María González Gil

As a translator and interpreter I have thorough knowledge of the English and French languages and, having learnt them myself for many years and in different situations, I am also aware of the difficulties Spanish learners may encounter at the different stages of the learning process. Furthermore, since it is widely known that best teachers are not necessarily those who know more but who know how, I have recently added a Masters on Education to my academic training. Thanks to this Masters’ theoretical and practical contents I have learnt about the latest teaching trends and approaches and how to apply them in a classroom.

If something encouraged me to take this Masters, it was my previous teaching experience as a private and volunteer teacher, but mainly as a Foreign Languages Assistant in a secondary school in the UK. Although my task as an assistant was initially to help out the main teacher in her lessons, I got soon hired as a support teacher for students with special needs, as well. This experience made me realise that I was truly passionate for education and everything it involves: human contact, innovation, creativity, sense of self-fulfilment by helping out other people… Besides, the fact of working with children and teenagers helped me develop many teaching strategies I had never had to use before with grown-up students and which I particularly enjoyed.

Because I am also a passionate of culture in its different expressions I always try to bring it somehow into my lessons: languages are to be used in a context, in a social and cultural context without which they would be meaningless. Therefore I try to raise cultural awareness among my students through the activities I plan but, above everything, I try to make them enjoy the lessons and develop their individual skills.