#HowIBoomalang is a series spotlighting educators who use Boomalang to bring real-world speaking opportunities into their classrooms. Here are some highlights from our conversation with Nohelia Rojas-Miesse, Senior Lecturer at Miami University, who uses Boomalang to provide consistent and engaging Spanish speaking practice for college students in Intermediate Spanish.

“The confidence translates into the classroom as well. They are more responsive, and they actually talk instead of being hesitant and shy.”​

Classes: Intermediate Spanish

Problem

Miami University Senior Lecturer Nohelia Rojas-Miesse was in search of resources to complement her intermediate Spanish 201 classroom, and the technology packets included with their Spanish textbook just weren’t cutting it.

“The goal of [additional resources] was for the students to practice the language outside of the classroom because the university is in a community where there isn’t an opportunity to do that.

And probably for most students, this is the only time they got to talk with a native speaker, so my goal was also to expose them to native speakers.”

Solution

Boomalang provided that connection,

“The students have to complete five conversations per semester,” explains Nohelia. “Each conversation has a specific topic centered around the unit/book subject matter. Students have to write a reflection. And for some of the conversations, students had to do pre-work, such as prepare questions they were going to ask their conversation partners.”

Results

Boomalang didn’t just meet expectations. It exceeded them, both academically and financially.

“Because we have been able to incorporate Boomalang, we were able to eliminate some of the accompanied products from our textbook, saving the cost of the book add-ons.”

More importantly, the confidence students gained through one-on-one sessions was clearly visible in class.

 “The first reflection tends to say ‘I feel bad,’ ‘I don’t think I did well,’ ‘I messed up a lot.’ By the third reflection, they say, ‘I’m getting better,’ ‘I feel more confident,’ ‘I’m really happy that I can communicate.’ So, they evolve. It gives them a lot of confidence that they can have a complete conversation. And that confidence translates into the classroom as well. They are more responsive, and they actually talk instead of being hesitant and shy.”

Boomalang gave Nohelia’s students something many college courses struggle to provide: real confidence through real connection. If you’re looking for language learning tools for intermediate students that support fluency and cultural growth, Boomalang offers a proven and scalable solution.

Have a story to share?
Whether it’s a small win or a big breakthrough, we’d love to hear it. Help grow the Boomalang community by commenting below, emailing info@boomalang.co, or sharing your experience on Twitter using #HowIBoomalang.

Saludos,
Alison, Community Engagement