It has been
an incredibly fulfilling experience to be an auxiliar de conversación in IES
Nervión. From the moment I arrived, both students and teachers have shown their
welcome and appreciation for me.
One of the
most rewarding aspects of being an auxiliar is the opportunity to work closely
with everyone in the school community to help students develop their language
skills in a meaningful way. I have made a handful of subject-specific presentations and activities (CLIL), but
activities rooted in my Filipino culture made lasting impressions.
As a
Filipino auxiliar who is an authentic resource of Philippine English for IES
Nervión, I have drawn from my multicultural background to promote students’
understanding of both the English language and aspects of
Filipino culture. To reify the auxiliares’ dual role of being language learning
resources and cultural ambassadors.
Here are
some of the activities I have organized for IES Nervión:
Nervión Berde
I proposed
Nervión Berde as an activity in consonance with 1º ESO students' celebration of
the International Day of Languages on 10 November. It was supposed to be an
interdisciplinary activity for their Geografía e Historia, Biología y Geología,
and Inglés classes. It took a turn for the better when the school accepted the
proposal and expanded the scope of the activity to include all students and
submissions in Spanish and French as well.
Students
had to submit poems following the stylistic features of an ambahan—a poetic
form indigenous to the Hanunuo Mangyans of Mindoro— that is, comprising
seven-syllable lines, mono-rhyme scheme, and figures of speech describing the
interplay between man and nature.
Nervión Berde
poster
One of the three cork boards filled with the students’ ambahans
Parol-Making
As the
Christmas season began to approach, Mamen, the bilingual coordinator, inquired
if the Philippines had any distinct Christmas tradition that the students can
do. I told her that it's customary to put up parols outside houses as
decorations. I thought it would be a fun hands-on activity for students to
create their own parol from recycled materials.
2º ESO C students gluing bottle caps along the cut-out base of a bottle
where the arms of the star will be attached
Empty plastic bottles being filled with torn and scrunched scratch paper
Finished parol decorating the door to the classroom
Oral History Project
Karaoke de Recreo
Because
karaoke is a culturally important pastime in the Philippines, where it is
frequently enjoyed at social gatherings, family reunions, and even in public
places, I thought about how I could share it with everyone at school.
I took the
chance to propose having karaoke during the students’ break (recreo)—hence,
karaoke de recreo—to avoid disrupting classes. The activity encourages students
to sing English songs to make the process of learning English engaging.
Graduation Song
Ideally, 4º
ESO students sing this during their graduation as homage to their parents and
teachers. It also serves as a showcase for the school to establish itself
firmly as a bilingual institution and successful partner of the Auxiliar de
Conversación program in not just improving the students' English language
skills but in promoting cultural exchange.
