantly updated early and accurately, speaking for all student, I really appreciate this lll
Links to practice vocab and grammar helpful
Use it to check homework every day and use links sometimes

20. Suggestions: Use Triangulo text more often
Have student led discussions or more debates
“I think that one thing we could improve is the use of English. I think we would learn better if we were immersed in Spanish, and no one ever used English in class.” ll
I think that more speaking on the student’s part would be appreciated, lack of talking ha been noted and would be awesome to change.
More varied media material
More grammar in class
More evenly distributed homework
More even discussion and times going over the particularly hard readings – but besides that it is good
More group activities in class – work together to better understand the course and the topics we learn in class
Would like to know pages to go to for studying grammar or vocabulary
Would like less time spent in class discussions and more to practicing grammar and voc
Hardest Spanish class I’ve taken so it is a big adjustment from previous years
Do at least one listening activity every day – maybe to begin class