Comprehensible Input Methodology Workshop

Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. January 5, 2008.  A language workshop entitled “Using Comprehensible Input in the Classroom” was held for our entire teaching faculty on December 26 through January 5. This activity was a part of the on-going training that Casa Xelaju offers their teachers in an effort to keep current with the last teaching methodologies and strategies.

The presenter of this linguistic workshop was our director, Julio E. Batres.  The workshop provided teachers with several ideas for creating lesson plans, hands-on activities, grammar, vocabulary, listening, speaking, reading and writing activities. Authentic materials from many Spanish speaking countries were used including newspaper and internet articles, songs, poems, Youtube, Google video, etc.

Lourdes Xicara, the academic director of Casa Xelaju, called the workshop a “success” because the teachers will able to apply these new strategies and techniques in their classrooms. She also said that our future students will benefit from this workshop because they will learn Spanish with more motivation as a result of having more organized lesson plans and units.

Julio Batres will participate in a TPRS seminar, “Accelerating Proficiency in Your
FOREIGN LANGUAGE CLASSROOM” in Minneapolis MN on April 25. The speaker, Carol Gaab,is well-known in the community of lenguage teachers.  In July, Mr. Batres will conduct a workshop to share new information from the seminar with the teaching faculty of Casa Xelaju.