I have been teaching Spanish at Yale since 2007 following several years of part-time teaching at other institutions. This extensive and diverse teaching experience has been instrumental in shaping my approach and deepening my expertise as an educator. 

I am mainly interested in the first two years of foreign language teaching because that is where you can clearly see how students acquire the language. However, I have also taught L5 courses in the past and am planning to teach one in the recent future. My student evaluations are positive, praising my engaging teaching style, detailed feedback, and organizational skills. In the past, I have taught a variety of other courses. In addition, during the pandemic, I taught my courses remotely.

Courses at Yale
-SPAN 110 (1st semester) sample syllabus (remote instruction)
-SPAN 120 (2nd semester)
-SPAN 130 (3rd semester)
-SPAN 140 (4th semester)
-SPAN 145 (intensive 3rd-4th semesters) sample syllabus
-Study Abroad program in Peru (sample syllabi S130, S140, S147)
-Study Abroad program in Bilbao (S130, S140, S148) sample syllabus
-SPAN S241 (5th semester, Catalonia in Modern Spain) (Upcoming, su2026)

Other courses elsewhere
-Spanish conversation (L5)
-Spanish with Service Learning (L1-L4)
-Spanish with children's books (L4) sample syllabus
-Spanish with readings and films (L4)
-Medical Spanish (L1-L5)
-English as a Second Language for adults
-Spanish for adults in Continuing Education

In my classes, I like to incorporate hands-on activities. For example, in SPAN 140, we recreated an art installation by Monica Mayer within the four walls of the classroom. Using pink sticky notes, students wrote their reactions to prompts related to violence against women and placed them on the blackboard, which was our improvised "clothesline" (see picture below). 

In the SPAN 148 course on Spanish culture, I asked students to use critical thinking skills to connect two events separated by 45 years and list on the blackboard all the events that led from one to the other (see picture below). 

In the past, I also collaborated in the creation of one of the first Open Educational Resources, while working on my Ph.D. at the University of Texas at Austin. In the future, I am planning to collaborate in the creation of an OER for Spanish here at Yale.

Something that contributed to my teaching experience was the amazing opportunity to work part time at various community colleges and private and public universities, which exposed me to a wide variety of student profiles.

The experience of working as the coordinator of SPAN 110 here at Yale  from 2008 to 2021 also allowed me to grow as a professional and explore the process of curriculum development. This position enhanced my organizational and group management skills. My colleagues even nominated me for the Yale Linda Lorimer Teaching Award for Distinguished Services, as evidence of their appreciation and respect.