If this wasn´t a meaningful lesson, then what do we understand by meaningful?

After studying too much Methodology and Didactics, we should all know that it is usually better to learn and store vocabulary or grammar if the context in which you learn is meaningful. Well, I´m sure it must have happened to you that you´ve discovered yourself learning in this way; or at least I´ve discovered myself remembering things after some unforgettable events.

Yesterday, Analía said something about a hail storm when I said those words and so I will explain what she meant. Once I told her a humorous anecdote about my first year at college. It was a hot day in November and we were having one of the last Language lessons of the year. We were discussing some vocabulary when we started feeling a warm breeze coming from outside. It was obvious that there was going to be a storm, although we had never expected it to be as violent as it turned out to be. Despite the breeze, we kept working with our copies as it seemed there wasn´t much to worry about; it was just a breeze.

Suddenly, we looked around and the sky had turned black. The city lights went on and it seemed as if it was night. But it was around 4 in the afternoon at that moment! We went on with the lesson and suddenly strong wind started blowing. The teacher told us to close the windows and she told us that we were experiencing a gale storm and she wrote it on the blackboard. Of course we all copied it down in our notebooks. The gale storm became fiercer, tree branches started to break, cars were running fast outside and many passers-by started running or hiding somewhere. All of a sudden, huge blocks of ice starting falling and we couldn´t avoid feeling awfully scared; some of the girls were about to cry, some others were shouting and we could hear the pieces of ice falling on the institute and crashing against the windows. We were really desperate and worried about our homes and our beloved ones who could be outside at that moment.

Despite the seriousness of the situation and our desperation, the teacher shouted (because we even couldn´t listen to each other if we didn´t shout, due to the noises made by the storm): “You see, now the gale storm has turned into a hail storm!” and she also write the new word on the blackboard and we also copied it down. Maybe this sounds unbelievable, but it did happen and now that I remember the episode it seems very funny.

The following lesson the teacher apologized for going on with the lesson despite our faces and feelings and she told us she didn´t realize that the storm was going to have the serious consequences it had. We all burst into laughter and we told her that we were never going to forget the words she had taught us that afternoon. In fact, whenever I say those words I cannot help remembering that lesson. Really memorable!