Congratulations to Plymouth State Professor of Spanish, Wilson Garcia, who is this year’s CoLab Community Contributor Honoree. Annually, the CoLab selects a faculty or staff member who has “demonstrated a collaborative and collegial approach to learning and professional development, and helped catalyze campus-wide engagement with professional development and community-building.”
Wilson earned his bachelor’s degree in foreign languages from the University of Antioquia in Colombia (1997), received his MEd for teacher certification in Spanish (2007), his Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies (2010), and his Doctor of Education degree (2015) from Plymouth State University. He teaches Spanish language courses at all levels. In addition, he offers graduate courses for the M.Ed. program.
We talked to Wilson about his enthusiasm for professional development around teaching and learning:
Why do you participate in professional development at PSU?
The professional development activities organized by the CoLab are always of high quality and tailored to my interests and needs. The CoLab staff are always very welcoming, engaging, and caring. In addition, I can connect with my campus colleagues in a meaningful and enjoyable manner.
In what ways have you grown as a teacher this year?
One of my goals this year was to have a refresher about technology related to teaching. Thanks to the Technology and Tools module [of Design Forward], I felt I achieved this goal. In addition, I was very curious about GenAI and education. The AI Challenge module [of DF} went beyond my expectations. I not only became familiar with the theoretical beauty and complexity of GenAI, but I was also able to use some of these tools to help my students practice their language skills.
What would you say to your colleagues about engaging in learning communities about teaching?
Learning is a collaborative endeavor where community is central to the process of making meaning. When we share information and experiences about teaching, we create a larger knowledge base that is more valuable than the individual parts. At the same time, we strengthen our sense of belonging and collegiality by discovering new facets of our colleagues.
Is there anything else you want to add?
I hope more faculty and staff take advantage of the opportunities that the CoLab offers. We are very fortunate to have an in-house team that provides and supports such meaningful professional development opportunities within the specific context of our campus.
We are so grateful to all of the PSU faculty and staff who participate with us in our exploration of teaching and learning; a special thank you to Wilson for his commitment to professional development and helping us build a community of teaching and learning at PSU.
