I took SPAN 111 Intensive Beginning Language & Culture to complete the Global Citizenship Pillar in the Spring semester of my Freshman year. I was never good at learning any language, so I was not excited, to say the least, when I found out that I had to take a language. I have always found it difficult to remember all the different rules required with learning a new language, and I have a hard time with the speaking portion of any language due to speech problems I had at a young age. I have always found it easier for me to be able to read other languages and understand – or translate – what is being said, but when it comes time to respond, in speech and less often written, I find it hard. It is also difficult for me to understand what is being said to me in another language, as the words all seem to get mashed together and incomprehensible, which also happens even when another person is speaking english to me.
That being said, I do find other languages easier to understand if there is a visual to go with the speech, like the extra credit given to us. The assignment was to watch and follow along with a painting video recorded by the professor, and it was easier to do this given all the visual cues. My professor for this class was Professor Barlow, and I felt she was a really good professor, she was kind and always patient with me, willing to help whenever I had a question even if it was about something other than the topic we were discussing at the time. I think the way she taught really helped me to better understand different aspects of Spanish, even given my inabilities in this area. I was really glad when I was able to get her for SPAN 211, as I felt she really taught the information in a way which could help me remember it longer, and was always understanding when I couldn’t think of the correct words to say.
Spanish Extra Credit; Ariel Birkholz; 8 April 2020. I follow a painting tutorial in spanish given by the professor with a reflection of the progress and results in spanish.