Summer Institute for Teachers of Spanish

The Summer Institute for Teachers will be offered online from June 21 through July 26, 2024.

Technologies have developed to the point that they make it possible to maintain direct, personal contact between instructors and students over the Internet. The on-line mode currently allows for rich, personal instruction that is comparable to on-site delivery, and in some ways even more engaging. Students can view or listen to lectures repeatedly if needed, and may complement them with additional materials available to them. New technologies foster cooperation and interaction among students and personalized attention by faculty, and consequently, we are confident that moving SITS to the on-line mode will greatly benefit participants.

Even though SITS will continue to be an intensive program, participants will benefit from the flexibility that on-line delivery offers them to work around their daily routine, and by eliminating time and expenses related to travel to and from the campus. However, it should be clearly understood that the on-line SITS includes real lectures, real assignments and real deadlines, where all students move at the same pace, so participants will need to dedicate at the very least 6-8 hours per day Monday-Friday in order to be able to listen to lectures, complete readings, do assignments, create projects, and meet deadlines. Remember: this is an intensive program that grants 9 graduate credits.

This year’s SITS will include four content modules on culture and pedagogy as well as a module on technologies that teachers can use to enhance instruction in their school classrooms. Participants will have to create practical pedagogical applications using what they learn in the content modules. As always, SITS will continue to have a practical approach and participants are expected to create teaching materials that they can use in their own classrooms and share with the other SITS participants.

The faculty teaching the Summer Institute have studied best practices in on-line instruction and will have the excellent technical support of the Instructional Design and Technology Resource Center at Central to help us provide an outstanding educational experience.

The 9 crs. of the Summer Institute for Teachers of Spanish can be applied as partial fulfillment of degree requirements towards an MA in Spanish. For information about our graduate programs, please visit page of the Graduate School: here