PhD, Bilingualism and Second Language Acquisition, Department of Spanish & Portuguese, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ (2017)
MA, Bilingualism & SLA, Rutgers (2013) BAs, Spanish, Sociology, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN (2007) For brief bios of my research, teaching, and community engagement, look below. Click the tabs above for more detailed description of my research, teaching, a glimpse into my nonacademic life, or to check out my blog! To contact me: [email protected] My twitter: @lake_mathison |
My Research
My research interests follow two distinct lines, both inspired by the language learning process.
CognitionI'm inspired by questions regarding the cognitive consequences of bilingualism, specifically whether the various bilingual (dis)advantages explored in the literature are the same regardless of whether the second language (L2) was learned earlier in life or later. I examine the performance of late L2 learners in tasks typically studied in early heritage bilinguals, to investigate how age of acquisition and proficiency impact bilingual lexical retrieval.
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PedagogySecond language learning is a complex process, and I examine methods to facilitate the acquisition of such diverse linguistic elements as aspect and vocabulary. I have studied the impact of multi-modal learning (gesture) and compared the impact of instructed vs. student-constructed gestures.
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For more info, see the Research tab above
My Teaching
In courses of all types, I help students develop personal connections to the material, to increase their current engagement and promote intrinsic motivation for continued study.
Spanish language |
Linguistics and bilingualism |
I teach beginning and intermediate Spanish language courses, both face-to-face and online, and advanced oral proficiency laboratories for both late L2 learners and heritage bilinguals, based on ACTFL proficiency guidelines, in preparation for the OPIc (computerized Oral Proficiency Interview).
Spanish for professionsI teach Spanish for Social Work, in which students practice communication skills to prepare them for professional interaction with Spanish-speaking populations.
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I teach upper division content in linguistics and bilingualism, in which I guide students through the development and implementation of individual pilot research projects, culminating in formal written reports.
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For more info, see the Teaching tab above
Community Engagement
My passion for bilingualism extends beyond my research and my classroom. To bring that knowledge from the university campus out into the world at large, I co-founded a community outreach group called RUBilingual, now a branch of Bilingualism Matters.
RUBilingual promotes bilingualism and heritage language maintenance and literacy through interaction with the public, parents, and educators. We work to communicate research on bilingualism in a way that is accessible and approachable to the general public, as well as sharing suggestions for how to encourage heritage language use within families.
RUBilingual promotes bilingualism and heritage language maintenance and literacy through interaction with the public, parents, and educators. We work to communicate research on bilingualism in a way that is accessible and approachable to the general public, as well as sharing suggestions for how to encourage heritage language use within families.
For more info, see these websites: RUBilingual, Bilingualism Matters