7 New Year Goals for Spanish and French Teachers in 2025

 

New years bring new possibilities, new ventures, and new goals. It is a great time to set new intentions and goals. I grew up believing that planning the new year out in the very beginning dictates the type of year you will have. We all have plans, but sticking to them is always the key. Sticking to the new year plans or goals require that you firstly make up your mind that you will commit to the plan and secondly revisiting the plan to stay focused. I know it sounds easier said than done. However, let's resolve to stick to our plans this year to accomplish our goals. In accomplishing our goals, let's consider our language teaching profession and how we can move forward into the new year.

Whether you are a seasoned foreign language teacher or just starting your teaching journey, creating an actionable plan or setting goals for yourself can help you and your students thrive. Here are seven goals that you can incorporate into your New Year's resolutions as a Spanish or French teacher.

1. Use more authentic resources

Bringing the target culture and language to life in our classroom should always be the goal for foreign language teachers. This is how we bridge the gap between what we teach and the reasons for learning the language. Using authentic materials enhances lessons and provides cultural depth and a foundation for learning. Here are a few authentic materials you can incorporate into your lesson:

• Spanish and French music - music creates a different atmosphere in the classroom and students can suddently get excited and inspired to learn when incorporating music in lessons. There are many ways you can use music to teach a concept or to teach students a native song for a special occasion.
• Recipes for traditional dishes - These are easy to incorporate when teaching topics such as food.
• News articles or social media - with the internet at your fingertips, you can print an article or share a social media post with your students that is relevant to the topic you are teaching.

Authentic materials or resources help students connect language learning with real-world applications, making the experience more meaningful.

2.  Personalize Instruction

Every student is unique and so is every Spanish or French class that you teach. Personalizing lessons to cater to the needs of different learning styles and interests can make a huge impact. For example here are a few tips for personalizing instruction:

• Integrate pop culture references - this may peak the interest of students who are interested in pop culture 
• Design projects around topics students are passionate about - this would require doing a quick verbal survey or asking students what they would like their next project to be.