EN TU MEDIO - PROGRAM SAMPLER

LEAH FONDER-SOL ANO I discovered my abiding love for the Spanish language and Hispanic cultures during my first year of study at the University of Minnesota-Morris, which culminated in a summer abroad in Bogotá, Colombia. This experience proved transformative, and I returned to Colombia each summer as I workedand studied. My insatiable enthusiasm for the people, the language, the culture, the society, and the literature of this country (as well as the support of amazing professors) led me to graduate studies at the University of Arizona and a career as a teacher-researcher at The University of Southern Mississippi, where I share my passion for the language, culture, literature, film, and civilization of the Hispanic world with students at the undergraduate level and in the Master of Arts in the Teaching of Languages program. My work on En tu medio , together with my two exceptional co-authors, has given me the opportunity to use my own experiences as a life-long language learner and teacher to inspire new learners as theymove beyond introductory courses and explore the possibilities of meaningful communication and social connection in Spanish. I dedicate this book to my Mom, Lisette Fonder, who encouraged my love for reading and travel, to my supportive husband, Luis Enrique Solano, to my three sons Juan Pablo, Brett, and Logan, and to my students, who are a constant source of inspiration. CAS I LDE A . ISABELLI Working on En tu medio with my co-authors has been a culminating experience of bringing together my theoretical studies (an MA in Hispanic Linguistics and Literatures from University of Iowa and a Ph.D. in Hispanic linguistics and Second Language Acquisition at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign), my teaching experiences at various institutions, andmystudy-abroadexperiences inMexico CityandBarcelona. I havebeenat theUniversityofNevada, Reno since 2000 where I teach graduate and undergraduate courses in language, linguistics, and methodology. I was formerly the Director of the Basic Spanish Language Program from 2001 until 2014 where I developed and oversaw the first two years of the Spanish program and trained TAs in current pedagogical approaches and best practices. My research and publications focus on the effects of immersion experiences and formal instruction on SLA and psycholinguistically motivated theories behind SLA (processing instruction and language transfer). My work as an author on En tumedio has allowed me to finally put theory to practice. I want to thank Leah and Marisa for being great co-authors and I dedicate this book tomy past professors, students, colleagues, and editors, especially to Giuseppe Rosi, Tony and Lucy Isabelli, and my three girls, Camilla, Flavia, and Giulia, for supporting me during all these years working on this textbook. MARÍ A ISABEL MARTÍNEZ MIR A When I realized I could not understand the lyrics of some of my favorite songs, I knew I was on a mission to find out what those singers were saying! That motivated me to study English at the University of Murcia in Murcia, Spain, where I received my BA in English Philology. One of my teachers there suggested the possibility of teaching Spanish in the US; although I had never done that before, I knew I had to take that challenge. I began teaching Spanish language, linguistics, and culture courses at Millikin in 1996 as a Visiting Instructor. I loved the experience, and knew I had finally found my (professional) calling in life. I earned bothmy M.A. in Hispanic Linguistics (2001) and my Ph.D. in Hispanic Linguistics with a SLATE (Second Language Acquisition and Teacher Education) certification (2005) at the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign. My teaching/research areas include English-Spanish bilingualism, sociolinguistics/Spanish variation, teaching of Spanish for heritage speakers, and languages in contact. Now I am an Associate Professor (Spanish) at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, VA, where I have been able to sharemy love for teachingwith amazing students that constantly challenge me with their ideas, comments, and improve the way I teach. That is why I decided to get involved in the En tu medio project; with the help of two amazing co-authors (Cassie and Leah), and the editors, as well as everyone else involved in the process, we have created something that make us very proud. I want to dedicate this book to my mother, Isabel Mira Ortiz, my biggest support and the person I always look up to, my siblings Cristina, Manolo, and Antonio, my nephews Nicolás and Mateo, the coolest boys in town, and to my daughter Isabel-Marie, my greatest accomplishment in life. About the Authors Courtesy of Casilde Isabelli From left to right: Leah Fonder-Solano, María Isabel Martínez Mira, and Casilde A. Isabelli