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Research interests: la Telenovela Colombiana, Second language acquisition, Latin American Studies, the use of drama in language learning

Education

M.A. in Spanish. Queen´s University, Kingston, 2001
B.A.H. in Spanish (First Class). Queen´s University, Kingston, 1998
B.A. (with distinction). Queen´s University, Kingston, 1995

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Professor Kani has 27 years of experience in teaching Spanish at Queen’s. Her current teaching philosophy is founded on her experiences both as a learner and as a teacher.

Many students, especially in the beginner classes, feel intimidated yet excited about the prospect of using a new language. With this in mind, she always tries to create an environment where they feel at ease, gain confidence and are able to participate without the fear of making mistakes while at the same time have fun learning the language.

To practice grammatical structures seen in class, Professor Kani incorporates different activities, such as role-play, games, group activities, presentations, games, videos, music etc., since each of them is a different individual with different ways of expressing themselves. Having experienced the learning of new languages herself, she knows how important it is to be immersed in a language. With this in mind, she tries to address the students always in Spanish. In the SPAN 010-level courses, this is not always easy, although after the sixth week it is almost 90% Spanish, but the Span 112 course is mainly in Spanish.

Professor Kani also promotes diversity in class by encouraging the students to talk about their personal experiences and backgrounds with their peers; this also enables them to construct meaning in personal ways.

Teaching

Professor Kani teaches the following course(s):

SPAN 111: Beginning Spanish I
SPAN 112: Beginning Spanish II