Manuel Lagares
Assistant Professor, Faculty of Arts
Contact
Biography
I am an Assistant Professor of Spanish in the Modern Languages and Cultures department, and a Senior Fellow of Advance HE (SFHEA). I am deputy Spanish Language Coordinator at the Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Studies section, where I convene the undergraduate degree modules Spanish 1 and Spanish 2-Beginners in Years 1 and 2.
I have organised several national and international conferences and workshops and have presented papers at multiple conferences. I have represented the UoN by delivering talks at diverse events such as summer schools, webinars, open days, and widening participation and outreach initiatives.
I was honoured with a Student-Led University Award for Outstanding Communication in 2023, was highly commended at the Staff Oscars 2019 in the category Best All-Rounder Teacher and received a Lord Dearing Award in 2017 "for my outstanding contribution to the development of teaching and student learning". Together with the rest of the Spanish language team at SPLAS, I received a Lord Dearing Award for Teaching and Learning in 2024.
My teaching career in Higher Education began in France in 2004 at the École Supérieure of Management of Lille and the University Paris-Est Créteil. I later moved to the University Toulouse 2, were I stayed until relocating to the UK, to teach successively at the universities of Glasgow and St Andrews, before gaining my current position at the University of Nottingham in September 2012.
My academic background includes a Master of Arts in Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language (University of Alcala de Henares); a Master of Philosophy in Spanish and Portuguese studies (University Toulouse 2); a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Humanities from the University of Cadiz, after completing a year of studies at the University of Paris Ouest; and a teacher training qualification completed in Spain (University of Cadiz).
Teaching Summary
My teaching philosophy, which extends across all aspects of my practice, prioritises the creation of dynamic and engaging learning environments to enhance student motivation and improve learning… read more
Research Summary
My main research interests are: plurilingualism and multilingual approaches, cognitive grammar, teaching and learning Spanish as a foreign language, learning technologies, and decolonising the… read more
Recent Publications
CASTILLO-AHUIR, M., LAGARES, M., MOLINA-VIDAL, I. and SOLÁ-SIMÓN, E., 2025. Una explicación del verbo gustar mediante imágenes ELEUK ampliando horizontes: propuestas didácticas y avances en investigación. 243-272 DÍAZ-BRAVO, R., JIMÉNEZ-NARANJO, M., BORIN-BONILLO, E., LAGARES, M. and PASTOR-TORRES, A., 2024. Special Interest Group de ELEUK sobre la descolonización en la enseñanza del español Tecla: Revista de la Consejería de Educación en Reino Unido e Irlanda. 20-26 LAGARES, M. and REISENLEUTNER, S., 2017. Rotating poster presentations. In: ÁLVAREZ-MAYO, CARMEN, GALLAGHER-BRETT, ANGELA and MICHEL, FRANCK, eds., Innovative language teaching and learning at university: enhancing employability 1. Research-publishing.net. 79-87
I am Coordinator of DELE Exams and Chief Examiner since the UoN became DELE examination centre in 2014.
More information about the DELE exams at Nottingham can be found on this link
My teaching philosophy, which extends across all aspects of my practice, prioritises the creation of dynamic and engaging learning environments to enhance student motivation and improve learning outcomes.
I am the module convenor for the first-year post A-level language degree module Spanish 1 (MLAC1060) and for the second-year ab-initio level degree module Spanish 2-Beginners (MLAC2085). I teach weekly seminars in these two modules, as well as a weekly grammar and translation lecture.
My responsibilities include curriculum design, teaching delivery, day-to-day module management, and coordination. This involves selecting topics, creating content, and determining suitable teaching, learning, and assessment methods, ensuring they align with best practices and the latest scholarship in the field.
I have introduced innovative teaching models such as the flipped classroom, blended learning, and task-based teaching into our programmes. Additionally, a substantial aspect of my teaching approach involves integrating technology to enhance learning outcomes. Over the years, I have received specialised training in various learning technologies, including Xerte Online Toolkit, Padlet, Quizlet, Videoscribe, Genially, and Student Response Systems like Echo Poll, Echo360 and Turning Point.
My modules aim to balance language content with intercultural and sociocultural literacy. In addition to mastering the language, students are encouraged to navigate diverse cultural environments and mediate between different cultures. To achieve this, themes such as colonialism, language varieties, indigenous languages and communities, migrations, LGTBIQ+ rights, gender equality and gender-fair language, have been incorporated into the curriculum. These topics not only enrich student learning experiences, but also align with principles of social justice, accessibility, equity, and representativeness.
In my modules, assessment and feedback are an integral parts of curriculum design from the outset. This involves a combination of summative and formative assessments, both formal and informal, to provide students with opportunities to practise without pressure and receive ongoing feedback.
Currently, I serve as an external examiner at the University of Exeter (since 2023).
Current Research
My main research interests are: plurilingualism and multilingual approaches, cognitive grammar, teaching and learning Spanish as a foreign language, learning technologies, and decolonising the Spanish language curriculum. A selection of my presentations at conferences include:
- Un enfoque contrastivo para enseñar y aprender el modo subjuntivo. 2024. International Conference of the Association for the Teaching of Spanish as a Foreign Language, University of Edinburgh
- Beyond the Monolingual Perspective: Exploring the Teaching of the Subjunctive Mood from a Multilingual Approach. 2023. Tense, Aspect, Mood in Language 2 Conference, University of Edinburgh
- Una explicación del verbo "gustar" mediante imágenes. 2023. Encuentro ELEUK, University of Leeds
- A Cognitive-Operative Approach to Teaching the Spanish Subjunctive in the University Classroom. 2023. Annual Conference of the Association of Hispanists of Great Britain and Ireland, Dublin
- La (no) declaración. Una aplicación empírica del contraste modal español para el aula universitaria británica. 2022. VI Conference of Linguistics and Literature, University of Cantabria
- Reflections on a Blended Approach for Teaching Spanish. 2022. AULC conference, University of Nottingham
- The Life Cycle of an Open Course for Spanish Language and Culture. 2020. e-Learning Symposium, University of Southampton
- An Open Course for Spanish Language and Culture - Lessons Learnt. 2019. international conference "MOOCS, language learning and mobility", The Open University, Milton Keynes
- Fostering Collaboration and Interaction: from Audio-Visual Projects to Clicker Technology. 2017. Guest speaker at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow
- Rotating Poster Presentations. 2016. Innoconf conference, University of York
- Uso del foro de Moodle para potenciar la motivación, la creatividad y el sentido crítico. 2016. Encuentro ELEUK, University of Reading
- Un MOOC para aprender español. 2015. Encuentro ELEUK, University of Nottingham
- ¿Puede ser interactiva una clase magistral? 2013. Meeting of Teachers of SFL in HE in the North of England, University of Manchester
Within and outside my institution, I have actively participated in multiple initiatives aimed at collaborating with colleagues, creating environments that foster professional discussion, and enhancing the overall quality of language teaching and learning.
Outside my institution, I have attended numerous conferences and workshops, and I have presented papers at over twenty conferences on my main research interests. This involvement extends to serving on different editorial committees and contributing to the organisation of several international conferences.
I have been a member of the British Association for the Teaching of Spanish in Higher Education (ELEUK) since its foundation in 2014, and I served on its steering committee from 2019 to 2023. Within ELEUK, I am a member of the Special Interest Groups "Desco_ELEUK", which focuses on decolonising the curriculum of the Spanish as a Foreign Language discipline, and "LUKGOC", dedicated to implementing a cognitive-operative approach to grammar teaching and learning.
At UoN, I have collaborated extensively with MLC colleagues, contributing to initiatives like the NOOC "Spain and Latin America, Transatlantic Crossings", publishing research papers in peer-reviewed conference proceedings, and co-organising the successful workshop series "Back to Basics in Language Teaching and Learning". In addition, I have participated in multiple School of CLAS and Faculty of Arts initiatives like Away Days, Moodle showcases, the Language Development Day, the Digital Day, the Teach Fest, or the 'Appy Hour' series. I am also a member of the LANTERN reading group since its creation.
CASTILLO-AHUIR, M., LAGARES, M., MOLINA-VIDAL, I. and SOLÁ-SIMÓN, E., 2025. Una explicación del verbo gustar mediante imágenes ELEUK ampliando horizontes: propuestas didácticas y avances en investigación. 243-272 DÍAZ-BRAVO, R., JIMÉNEZ-NARANJO, M., BORIN-BONILLO, E., LAGARES, M. and PASTOR-TORRES, A., 2024. Special Interest Group de ELEUK sobre la descolonización en la enseñanza del español Tecla: Revista de la Consejería de Educación en Reino Unido e Irlanda. 20-26 LAGARES, M. and REISENLEUTNER, S., 2017. Rotating poster presentations. In: ÁLVAREZ-MAYO, CARMEN, GALLAGHER-BRETT, ANGELA and MICHEL, FRANCK, eds., Innovative language teaching and learning at university: enhancing employability 1. Research-publishing.net. 79-87