Context
My mother always said “Fall in love with a doc” and now I have. A Google-Doc.
One of the advantages of teaching Spanish is the opportunity to expose students to the values and practices of the Hispanic culture. Recognizing that behavior, including our own, has a cultural context helps students progress from an ethnocentric to an ethno-relative point of view. I use Google Survey Forms in my Spanish classes, both small and large, to help me teach this ethno-relative viewpoint.
Step-by-Step Implementation
Here's what I do. When learning about greetings, attitudes toward work, eating habits or any culturally relevant behavior, I want my students to reflect upon their own culture and practices first before talking about what other cultures do. Google has a great, free, survey template that allows students to assess their own attitudes about a given cultural topic and allows me to gather information from my students quickly and creatively.
- Establish/log into your google account.
- Go to Google docs to create a new form. I choose from a selection of six types of questions: multiple choice, short answer, long answer, scale, check form a list, or grid. I can use the same type of question of mix and match.
- Send surveys to students. After I have written my questions, I send the survey directly to my students’ email accounts. When they open the email, they are taken straight to the survey; they can then answer immediately and send the data right away with just a few clicks.
- Present survey data to students. All the data are then tabulated and sent to me in a pie graph or bar chart. I can easily access this information in the classroom (or print in my office and make copies) and show students the results to open discussion. In addition, I get immediate feedback on what students know or what opinions they have about a given topic and can plan my lesson accordingly.
- Assign reading assignment. Typically, I then assign a reading about the same topic in the target culture and we compare and contrast.
Effectiveness
Students are willing to take the survey because it does not require more than a few steps and they are curious to see and talk about the results … in Spanish. I can also assess learning, particularly affective. For example, my survey can include pre- and post-questions on where students see their own listening and speaking skills, or cultural knowledge. It is a great way to collect data that I can use to evaluate my own teaching and improve student learning. This Google Doc has added efficiency, variety, and creativity to my Spanish lessons. True love.
Keywords
Associated tools or materials
- An online form tool, such as Google Forms or Microsoft 365 Forms
About this course
- Discipline: Spanish
References
Story Adapted from: Zink, A. (2012). Google-doc surveys for teaching Hispanic culture. In R.K. Morgan & K.T. Olivares (Eds.), Quick hits for teaching with technology (p. 65). Indiana University Press.