Andrés A. García is a PhD graduate of the Applied Linguistics and Language Education program in the Department of Teaching and Learning, Policy and Leadership. His research interests include second language acquisition and the educational experiences of heritage language learners (HLLs), English language learners (ELLs), and immigrant students.  His dissertation (2022) explored how the life experiences of HLLs who become language teachers affect their pedagogical content knowledge.

While at UMD, Andrés has greatly enjoyed teaching and TAing multiple courses that have enriched and expanded his academic interests, including courses in second language acquisition, grammar pedagogy, TESOL methods, and issues in the education of ELLs.  He has also conducted research with his advisor, Dr. Melinda Martin-Beltrán, as part of her Immigrant Students' Stories project.

Prior to pursuing his doctorate, Andrés worked for three years as a Spanish Language and Culture Instructor (LCI) at the Foreign Service Institute in Arlington, VA, where he taught State Department personnel preparing for posts in Latin America, Spain, and Equatorial Guinea.  In addition, he has worked on-and-off as an ESL teacher for adult immigrant students in the Arlington Education and Employment Program (REEP).  Andrés has a B.A. in Linguistics and History and an M.A. in Teaching English as a Second Language and Bilingual Education, both from Georgetown University.

Martin-Beltrán, M., Montoya-Ávila, A., & García, A. A. (2020). Becoming advocates: Positioning immigrant youth to share, connect, and apply their stories as tools for social change. TESOL Journal, 11(4). https://doi.org/10.1002/tesj.567

Martin‐Beltrán, M., García, A. A., & Montoya‐Ávila, A. (2020). “I know there’s something like that in Spanish”: Heritage language learners’ multifaceted interactions with linguistically diverse peers. International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 30(3), 530-552. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijal.12310

Martin-Beltrán, M., Montoya-Ávila, A., García, A. A., Peercy, M. M., & Silverman, R. (2019). ‘Time for una pregunta’: Understanding Spanish use and interlocutor response among young English learners in cross-age peer interactions while reading and discussing text. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 22(1), 17-34. https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2018.1515176

Martin-Beltrán, M., Montoya-Ávila, A., García, A. A., & Canales, N. (2018). “Do you want to tell your own narrative?”: How one teacher and her students engage in resistance by leveraging community cultural wealth. Association of Mexican American Educators Journal, 12(3), 97-121. http://dx.doi.org/10.24974/amae.12.3.407

  • EDCI 434 - Pedagogy of Teaching English Language Learners
  • EDCI 732/TLPL 662 - Second Language Acquisition
  • SPAN 203 - Intensive Intermediate Spanish
  • SPAN 207 - Reading and Writing in Spanish
  • SPAN 301 - Advanced Grammar and Composition I
  • SPAN 311 - Advanced Communication I
  • TLPL 440 - Issues in the Education of English Language Learners
  • TLPL 444 - English Grammar Pedagogy for Teachers of English Language Learners
  • TLPL 655 - Student Assessment in the Second Language Classroom
  • TLPL 657 - Teaching for Cross-Cultural Communication
  • TLPL 661 - Multiliteracies: Theory and Practice
  • TLPL 664 - Foundations of Second Language Education: Legal, Social, and Historical Trends and Issues