Show Creative Teaching Using Academics and Culture Ryan Poland Contributing Writer Teaching Tea hing isn't about being right all the the- time time time-or pr about everyone having a good grade its it's about learning learning learning learn learn- ing said Portuguese l language language lan lan- n- n guage Professor C Celia lia Hanni Professor Hanni or C Celia lia to her students strongly believes that the most important important important tant thing about education isn't grade grad point po average but having h ving fun and learning the material This is an ide idea that she traces back to her college years Hanni a native Brazilian and naturalized resident of the United States h has s been ben teaching Portuguese at for the past five years She ea earned ed her masteJ maste masters s degree in Portuguese P se e education education tion from the prestigious University of Campinas in inS S Sao o Paulo Brazil After graduating Hanni began teaching Portuguese in elementary schools a task which turned out to be more challenging than she expect expect- ed ed In a country where an estimated estimated estimated esti esti- mated 80 percent of oft the pop pop- population population lives at or below p poverty verty level many children struggle with learning or o lack a th the opportunity or means to to obtain n a decent education tion Luckily Hanni left college confident that she could tackle tackle tack tack- le this problem My masters master's masters master's masters master's mas mas- ter's degree degre program emphasized emphasized emphasized sized a different more modern modem modern mod mod- ern em teaching approach using life experiences to help underprivileged children learn to read write and speak Portuguese explained Hanni Now living in Utah and married to an American citizen citizen citizen citi citi- zen for twelve years her environment has dramatically changed Although she no longer teaches lower-class lower Brazilian children Professor Hanni still uses t these ese specialized f techniques to help students students students stu stu- stu- stu dents master beginning and intermediate diate level Portuguese language skills According to Hanni this process involves making the classroom a fun and comfortable comfortable comfort comfort- able ble environment while developing a family attitude e between her and the students I keep my authority as a teacher but I 1 also care about the students and try to be their friend so I 1 can help them learn I 1 believe that is what teaching is all about says Hanni Whether the subject is is Portuguese grammar verb conjugation or proper pro- pro nunc skills Hanni has a away away ayay way yay to 0 spice things up I like I making Portuguese a fun thing to learn she explained She accomplishes this by combining academics with culture in particular Brazilian culture According to Hanni culture culture culture cul cul- cul- cul ture is an essential part of learning a foreign language When you are learning another language a new world of adventure opens up and it helps you to become a amore amore amore more humble and tolerant person because you can see that people are different and every language and country is unique In turn C Celia lia uses Portuguese language songs and music films food and even Brazilian history to help motivate students and uniquely ely enhance the learning learning learning learn learn- ing process The Salt Lake Community College currently offers classes in beginning and intermediate Portuguese as aswell aswell aswell well as Portuguese conversation conversation conversation conversa conversa- tion film literature and other special topics For more information on Portuguese classes refer to the language course information information information tion in the current catalog catalog catalog cat cat- alog or pr email Professor Hanni at atch ch channi anni |