Una Presentación en un Taller – A Workshop Presentation

Spanish is not my first language, but in Chile it has to be, as all the interactions, information and investigations are in Spanish first and foremost. I can certainly watch CNN at home in English, read a newspaper online in English or talk in English at home even here in Santiago, but if I want to interact with anyone in a real and substantial way, it has to be in Spanish.

In the sense of my academic work here, I am part of the Faculty in the College of Science that includes professors in Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Mathematics. So, in the sense that I am interacting with all of these professionals in Spanish is an understatement, as there is also a technical language, a scientific vocabulary that is also part of my learning process. This has also come with its own unique challenges, both in content and context, both in terminology and meaning, in sending and receiving information that needs to be contextualized, clear and concise.

This week, I took part in a series of workshops that were based on inquiry science (ciencia de indagación) that was similar in scope and sequence to things I have done back in the US. In fact, the workshop part I was asked to lead for my colleagues was on movement and design (movimiento y diseño) that was to be done in a hands-on discovery format within a small group. Well, the night before the workshop, I was gripped with anxiety, unsure of how I could make my colleagues not only learn from me, but respect me as an educator and a valued contributor to the education of Chileans.

Luckily, my colleagues here took all the fear and anxiety out of the workshop by participating with great enjoyment and enthusiasm, despite my shortcomings in terminology. In fact, I did a pretty good job, as soon as I relaxed and recognized that this is something that I do know how to do. The process was the emphasis here, as it should be in science education, and the idea of investigating and leading students to discover concepts and make connections transcends language at any level. There is always something to learn and that in any setting, there is an opportunity for improvement and growth, and little by little (poco a poco) I am making my transformation as an educator and a human being.