Pepperdine students and facilities staff share language learning

For students learning a new language, it can be difficult to apply classroom concepts to real-life situations, especially when listening or speaking.

At Pepperdine University, a partnership between a Spanish language instructor and staff members has helped teach students practical language skills and create relationships between the two groups.

The initiative has helped dozens of students improve their Spanish and stimulate other language courses at university.

The background: Pepperdine’s Department of Facilities Services employs more than 100 people responsible for maintenance, custodial and landscaping services for the Malibu campus, many of whom are native Spanish speakers.

Alison Stewart, associate professor of Spanish-language studies, has heard from some of her students that they regularly greet staff members on campus in Spanish, but don’t feel comfortable using their speaking skills to go beyond “Hola” or “¿Cómo estás ? ”

Incorporating a language exchange into the classroom environment allows students to practice their Spanish listening and speaking skills in a safe environment and gives them the opportunity to interact with staff members they might not otherwise come into contact with.

How it works: Students enrolled in Spanish 251, the majority of whom are native English speakers, participate in a Spanish-English discussion group. “At this level, Spanish students are comfortable with present and past tense and their vocabulary covers a variety of topics,” says Stewart.

The class typically meets in the late morning and once a month the 50-minute class session is devoted to discussion groups. The first half of the lesson focuses on English articulation and pronunciation, then on Spanish for the last half.

“The learning objectives are to develop vocabulary for both groups of students in English and Spanish,” said Marilyn Koziatek, director of facilities services and campus operations.

Each class begins with a basic introduction in Spanish and then discusses topics of conversation including family, course schedules, majors, hobbies, and food.

“I started by preparing talking points for a shared discussion, but more and more I’m finding that students and staff are finding their own topics that are interesting to share, whether it’s sports or fashion,” says Stewart.

Between 10 and 12 students and a comparable number of employees participate in the groups. “I am proud to report that most, if not all, of our employees are repeat attendees of the 251 classes throughout the semesters,” said Stewart.

Marilyn Koziatek/Pepperdine University

The impact: Since launching in spring 2023, Stewart has incorporated the discussion groups into all her sections of Spanish 251.

Students and staff say they enjoy the fun, light-hearted atmosphere during class and the opportunity to continue relationships outside of class on campus, Koziatek said. Employees also share that they value the direct interaction with students, which typically does not occur as often during their daily work.

“Employees also say the classes give them the confidence to communicate with English-speaking colleagues, alumni and parents in the Pepperdine community,” Koziatek added.

Some students admit to being nervous when meeting their conversation partners, but by the end of the lesson, students feel more confident and better at using their real Spanish, Stewart says. “One student was so excited that right after one of our sessions, she called her parents and said, ‘Mom, Dad, I just had a conversation that was entirely in Spanish with a Spanish speaker who works here on campus – it was so great.’ ”

Building the future: The initiative has also led to Stewart creating and teaching an English as a Second Language course for DFS employees, which is free and available to anyone who wants to participate. Each month, Stewart teaches a group of 30 to 35 students from DFS’s surveillance, landscaping and irrigation departments in Pepperdine’s School of Public Policy building.

“We have covered basic concepts of English grammar, a variety of vocabulary topics, and most recently in October we focused on vocabulary terms related to the specialized jobs of employees at Pepperdine,” says Stewart.

Stewart hopes that ESL can be formalized so that students can have textbooks and take exams and perhaps even host an end-of-year luncheon to celebrate their work.

“Ultimately, we are building meaningful bridges to connect members of our community, and I am so grateful to be a part of that,” said Stewart.

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