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Teaching Philosophy
Teaching Philosophy
Spanish teachers often get a bad rap: boring classes with grammar drills and "repeat-after-me" activities. As an educator, I strive to change this experience, basing much of my pedagogical approach on three C's: community, confidence, and collaboration.
A community-centered approach to language learning has two main parts: 1) fostering the cultural competencies of students and the connections to real-life communities (while validating the experiences of native & heritage students), and 2) creating a learning community within the classroom that values mutual respect and support amongst peers.
Building confidence is another key part of my teaching, which is done through correcting with care and an approach to learning that focuses on expanding students' linguistic repertoire instead of having a prescriptivist approach.
Finally, collaboration empowers students to take an active role in their own education and the education of their peers. By sharing the space to teach and learn from one another, Spanish language education and the contexts that we use to teach develop in a much more robust way.
Innovative uses of instructional technology is also fundamental to my teaching practice. Examples of activities that engage these kinds of technology can be seen below.
More about my teaching can be found in my teaching portfolio.
Elementary Spanish
Elementary Spanish
SPN 001 - Fall 2020
SPN 002 - Spring 2021, Summer 2021, Winter 2023, Fall 2025
SPN 003 - Fall 2021, Winter 2022, Spring 2022, Summer 2022, Spring 2023, Summer 2023, Summer 2024, Summer 2025
Intermediate Spanish
Intermediate Spanish
SPN 004 - Fall 2023, Fall 2024, Spring 2025, Winter 2026
Spanish for the Native (Heritage) Speaker
Spanish for the Native (Heritage) Speaker
SPN 109B - Winter 2024, Spring 2024
Gender & Space in Mexico
Gender & Space in Mexico
SPN 123G: Gender & Space - Winter 2025 (see syllabus here)
Teaching & Technology (Examples)
Teaching & Technology (Examples)
Recent Teaching Evaluations
Recent Teaching Evaluations
"I liked how he made class fun and exciting to go to, it made me want to go to class. I appreciate him for understanding that we are students and always answering our questions without judgment. I would recommend him to my friends as a professor because I felt like I learned in the class. I had him as a professor for 2 classes, and if I had had him for all 4 levels of Spanish I probably would know more than I do. We need professors who care about the work they do, and he is one of them. I don't have any negative things to say about the professor, I only have qualms about the curriculum and how it is structured but that does not reflect on this professor. Knowing that there was a course for him to follow, I liked that he took it and made it interesting for us to learn and that action speaks volumes to me. Not everyone is meant to be in a classroom and teach, but I think Professor Koby does and he does a great job at it." - Student, Intermediate Spanish
"It was an honor to have Professor Hansen as a professor because he gave us a great overall experience. Professor Hansen was very knowledgeable on the topics pertaining to Latin America and, therefore, helped me gain some knowledge. He was very caring and understanding about our problems outside of class and was always lenient when giving extensions. I felt this class had too much work and sometimes was hard to keep up with. It sometimes felt like busy work because I had homework for other courses. Overall, it was a great class, and I enjoyed taking it as I now understand Spanish more." - Student, Intermediate Spanish
"La profundidad de conocimiento del instructor sobre el tema fue evidente. Sus explicaciones detalladas y ejemplos relevantes fueron fundamentales para entender el contenido del curso. Además, el instructor estaba siempre dispuesto a responder preguntas y clarificar dudas, lo que enriqueció significativamente mi aprendizaje. El instructor fomentó un ambiente de aprendizaje inclusivo y respetuoso. Se alentó la participación y se valoraron las contribuciones de todos los estudiantes, creando un espacio donde me sentí cómodo para expresar mis ideas y participar activamente." - Student, Heritage Language Course
"He was a great professor; my favorite part about him was that he cares about the students. I think that is the most important quality in teaching a language. All of my professors have said "we will grade based on where you start, how much effort you put in, and where you end up by the end of the class but its quite easy to see when a professor does not mean that. He was prepared for class, always replied to my emails very quickly, and was friendly to each student no matter where they stood in their skill level in spanish." - Student, Elementary Spanish
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