Makela Brizuela

Makela Brizuela serves as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Spanish in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures at Claremont McKenna College, part of The Claremont Colleges consortium. Her innovative teaching integrates Argentine tango and embodied movement to enhance intercultural competence and experiential learning in Spanish language education.

Education

• Ph.D. in General Linguistics, University of Southern California

Research Interests

Dr. Brizuela's work centers on Second Language Acquisition and Language Pedagogy, with specialized focus on Heritage Language Education and inclusive teaching methodologies. As an ACTFL-certified OPI tester, she brings expertise in Language Assessment frameworks while exploring the nexus of Language and Identity through artistic practices like tango. Her research uniquely bridges linguistic theory with embodied learning to advance Intercultural Competence in language classrooms.

Scientific Awards

No specific scientific awards, fellowships, or medals are documented in the source material.

Teaching and Professional Activities

• Currently instructs a pedagogy course for Foreign Language Residents covering second language acquisition, proficiency assessment, and conversation class strategies
• Presents research nationally and internationally on language teaching methodologies
• Develops curriculum integrating cultural arts into language instruction