Interview Articles on Practices to Improve Class Quality

Volume 17 Fall 2023

Interview with Spanish Language Professor

JAIME RECUERO DÍAZQ1: ¡Buenos días! Can you briefly
introduce yourself to our readers?

Q2: Before we jump into the serious questions, if you had
to teach Spanish using only one song, what would it be?

A: My name is Jaime Recuero Díaz fromMadrid, Spain. I have been teaching
Spanish for over five years and one year
at APU. Before APU, I taught for twoyears at another university in Japan andalso returned to Madrid to teach onlinebriefly during the pandemic.

A: Hispanic culture is incredibly diverse, and if I had tochoose only one song that might capture a bit of thedynamic journey of learning Spanish, it would be theYouTube hit called “Qué difícil es hablar el español” (“It’sso hard to speak Spanish”) which was created by two
Colombians. The lyrics humorously encapsulate thechallenges that learners face due to the rich regionalvariations in Spanish slang. For example, the song
mentions the word chucho, which, although it means “dog”
in Spain, may mean “jail” in Chile or “cold” in Argentina.
Personally, I also find this song resonates in terms of thereal experiences I have communicating with my friends
from different Spanish-speaking countries, where casualwords can lead to amusing misunderstandings.

Professor Recuero Díaz responding to a student’s question

Q3: Sounds interesting! Your reputation for building strong relationships with students is well known.
How do you motivate and keep students engaged?

“Empathy is the cornerstone of my teaching approach”
A: Drawing from my own experience as a language learner, I totally
understand the challenges of navigating a linguistic system sodistinct from my mother tongue such as Japanese, which, fromsome students’ perspectives, may be akin to learning Spanish.
Therefore, empathy is the cornerstone of my teaching approach. I
acknowledge that each student learns differently, and at APU I try
to use both English and Japanese as a bridge to translate complex
concepts so that no one is left behind.

In-class group discussion work

Adaptability is another crucial quality I bring to my teaching. Recognizing the diverse interests andlearning paces of the students, I design activities to captivate each student and cater to both quick andstruggling learners, while steering away from mundane grammar exercises. For example, one activity I
have used to cover the diverse interests and learning paces of students is a version of the well-known“Guess Who?” game involving famous figures from Spanish and Latin American cultures. Students
themselves contribute the names of singers or musicians familiar to them, engaging them through theirpersonal interest in these cultures. This activity not only reinforces vocabulary and grammar structures,
but also adds fun and cultural relevance to the learning experience.
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Volume 17 Fall 2023

“Unlike other subjects, learning languages is all about the casual daily aspects of life”
Q4: Please share one of the most memorable
language-related events or activities that you
have organized in or outside of your class.
A: One of the most memorable activities that I
organized involved having students create avideo showcasing a day in their lives, drawing
inspiration from a movie we had watched in an
earlier class. This activity served as a method
to personalize language learning and connect
it with real-life situations. I have yet to conduct
this activity at APU and am looking forward toexperimenting with it soon.
The short film that the activity was based on iscalled Spain in a Day. It unfolds random
moments from the routines of numerous
Spanish-speaking individuals in Spain andelsewhere over the course of an entire day.

Subi, A. A., et al. (Directors). Spain in a Day. (2016) [Film]. Spain: Media Pro Pictures.
Retrieved from https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6100110/?ref_=ttfc_fc_tt

The intriguing aspect of this movie lies in thesubjects’ diverse locations and backgrounds,
enabling viewers to compare the various lives,offering authentic insights into different families,and depicting daily moments of struggles at work,
happiness, sadness, and even conflict.
When I implemented this activity in the past, theresults of the presentations went far beyond myexpectations. The presentations turned out to bequite emotional, bringing laughter and even a few
tears. Each student, even those who initially seemed
uninterested, participated eagerly, carefully adding
subtitles or effects to their videos. I remember one
student who initially seemed shy and reserved
proudly showed off his snake pet to everyone in hisvideo, and I thought it was great to share somepersonal information with everybody like that,proving that even during the last day of school it’s
never too late to learn a little about ourselves.
I would love to do this same activity at APU,
especially since I believe that creating a day in thelife video is a unique experience that other subjects
cannot offer as they do not cover the casual daily
aspects of life in the way that language classes do.
At some point in the course of language learning,
students will encounter situations that require
expressing themselves on a deeper personal level.
Therefore, I found incorporating this kind ofpractical and meaningful activity into a language
class to be very valuable.

Q5: How would you challenge someone who is struggling to learn and a quick learner in the same class?
A: Having a different learning pace is not a matter of intelligence; rather, some students may possess
more effective ways of grasping language or are simply adept learners. After a few weeks into a class, I
should be able to identify students’ needs on an individual level.
After grasping their individual needs, encouraging collaboration in teams with mixed learning paces canbe beneficial. Combining quick learners with those who struggle fosters cooperation, as it allows
students to consider class material from other perspectives by having to explain in their own words what
they know or by allowing students to ask questions to their peers.
Another approach is to encourage students to be more self-directed. For example, in an oral test orpresentation
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Volume 17 Fall 2023

presentation, I allow students plenty of autonomy in determining how extensively they wish to prepare.
Some students might opt to focus solely on the fundamental structures being studied, enabling them tofirst comprehend and practice the foundational elements on the way to mastering the language.
Meanwhile, quick learners may prefer to delve deeper into the material.
Q6: Please share an example of something valuable you learned from a colleague.
A: Professor Eduardo Vila Lopez from Valencia
once shared a useful in-class activity with me:
dictation.
At first, I considered dictation to be somewhat
outdated, finding it either too monotonous orchallenging for beginners. However, Eduardo's
approach intrigued me. I usually had students
translate a Spanish phrase into English foruniversal understanding, but he conducted his
dictation exercises entirely in Spanish and told
the students to transcribe what they heard
directly into their native languages rather thanwriting it down in Spanish, a method that I hadnotnot considered before. Here at APU, since students
come from diverse linguistic backgrounds,
encouraging them to use their preferred languages
might help everyone learn at a similar level. Curious,
I asked Professor Eduardo how he ensured his own
comprehension to provide feedback, given that hemay not speak the language the student used. He
responded that the aim of his dictation exercise is tocreate a relaxed atmosphere in which students canfocus solely on learning Spanish. Allowing students
to express themselves in their mother tongues, even
if their work is not understood by the teacher,contributes to a comfortable and therefore
effective learning environment.

Q7: What do you envision for the future of language education at our university, and how can otherfaculty members contribute to its development?
A: Our faculty members should aim to informstudents about what APU has to offer throughpresentations or seminars. For instance, fromthe next semester APU will be the first
institution in Kyushu to host DELE (a Spanish
language proficiency exam). Another exampleof a valuable APU resource is the Self-AccessLearning Center. SALC is such a creative andpromising concept but many students are still
unfamiliar with how it operates and how tomake the most of it.

Another wild consideration is to explore innovative
tools beyond conventional platforms like Moodle.
WhileMoodle
facilitates
teacher-student
communication on class material, there is room toenhance the interaction and learning experience,such as by incorporating podcasts, YouTube
channels, game-based learning applications, or evendeveloping a mobile application / forum exclusively
for APU students.

Q8: Thank you so much! To conclude our interview, please teach me a Spanishphrase!
A: Pase lo que pase … (“No matter what happens…”)
A useful phrase and title to one of my favorite songs, this phrase is a beautiful thing
to say. It means “no matter what happens…”, and you can plug in many ideas after
the phrase. Pase lo que pase . . . be happy, Pase lo que pase . . . do your best, or likein the song, la vida continua (“life continues”). This phrase is useful due to its
versatility in the number of ideas and expressions that can come afterwards. Weneed to remember that life persists irrespective of one’s circumstances - so there isno point in stressing ourselves out too much, right?
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Interview Articles on Practices to Improve Class Quality

Volume 17 Fall 2023

Interviewer Impressions
Interviewer and Author
Zoey, Vietnam
APM (Accounting & Finance)

Interviewer
Aung, Myanmar
APM

I took Spanish 1 with Professor Jaime andeveryone in the class loved his energy. Despite
the class being in 1st period every day, I’m not
exaggerating when I say that I genuinely felt
excited to get up and go to campus. My
personal favorite part was feeling completely
comfortable asking Professor Jaime anyquestions regarding the class content or
beyond and his replying with enthusiasm. Heloves sharing about Spanish cultures and his
impressions about Japan compared to Spain as
well which I think is very interesting.

Many of my peers have enthusiastically
recommended Professor Jaime’s classes, and after
conducting an interview with him, it is clear to me
why he is so highly recommended. Throughout ourconversation, Professor Jaime’s passion forteaching was unmistakably evident. He exudes agenuine enthusiasm for his subject matter, which
seems to naturally engage and inspire his students.

Professor Recuero Díaz (Center) with Interviewers Aung (Left)and Zoey (Right)

Moreover, Professor Jaime is committed todelivering his best effort in every class, ensuringthat all students not only learn but also enjoy theexperience. His approach to teaching is notconfined to traditional methods: he creatively seeks
to understand and connect with his students on a
deeper level, making his classes both educational
and uniquely interactive.
Having had this insightful interaction, I am nowmore eager than ever to experience one ofProfessor Jaime’s Spanish classes firsthand, should
the opportunity arise in the future.

What is [Q]?
At APU there are many professors who put together wonderful classes, and if we could get to know how
these classes are planned, it would contribute to the improvement of other professors’ classes. For that
purpose, we have begun doing interviews in order to learn about class planning. These articles havebeen entitled [Q], comprising a variety of meanings such as: increasing the [Q]uality of classes, answering[Q]uestions to increase quality, and forming a [Q]ueue, or line, of class improvements. We would be very
happy if these articles could contribute to the [Q]uest of APU professors’ class quality improvement.

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