About Me

ACADEMIC & PEDAGOGICAL BACKGROUND:

I earned my Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish and Psychology from the University of Saint Thomas in Houston, Texas. Afterward, I earned my Master of Education degree in Post-Secondary Administration from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California. I then received my Master of Arts degree in Spanish Linguistics from the University of Texas at Austin. I have also completed my doctoral coursework in Portuguese Linguistics from the same university and am taking a leave of absence for one year. After completing my leave of absence, I plan to start on my dissertation and continue with Online Language Tutor.

I have taught Spanish at the Boys’ and Girls’ Club of Houston and tutored Spanish, Statistics, and English Grammar and Composition at the University of Saint Thomas. For 6 years, I taught college-level Spanish (varying levels) at the University of Texas at Austin.

METHODOLOGY:

I don’t believe one methodology fits every student. I believe every learner grasps new ideas differently. However, I have mentioned here the approaches under which I have taught. I espouse the communicative approach but am also familiar with the inductive approach. The communicative approach focuses on productivity via conversational exercises along with a focus on grammar and vocabulary. The inductive approach challenges students to form hypotheses for new grammatical constructions and encourages them to learn grammar and vocabulary via cultural and real-life activities. The latter approach, in my opinion, is more appropriate for an advanced student; however, the communicative approach is preferred by most instructors of languages. As a sociolinguist, I also enjoy focusing on politeness through second languages and other pragmatic phenomena.

For more information, I have attached my CURRICULUM VITAE for your perusal.