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What I do, enjoy and the services I offer
¡Hola! Hello! My name is María. I am a native Spanish teacher, language learner strategies coach, teacher trainer, and the author of two books: How to Learn Spanish: A Guide to Powerful Principles and Strategies for Successful Learning and Self-Empowerment (Hikari Press, 2021) and How to Teach Language Learning Strategies: 4 Simple Steps for Successful Independent Language Learning (Lightwork Press, 2021) .
I thoroughly enjoy teaching and coaching Spanish students. It gives me great satisfaction to see them develop their communication skills, grow in self-confidence, and come to enjoy the language learning journey as a result of our work together. I also find my role as a teacher trainer to be very motivating and rewarding. Sharing my knowledge with language teachers who are dedicated to helping their students become effective and confident self-directed learners is truly fulfilling.
I offer educational services in three areas. As a Spanish teacher, I provide online lessons for beginners and elementary levels (A1-A2 CEFR) and offer tuition for students preparing for the Spanish GCSE oral exam. As a coach, I conduct sessions and workshops to help students learn strategies that make their language learning more effective and enjoyable; and as a teacher trainer, I deliver workshops on teaching effective language learning strategies.
My professional experience
I work as a Senior Lecturer in Spanish in the University of Westminster. I teach Spanish Language on the University's Open Language Programme and the BA Spanish programme.
Over the years, at the University of Westminster and other institutions, I have held various academic roles, including Open Language Spanish Coordinator, DELE Exams Officer, Spanish Language and Culture Consultant, and HE External Examiner.
As a Spanish teacher, I have worked extensively in designing, delivering, and assessing Spanish as a Foreign Language courses for over thirty years. Additionally, as a specialist in effective language learning strategies, I have more than 20 years of experience in delivering coaching and workshops for adult and higher education students and teachers in the UK and other European countries. I have also been involved as a Spanish Development Editor in several graded reader projects for Hodder & Stoughton.
My books
I have published How to Learn Spanish: A Guide to Powerful Principles and Strategies for Successful Learning and Self-Empowerment (Hikari Press, 2021) to empower students by introducing them to key principles and practical techniques that have proven to be very effective for optimising the process of language learning and making it more enjoyable.
How to Teach Language Learning Strategies: 4 Simple Steps for Successful Independent Language Learning (Lightwork Press, 2021) is written for language teachers. In this book, I share a straightforward and effective approach that I have successfully used with my students. It is a concise and practical guide, and the approach is applicable to modern foreign languages in general.
My qualifications and continuous professional development training
I hold a BA (Hons) in Education from the Universidad Pontificia de Salamanca (Spain) and an MA in Modern Languages in Education from University College London, Institute of Education.
I am a Neurolanguage Coach®, certified by Efficient Language Coaching and accredited by the International Coaching Federation. Additionally, I am a certified EUROLTA Teacher Trainer, International House Spanish Language Teacher and Online Tutor, DELE Examiner, and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. I am also a member of the Association for Language Learning.
I have attended numerous continuing professional development events and courses on various educational and language teaching topics, including learner autonomy, intercultural competence, curriculum development, management and communication skills, neuro-linguistic programming, teaching students with dyslexia, and the application of AI software to language teaching.
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