Pilar Gray-Carlos

IWLP language co-ordinator; Spanish lecturer; IWLP TEL officer

Base Section
IWLP; IWLP Language Coordination

Active Projects
I am co-leading a review on registration and recruitment for IWLP that involves drawing university resources from RISIS and Timetabling and streamlining processes for our student application and placement process. I am taking part as an academic secondee in the Electronic Management of Assessment (EMA), a university wide project.

Short Bio
I have almost 20 years of experience in teaching Spanish as a second language. I have worked with IWLP since 2001, firstly as a sessional tutor, then as a coordinator. Under my lead Spanish has grown and extended provision from stages 1 and 2 up to stages 5 and 6 (from beginners to advanced levels). Presently the Spanish team, a team of 4 to 5 tutors, provides teaching to 200-250 students yearly.

A Few Personal Comments
I used to be a keen windsurfer and sailing instructor but the cold water (and weather!), has now transformed me into a keen walker and explorer of nature and country pubs. I also love reading, lately I am into 'nordic noir', and travelling, anywhere any time. I have initiated a book club in ISLI where titles from non-English speaking languages are read, so we extend our understanding of different cultures in a more relaxed and fun way.

Longer Bio
Apart from my work as Spanish lecturer, I have also worked as translator and interpreter for various companies and public services. I have taken part in university wide projects such as the International Summer School. I have co-lead in a project called OpaL (Open Access for Languages) funded by Routes into Languages, University of Reading PLanT scheme (Partnerships in Learning and Teaching) and the Department of Languages and Cultures. I was part of the panel of selection of staff for the present Spanish Department within DMLES. I lead a virtual tandem between Spanish students of English in Salamanca and IWLP Stage 5 students of Spanish which enabled our students not just the improvement of Spanish oral skills but the understanding of the life of Spanish university students. I have also connected with a local Reading charity project, San Francisco Libre (a small village situated in Nicaragua twined with Reading city and Oldenburg in Germany) and for two consecutive years, students of IWLP Stages 5 and 6 benefited from finding out about authentic projects for development work in Spanish in Nicaragua.

Modules taught
IWLP Spanish stages 1 to 5.

Conference attended (in last year)
AULC conference 2017 Queen's University Belfast