As part of my pedagogical training, I have taken classes in the Department of Education at UNL since 2016 and I will also graduate in Summer 2021 with a Master’s degree in Education. In these classes, I have learned and practiced new methodological techniques for teaching second languages, including the design of curricula for Spanish classes and the use of applications and digital tools to teach and learn remotely. I have also taken classes on the importance of bilingualism and intercultural communication in the classroom to educate in diversity. In addition, I have done a practical training by teaching classes and creating the academic curriculum in Spanish for heritage speakers during an academic year. As an educator, I am committed to a communicative, content-based approach. More importantly, I maintain an awareness of students’ diverse needs and learning styles, including those of heritage speakers and students with disabilities. I strive to help students develop critical thinking skills that have practical implications in other courses, their careers, and their lives. I also have experience with online and hybrid teaching to reach students beyond the traditional physical classroom. For instance, in Spring 2020 I was teaching face-to-face SPAN 204 (Spanish writing class based on Hispanic Cinema), but after COVID-19 the class switched online synchronously and I created a new set of digital tools to engage students during our virtual sessions.

As part of my involvement in experiential learning, since 2016 I have worked as UNL Faculty Leader for the Study Abroad Program at the University of Deusto in Spain, supervising more than 20 students every summer. I have also directed the Spanish Tutoring and Writing Center for the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures from 2018 to 2020, helping students with their writing and oral skills. Mentoring students in the process of language and cultural acquisition while witnessing their growth at both individual and interpersonal levels is a particular rewarding experience for me. In the same way, seeing the impact that our students’ learning has on the community is gratifying and transforms teaching into a tool for social change. This is the case of the “Intensive Conversation (Service Learning in Spanish)” course I taught, where students worked voluntarily in the community and practiced Spanish at the same time. As a teacher, I wish to be an enabler of critical thinking and a facilitator of cooperative learning.

Useful sentences to decorate the classroom and help students to ask questions using the target language.