Category: Free Inquiry

I found this Free Inquiry assignment to be an interesting and useful side project throughout this semester. It was a pleasant opportunity to reflect and improve upon an individual passion project. Practicing a language, just like any other skill, requires consistent effort and repetition to improve. I enjoyed this as an excuse to refine my Spanish skills and stay “sharp.” When I reflect upon my greatest Spanish learning experiences, many of them involved travel and immersion where I was exposed to the language daily. This keeps things fresh in the mind and creates an easier process for our brains to recall. I recently wrote a term paper for my English Language Learning course which reflected upon my lived experiences, my Spanish development, and how they were strengthened via the scaffolding and framework that I learned through formal coursework. I have attached this paper below as it offers a personalized reflection upon my life story tied to the language of Spanish.

One of our first family trips to Mexico – Puerto Vallarta, 2007 (Age 9)

This week I furthered my practice on Duolingo. I am approaching a high-A1 / low-A2 level of Spanish proficiency. I did a little research into the criteria for meeting these levels and this means I know roughly 1000 words in Spanish. I was surprised, impressed and proud of myself to find this out! Many of my friends do not know a second language besides a few words here and there. We have been talking about visiting a Spanish speaking country on a reunion trip next year which means I will be relied upon to help translate at times. It is a lot of fun to decompress from school work and engage in some fun, easygoing Spanish exercises. I am writing a paper for my ELL class this semester on the challenges and benefits of learning a second language. Much of my paper revolves around my personal Spanish journey and how beneficial I find immersive travel when it comes to helping learn. I am a firm believer of being “thrown into the fire” and adjusting to foreign environments. I enjoy learning on the fly and adjusting to a sense of comfort when performing something that is initially “uncomfortable” to me. I have included a passage below from a source that I found that highlights the importance of immersing yourself in a second language. The more time you spend in an environment the more you are able to adjust, which is why my Spanish improved so much throughout a five month backpacking trip to South America in 2024.

Gibbons, P. (2015). Classroom talk: Creating contexts for language learning. In Scaffolding language, scaffolding learning: Teaching second language learners in the mainstream classroom 2nd Ed. (Ch. 2, pg. 26).

My face trying to figure out the words for “sad bridge” (puente triste) during Day 3 of a 5 day hike to Machu Picchu 🙁

This week I got back into my routine of using Duolingo to practice my Spanish vocabulary and grammar. Educational apps on our phones are so useful and truly a blessing. I had forgotten how much of a privilege it is to have a free platform for languages (yes, any language!) at our fingertips to practice at any time in any place. In addition to this I also quizzed my girlfriend on some of the material within the units I progressed through. I find that testing someone else, or at least relaying new knowledge out loud, helps me further master the material as a learner. Maybe she might get annoyed by this practice after a while (especially if you’re trying to focus on your own homework and someone is blurting words such as “reloj” or “partido” at you) but I know she will be thankful for it in the long-run too. Another thing that I noticed myself subconsciously practicing was when I was scrolling social media. My algorithms tend to push me towards some posts, or even memes, that are in Spanish. Oftentimes there is the option to translate them but I try my best to decipher and comprehend the content before translating it to test my comprehension. In addition to this, I usually see many posts from the network of Spanish speaking friends I have in Mexico. These posts allow me to keep up to date with them and the events of their region. These things may seem trivial but they are subtle things that allow my brain to continue processing the language.

I chose my Spanish language learning journey as my free inquiry topic for a variety of reasons. I have been around Spanish throughout my adolescence and adult life, often in varying forms and it is something I continually strive to improve at. My first immersion with the Spanish language was when I was 8 years old and my family took a trip to Mexico. My parents were always keen to gain authentic travel experiences while abroad and passed this trait along to me. For the rest of grade school we would return to Mexico nine more times, always staying at smaller local hotels, often frequented by other Mexican travellers. My family and I would always venture into the local villages and eat at restaurants “off the beaten path”. Early memories of Spanish would be trying to decipher menus with my parents, learning the names of foods etc. After high school I took two separate trips, when I was 20 to Central America for three months, and when I was 26 to South America for five months. These prolonged trips were very immersive and gave me massive lived experience to practice the language further. Additionally, I was afforded with the opportunity to study Spanish in high school for three years and at UVic for two semesters. I also think that my topic ties in nicely with the ELL course I am taking this semester in the PDPP Program. I think there will be many things I can draw from this class as I am also a learner of a second language. Some of my favourite life memories have occurred while being surrounded by the Spanish language and believe that this free-inquiry project will give me plenty to draw upon while refining my fluency. I plan on drawing upon my learning experience memories, interviewing Spanish speaking friends and Duolingo throughout this assignment.