Dr
Elena
Lopez
Academic biography
I am a graduate in Geography and History by the Complutense University (Madrid) with a two year specialisation in History of Art. I hold a Master in Islamic Art awarded by the University of Edinburgh though through which I carried out research in Islamic Spain. My particular interest was to investigate how the Muslim comunity maintain their culture heritage throudh different art manifestations during Christian time. I also hold a Masters in Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language awarded by the University Antonio Nebrija (Madrid). My particular area of research in my dissertation focused on language learning strategies to foster oral communication. I completed my doctoral studies in DCU. My PhD proposes a design-based classroom research which examines new multimodal pedagogies in the Spanish as a second language classroom.
I have a wide range of experience teaching Spanish Language and Culture in different Institutions across Europe, including, College of Europe in Belgium, Instituto Cervantes (Athens & Brussels) and the Institute for Applied Language Studies (University of Edinburgh) where I was Assistant Course Director of the Spanish Section. During my professional career I have engaged in different teacher training programs and research projects.
Research interests
My research interest are connected to my academic background and teaching practice, drawing on my experience in the field of Art Education, Visual Literacy, Multiliteracy Pedagogies, Multimodality, and Applied Linguistics. My research informs my teaching practice drawing on a pedagogy of multiliteracies. My personal approach explores a method called Visual Thinking Strategies which aims of allowing students to become active meaning-makers. In particular, my research evaluates how the use of artworks and Visual Thinking Strategies can support language teaching and learning. Recently, I have extended my area of reseach using Visual Thinking Strategies, to assess how this art-based approach serves to enhance diversity, social cohesion and inclusion between DCU staff, and IPAS applicants in the vicinity of DCU.
As coordinator of the Language and Cuture Programme of DCU Futures, my research interest also evaluates the success of an Institution Wide Language Programme in DCU. The outcome of the reseach of the 3 year pilot phase of the programme will serve to the succeful implementation of the curriculum design in DCU and other educational institutions in higher education which in turn will support the achievement of national language policy objectives.