Pre-K Spanish

Photo My name is Mariana Díaz and I am a native of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

In 2003 I formed my own company, called Kallistos Corporation, which offers teaching and education consulting services to schools, private institutes and individuals.

I am also a mother of one, Manuela, who is completely bilingual.

My university formation was very traditional, I got a degree in Language and Literature, with a major in Classic Languages (yes, I know Latin and Classic Greek). Shortly after my graduation I started teaching Spanish in secondary schools, and as a private tutor.
Soon, I realized that the approaches traditionally used for teaching foreign languages, based on grammar and translation, weren't satisfactory, and realized the importance of getting my students more involved; specifically, getting them to produce as much actual speech as the alloted class time permitted.

So I started to intensively study more pedagogical methods and teaching techniques focused on foreign language acquisition. I became a member of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages and attended many of their excellent courses and seminars, I took Art and Acting workshops, I read every Language Teaching book I could lay my hands on, and obtained even more material online. In particular, the material by Ana Lomba, a teacher, mother and businesswoman who developed specialized material on language education for childen, steered me in the right direction when creating my own curriculum.

Of every new piece of material I studied, I was able to extract what I found valuable, and apply it to my daily teaching experience. Not every new approach worked: I was very fortunate that my employers, both institutional and private, were patient enough to let me experiment new things in my classes. That way, by actual trial-an-error through my professional experience, I was able to shape a set of methods and techniques that produce the best results when teaching a foreign language.
I have to also give credit, in general, to American schools and institutes, for the degree of freedom they traditionally give to their teachers about how they teach a language, as long as measurable results are achieved.

Education

Masters Degree - Licentiate in Classics, Buenos Aires, Argentina - 2000
University of Buenos Aires (UBA)

Professional Development - Nashville, Tennessee, USA - 2004
Tennessee Foreign Language Institute

Seminar for Teachers - Nashville, Tennessee, USA - 2003
ADD - AD/HD syndrome detection (Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder)
Offered by College Heights Christian Academy

Teaching English as a Second Language - Nashville, Tennessee, USA - 2005
Tennessee Foreign Language Institute


Seminar and Workshops - Nashville, Tennessee, USA - 2006
American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.

  • Creative Teaching Strategies for Spanish Classroom
  • Exploiting content and grammar connections in Intermediate Spanish
  • Creative ways of teaching the Preterit and the Imperfect
  • National Board Certification for foreign language teachers
  • Creating conversation tasks to promote classroom interaction
  • TPRS: Involve me and I will understand
  • Creative ways of teaching and learning languages through songs

Seminar and Workshops - San Antonio, Texas, USA - 2007
American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages

  • Acting out: Performance Techniques for New Teachers and Their Students
  • Art Activities for a Foreign Language Classroom
  • Holt Fun and Games that Get Kids Talking
  • Making Cultural Connections through Traditional Hispanic Children's Games in the FLES Classroom
  • From Silent to Talkative: Transforming Your Students into Confident Speakers
  • Using Movement in the Foreign Language Classroom
  • 1-2-3 Speak Spanish Verb Map: Replace Verb Memorization with Verb Visualization
  • Building Bridges: Developing Relationships Across Language Levels
  • Make It Stick! A Blueprint for Language Learning That Lasts
  • La enseñanza Apropiada del Vocabulario
  • Game on! Effectively Using Games for Language and Culture Learning

Workshop. Atlanta, Georgia, USA 2008
Accelerating Proficiency in your foreign Language Class using TRRS Strategies.
Bureau of Education and Research