Experience Summary
I have already been a full-time teacher, including one year of high school Spanish and two years of Undergraduate Spanish at Indiana University. Just recently, I concluded a double-Masters program at IU, the first degree in Latin American and Caribbean Studies and the second in Teaching Social Studies. I was nominated for Indiana Student Teacher of the Year at the completion of my student teaching experience this November. In addition, I have developed and taught my own English workshops abroad to English language learners and I speak fluent Spanish. My first job upon graduating from Bates College in Maine was to work as a Teacher's Assistant at a high school in MA. While there I also worked in the Learning Lab with Special Education students in need of tutoring and extra help. Finally, I have tutored independently high school, ELL and college students during the last few years. I am a personable, diligent and reliable worker and have an excellent rapport with young people.
Teaching Style
We all have certain teaching approaches that best suit our characters and personality styles. We must also have the flexibility to adjust to multiple, individualized learning styles. One strategy I personally employ is that of discussion and debate. Given a stimulating topic and good guiding questions, this can be a very effective way to have students develop arguments, challenge each other and think critically. It also gets a wider variety of students involved in the learning process and speaking during class. I also am a strong proponent of student-centered learning, whereby students take ownership of their own learning and speak as much as the teacher. Specifically, this might mean that students are responsible for summarizing or presenting certain material. This personal ownership, along with having to teach, typically results in better retention for the students. Students may present projects, paraphrase information from the text-book, or even contribute to the test or quiz making process.