Diego Ojeda: Spanish Teacher, Author & Creator of #langchat

In this session, Diego will explore the role of AI in language learning and why it should be viewed as a complement, not a replacement, for traditional teaching methods. He will explain the importance of cultural context and nuances, human connection in communication, and the value of interactive learning environments. Additionally, Diego will emphasize the crucial roles of motivation, encouragement, real-world experience, and the development of creative and critical thinking skills in language acquisition.

In this presentation, Diego Ojeda emphasizes the significance of creating a supportive and interactive classroom environment for motivating students to speak in the target language. He advocates for balanced input, use of gestures, expressive communication, and real-life conversational topics to make language learning engaging and authentic. Ojeda explains the importance of allowing students to develop language skills naturally at their own pace and suggests various activities such as storytelling, interviews, and interactive games to build speaking confidence.

Diego discusses the use of comprehensible poetry in the Spanish classroom to help students engage with Hispanic culture and language. He emphasizes the importance of using authentic and culturally significant materials to make language learning meaningful and experiential for students. Ojeda suggests various strategies for teaching poetry, including using illustrations, reading aloud as a class, teaching new vocabulary, and allowing for multiple interpretations of poems. Overall, the goal is to engage students in the learning process and make the content relevant to their lives and experiences.