Pre-Service Teachers’ Experiences with a Connectivist Spanish Methodology Course: A Phenomenological Study

Teacher preparation programmes for the Primary school in Trinidad and Tobago have been mandated to include the teaching of Spanish, in order to reinforce this country’s 2004 policy on the implementation of Spanish as a First Foreign Language.

To improve the existing teaching methodology for pre-service teachers at UTT, Connectivist principles were applied to a Spanish Methodology course to investigate the experiences gained from network learning and the effect on their pedagogical content knowledge. This was done through a focus group interview and open-ended responses from a survey. Soon after the course, the teachers went on the field for a five-week practicum experience. After this, some participants were interviewed using a semi structured interview format. The purpose was to determine their experience with teaching Spanish, and more so if there were any application of elements of the course in the practicum such as the planning and delivery of a Spanish lesson.

A hermeneutic phenomenological approach was used for the research design. Data were analysed using van Manen’s thematic analysis where it was noted that most participants valued the Connectivist course and maximised its benefits but struggled to maintain healthy networks, especially during the practicum. Poor time management and unfamiliarity with learning in a Connectivist paradigm made applying its principles challenging, but not impossible. Further long-term study is required to determine any meaningful effects of learning using Connectivist pedagogy.