Claudia Alejandra Sanford Galindo

Instructor of Spanish

Area of Interest: Intercultural Competence Awareness Towards Acquisition in the Foreign Language Classroom. Mix-methods.

Recent Teaching

Awards & Honors: Grands Awarded

Committee Assignments and Service to LSU

Educational Information 

Doctor of Philosophy: Curriculum and Instruction. Focus Areas: Education and design Learning Technologies. New Mexico State University, Las Cruces NM 

Master of Arts: Second language Acquisition and linguistics  

New Mexico State University, Las Cruces NM (1 year of coursework completed, no degree awarded). 

Master Arts: Second language Acquisition and linguistics College of Charleston, Charleston, SC (1 year of coursework completed, no degree awarded).  

Master of Arts Curriculum development and School Administration University of Dayton, Dayton, Ohio      

Bachelor of Business Administration Universidad  Externado de Colombia

Conference - Presentations

Catholic Schools Curricular Conference Virtually Delivering Curriculum Using Online Management Systems-Practicing and Assessing with Technology.  

My Bestie is Latino American a second Language Curriculum created to deliver Language and Culture. Poster Presentation at The College of Charleston. 

New Orleans. International Association for Language Learning Technology (IALLT) International Association for Language Learning Technology  June 2023.Salamanca, Spain June 2023 (AATSP) American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese.

Publications:

Sanford, C., and Dettinger, M. (2023). A Cultural and Linguistic Journey through Spanish and German with the Aid of Electronic Posters. The FLTMAG IALLT's free language teaching magazine, September Issue, 2023.

A Culture and Linguistic Journey through Spanish and German with the Aid of Electronic Posters. 2023. Approved for the next publication of IALLT. International Association for Language Learning Technology.  Sanford and Dettinger. September 2023. 

To be published Manuscripts-Book Chapter/In Preparation 2022-2023

In Cooperation with Universidad Externado de Colombia and Astrid Nuñez Pardo “Wrestling Back Decisions to Develop Context-Sensitive EFL and SFL materials a Comparative Study.

Claudia Alejandra Sanford Galindo Teaching Philosophy

My Teaching Philosophy

My teaching philosophy revolves around adaptability, active learning, authentic experiences, and a sense of community. I am dedicated to equipping my students with the skills, knowledge, and cultural understanding they need to thrive in an increasingly interconnected world.

My approach to education centers around fostering active learning and participation within the classroom. To achieve this, I employ a diverse array of instructional techniques, including discussions, skits, presentations, games, small group activities, and virtual travel experiences. blogs. By doing so, I create a vibrant and inclusive learning environment where students are not passive recipients but active contributors to their own education.

Furthermore, I provide students with authentic exposure to the language and culture they are studying. I integrate real-world materials such as music, articles, advertisements, film clips, and more into my lessons, aligning them with the subject matter and grammatical content at hand. This approach helps students connect with the language in a meaningful way and prepares them for real-world communication with native speakers.

Beyond curriculum content, I draw upon my rich and diverse experiences in Latin America and Spain to enrich the learning process. I believe that teaching Spanish and Latin-American cultures and language inherently lends itself to exploring a wide range of cultural, societal, environmental, political, and artistic topics. These discussions and activities create a dynamic and holistic educational experience for my students.

 My role varies to suit the needs of my students. In forums and interactive sessions, I play the role of a silent facilitator, setting the stage for students to explore engaging information about the countries and people we are studying. My aim is to encourage free and open interaction not only within individual class sections but also across different sections whenever possible.
Furthermore, I strongly believe in cultivating a sense of community within the classroom and on campus. I actively seek to know my students on a personal level, recognizing the importance of their well-being beyond just academics. This commitment to building meaningful connections contributes to a positive and supportive learning environment where students feel valued, understood, and motivated to excel.

My Teaching Objectives

• To teach my students the ability to use their Spanish language and cultural knowledge as needed to perform basic functions at various levels for real life situations.
• I can effectively teach and incorporate technology for instruction, practice and assessment.
• To make a positive impact on the life of my students by creating an environment conductive to learning, retention and application of the Spanish language.

My Pedagogy of Teaching

Anything that I do must enable my students to learn. My teaching practices should empower students to take ownership of their education and help them realize that they are responsible for their learning outcomes. Professional development is fundamental preparing us teachers for the real world. Teachers who prosper and flourish are working in different types of surroundings. According to Ball and Forzani (2010), There is no specific way to prepare teachers to do their work most professionally and efficiently. However, at my educational institution, I have the opportunity to cooperate and learn to improve my practice continually. I often attend seminars and workshops, and currently, I am a participant for a course enhancement grant instead of focusing on test scores. In the 21st century, new literacy has emerged. It is the ability to use appropriate technological tools in an Information society. Unfortunately, many of our students are not as technically savvy as we think. Student training is also essential.

Encouraging Contact 

I believe in the importance of helping contact by inviting students to visit outside of class during office hours or by using Zoom. It is important to know my students by name and always personalize feedback on student assignments, advise students regarding Academic courses and career opportunities with Foreign language as well to seek out students whom I feel are having a problem with the course or are frequently absent. I encourage students to present their views and participate in class discussions. When appropriate I like to share personal experiences and values and emphasize the importance of my cultural and racial identity as a Colombian American because according to Haberman (Teachers also have a clear recognition of their own cultural, political and ethnic identities).

It is fundamental to use the students' talents and strengths, because it creates a perfect environment for critical thinking and critical thinking is fundamental when learning about other cultures and the importance of cultural understanding as a way to attain  Intercultural Competence.

(Profe) Sanford is looking forward to teaching her students the ability to use their Spanish knowledge to perform everyday communication at various levels for real life situations and to become acquainted with and curious about other cultures and ways of life in Spanish speaking countries.  She enjoys teaching and incorporating technology for instruction, practice, and assessment, and is also interested in making a positive impact on students by creating an environment conducive to learning, retention, and application of the Spanish language.