Teaching Spanish as an additional foreign language to experienced learners

Abstract

This chapter advocates the multilingual turn in language education and stems from the premise that multilingualism is a resource to exploit in the foreign language classroom. Drawing on the literature and on empirical knowledge, two Colombian language educators reflect upon their experiences teaching Spanish at a Polish and at a German university. The authors contend that lack of awareness and misconceptions about multilingualism may limit the opportunities for multicompetence development, affect classroom dynamics, and have a negative impact on student motivation, engagement, and autonomy. Overall, the discussion focuses on the need of adopting a multilingual approach for third/additional language instruction and pinpoints four major challenges in the Spanish L3/Ln class, suggesting they be regarded as possibilities for methodological innovation and professional growth. Ultimately, the authors invite language teachers to reflect upon their classroom practices from a multilingual stance, taking into account the linguistic profile, specific needs, and great potential of experienced learners.