Contact
| Dept: | English |
| Email: | ksilva@iastate.edu |
| Office: | 101 Landscape Arch 612 Farm House Ln. Ames IA 50011-1068 |
| Phone: | 515-294-9987 |
Bio
Courses I am Teaching
Intensive English Courses in IEOP
Degrees
Ph.D. Iowa State University • Applied Linguistics and Technology
M.A. Ohio University • Applied Linguistics
B.A. Universidade Federal de Pernambuco • Portuguese and English Language and Literature
Research Areas
Teacher education, Virtual Worlds, Online Learning
About My Teaching
In my classes I aim at developing a friendly atmosphere where everybody is part of the learning process and everyone has a voice. I try to stimulate my students to see the classroom as a place where they can try things out, where they can make mistakes and, most importantly, where they can learn from each other. I believe that by having meaningful interactions and experiences, the students become motivated to learn more and more. Finally, I believe teaching and learning walk hand in hand; I learn as much from my students as I hope they learn from my classes.
Recent Publications
Redd, J., and Silva, K. (2010). Designing, teaching, and evaluating a Second Life basic skills course. In D. Gibson & B. Dodge (Eds.), Proceedings of Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2010 (pp. 777-782). Chesapeake, VA: AACE.
Silva, K., Correia, A-P, and Pardo-Ballester, C. (2010). A faculty mentoring experience: Learning together in Second Life. Journal of Digital Learning in Teacher Education, 26(4), 149-159.
Current Research
I am currently researching about university undergraduate students’ needs to succeed in their freshman year at Iowa State University. This research will help the Intensive English and Orientation Program students prepare for their academic studies.
Outside of the University
I enjoy traveling and experiencing different parts of the United States as well as watching movies with my husband and my friends.