My teaching philosophy and research has evolved from and been strengthened by my tertiary work experiences in Arizona, Puerto Rico and the United Arab Emirates. Through my teaching and research, I have learned to better understand language, bilingualism and culture in very diverse contexts. My work is grounded in sociocultural theory which is reflected in my research, classroom teaching and conduct with students and colleagues. I use a pedagogy of empowerment that uses a language-as-a-resource orientation to promote a more equitable society.
Because of my interest in bilingualism, my research has focused on language policy and planning efforts within the United States, Caribbean and the United Arab Emirates. Of particular interests is translanguaging practices, or the use of multiple languages/varieties in informal and formal spaces. Translanguaging in higher education is the subject of a co-edited volume with my colleague, Catherine Mazak Ph. D. The volume is currently available with Multilingual Matters in paperback and hardback. We have also co-written an article that has been accepted for publication by Anthropology and Education Quarterly (AEQ) which will be published in Spring 2017. This research examines university level language policies and how they impact the translanguaging practices of a psychology teacher at the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez. In addition to these, I have several other peer-reviewed articles that have been published or have been submitted for publication discussing languaging practices and their impact on language policy.
While on a two year leave of absence in the United Arabe Emirates, I worked at Emirates College for Advanced Education in Abu Dhabi my primary focus was in using comparative approaches to understand and document bilingual language practices and policies. My experience in teaching non-native English speakers at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, has led me to better understand the important role that language plays in students’ ability to access content. Creating language policies that promote the use of multiple linguistic registers to make content more comprehensible was of particular interest for my research and teaching in the UAE.
While my research has been framed by sociocultural theory, so has been my teaching. For more than 10 years, I have taught courses as an instructor of record. These experiences have allowed me to not only teach diverse groups of students, but also teach a variety of courses. For example, on one end of the continuum I have taught bilingual education courses at The Tohono O’odham Community College, and at the other end I have team taught a doctoral seminar for incoming students at The University of Arizona. More recently, I have taught ESL at both the basic and intermediate levels at the University of Puerto Rico, as well as graduate courses at the doctoral and master's level at the University of Puerto Rico. While in the UAE, I taught courses in applied linguistics and literacy.
My philosophy of education lives in every classroom where I teach. I view the classroom as a space where the target content is not the sole objective of the course. My students are constantly challenged to use their critical thinking skills and understanding of their world to make sense of the course material. When teaching teachers and teachers in training, I emphasize that university courses are not intended to simulate their future teaching experience. Instead, such courses are to provide tools and resources that will assist them after they better understand who it is that they will be teaching, as well as the unique characteristics represented by the community from which these students reside. This approach is consistent with what my mentors have been advocating for years. Luis Moll, Ph. D., the late Richard Ruiz Ph D., and Mary Carol Combs Ph D., and I believe it to be imperative for teachers to incorporate all of the knowledge gained from students’ communities, homes, and cultural history into the educational process. This is vital to student learning and language acquisition. Often change is necessary, and stimulating those in education to examine language policy and acquisition in a fair, equitable, and critical manner, is my goal.
My philosophy has been shared with countless graduate students I have mentored at the masters’ and doctoral levels. Many of who are in doctoral programs throughout the USA. Mentoring and working individually with graduate students is my passion and one that I hope to continue well into the future.
Because of my interest in bilingualism, my research has focused on language policy and planning efforts within the United States, Caribbean and the United Arab Emirates. Of particular interests is translanguaging practices, or the use of multiple languages/varieties in informal and formal spaces. Translanguaging in higher education is the subject of a co-edited volume with my colleague, Catherine Mazak Ph. D. The volume is currently available with Multilingual Matters in paperback and hardback. We have also co-written an article that has been accepted for publication by Anthropology and Education Quarterly (AEQ) which will be published in Spring 2017. This research examines university level language policies and how they impact the translanguaging practices of a psychology teacher at the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez. In addition to these, I have several other peer-reviewed articles that have been published or have been submitted for publication discussing languaging practices and their impact on language policy.
While on a two year leave of absence in the United Arabe Emirates, I worked at Emirates College for Advanced Education in Abu Dhabi my primary focus was in using comparative approaches to understand and document bilingual language practices and policies. My experience in teaching non-native English speakers at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, has led me to better understand the important role that language plays in students’ ability to access content. Creating language policies that promote the use of multiple linguistic registers to make content more comprehensible was of particular interest for my research and teaching in the UAE.
While my research has been framed by sociocultural theory, so has been my teaching. For more than 10 years, I have taught courses as an instructor of record. These experiences have allowed me to not only teach diverse groups of students, but also teach a variety of courses. For example, on one end of the continuum I have taught bilingual education courses at The Tohono O’odham Community College, and at the other end I have team taught a doctoral seminar for incoming students at The University of Arizona. More recently, I have taught ESL at both the basic and intermediate levels at the University of Puerto Rico, as well as graduate courses at the doctoral and master's level at the University of Puerto Rico. While in the UAE, I taught courses in applied linguistics and literacy.
My philosophy of education lives in every classroom where I teach. I view the classroom as a space where the target content is not the sole objective of the course. My students are constantly challenged to use their critical thinking skills and understanding of their world to make sense of the course material. When teaching teachers and teachers in training, I emphasize that university courses are not intended to simulate their future teaching experience. Instead, such courses are to provide tools and resources that will assist them after they better understand who it is that they will be teaching, as well as the unique characteristics represented by the community from which these students reside. This approach is consistent with what my mentors have been advocating for years. Luis Moll, Ph. D., the late Richard Ruiz Ph D., and Mary Carol Combs Ph D., and I believe it to be imperative for teachers to incorporate all of the knowledge gained from students’ communities, homes, and cultural history into the educational process. This is vital to student learning and language acquisition. Often change is necessary, and stimulating those in education to examine language policy and acquisition in a fair, equitable, and critical manner, is my goal.
My philosophy has been shared with countless graduate students I have mentored at the masters’ and doctoral levels. Many of who are in doctoral programs throughout the USA. Mentoring and working individually with graduate students is my passion and one that I hope to continue well into the future.