Research
PLE - Portuguese Language Teaching
My practice in teaching Portuguese as a Foreign Language is led by scholarship enquiry. I am particularly interested in design of learning and teaching materials, affect and motivation in learning and teaching of L2, explicit and incidental learning.
Enhancing student skills in the L2 class
Through my scholarship-informed teaching practice, I have designed activities that help students to develop their skills beyond reception and production in L2, namely by adopting authentic materials and digital tools. I have disseminated work at conferences on case studies such as (1) the use of social media with ab-initio students to promote digital literacy, develop intercultural awareness and foster independent learning or (2) using flash fiction to develop analytical skills and problem solving. I am currently exploring new areas in this field, namely, through using Digital Storytelling.
Language teaching and affect
I am interested in the motivational potential of extra-curricular and co-curricular activities to raise the positive affective dimension in L2 learning. I have extensive experience in organising activities that target both the general public and the academic community in order to promote the culture(s) of Portuguese-speaking countries .