On May 28, 2024, the second edition of “ELE Lessons” was carried out with great success, a free webinar aimed at teachers of Spanish as a Foreign Language (ELE) and organized by the Spanish Language Schools of the University of Salamanca. The event had the notable participation of the director of ELE USAL Torino, Monica Bedana, and the academic director of ELE USAL Barcelona and ELE USAL Bilbao, Paula Álvarez.
Designed specifically for ELE teachers who teach classes in institutes, schools and colleges, the webinar managed to capture the interest of nearly 200 registrants. Of these, almost 60 participated live, reflecting the great interest and need for continued training in this field.
The webinar format included two wonderful presentations, completely in Spanish, lasting 30 minutes each. Monica Bedana presented “The pan-Hispanic cultural component: the arrival of American foods to Europe and painting.”; Potatoes, turkeys, peppers... how did Europe welcome the new foods from Latin America? How did the painting reflect them? Ideas for the ELE classroom between tables and… paintbrushes! Paula Álvarez, on the other hand, presented “Authentic tasks for Spanish class”; Authentic teaching of skills involves generating learning spaces that are useful, relevant and social for our students, and that in turn contribute to creating a more active awareness of the process itself and ultimately building a stronger identity as a Spanish speaker. .
At the end of the presentations, a 15-minute space was allocated for questions, allowing attendees to interact and resolve doubts in real time.
The success of participation in this second edition of “ELE Lessons” underlines the importance of offering quality resources and training to ELE teachers, thus contributing to the enrichment and updating of their pedagogical practices. The Spanish Language Schools of the University of Salamanca are committed to continuing to offer this type of training events, which have become a valuable tool for the educational community.
