Aurora University Professor Speaks At International Conference

AURORA, Ill.—Denise L. Hatcher of Aurora, associate professor of Spanish at Aurora University, discussed an innovative class at an international conference Tuesday, July 9.

Hatcher presented “Language and Community Immersion: Actively Using Spanish in Our Community” at the 90 th annual conference of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portugese (AATSP) in San Jose, Costa Rica.

She outlined how eight AU students in Language and Community Immersion, a course introduced in January, learned Spanish while teaching English to eight Spanish speakers from the community.

Hatcher said, “The Language and Community Immersion course seeks to encourage student involvement in the Aurora University and Aurora communities in order for students to witness that they can survive in Spanish-only scenarios.”

Students enrolled in a Community Immersion were paired with native Spanish-speaking individuals who were learning English.

“Many foreign language principles were used to create a positive learning environment and ensure success for the learners of both languages.,” Hatcher said.

“By the end of the semester, the learners of both languages were more confident using their second languages, invaluable friendships had been established, and all of the participants had a better understanding of the daily demands of language learning.”

The class met on campus Monday, Wednesday and Friday for 50 minutes daily.

Monday’s session included a traditional focus on vocabulary and literacy skills for Spanish-language students.

On Wednesday, the students conducted a project that used their Spanish skills.

Fridays were reserved for “Nuestros Amigos” in order to teach Spanish speakers English and for them to teach Spanish to college students.

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