Room 5, Centre for Language Learning

The University of the West Indies,

St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago

Telephone: 868-662-2002 Ext. 84047

Email: Paola.Palma@uwi.edu 

One random day, back in 2013, on my way to teach a class of the BEd English in Colombia, one of my students, who was walking alongside me, said… “I know you don’t remember me because I was only 9 when you were my English teacher in primary school, but I want you to know that I decided to become a teacher because of you. I never forgot how fun your classes were and how much I learned in them…” And just like that, during a five-minute walk, one person put into words the reason why I love teaching: to motivate, to facilitate, to inspire.

I like to make sure that my classes are student-centred. I am committed to empowering students to achieve their academic and personal goals while fostering a love for language learning and cultural exploration. My nature is to be curious, and I try different ways of doing things to ensure that my courses are relevant and interesting.

I also supervise final year research projects. I use these projects to motivate my students to be curious and to explore topics that we do not know much about and that are relevant to the context where we live.

Qualification

Candidate, PhD Linguistics, The University of the West Indies, St Augustine
PG Certificate in University Teaching and Learning, The University of the West Indies, St Augustine
MA, Universidad Pablo de Olavide (Spain)
Dip Ed, Universidad de Ibagué (Colombia)
BEd, Universidad del Tolima (Colombia)

Research Interests

Foreign Language Education
Technology and Foreign Language Teaching and Learning
Study Abroad and Intercultural Competence
Spanish in Trinidad & Tobago

Professional Experience

Instituto Cervante, DELE Examiner
Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC), Foreign Language Editor
Society for Caribbean Linguistics, Member
Hispanic Journal (HJ), Member, Editorial Board
Global Collective for Study Abroad Researchers and Administrators (GC-SARA), Member

Featured Work

Palma, Paola. “Mate is not just a drink.” In Unearthing Traditions: Stories of Language & Culture, edited by Nicole Roberts and Janine Lutchman. Caribbean Brainstorm Publications Ltd, 2025, pp. 39–45.
Mideros, Diego, and Paola Palma. “Learning Spanish beyond the classroom in a corporate setting.” In Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching: The Case of the Southern Caribbean, edited by Diego Mideros, Nicole Roberts, Beverly-Anne Carter, and Hayo Re
Mideros, Diego, Nicole Roberts, Paola Palma, and Natalia Cardona-Villa. “Aprendientes Autónomos de Español en un Contexto del Caribe Angloparlante: Estudio Fenomenológico en Trinidad y Tobago.” Navigating Foreign Language Learner Autonomy, Candlin & Mynar
Castillo, Carolina Arrieta, Nicole Roberts, Paola A. Rojas, and Suly M. Corredor Sánchez. “Foreign Language Teaching and Learning in a Reading Comprehension and Writing Online Module: A Higher Education Analysis.” IJEE International Journal of Educational

Honours and Awards

Grant recipient of the Erasmus Plus KA107 (ICM) Project, Academic Year 2021–2022, Universidad of Valladolid and SEPIE (Erasmus Plus Office in Spain)

Courses Taught

LING2803 Change and Development In Selected European Languages (tutor)
SPAN1007 Spanish for Beginners 1 (Blended)
SPAN1001 Intermediate Spanish IA
SPAN1002 Intermediate Spanish IB
SPAN2001 Spanish Language IIA
SPAN2002 Spanish Language IIB
SPAN3001 Spanish Language IIIA (Blended)
SPAN3002 Spanish Language IIIB (Blended)
SPAN 1A – Basic Spanish 1 (CLL)
Preparation course for DELE exam (A1, A2, B1, B2)