Katherine Smith

Katherine Smith is a faculty member in the Department of Modern Languages and ESL at Saint Louis University-Madrid, where she contributes to English Education. Her academic work integrates bilingual education, literacy development, and innovative teaching methodologies within multilingual contexts.

Educational Background:

• Ph.D. (candidate), Bilingual Education, Facultad de Educación, Universidad Complutense de Madrid
• M.S., Teaching English as a Second Language, Florida International University
• B.A., Spanish with minor in Linguistics, University of Florida

Her research focuses on English as a Second Language, Bilingual Education, and Literacy in educational settings. She actively explores how pedagogical approaches such as CLIL and service-learning can enhance intercultural competence and civic skills among pre-service teachers. Her work emphasizes the integration of cultural and visual literacy, particularly through the use of picture books across age groups to support character development and language acquisition.

The recent publication and conference presentations reflect a strong trend in teacher education for CLIL, service-learning innovations, and interdisciplinary classroom activities aimed at developing social and civic competencies. Her scholarship bridges theory and practice, focusing on empowering educators through experiential learning and collaborative teaching models.

She has not received any publicly listed scientific awards.

Katherine Smith is actively involved in advising and educational projects, particularly through service-learning and teacher training initiatives. She has contributed to funded projects including the UCM Proyecto de Servicio-Aprendizaje (2020–present) and UCM Proyecto de Innovación (2016–2020), indicating sustained engagement in curriculum development and pedagogical innovation. While specific advisees are not named, her presentations suggest mentorship of student teachers in literacy and bilingual education contexts.

She is associated with research teams at Universidad Complutense de Madrid and collaborates internationally, including with scholars like Aoife Ahern. Her work is linked to active research groups focused on language education, teacher training, and educational innovation in multilingual settings.