Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language in Barbados: context description and methodological suggestions for teachers

Abstract

The Cave Hill Campus at The University of the West Indies in Barbados constitutes a multicultural environment where different nationalities coexist. Students with various ethnic backgrounds, traditions, and idiosyncrasies from the surrounding islands come together to study Spanish as a foreign language. Despite the little distance between the Anglophone Caribbean and Latin America, especially between Barbados, Cuba, and Venezuela, most of these islands prioritize relations with English-speaking countries. The number of Spanish speakers in Barbados is limited, and the distance with Spain does not contribute to forging a stronger and reciprocal bond. Thus, this paper intends to give an insight into the context; provide a personal reflection on the teaching of Spanish as a foreign language in Barbados as well as describe a set of methodological suggestions aimed at raising awareness and the affective filter toward the Spanish language from a sociocultural and linguistic perspective.