PROFESSIONAL LITERATURE

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This semester, I am creating a unit plan centered around a book, written entirely in
Spanish, titled Esperanza. In many of my lesson plans, I plan to focus on the importance of
learner-to-learner interaction and the way this method will enable students to better comprehend
chapters two through four of the book. The article LearnerLearner Interaction During
Collaborative Pragmatic Tasks: The Role of Cognitive and Pragmatic Task Demands written by
YouJin Kim and Naoko Taguchi, begins by highlighting the importance of leaner-learner
interaction in a foreign language classroom. While I could not find any information directly
relating to the book Esperanza, this article directly relates to my unit as it focuses on task
complexity literature and the best ways to enable students to comprehend text in their second
language. The authors explain that interface between two learners, time in which they read to one
another and then verbally process what they have read as well as work together to answer
comprehension questions, is much more valuable than simply expecting one student to read
alone (Kim&Taguchi, 2016). Creating activities in which two students learn together and help
one another, enables teachers to help their students in a way that feels natural and does not
require a student to complete such a difficult task alone.
The purpose of this article is to enlighten teachers and give them options regarding how
to teach literature for a target second language. Teachers must be open to learning and
implementing new methods of learning for the good of their students. The intended audience for
this article is teachers of world languages, specifically teachers who are teaching a new language
to students to whom the target language is not their native tongue. In my case, I will be teaching
Spanish to level 2 (L2) learners whose primary language is English.
This article shaped my lesson as, after reading it, I was sure to include various
activities in my lesson plans in which students read aloud together or to one another at least

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two times to ensure that they are understanding the material. I also took special care in making
groups for these activities and placed certain students who may need more assistance with
students who have already proved their capabilities as far as understanding level 2 Spanish text.

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References
Kim, Y., & Taguchi, N. (2016, March 10). Learnerlearner interaction during collaborative
pragmatic tasks: The role of cognitive and pragmatic task demands [Electronic version]. Foreign
Language Annals, 49(1), 42-57. doi:10.1111/flan.12180

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The Teacher as a Pilgrim, an article written by Elisabeth Moreau, aligns perfectly with
my personal teaching strategy. In the article, Moreau acknowledges that there are many types of
teachers, but goes onto describe one certain type: the pilgrim teacher. In her own words, a
pilgrim teacher is one who thinks not only about his students learning, but he thinks about his
own growth as a teacher and as a person (Moreau 2015). Moreau goes on to say that a pilgrim
teacher is formed through his actions; how he will learn from his students and make their
feedback a vital part of future lessons. In addition, the pilgrim teacher is must focus on his
companions whether they be other teachers or his students. He must listen to their suggestions,
wants, and needs so he can learn from them and better serve them in the future. In sum, Moreau
writes, The pilgrim teacher is intentional and reflective throughout, conscious of the growth
within reach for both him and his students he is afraid of neither failure nor success because
rather who he is becoming and who his students are becoming are matters of greater
importance (2015).
The purpose of this article was to transform or inspire teachers views on teaching young
learners. The article encourages teachers to learn from their students and peers and to truly learn
how to become a better instructor as their journey progresses. Moreau stresses the fact that no
one teacher is perfect but rather must learn from his mistakes and adapt to his students needs.
Moreau has clearly intended the audience of this article to be teachers, young and old, who may
benefit from the idea of teaching from the perspective of a pilgrim teacher.
This article has shaped the planning of my unit plan in many ways. Over the course of the
last two months, I have been able to teach various lessons in a Spanish 2 classroom. After each
lesson, my mentor teacher gives me feedback. More often than not, she will write, listen to your
students. Assess where they are and cater to their needs. You do not always have to stick to an

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agenda. This is such valuable advice and, as a student beginning her journey as a teacher, I have
made countless notes and have incorporated learning checkpoints in my unit plan reminding
me to assess my students progress and learn from them how to be a better instructor while also
teaching to their level and learning alongside them.

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References
Moreau, E. (2015, December). The teacher as a pilgrim [Electronic version]. Christian
Educators Journal.