Here is a Sample of my Recent Professional Projects
Fulbright English Teaching Assistant: Global Classrooms
During the 2011-2012 school year, I was working as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant at Ciudad de Jaén High School in Madrid, Spain. My primary project was Global Classrooms. Global Classrooms is a United Nations Foundation sponsored program run through UNA-USA. It consists of teaching Model United Nations curriculum to high school students in under-served schools around the world. Ciudad de Jaén is a multi-ethnic school in a lower-middle class area in Madrid with a large immigrant population. I used my Model UN background to prepare my students for the 2012 Madrid Conference where they competed with 10 other bilingual schools.
My Students and Cooperating Teachers Preparing for the Conference
I designed all lesson plans for issues, sometimes difficult for the students to understand, with fun activities to make it easier for the students to understand the concepts taught. As an example, to introduce the entire conference protocol I designed a practice conference based on Thanksgiving; the ingredients became delegates and the resolution depended on working together to create the ideal meal combination. This introduced cultural elements that captured the students´ interest and catered to the individual abilities of each student. As for the actual two day conference, I was chosen as a Chair for one of the committees. I will always remember this experience with fond memories and pride. To see a video of the Global Classrooms Madrid 2012 Conference, follow the link or click on the picture below.
Alventus: Summer Activity Calendars
During the 2011-2012 school year, I taught in an afterschool English enrichment program at a pre-school with Alventus in Madrid, Spain. I was responsible for a class of four-year olds. Each afternoon we sang songs together, read stories and did a project based on the story, all in English. By the end of the year, I was very impressed with my students and wanted them to have activities to keep practicing English over the summer. I designed a bilingual activities calendar with a vocabulary word for each day and activities based on the themes we learned. I then helped Alventus adapt the calendar for the three-year old and five-year old classes. Please follow the links to see each of the calendars.
Three-year old Summer Calendar
Exam Preparation: Trinity, Cambridge PET and Advanced
During the 2011-2013 school years, I assisted with Cambridge English Exam preparation. At Ciudad de Jaén High School, I led preparation for the speaking portion of the Cambridge PET Exam. I worked with small groups of students to help them use the language structures required for the exam while discussing a variety of themes such as holidays, sports and transportation.
At Ortega y Gasset Elementary School, I led preparation for the Trinity English Exam. I created vocabulary and grammar posters for second and fourth grade as well as facilitated public speaking opportunities during school plays and Book Day. I worked with students individually, in small groups, and as a class to prepare topics to discuss during the exam.
Outside of the formal classroom, I tutored adult students for the Cambridge Advanced Exam. This was done on an individual and small group basis and focused on stressing advanced vocabulary and complex sentence structures.
Enrollment Projects
During the 2013-2014 school year, I worked at the Enrollment Office at the Monterey Institute of International Studies. I was trusted with two ongoing projects: weekly email marketing and statistical analysis from the campaigns. I learned how to insert and track Google URLs, style and format based on the mission of the institution, and organize statistical data on Excel including integrating information from Constant Contact, Google Analytic reports, and tracking percent change.
Global Vision International
Quepos Community Programs Manager
I became the base manager during a transitional period for GVI Quepos. I have been able to use my knowledge and experience to solicit feedback from the community leaders, volunteers and staff, and use that feedback to redesign our schedule to better meet the needs of the communities we assist and improve the overall experience for our volunteers and staff. Along the way, I am completing very interesting projects such as designing a continuous training program for volunteers, leading a staff retreat, managing program budgets and creating new templates, and working with a culturally diverse and enthusiastic team. Please visit my practicum page to see my work examples and learn more about my journey with GVI Quepos.