My Ph.D. was in Foreign Language Education, so all courses were designed around topics on learning, teaching, and foreign language acquisition. I am the only person in my department with a Ph.D. in L2 pedagogy. Apart from those courses, I took two practical pedagogy training courses, one upon my arrival at Yale and one at the University of Cincinnati before starting my PTAIs teaching duties. This training provided me with a well-rounded base to approach my teaching and also my research. The latter is also supported thanks to the IRB online training courses that I take periodically. 

I have also participated in various events that have contributed to my training in pedagogy. In 2024, for example, I participated in The Language Flagship Technology Innovation Center Workshop organized through the CLS, which revolved around the affordances of AI. Last year, I was granted a FAS Professional Development Leave to redesign a traditional grammar-driven curriculum into a theme-based curriculum using Backward Design. This experience enhanced my knowledge of curriculum development and was particularly rewarding because it was the first time that I designed a course without a textbook and around culturally rich units. I have also participated in two CLS Instructional Innovation Workshops. In addition, I have attended many workshops and lectures on teaching topics organized throughout the year not only by the CLS but also by other important organizations in our field, such as the Center for Educational Resources in Culture, Language and Literacy (CERCLL). The CLS also granted me a Fellowship in 2021 that allowed me to design a research study on the cultural benefits that Virtual Exchange (VE) has in the foreign language classroom. Given that VE is implemented in several courses in our department, doing research is of paramount importance. 

My work as a rater and tester of assessment methods, such as the AP Spanish Language and Culture exam, which I have done for many years, can also be considered hands-on training in language pedagogy.