I create content and structure classes according to the particular and specific interests and needs of my students. I use films, podcasts, talks and presentations, articles, poetry, art, scientific, medical, historical and business journals to generate conversations with students. Using live materials on topics that are interesting to students, we embark on the active use of language in our classes.

Language is learned in action, in the action of listening, speaking and exchanging; it is learned in the action of putting words together to create meaning and convey ideas, messages, feelings, requests and information. Language is words strung together on a connecting string that is grammar and is itself a connector, a key, that opens onto a world of multiplicity which enables us to find out about other cultures, about how our fellow humans live on this one planet. It facilitates our exchanges and negotiations and helps us transmit content, bridge and create relationships. English and Spanish are two of the languages that we can use to engage with the world.

The methodology of my language classes is based on first language acquisition: the way in which we learn our first language. We learn our first language by observing and listening to the sounds that indicate meanings in our world. We learn to associate sound with object in context and in that total immersion, without any explanation of rules or grammar, we begin to put words together to express ourselves. We learn to speak by observing, listening, reasoning and practicing in trial and error.

I approach second language acquisition relying on our innate capacity to learn language and on the mental processes that we develop when learning our first language.

I conduct classes in English or Spanish. From the very first class, students are invited to use the words they have as best they can to convey their thoughts and ideas. We use images and texts to generate our topics of conversation and as needed work on vocabulary, pronunciation and grammar. We work on speaking, listening comprehension and written expression. We build our language learning on what is required in the moment to express thoughts and ideas: we access the vocabulary that is needed and the right grammatical structures that transmit and express these ideas clearly.

It is in the context of expressing and conveying to others (and ourselves) something that is meaningful and important, that language learning becomes most interesting and pressing. We learn language because we must express ourselves to participate, understand and engage with the world we choose to be a part of.

It is a pleasure to accompany my students on this wondrous discovery; it is a joy to witness how speaking a new language transforms. I invite you to embark on this journey with me as your teacher. I will guide you with interest, patience, structure, enthusiasm, humor and a deep love of language, learning and teaching.