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I. Teaching

 

  Strengths, skills and competencies

I have always felt that my greatest strength has been my ability to connect with students on a personal level.  In their evaluations, students have commented that I demonstrate concern for individual students and their growth and development.

Students have also commented on my sense of humor and the ability to make class enjoyable yet meaningful.

I also feel that I have a knack for creating classroom activities that students find engaging and useful.  It is a wonderful opportunity to research Spanish pedagogy and then be able to apply the concepts that I am researching as I teach. 

Areas to develop

            With regards to teaching I would like to become more organized and methodical in preparing my courses and my lessons.  I would also like to add a wider variety of classroom learning activities to my teaching.  In my SPAN 673 supervision course I think it would be important to develop a more structured curriculum.

 Specific goals and plans to accomplish them      

·      At the beginning of each week during the semester, schedule a specific block of time that will be set aside reviewing the courses that I teach and preparing lessons for the week.

·      Find ways to personalize teaching and develop relationships with students.

·      Make two observation visits per semester to new student instructors whom I supervise and one visit for experienced instructors and provide written and verbal feedback.

·      Create innovative courses as needed by the department and the section.

·      Find ways to make the lower-division Spanish courses show how the study of Spanish is relevant to students’ futures, personally and professionally.

·      Find ways to “keep (my) subject matter bathed in the light and color of the restored gospel.”

II. Research and Creative Work

Strengths, skills, and competencies

I feel that I have a knack for selecting research questions and topics that have practical value in language teaching and then finding innovative ways to collect the necessary data.  My dissertation research focused on the changes that students experience in their language skills and cultural sensitivity during a short-term study abroad program.  As part of this study I developed a way of measuring the subtle changes in students’ oral skills in Spanish that students experienced in the brief period covered in this study.  I am interested in continuing my research on study abroad and expanding it to include research on other contexts of learning. 

            I also believe that I am the type of researcher that other faculty members enjoy working with and this has afforded me the opportunity to collaborate on several projects.

I was fortunate to develop relationships with other faculty members early during my first semester here and was invited to participate in a research group related to my interests in the benefits of study abroad and other language learning environments.  This has additionally led to a proposal for a conference presentation, which has been accepted for the American Association for Applied Linguistics annual conference in spring 2008.  Data is also being collected for several related projects that should result in several publications in the near future.

            I was recently invited to write a book chapter in an edited volume by a colleague with whom I worked in graduate school.  The volume will be published in spring of 2009 as part of the New Directions for Teaching and Learning.  The series, published by Josey-Bass, has featured important work such as Arthur Chickering and Zelda Gamson’s Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education, which was adopted by the faculty center for training all new faculty members and graduate instructors here at Brigham Young University. 

            In addition to study abroad and contexts of learning, I am also interested in student-centered methods and the use of technology in teaching foreign and second languages.  I have started to lay the foundation for future research in these areas. 

Areas to develop

            As a new faculty member I am learning to adjust to the demands of developing an independent and productive research agenda and providing a quality learning experience for my students.  I need to work on setting aside time to write and find ways to make my writing time more productive.  I also feel it is important to involve students in my research program.

Specific goals and plans to accomplish them

During the next year I plan to submit two articles for publication based on my dissertation.

I also plan to submit one article stemming from research that I am currently working on that attempts to determine which of several contexts are the most effective for language learning, residence in the foreign language houses, language courses, and study abroad. This is an ongoing collaborative project that should yield several publications and has received funding from the Center for Language Studies here at BYU.

I will also submit a qualitative research project that is based on a unique classroom activity in which students develop cultural and linguistic skills in a specific area of their choosing related to their future careers or interests, for example, Spanish skills for use as a nurse, teacher, photographer etc.  At some point in my future career I would also like to publish textbook based on my research and experience in foreign language teaching methods.

In addition I have set these specific goals to make the above commitments reality.

·      Publish an average of one to two articles in peer-reviewed journals per year.

·      Submit on average one article per long semester to peer-reviewed journals.

·      Make a minimum of one presentation per year at a national or international conference.

·      Dedicate a minimum of thirty minutes per day exclusively to writing, consider this time inviolable in the same ways as office hours or teaching.  Do not look at email or answer the phone during this time period.

·      Similarly, set aside one to two hours per week to reading the latest issues of well-respected journals in the fields of second language acquisition and pedagogy, as well as reviewing articles on scholarly productivity.

·      Invite students to participate in mutually beneficial research projects.

·      Apply for grant money to fund research related expenses.

·      Identify noted scholars in my areas of interest and develop relationships with them where I could ask them to review my work and/or serve as an outside reviewer for continuing faculty status.

 

III. Citizenship

Strengths, skills and competencies

            Since I am a new faculty member still in my first year of service to the university the department has graciously given me a reduced load in terms of committee and administrative assignments. At the same time I have tried to participate willingly in the duties assigned to me as a member of the travel committee, and have attended all section and department meetings. I have fulfilled various assignments such as providing transportation to job candidates, serving on thesis committees, and reviewing applications for admittance to the Spanish teaching major and the M.A. programs.

Areas to develop

            As my service to the university continues and I reach milestones such as third year review and Continuing Faculty Status, I look forward to participating more fully in other administrative and citizenship duties.

Specific goals and plans to accomplish them

·      Continue to serve on the travel committee and other committees as requested by the department.

·      Be collegial and friendly in my demeanor and willing to provide assistance to other faculty members as needs arise.

·     Participate thoughtfully in administrative discussions and decision-making especially in department and section meetings.

·      Invite colleagues on and off campus to review my written work and give suggestions for improvement.  Likewise I will offer to review my colleagues’ work and provide helpful feedback.

·      Occasionally invite colleagues to attend the weekly devotional or to have lunch together.

·      Serve outside of the university in community projects and church assignments.

Needed Assistance and Resources

            The department and college have been extremely supportive in offering assistance and enlightening me about the various resources that are available to faculty members.  I feel that the 3-2-1 teaching load is reasonable and will leave sufficient time to be successful in the areas of teaching, research, and citizenship. The department and section heads have made a point to give credit for the hours that pedagogy faculty members spend in supervising lower-division courses.  I believe that such credit is necessary in order for me to be able to balance teaching and researching effectively. In order to pursue study abroad research I may request to teach an extra course during either a Fall or Winter semester to allow me to travel during Spring/Summer terms for research purposes.  However, I would do so only after discussion with the section and/or department head in order to accommodate the needs of the section when doing so.  In addition, I would like to pursue the possibility of a junior sabbatical where I would be on leave for one semester to dedicate myself to research and writing prior to the final review for continuing faculty status.

            I am also grateful for the use of a computer and printer as well as the office I am able to use.  In the future I plan to apply for grant money as I continue my research in areas such as study abroad.  I will make every effort to make reasonable and clear requests and utilize any monies awarded in an efficient manner.  It would also be very helpful for me to have access to SPSS, which is a statistical program that I use to analyze quantitative data.  I have also appreciated the use of the collaborative Mac/Windows lab in the JFSB and the time and expert advice of the faculty and staff in the Humanities Technology and Research Support Center, which has been extremely valuable in my teaching and research.

Signatures:

XXXXX   XXXXX    ___________________________________       Date: _________

Section Head              ___________________________________       Date: _________ Department Chair       ___________________________________       Date: _________