STAFF & FACULTY DIRECTORY PROFILE
Natalie Chilese
Job Title:
Instructional Technologist
Department:
Technology
Email:
Phone: (510) 577-9100
ext.
161
Started at O'Dowd:
2015
Degrees:
B.A. in Teaching Spanish, Augustana College, Rock Island, IL
Originally from:
Naperville, IL
Why I Teach:
My goal in teaching is to provide students with self-sufficiency, responsibility and empathy. Even though students may not go on to study another language, they still need the skills to communicate effectively and handle themselves in a global society.
Most powerful teaching technique:
The most effective tool I use in the classroom is the language itself. I try to communicate in Spanish to my students as much as possible to ensure that they receive enough language input.
Why are the subjects you teach important?:
Beyond learning a second language--which is an invaluable skill to have--the subject that I teach also addresses tolerance and perspective for all students. Not only do they learn the ideas behind other cultures, but they consequently learn about their own assumptions.
Favorite quotes:
"Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself." John Dewey
Favorite trivia:
The language Esperanto was created to be an "international" language in the late 1800s and was intended to unite cultures that otherwise would not be able to speak. It combines Indo- European, Germanic and Slavic languages. It is now the most widely-used constructed language in the world and even boasts native speakers.
Recommended visual media:
It Happened One Night Pride and Prejudice Rear Window
Recommended reads:
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller The Alchemist by Paulo Coehlo The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer Don Quixote de la Mancha by Miguel Cervantes
Hobbies or outside interests:
Reading, Baking, Writing, Watching films, Visiting museums