My Teaching

I teach undergraduate courses that encompass from 200-level introductory linguistic courses to 400-level courses designed to examine Spanish morphology and syntax as well as to train future language teachers on sound classroom teaching practices. At the graduate level, I teach general introductory courses on theories of second language acquisition and psycholinguistics, courses specific to the acquisition of Spanish as a second language, and courses more directly related to my research area.

My philosophy of teaching is grounded in the belief that learning best takes place when students are engaged in the collective analysis of a problem to arrive at a mutually satisfactory solution. To enhance critical thinking, I generate tasks that encourage students to problem-solve in the context of collaborative discussions. I provide a relaxed atmosphere for students to express their ideas openly, while at the same time showing sensitivity and respect for the ideas of others. Because I recognize that students possess different learning styles and learning abilities, I strive to provide my students with individual attention. I encourage students to visit me during office hours, and always make time to address their questions and concerns. In addition, I incorporate the use of state-of-the-art technology for the delivery of classroom materials designed to anchor the concepts introduced and discussed during our face-to-face interactions.

Classroom Objectives

Whether I teach courses at the undergraduate level or at the graduate level, my goal in the classroom is to develop a passion for learning in my students and to use the subject matter as a tool to help my students to become skilled thinkers. My classes are organized around two major goals. The first one relates to course content and is aimed at making students aware of the basic questions that linguists and psycholinguists ask, to show how data is gathered to answer these questions, how hypotheses are supported, and how to choose between competing theories. The second goal relates to course skills. I capitalize on the different disciplines that my students bring to my classrooms to teach them how to become effective problem-solvers. Thus, whereas I show students in the humanities how to analyze a problem formally by exposing them to rigorously stated problems that have a clear range of appropriate solutions, I achieve the same goal with science students by showing them how to apply an algorithm-based approach to solve problems in natural language.

Promoting Engagement

To promote the international engagement by U.S. undergraduate and graduate students to conduct research in the language science of bilingualism, in 2010 we were awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation: Partnerships in International Research and Education (OISE 0968369: Bilingualism, mind, and brain: An interdisciplinary program in cognitive psychology, linguistics, and cognitive neuroscience—PI, Judith Kroll; Co-PIs, Giuli Dussias, Janet van Hell, Ping Li).

Over the course of the grant, from 2011 to 2024, we sent more than 150 undergraduate students and over 50 graduate students to our partner sites in Beijing (China), Bangor (Wales), Granada (Spain), Tarragona (Spain), Leipzig (Germany), Braunschweig (Germany), Nijmegen (The Netherlands), Mexico City (Mexico), San Juan (Puerto Rico), and Lund (Sweden), Kraków (Poland), San Basilio de Palenque (Colombia) to conduct research on bilingualism.

In recognition of the mentorship I provide to my graduate and undergraduate students, I received the 2012 Outstanding Faculty Adviser Award from the College of the Liberal Arts. In addition, my efforts to internationalize bilingualism research were recognized with the 2012 Penn State’s Spirit of Internationalization Award.

Latin Festival 2025.mp4

Outside the Classroom

My intense commitment and devotion to teaching extends outside the confines of the classroom. I have been the primary mentor of many graduate students and undergraduate students since my arrival at Penn State. During our hourly meetings once a week, we discuss progress towards the completion of research projects, venues to present and publish research findings, and progress towards the completion of their degrees. I highlight the importance of collaboration and group learning by encouraging them to talk to each other and to their peers about matters ranging from experimental design and technical aspects involved in the programming of experiments to issues concerning data analysis and interpretation. I underscore the contribution of their research findings to the field by encouraging them to submit their work for presentation at different conference venues.

Courses and Sample Syllabi

Undergraduate Courses

Life with Two Languages SPAN 083   Download Syllabus
The Science of Spanish: A Beginner's Guide to Hispanic Linguistics SPAN 215   Download Syllabus
Spanish Morohology and Syntax SPAN 415   Download Syllabus

Graduate Courses

Proseminar in the Language Science of Bilingualism LING 521    Download Syllabus
Proseminar in Professional Issues in Language Science LING 522   Download Syllabus
Psycholinguistics PSY 520    Download Syllabus
Code Switching SPAN 597    Download Syllabus

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