The methodology will be based on understanding students' needs and interests, as well as their psychological developmental level. This will not only help create learning opportunities but also utilize those that arise in the classroom. All this is based on an active approach that ensures interaction.
Following Arnold (2018), the goal is to enable students to be autonomous. This means that they are aware and knowledgeable about their learning objectives, how they can learn most effectively, their progress and areas for improvement, and the resources needed to continue moving forward. It is essential to instill confidence in students and redirect negative attitudes toward learning in a positive direction. To achieve this, it is advisable to establish appropriate group dynamics and create a pleasant classroom environment, which can be achieved through activities, actions, and dynamics that promote group cohesion.
Reading will be a central focus of the teaching unit. Through various activities and tasks, communicative competence will be developed, fostering essential aspects, such as self-awareness, debate, and oral expression. Reading the selections will enable the identification of new vocabulary, including keywords that facilitate an overall understanding of the text. Furthermore, it will encourage the identification of significant and revealing details, the sum of which will contribute to the identification of main ideas, facilitating the preparation of a summary and the subsequent presentation or teaching of the content.
The integration, combination, and use of information and communication technologies will facilitate a deeper understanding of skills and methods for collecting and presenting information, enriching knowledge in an autonomous and meaningful way with a critical and enriching approach. This will foster the development of creativity and facilitate collaborative work.
I will design work dynamics that allow students to discover their talents and recognize their potential, thus strengthening their self-confidence. This strategy enables the generation of situations and contexts for artistic expression, whether through the interpretation of a character in a theatrical performance or through the creation of drawings, poems, songs, dances, photographs, short films, video editing, and other forms of artistic expression. All of these forms of production will contribute to achieving the proposed objectives. Different presentation methods for student work will be proposed, combining the use of digital and analogue tools with handmade productions, thus fostering diversity of expression, communication, and creativity. It is essential not only for students to understand the information but also for them to be able to express its value and importance in writing. The use of digital tools will promote the acquisition of digital competence, while written production will contribute to the improvement of handwriting and spelling.
I will enhance emotional competence so that students can recognize and manage their own emotions, developing skills such as empathy, assertiveness, and decision-making, which will contribute to the respect and appreciation of the cultural diversity in Spain. At all times, each person experiences an emotion. Knowing stories, customs, or traditions allows us to connect not only with our own emotions but also with those of the protagonists in the stories we learn. This connection fosters the development of empathy for past events, enabling comparisons between the past and the present. All of this helps to strengthen the bonds with our culture and reinforce both personal and collective values.
The designed activities will be based on the following:
- Problem-based and challenge-based learning
- Experiential learning
- The flipped classroom
- Educational gamification
Problem-based and challenge-based learning
Problem-based learning should not be confused with project-based learning, which also uses the same acronym. It is based on challenges. The common goal is to engage learners through active cooperative work. The difference is that they focus specifically on real-world problems and the search for solutions.
This challenge-based learning presents a real-life problem for which students must define the challenges they will encounter and devise real-life solutions (Tecnológico de Monterrey, 2016), drawing on knowledge gained through Spanish legends, traditions, and customs. This model activates transversal competencies such as problem-solving, decision-making, communication, and presentation skills, as well as critical thinking, all of which are why it is also associated with the competency-based approach.
According to Andreu and García (2010), the problem must be open-ended, connected to previously learned knowledge, and controversial to generate debate. Our task is to establish the problematic situation according to the level of our students.
In this methodology, Tano (2017) outlines the following phases:
1) Problem development
2) Presentation
3) Group organization
4) Problem clarification
5) Hypothesis formulation
6) Specifying learning objectives
7) Task distribution
8) Searching for solutions
9) Sharing solutions
10) Assessment of acquired competencies
Through this methodology, students will be able to understand and appreciate their own and others' cultural expressions, respect cultural diversity in Spain, read and interpret legends, and develop empathy and respect for different ways of life and cultures, among other benefits.
Experiential Learning
Experiential learning stems from Constructivism and is based on the belief that learning occurs through the transformation generated by experience and reflection. It focuses on affective and reflective components. It represents one of the most effective methodologies for internalizing the values, traditions, and ways of life of a specific culture. Learning occurs through direct experience, that is, by actively engaging in real or simulated situations. From this experience, the individual reflects on what happened, analyzes their actions, identifies successes and mistakes, and understands the causes and consequences of what they experienced. This critical reflection allows them to draw deductions and formulate conclusions that enrich their knowledge. As a result, they can transfer what they have learned to different contexts, facing new challenges with greater confidence, adaptability, and understanding. Representing legends and historical scenes or recreating traditional festivals (such as a fair or Fallas festival) are examples of activities that can be carried out based on experiential learning.
Flipped Classroom
This methodological strategy was developed by two chemistry teachers in the United States, J. Bergmann and A. Sams, who created videos of specific lessons for students who could not attend class. The surprising realization was that not only were they helpful for the absent students, but the rest of the class also used the videos as reinforcement and support for their learning.
Through this methodology, it is possible to send videos related to legends, customs, and traditions of Spanish culture in advance for students to view at home. This way, classroom time can be dedicated to clarifying questions and engaging in collaborative reflection, allowing students to focus on cooperative learning and interaction. This is a strategy that reduces the feeling of anxiety or stress that sometimes arises in the classroom, as students will be familiar with the content in advance.
Educational Gamification
The term "gamification" refers to the use of game elements or mechanics in non-game contexts to elicit behavioral changes in participants (Werbach & Hunter, 2012). In addition to increased student motivation and engagement, positive effects are noted in cognitive (through compliance with game rules), emotional (through overcoming challenges and achieving goals), and social (through cooperation and competition) aspects.
This methodological strategy can be used to understand, internalize, and assess acquired knowledge. Among the activities that can be implemented based on gamification are cultural escape rooms, interactive maps, using tools like Genially, cultural trivia about legends, using platforms like Kahoot or Quizizz, the creation of comics or virtual presentations with Canva, Pixton or Storyboard That, as well as progress tracking using scoring systems like Classcraft or ClassDojo.
Postmethod Approach
The Postmethod Pedagogy approach, proposed by linguist B. Kumaravadivelu (1994), is exciting because it suggests a model that eschews the obligation to follow rigid, artificial principles unrelated to classroom reality. It can be described as a hybrid model in which each teacher develops their methodology.
