ThroughoutmycareerIhavebeenfortunatetobenefitfromadiversityofteachingopportunitiesatdifferenteducational institutions.Forinstance,IhavetaughtinseveralcountriesUSA,Spain,andNicaraguaandthistraininghasenabledme toacquireawideexperienceintheteachingofSpanishlanguage,cultureandlinguisticsinavarietyofculturalcontexts.

Additionally, I have been able to develop over time a number of pedagogical principles based on the reflection of this diversity. Moreover, I have had the opportunity to teach a wide variety of courses namely grammar, culture and conversationcourses,aswellastheoreticallinguisticsandsecondlanguageteachingmethodologiescourses. Given the privilege I have had of teaching multiple undergraduate Spanish language and linguistics courses, I have been able to implement a variety of pedagogic strategies to promote active participation of students in the classroom. My approachtosecondlanguageteachingcombinescommunicativeorientedactivitiesandformbasedinstruction.AlthoughI favor communicative language teaching and interaction, I also focus on the study of grammatical structures while integratingotherlanguageskills,includinglistening,readingandwriting.Therefore,Iencouragestudentsquestionsand participationinclass,leadclassdiscussioneffectively,andengagestudentsinterestinthesubjectwearediscussing.Iam constantlychallengingandredefiningmypositionasateacher,bothwithlessonslearnedthroughtheprocessofteaching andtheclose(re)readingsofclassmaterials. Asalanguageinstructor,myroleisofafacilitatortocontributetothestudentsdevelopmentoftheappropriatelinguistic strategiesinordertocommunicatewithSpanishinterlocutors,aswellastoattainfullcomprehensionofthelanguage,to increaseawarenessofandsensitivitytodifferentculturalidiosyncrasies,andtoappreciatethehistoryandthetraditionof theSpanishlanguage.MygoalintheSpanishclassroomisforemosttomotivateandengagestudentstothink,speak,and write about the subject at hand, and to help them use those tools in a meaningful way. The development and conscientious use of these devices entail thinking creatively about the resources at my disposal, which requires making imaginativeusenotonlyofthetraditionalmethodologywefindintextbooks,butalsoofartifacts,culturaltexts,television and film, music, sports, current events, and any other object inhabited by living culture, including the vast Hispanic communitiestobefoundineventhemostunlikelyplacesintheUnitedStates. In todays digitally oriented academic world filled with techsavvy students, I often turn to technology (e.g., PowerPoint, podcasts, wikis, blogs, YouTube, Google Earth, Google Docs, twitter, etc.) to supplement all subjects, but more as a complementarytoolandresourcetothereallifeinteractionwhichIfosterinmyclassroomthanasamainteachingaid. Furthermore, I strongly believe that technology can be a wonderful way to introduce new and innovative ways to learn. Software, e.g., Blackboard, or Educational Networks, e.g., Classroom 2.0, are convenient and effective platforms to show Spanishinaction. AtPurdueUniversityIhavealwaysfoundtheworkshopsbytheCenterforInstructionalExcellenceextremelyproductive, sinceIamusuallyofferednewcasesandteachingtechniques,whichIamalwayseagertosharewithmycolleaguesand incorporateinmyclass.Inmyexperience,thiskeepsmyteachingaliveandexcitingforme,and,hence,Ihopesomeofmy excitement inspires my students. Due to this formal teaching training, I have grown a keen interest in community engagement.Thus,oneoftheessentialfeaturesIusuallyincorporateinmyclassesisthecomponentofservicelearning. Forinstance,duringasemesterlongservicelearningprojectinRosita(Nicaragua)andSeville(Spain),mystudents,i.e.,pre andinserviceteachersofSpanish,workedinteamstonegotiatepedagogicalprojects(leaflets,translations,newsletters, lessonplans,andreports)tomeettheneedsoftheircommunitypartners.Mystudentshavealwaysexpressedgratitudefor theexperiencestheygainedthroughsuchcommunityserviceopportunities. Beyond the classroom, I also look forward to building strong experiential learning programs and motivating classes to exploretheirpotentialasstudentsofSpanish.Itismyhopethatallofmystudentscontinuetoapplytheskillstheylearnin mycoursesastheylearnaboutthemselves.

TeachingPhilosophy