*These artifacts are evidence of ACTFL National Standard 3: Language Acquisition Theories and Instructional Practices. They show my competence and knowledge in
the field of foreign language acquisition, and my ability to carry out research and later put it into practice. In
the links below, I have included two research papers I completed during my graduate coursework at the University
of Massachusetts.
The first link, is a paper I wrote where I chose to explore the teachings of the Preterit
and Imperfect in the Spanish classroom, not only due to it's difficulty in acquisition amongst native English speakers, but
to improve my own teaching of the subject. I have put my findings into effect various times already, and the results are greatly
pleasing.
In the second link I have included an investigation I completed on the use of internet materials in
the foreign language classroom. This included my own web forum and activities, which are evidence of ACTFL National Standard 2: Cultures, Literatures, Cross-Disciplinary Concepts.
The Teaching of Aspect (Preterit and Imperfect)
Exploring the Use of Internet Materials for Foreign Language Learning
*Reflective Statement: I feel that the courses I have taken and the
work I have completed in them, has allowed me to have a great advantage over someone without such a complete background
in foreign language acquisition. The knowledge that I have gained from carrying out such investigations and putting
it into practice in a real classroom has given me a head start towards my goals on becoming a teacher. The first
time I carried out each activity, of course, had it's areas to be smoothed out and refined. Yet with each
new class, I was able to anticipate problems before they could occur, and that allowed for smooth sailing, full student participation,
learning, and enjoyment. The great part about having this research is being updated on the latest theories and
ideas, and being able to test them out myself. So if I learned anything from this experience, it would be to continue
with my own learning, investigating, and experimenting, in order to find the best instructional practices for my students
and continue adding to my own body of knowledge.
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