American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese
Encyclopedia
The American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese is a language-specific professional association in the United States
that was founded on 29 December 1917 in New York City
as the American Association of Teachers of Spanish.
The name was changed to the present one when Portuguese was added to the association’s mission in 1944.
The organization is composed of more than 8,800 members in 60 chapters across the United States
and Canada
.
, helped Wilkins to unite the previously existing east and west coast Spanish teachers’ initiatives to form the national association. The AATSP was the first association in the United States devoted to the study of a specific modern foreign language, pre-dating the AATI (1923), the AATF
(1927), and the AATG
(1927).
Membership has always been open to teachers of Spanish
and Portuguese
and all others interested in the languages. There are Honorary Members and Fellows who represent, respectively, the world of Hispanic
and Luso-Brazilian scholarship and the world of letters.
The Executive Council meets once a year face-to-face at the annual conference, through numerous conference calls, and regularly through online meetings via email. There is a business meeting at the annual conference through which all members can express their concerns to the EC. There are also standing committees for Portuguese, FLES, award selection, scholarship selection, and nominations.
when government restrictions prohibited such gatherings. Each annual conference consists of a wide range of sessions, numerous workshops for members, and many social activities designed to augment the camaraderie of members. Recent meetings have been held in Albuquerque, San José, Costa Rica
, San Diego, Salamanca, Spain, New York City
, Chicago
, and Rio de Janeiro
.
The 92nd annual conference will be held on July 10-13, 2010 in Guadalajara
, Mexico
. It features professional development, networking, exhibits, and immersion experiences in beautiful Guadalajara. There will be more than 200 sessions and workshops, the president’s reception, an awards banquet, and optional cultural and historical excursions. For more information or to register, you can visit the AATSP conference page.
is the official journal of the AATSP. From its inception, it was envisioned as a scholarly publication and also as a source of practical advice for classroom teachers. It features articles on literature
, language
, theoretical and applied linguistics
, cultural studies, and book and media reviews. It has steadily grown in prestige and has had 12 editors through the years; the present editor is Dr. Sheri Spaine Long of University of Alabama
at Birmingham. Publications are in March, June, September, and December. Hispania
is a member of the Council of Editors of Learned Journals.
Enlace is the AATSP’s online newsletter that contains timely articles of interest to members. The Portuguese Newsletter features items of interest about the Luso-Brazilian world. They are both published in the spring and fall.
There are also scholarships for study abroad programs in Costa Rica
, Mexico
, and the Andean countries of Bolivia
, Ecuador
, and Peru
. The study abroad programs provide scholarships and the AATSP supplements the scholarship with a $750 travel stipend. Applicants must be an AATSP member for three consecutive years, a full time Spanish teacher for three years, and continue to teach Spanish for an academic year following the scholarship experience.
The Robert G. Mead, Jr. Travel and Study/Research Stipend is a $1,000.00 travel stipend made possible through the contributions of friends of Professor Mead and his widow Harriet. Applicants must travel and conduct research in a Luso-Hispanic country and be a student member of AATSP for two years or a regular member for three years.
The AATSP accepts nominations from its members for individuals who have done outstanding work in the promotion of foreign language education in Spanish and Portuguese. Awards include Outstanding Teacher of the Year, Outstanding Service, Chapter Incentive, Robert G. Mead, Jr. Distinguished Leadership, Maria Isabel Abreu, and ISE Language Matters. More information is available on the official AATSP website.
(NSE) are web-based, standardized assessment tools for Grades 6 -12, given voluntarily by over 3400 teachers throughout the United States to measure proficiency and achievement of students who are studying Spanish as a second language.
The National Portuguese Examinations (NPE) are communicative proficiency-based tools that engage the students in reading, speaking, and writing. They are intended for High School students of Portuguese.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
that was founded on 29 December 1917 in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
as the American Association of Teachers of Spanish.
The name was changed to the present one when Portuguese was added to the association’s mission in 1944.
The organization is composed of more than 8,800 members in 60 chapters across the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Mission statement
The mission statement of the association is:
Since its inception in 1917, the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese (AATSP) has promoted the study and teaching of Hispanic, Luso-Brazilian, and other related languages, literatures, and cultures at all educational levels. Through an exchange of pedagogical and scholarly information, the AATSP encourages heritage and second-language study and supports projects to that end.
History and Organization
The Association was founded in 1917 largely through the efforts of Lawrence A. Wilkins, its first President, who worked with a number of individuals teaching in colleges, universities, and high schools along the Eastern Seaboard. Aurelio M. Espinosa, later the first editor of HispaniaHispania (journal)
Hispania is a peer-reviewed academic journal and the official journal of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese. It is published quarterly by the AATSP and covers Spanish and Portuguese literature, linguistics, and pedagogy...
, helped Wilkins to unite the previously existing east and west coast Spanish teachers’ initiatives to form the national association. The AATSP was the first association in the United States devoted to the study of a specific modern foreign language, pre-dating the AATI (1923), the AATF
American Association of Teachers of French
The American Association of Teachers of French is a professional organisation for teachers of French in the United States. Teachers may be involved in primary, secondary, or university education...
(1927), and the AATG
American Association of Teachers of German
The American Association of Teachers of German is a professional organisation for teachers of German in the United States and Europe. Teachers may be involved in primary, secondary, or university education. Additionally, retired and student teachers are welcome....
(1927).
Membership has always been open to teachers of Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
and Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
and all others interested in the languages. There are Honorary Members and Fellows who represent, respectively, the world of Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
and Luso-Brazilian scholarship and the world of letters.
Governing Body
The governing body of AATSP is an Executive Council (EC) which consists of an executive director, a president, a president-elect, and the past president. There is an elected representative from the college or university and high school levels. In addition, there is a rotating body of elected members every three years of three members, one from a community college, one from Foreign Language in the Elementary Schools (FLES), and one from Portuguese.The Executive Council meets once a year face-to-face at the annual conference, through numerous conference calls, and regularly through online meetings via email. There is a business meeting at the annual conference through which all members can express their concerns to the EC. There are also standing committees for Portuguese, FLES, award selection, scholarship selection, and nominations.
Annual Conference
An annual conference has been held each year since 1917 with the exception of two years during World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
when government restrictions prohibited such gatherings. Each annual conference consists of a wide range of sessions, numerous workshops for members, and many social activities designed to augment the camaraderie of members. Recent meetings have been held in Albuquerque, San José, Costa Rica
San José, Costa Rica
San José is the capital and largest city of Costa Rica. Located in the Central Valley, San José is the seat of national government, the focal point of political and economic activity, and the major transportation hub of this Central American nation.Founded in 1738 by order of Cabildo de León, San...
, San Diego, Salamanca, Spain, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, and Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
.
The 92nd annual conference will be held on July 10-13, 2010 in Guadalajara
Guadalajara
Guadalajara may refer to:In Mexico:*Guadalajara, Jalisco, the capital of the state of Jalisco and second largest city in Mexico**Guadalajara Metropolitan Area*University of Guadalajara, a public university in Guadalajara, Jalisco...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. It features professional development, networking, exhibits, and immersion experiences in beautiful Guadalajara. There will be more than 200 sessions and workshops, the president’s reception, an awards banquet, and optional cultural and historical excursions. For more information or to register, you can visit the AATSP conference page.
Career Center
The AATSP offers employment opportunity information to its members by way of an online career center. This interactive tool allows job seekers to search for jobs based on their personal criteria and allows employers from school districts, colleges, and universities to announce job openings.Publications
HispaniaHispania (journal)
Hispania is a peer-reviewed academic journal and the official journal of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese. It is published quarterly by the AATSP and covers Spanish and Portuguese literature, linguistics, and pedagogy...
is the official journal of the AATSP. From its inception, it was envisioned as a scholarly publication and also as a source of practical advice for classroom teachers. It features articles on literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
, language
Language
Language may refer either to the specifically human capacity for acquiring and using complex systems of communication, or to a specific instance of such a system of complex communication...
, theoretical and applied linguistics
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
, cultural studies, and book and media reviews. It has steadily grown in prestige and has had 12 editors through the years; the present editor is Dr. Sheri Spaine Long of University of Alabama
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
at Birmingham. Publications are in March, June, September, and December. Hispania
Hispania (journal)
Hispania is a peer-reviewed academic journal and the official journal of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese. It is published quarterly by the AATSP and covers Spanish and Portuguese literature, linguistics, and pedagogy...
is a member of the Council of Editors of Learned Journals.
Enlace is the AATSP’s online newsletter that contains timely articles of interest to members. The Portuguese Newsletter features items of interest about the Luso-Brazilian world. They are both published in the spring and fall.
Scholarships and Awards
There are three categories of scholarships AATSP offers. The first is a “First-Time-Attendee” travel stipend for the annual conference. There are ten $500 stipends offered which are distributed to faculty members and to graduate students. Applicants must be a member of AATSP at the time of application, a teacher of Spanish and/or Portuguese K-16, and a first time attendee at an AATSP annual meeting.There are also scholarships for study abroad programs in Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, and the Andean countries of Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
, Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
, and Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
. The study abroad programs provide scholarships and the AATSP supplements the scholarship with a $750 travel stipend. Applicants must be an AATSP member for three consecutive years, a full time Spanish teacher for three years, and continue to teach Spanish for an academic year following the scholarship experience.
The Robert G. Mead, Jr. Travel and Study/Research Stipend is a $1,000.00 travel stipend made possible through the contributions of friends of Professor Mead and his widow Harriet. Applicants must travel and conduct research in a Luso-Hispanic country and be a student member of AATSP for two years or a regular member for three years.
The AATSP accepts nominations from its members for individuals who have done outstanding work in the promotion of foreign language education in Spanish and Portuguese. Awards include Outstanding Teacher of the Year, Outstanding Service, Chapter Incentive, Robert G. Mead, Jr. Distinguished Leadership, Maria Isabel Abreu, and ISE Language Matters. More information is available on the official AATSP website.
FLES Poster Contest
Each year the AATSP sponsors a poster contest for all students enrolled in Spanish or Portuguese in grades K-8 of AATSP members in good standing. It is an excellent opportunity to discuss language learning with younger learners. The contest is a great classroom activity and program advocacy tool providing student recognition.Honor Societies
The Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica (SHH) was established in 1952 as a service oriented honors society for select students of Spanish. It has long published an official newsletter for its sponsors, ¡Albricias! which includes poetry, short pieces, illustrations, and photography created by the students themselves. There are more than 1800 chapters and the number of initiates grows each year. A club for elementary and middle school students, the Sociedad Hispánica de Amistad (SHA), was formed in 2001. Judith Park and Ursula Sihocky direct the SHH and Pamela Wink directs the SHA.National Examinations
The National Spanish ExaminationsNational Spanish Examinations
The National Spanish Examinations are online, standardized assessment tools given voluntarily by over 3000 teachers throughout the United States to measure proficiency and achievement of students who are studying Spanish as a second language....
(NSE) are web-based, standardized assessment tools for Grades 6 -12, given voluntarily by over 3400 teachers throughout the United States to measure proficiency and achievement of students who are studying Spanish as a second language.
The National Portuguese Examinations (NPE) are communicative proficiency-based tools that engage the students in reading, speaking, and writing. They are intended for High School students of Portuguese.
See also
- HispaniaHispania (journal)Hispania is a peer-reviewed academic journal and the official journal of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese. It is published quarterly by the AATSP and covers Spanish and Portuguese literature, linguistics, and pedagogy...
- Language educationLanguage educationLanguage education is the teaching and learning of a foreign or second language. Language education is a branch of applied linguistics.- Need for language education :...
- National Spanish ExaminationsNational Spanish ExaminationsThe National Spanish Examinations are online, standardized assessment tools given voluntarily by over 3000 teachers throughout the United States to measure proficiency and achievement of students who are studying Spanish as a second language....
- Instituto CervantesInstituto CervantesThe Cervantes Institute is a worldwide non-profit organization created by the Spanish government in 1991. It is named after Miguel de Cervantes , the author of Don Quixote and perhaps the most important figure in the history of Spanish literature...
- HispanismHispanismHispanism is the study of the literature and culture of the Spanish-speaking world, principally that of Spain and Latin America...
- HispanistHispanistA Hispanist is a scholar specialising in Hispanic studies, that is Spanish or Portuguese language, literature, linguistics, or civilization, and by extension, Basque, Catalan and Galician....