Teaching

Teaching Philosophy

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Teaching involves learning and constant update. I believe that as an educator, I learn a lot from my students' experiences in life and in the learning process. I have had the opportunity to teach teenagers, young adults, adults, and older adults, and the interactions and experiences I have had with all the different age groups have contributed to the person and educator that I have become. However, my position as a professional is not where I think I should stay; that is the reason why I am always looking for ways of helping learners develop their language skills. This led me to look beyond and pursue doctoral studies in order to gain knowledge and skills for carrying out research that could be used to aid second language learning. 

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I believe that everyone can learn a language at any age. Dedication, self-determination, and guidance are key factors in this process. As a teacher, I believe that all learning theories have interesting points that could be used in combination to design, develop, and implement experiences that guide learners towards their learning goals. 

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Description of Professional Experience

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I have had the opportunity to work in K-12 teaching English to 7th and 11th graders. My experience with this population was good; however, I was still in my undergraduate studies which did not allow me to develop fully due to a lack of knowledge and skills. 

Once graduated, I started teaching English to older adults as part of the Institutional Program for Adults and Senior Adults (PIAM, acronym in Spanish) at the University of Costa Rica. The main takeaway from teaching this population was that teaching is reciprocal. I develop different skills from a personal and professional level: patience, values, teaching methods, accessible learning, and personalization of learning experiences.

During the time I was working with older adults, I was also part of a program that focuses on conversation skills. The population in this program was different, but being able to work with two different populations at the same time allowed me to sharpen my teaching skills.

Once I graduated from the master’s program, I started working for the School of Modern Languages at the University of Costa Rica. In this institution, I had the opportunity to teach different English macro and micro-skills. I taught integrated skills, grammar, pronunciation, and reading comprehension courses. I also taught two master’s courses on the Pacific campus. These courses were Topics in applied Linguistics and Methods for English Language Teaching. The following are some of the courses that I have taught at the University of Costa Rica. 

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