Master in Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language

General Outcomes:

1. Offer training to primary and secondary Spanish as a Foreign Language (FL) Professors in public and private institutions; adult education Spanish as a Foreign Language Professors, as well as students that have a baccalaureate in specialties with teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language purposes, providing the basis to develop academic and professional skills, necessary for teaching Spanish FL in any of the various teaching-learning contexts, with fluency, consistency and appropriate to the educational context in their professional activity.
2. Provide education in new or unfamiliar environments of education within broad contexts related to teaching Spanish as a foreign language in order for the student to apply the knowledge acquired, formulating judgments, making decisions and solving problems; reflecting on their own teaching and professional development.
3. Provide tools for scientific research that will enable the student to use the methodological processes for educational research of the language and linguistics applied to teaching Spanish.

Specific Outcomes:

At the end of the program students will be capable of:

1. Analyze, articulate and evaluate learning and second language acquisition theories, and the methodological trends in the teaching of foreign languages essential for both effective teaching and successful learning.
2. Analyze how the individual factors (cognitive, affective, social and cultural) affect foreign language learning and, accordingly, design instructional strategies to address the learning needs of students of Spanish as a Foreign Language (FL).
3. Manage the Spanish as FL classroom so that group processes guarantee the learning of all students: creation of a safe space in which all students participate and work collaboratively; use of a discourse that encourages the construction of knowledge; selection of activities of greater and lesser cognitive effort; choosing the type of grouping most appropriate for each activity; attention to learning opportunities that may arise, among other aspects.
4. Integrate the development of the language skills in the Spanish as a foreign language classroom so it promotes a realistic and meaningful language use.
5. Analyze, evaluate, select, adapt, and design adequate materials for the teaching of Spanish as a FL.
6. Analyze the function of the formal system and communication acts of Spanish, and provide an appropriate teaching treatment in the Spanish classroom.
7. Critically and reflectively interpret and implement the cultural, pragmatic and linguistic knowledge acquired on the use of Spanish language in context, in the planning of the teaching and learning process of Spanish as a foreign language.
8. Plan and evaluate the teaching-learning process of Spanish in short and long term, taking into account current linguistic pedagogical trends; the context of education; the methodological approach; lesson plans; the interests, needs and styles of the student's learning; and technology advances.
9. Integrate ICT in a meaningful way, and not arbitrarily, in the activities of the teaching and learning process for Spanish as a foreign language, and critically analyze the digital materials that are generated in this field.
10. Introduce specific training in learning strategies in the objectives and contents of the program and units, wherever necessary and according to the needs of the students, and work on the necessary learning to learn tools.
11. Integrate the socio-cultural content in the Spanish classroom to give the student gradual knowledge of the facts and cultural products, and the knowledge and socio-cultural attitudes of the Spanish-speaking countries; the development of intercultural awareness; the ability to act as a cultural intermediary and effectively deal with cultural misunderstandings in conflict situations; and the development of an attitude of empathy, openness and interest toward other cultures.
12. Properly treat the varieties of Spanish in the classroom of a foreign language or second language in function of each context of teaching and learning.
13. Analyze and evaluate its teaching and professional development through such instruments as self-observation, diary, self-assessment, the teaching portfolio, etc.; identify the aspects that can be improved; and plan and implement a personal plan of improvement and life-long learning.
14. Access and properly use the academic literature related to Language Pedagogy and Linguistics applied to Teaching Foreign Languages, especially Spanish-language related literature.
15. Design and evaluate methodological procedures specific to research in the fields of Language Pedagogy and Linguistics Applied to the Teaching of Foreign Languages, especially Spanish-language related research.