DR. KARINA RODEGRA

Karina has been involved in the IB (International Baccalaureate) for more than ten years as IB Teacher, DP Coordinator, and Examiner. She was working at IB Schools in Germany, USA, Slovakia, and Spain. She earned a masters degree in law and linguistics and a doctorate in linguistics and education, all achieved in Germany, and has been an educator for 20 years in Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, and USA, having a real passion for internationally minded education with a strong desire to provide the highest level of individual academic achievement. She has three sons, who are bilingual.

"I love teaching. I love coaching. But nobody is a “born teacher”. If anything, I was born a learner, and along the way I learned how to teach. Today I know that teaching is a learning experience. I learn to be flexible in my methodology and approach, to deal with unusual students and learning strategies, and to communicate better every time I teach. I learn that every student has a story. As a teacher, learner, and researcher of language I discovered the following: (1) Listening and speaking skills develop faster and more successfully through interactive task-based methods;(2) The target language and culture have to be combined in the syllabus from the start; (3) Foreign language learners can and should develop an understanding of the grammatical basis of the language that they are becoming fluent in. By considering these findings there are two most important aspects of my teaching: Personal interaction with my students and the Active Learning Methodology that engages all of the senses through multi media and innovative instructional concepts, creating not just a lesson but an interactive experience."