Makela Brizuela, Ph.D.

Makela Brizuela joins the Modern Languages Department at CMC as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Spanish, bringing extensive experience in heritage language instruction, inclusive pedagogy, and culturally integrated Spanish teaching. Her innovative curriculum incorporates Argentine tango and embodied movement to foster intercultural competence and experiential learning. This year, she will teach a pedagogy course for Foreign Language Residents at The Claremont Colleges, providing a foundation in second language acquisition, proficiency assessment, syllabus design, and strategies for leading effective conversation classes. An ACTFL-certified OPI tester, she has broad and specialized expertise in language proficiency assessment, which informs her research on pedagogy, second language acquisition, and the intersection of language, identity, and the arts. She holds a Ph.D. in General Linguistics from the University of Southern California and has presented her work nationally and internationally.

ACTFL: American Council of Teachers of Foreign Languages

OPI: Oral Proficiency Interview