Sonja Burrows

Expertise: • Digital Language Learning • Online Communities of Practice • Pre-Immersion Learning Environments • Language Acquisition • Heritage Language Pedagogy • Language Assessment • Digital Book/Textbook • Domain of One’s Own (DoOO) • WordPress (MiddCreate instance) • Scalar • Canvas

Office: Remote

As a member of the digital pedagogy team, I provide guidance, support, and leadership for digital projects across Middlebury, with particular focus on the development of digital language learning and cultural immersion spaces. As a language educator, second language acquisition scholar, and digital language-learning designer, I endeavor to bring to my work a hands-on understanding of the diverse ways in which digital projects can amplify linguistic and cultural learning environments.

Prior to joining Digital Learning at Middlebury, I developed curricula and language proficiency assessments for summer language academies as well as designed digital language courses at Middlebury Interactive Languages. I have taught Spanish both at Middlebury College and the University of Oregon, where I developed a specialization in Spanish Heritage Language pedagogy. My lifelong interest in language learning and cultural scholarship has enabled me to live, work, and teach in five countries outside of the United States. I speak English and Spanish, some Italian and French, and aspire to learn Portuguese.

I hold a Ph.D in Romance Languages from the University of Oregon, as well as Master’s degrees in Spanish literature from the University of Oregon and in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) from the School for International Training. My fields of expertise and research aim to bridge the disciplinary gaps between literature and linguistics, and include Spanish Heritage Language pedagogy, Spanish in the U.S., and English-Spanish bilingualism.