Teaching and Learning Centers (TLC)

[TLC logo]

[Kathie Houchens, Teaching Learning Center Coordinator]

¡Bienvenidos! The Spanish Department's Teaching Learning Centers have been welcoming students for over ten years. Whether you're a student in a 101 class just beginning or if you're completing a major at the 600 level, make the TLC an extension of your classroom experience.

[Jenny Bamford, Major-Spanish]

I have definitely utilized all the resources at the Teaching and Learning Center, especially when I was at my lower level Spanish classes I would go to the tutoring center if I had any questions. There was always instructors there, I would go there and they'd help me with my problems and it was great.

[Chris Cook, Major - Spanish ]

One of the benefits for me at the TLC was the conversation rooms. When you're in a conversational setting and the person you are speaking with corrects you immediately, you remember that and you're able to use that the next time you speak. Our conversation wasn't forced and that was one of the great things that I liked about the conversation tables.

[Charlie Fulks, Major - International Studies]

We had native speakers from all over the world who were instructors of courses and that you hadn't met before so you were able to communicate with different speakers and help build your confidence. You are with kids in classes anywhere from 101 and even higher than that so you had a whole different range of vocab and ability in there which helped.

[María Elena Alfaro Chacón, Spanish instructor]

I think that the conversation tables are really, really important for the students to become more fluent and more confident, because they have the opportunity to practice with other students and also they feel relaxed.

[Ben Powell, major: Psychology]

At the beginning of the quarter we were told that we had to go to the Teaching Learning Center and it was like "**sigh**", like when you're told to do anything and you don't really want to do it, I got a small group of friends and overall it was really great and we actually enjoyed every other Friday getting together and heading up to the TLC.

[Geradina Garita-Lacey, Spanish instructor and TLC conversation coordinator]

As an instructor here in the department I have seen a very big difference between the students who don't go and the students who do go. The students who don't go, participate less in the class. Of course they feel less confident than the ones who take advantage of practice, practice and practice.

[Chris Cook]

As it turns out, I'm engaged to a native speaker of Spanish and I can't emphasize enough how much the conversation rooms and the TLC in general have helped me...

[Charlie Fulks]

I moved to Honduras for about three months to do work and being in the Learning Center it was very beneficial once I got down there because I was very confident with my speaking ability, I was able to communicate with the native people of Honduras....it was absolutely terrific!

[María Elena Alfaro Chacón]

It's free. It's open every single day. And they can check the schedule to see at what time they have time to go and I think it is a great opportunity and it's something we are really proud in the department to offer this to our students.